I, 'the first time a man goes round the world, he is plaguy
skeered for fear of fallin' off the edge; the second time he gets used
to it, and larns a good deal.'

"'Fallin' off the edge!' sais he; 'what an original idea that is. That's
one of your best. I like your works for that they are original. We have
nothin' but imitations now. Fallin' off the the edge, that's capital. I
must tell Peel that; for he is very fond of that sort of thing.'

"He was a very pretty spoken man, was Mr. Tact; he is quite the
gentleman, that's a fact. I love to hear him talk; he is so very
perlite, and seems to take a likin' to me parsonally."

Few men are so open to flattery as Mr. Slick; and although "soft sawder"
is one of the artifices he constantly uses in his intercourse with
others, he is often thrown off of his guard by it himself. How much
easier it is to discover the weaknesses of others than to see our own!

But to resume the story.

"'You have been a good deal in the colonies, haven't you?' said he.

"'Considerable sum,' sais I. Now, sais I to myself, this is the rael
object he sent for me for; but I won't tell him nothin'. If he'd a up
and askt me right off the reel, like a man, he'd a found me up to the
notch; but he thort to play me off. Now I'll sarve him out his own way;
so here goes.

"'Your long acquaintance with the provinces, and familiar intercourse
with the people,' sais he, 'must have made you quite at home on all
colonial topics.'

"'I thought so once,' sais I; 'but I don't think so now no more, Sir.'

"'Why how is that?' sais he.

"'Why, Sir,' sais I, 'you can hold a book so near your eyes as not to be
able to read a word of it; hold it off further, and get the right focus,
and you can read beautiful. Now the right distance to see a colony, and
know all about it, is England. Three thousand miles is the right focus
for a political spy-glass. A man livin' here, and who never was out of
England, knows twice as much about the provinces as I do.'

"'Oh, you are joking,' sais he.

"Not a bit,' sais I. 'I find folks here that not only know every thing
about them countries, but have no doubts upon any matter, and ask no
questions; in fact, they not only know more than me, but more than the
people themselves do, what they want. It's curious, but it's a fact. A
colonist is the most beautiful crittur in natur to try experiments on,
you ever see; for he is so simple and good-natured he don't know no
better; and s