," said Talbot; "and a very fit exchange of service it is.
It will be a problem in human nature to see who has the best of it: you
shall pay your court by flattering the people present, and I mine by
abusing those absent. Now, in spite of your youth and curling locks, I
will wager that I succeed the best; for in vanity there is so great a
mixture of envy that no compliment is like a judicious abuse: to enchant
your acquaintance, ridicule his friends."

"Ah, sir," said Clarence, "this opinion of yours is, I trust, a little
in the French school, where brilliancy is more studied than truth, and
where an ill opinion of our species always has the merit of passing for
profound."

Talbot smiled, and shook his head. "My dear young friend," said he, "it
is quite right that you, who are coming into the world, should think
well of it; and it is also quite right that I, who am going out of it,
should console myself by trying to despise it. However, let me tell you,
my young friend, that he whose opinion of mankind is not too elevated
will always be the most benevolent, because the most indulgent, to
those errors incidental to human imperfection to place our nature in
too flattering a view is only to court disappointment, and end in
misanthropy. The man who sets out with expecting to find all his
fellow-creatures heroes of virtue will conclude by condemning them as
monsters of vice; and, on the contrary, the least exacting judge of
actions will be the most lenient. If God, in His own perfection, did not
see so many frailties in us, think you He would be so gracious to our
virtues?"

"And yet," said Clarence, "we remark every day examples of the highest
excellence."

"Yes," replied Talbot, "of the highest but not of the most constant
excellence. He knows very little of the human heart who imagines we
cannot do a good action; but, alas! he knows still less of it who
supposes we can be always doing good actions. In exactly the same ratio
we see every day the greatest crimes are committed; but we find no
wretch so depraved as to be always committing crimes. Man cannot be
perfect even in guilt."

In this manner Talbot and his young visitor conversed, till Clarence,
after a stay of unwarrantable length, rose to depart.

"Well," said Talbot, "if we now rightly understand each other, we shall
be the best friends in the world. As we shall expect great things from
each other sometimes, we will have no scruple in exacting a heroic
sacr