"Come, now, old man, it's a first-rate place."

"Well, you may think so; I don't. In fact, I don't see the fun of
bathing after dinner at all. You don't expect _me_ to make a fool of
myself hunting squirrels, do you, in those horrid woods? And you'll
have to have tea, as you call it (though you might as well make one meal
do for both), jolly early if you expect to drift down here by nine.
Why, you won't do it in anything like the time, and fine fun it will be,
sitting like dummies in a boat going at a mile an hour."

This was cheerful, and no amount of argument would do away with our
desirable friend's objections. The result was, we went, but tried to
alter our programme in some points to please him: But he growled all the
more, and would not enjoy the day himself, nor let us do so; and our
grand picnic, thanks to him, was quite a failure.

It wouldn't have been so bad if the result of Growler's grumblings had
been to give us something better in place of what he wanted us to give
up. But that is a thing he never did. He could pick holes to any
extent, but he couldn't fill them up. There was no scheme or project he
couldn't pull to pieces with the utmost industry, but I never remember
his originating any scheme of his own to take its place. This was
hardly fair. If you take something away from a person, and give him
nothing in exchange, it is robbery, and in this respect Growler was an
awful thief.

Isn't it true that if you set yourself to it, you could find fault with
nearly everything? But in order to do it, you would have to be very
selfish in the first place, and very hard-hearted in the next. The dog
in the manger is a good type of this happy combination. He trampled on
the hay that the cows thought so sweet, and wouldn't touch it himself,
and he wouldn't let them touch it either; and that is precisely the
charge to which Growler lays himself open. Let us hope he is not quite
such a bad sort as this dog. He had got into a regular habit of
growling, and it would be against his nature altogether to praise
anything cordially.

Supposing Growler to be grown to a man, now; what a desirable creature
he must be! What a fine man to get on to a committee, or into
parliament! What a delightful partner to have in business! Why, he'd
wear out an ordinary man in a month. What complainings, and
questionings, and disapprovals, and censures would he ever be loading on
the head of his colleagues!--how ready