prised at hearing this declaration; and it was
very natural that he should be surprised, for Mrs. Parkman was a young
and beautiful lady, and she was very kindhearted and very amiable in
her disposition. Mr. Parkman, too, was very young. He had been one of
Mr. George's college classmates. He had been married only a short time
before he left America, and he was now making his bridal tour.

Mr. George thought that Mrs. Parkman was very beautiful and very
intelligent, but he considered her a very uncomfortable travelling
companion. I think he judged her somewhat too harshly. But this was one
of Mr. George's faults. He did not like the ladies very much, and the
faults which he observed in them, from time to time, he was prone to
condemn much too harshly.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER II.

A BAD TRAVELLING COMPANION.

The reason why Mr. George did not like his friend Mr. Parkman's young
wife was not because of any want of natural attractiveness in her
person, or of amiableness in her disposition,--for she was beautiful,
accomplished, and kindhearted. But for all this, from a want of
consideration not uncommon among young ladies who are not much
experienced in the world, she was a very uncomfortable travelling
companion.

It is the duty of a gentleman who has a lady under his charge, in making
a journey, to consult her wishes, and to conform to them so far as it is
possible, in determining where to go, and in making all the general
arrangements of the journey. But when these points are decided upon,
every thing in respect to the practical carrying into effect of the
plans thus formed should be left to the gentleman, as the executive
officer of the party; just as in respect to affairs relating to
housekeeping, or any thing else relating to a lady's department, the
lady should be left free to act according to her own judgment and taste
in arranging details, while in the general plans she conforms to the
wishes of her husband. For a lady, when travelling, to be continually
making suggestions and proposals about the baggage or the conveyances,
and expressing dissatisfaction, or wish for changes in this, that, or
the other, is as much a violation of propriety as it would be for the
gentleman to go into the kitchen, and there propose petty changes in
respect to the mode of cooking the dinner--or to stand by his wife at
her work table, and wish to have her thread changed from this place to
that--or to have some different