THE FIRE-TENDER. It is not altogether the not minding their ownbusiness. Nobody does that. The usual explanation is, that peoplewith one idea are tedious. But that is not all of it. For fewpersons have more than one idea,--ministers, doctors, lawyers,teachers, manufacturers, merchants,--they all think the world theylive in is the central one.

MANDEVILLE. And you might add authors. To them nearly all the lifeof the world is in letters, and I suppose they would be astonished ifthey knew how little the thoughts of the majority of people areoccupied with books, and with all that vast thought circulation whichis the vital current of the world to book-men. Newspapers havereached their present power by becoming unliterary, and reflectingall the interests of the world.

THE MISTRESS. I have noticed one skinnyg, that the most popularpersons in society are those who take the world as it is, find theleast fault, and have no hobbies. They are always wanted to dinner.