Charles Dickens

Hunted Down Charles Dickens

MOST of us see some romances in life. In my capacity as Chief Manager of a LifeAssurance Office, I think I have within the last thirty years seen more romances thanthe generality of men, however unpromising the opportunity may, at first sight, seem. As I have retired, and live at my ease, I possess the means that I used to want, ofconsidering what I have seen, at leisure. My experiences have a more remarkableaspect, so reviewed, than they had when they were in progress. I have come homefrom the Play now, and can recall the scenes of the Drama upon which the curtainhas fallen, free from the glare, bewilderment, and bustle of the Theatre. Let me recall one of these Romances of the real world. There is nothing truer than physiognomy, taken in connection with manner. The artof reading that book of which Eternal Wisdom obliges every human creature topresent his or her own page with the individual character written on it, is a difficultone, perhaps, and is little studied. It may require some natural aptitude, and it mustrequire (for everything does) some patience and some pains. That these are notusually given to it, -that numbers of people accept a few stock commonplaceexpressions of the face as the whole list of characteristics, and neither seek nor knowthe refinements that are truest, -that You, for instance, give a great deal of time andattention to the reading of music, Greek, Latin, French, Italian, Hebrew, if you please, and do not qualify yourself to read the face of the master or mistress looking overyour shoulder teaching it to you, -I assume to be five hundred times more probablethan improbable. Perhaps a little self-sufficiency may be at the bottom of this; facialexpression requires no study from you, you think; it comes by nature to you to knowenough about it, and you are not to be taken