Chapter 40

by Herman Melville

　　IN WHICH THE STORY OF CHINA ASTER IS AT SECOND-HAND TOLD BY ONE WHO,WHILE NOT DISAPPROVING THE MORAL, DISCLAIMS THE SPIRIT OF THE STYLE."China Aster was a young candle-maker of Marietta, at the mouth of theMuskingum--one whose trade would seem a kind of subordinate branch ofthat parent craft and mystery of the hosts of heaven, to be the means,effectively or otherwise, of shedding some light through the darkness ofa planet benighted. But he made little money by the business. Much adohad poor China Aster and his family to live; he could, if he chose,light up from his stores a whole street, but not so easily could helight up with prosperity the hearts of his household."Now, China Aster, it so happened, had a friend, Orchis, a shoemaker;one whose calling it is to defend the understandings of men from nakedcontact with the substance of things: a very useful vocation, and which,spite of all the wiseacres may prophesy, will hardly go out of fashionso long as rocks are hard and flints will gall. All at once, by acapital prize in a lottery, this useful shoemaker was raised from abench to a sofa. A small nabob was the shoemaker now, and theunderstandings of men, let them shift for themselves. Not that Orchiswas, by prosperity, elated into heartlessness. Not at all. Because, inhis fine apparel, strolling one morning into the candlery, and gaylyswitching about at the candle-boxes with his gold-headed cane--whilepoor China Aster, with his greasy paper cap and leather apron, wasselling one candle for one penny to a poor orange-woman, who, with thepatronizing coolness of a liberal customer, required it to be carefullyrolled up and tied in a half sheet of paper--lively Orchis, the womanbeing gone, discontinued his gay switchings and said: 'This is poorbusiness for you, friend China Aster; your capital is too small. Youmust drop this vile tallow and hold up pure spermaceti to the world. Itell you what it is, you shall have one thousand dollars to extend with.In fact, you must make money, China Aster. I don't like to see yourlittle boy paddling about without shoes, as he does.'"'Heaven bless your goodness, friend Orchis,' replied the candle-maker,'but don't take it illy if I call to mind the word of my uncle, theblacksmith, who, when a loan was offered him, declined it, saying: "Toply my own hammer, light though it be, I think best, rather than pieceit out heavier by welding to it a bit off a neighbor's hammer, thoughthat may have some weight to spare; otherwise, were the borrowed bitsuddenly wanted again, it might not split off at the welding, but toomuch to one side or the other."'"'Nonsense, friend China Aster, don't be so honest; your boy isbarefoot. Besides, a rich man lose by a poor man? Or a friend be theworse by a friend? China Aster, I am afraid that, in leaning over intoyour vats here, this, morning, you have spilled out your wisdom. Hush! Iwon't hear any more. Where's your desk? Oh, here.' With that, Orchisdashed off a check on his bank, and off-handedly presenting it, said:'There, friend China Aster, is your one thousand dollars; when you makeit ten thousand, as you soon enough will (for experience, the only trueknowledge, teaches me that, for every one, good luck is in store), then,China Aster, why, then you can return me the money or not, just as youplease. But, in any event, give yourself no concern, for I shall neverdemand payment.'"Now, as kind heaven will so have it that to a hungry man bread is agreat temptation, and, therefore, he is not too harshly to be blamed,if, when freely offered, he take it, even though it be uncertain whetherhe shall ever be able to reciprocate; so, to a poor man, proffered moneyis equally enticing, and the worst that can be said of him, if he acceptit, is just what can be said in the other case of the hungry man. Inshort, the poor candle-maker's scrupulous morality succumbed to hisunscrupulous necessity, as is now and then apt to be the case. He tookthe check, and was about carefully putting it away for the present, whenOrchis, switching about again with his gold-headed cane, said:'By-the-way, China Aster, it don't mean anything, but suppose you make alittle memorandum of this; won't do any harm, you know.' So China Astergave Orchis his note for one thousand dollars on demand. Orchis took it,and looked at it a moment, 'Pooh, I told you, friend China Aster, Iwasn't going ever to make any demand.' Then tearing up the note, andswitching away again at the candle-boxes, said, carelessly; 'Put it atfour years.' So China Aster gave Orchis his note for one thousanddollars at four years. 'You see I'll never trouble you about this,' saidOrchis, slipping it in his pocket-book, 'give yourself no furtherthought, friend China Aster, than how best to invest your money. Anddon't forget my hint about spermaceti. Go into that, and I'll buy all mylight of you,' with which encouraging words, he, with wonted, rattlingkindness, took leave."China Aster remained standing just where Orchis had left him; when,suddenly, two elderly friends, having nothing better to do, dropped infor a chat. The chat over, China Aster, in greasy cap and apron, ranafter Orchis, and said: 'Friend Orchis, heaven will reward you for yourgood intentions, but here is your check, and now give me my note.'"'Your honesty is a bore, China Aster,' said Orchis, not withoutdispleasure. 'I won't take the check from you.'"'Then you must take it from the pavement, Orchis,' said China Aster;and, picking up a stone, he placed the check under it on the walk."'China Aster,' said Orchis, inquisitively eying him, after my leavingthe candlery just now, what asses dropped in there to advise with you,that now you hurry after me, and act so like a fool? Shouldn't wonder ifit was those two old asses that the boys nickname Old Plain Talk and OldPrudence.'"'Yes, it was those two, Orchis, but don't call them names.'"'A brace of spavined old croakers. Old Plain Talk had a shrew for awife, and that's made him shrewish; and Old Prudence, when a boy, brokedown in an apple-stall, and that discouraged him for life. No bettersport for a knowing spark like me than to hear Old Plain Talk wheeze outhis sour old saws, while Old Prudence stands by, leaning on his staff,wagging his frosty old pow, and chiming in at every clause.'"'How can you speak so, friend Orchis, of those who were my father'sfriends?'""'Save me from my friends, if those old croakers were Old Honesty'sfriends. I call your father so, for every one used to. Why did they lethim go in his old age on the town? Why, China Aster, I've often heardfrom my mother, the chronicler, that those two old fellows, with OldConscience--as the boys called the crabbed old quaker, that's deadnow--they three used to go to the poor-house when your father was there,and get round his bed, and talk to him for all the world as Eliphaz,Bildad, and Zophar did to poor old pauper Job. Yes, Job's comforterswere Old Plain Talk, and Old Prudence, and Old Conscience, to your poorold father. Friends? I should like to know who you call foes? With theireverlasting croaking and reproaching they tormented poor Old Honesty,your father, to death.'"At these words, recalling the sad end of his worthy parent, China Astercould not restrain some tears. Upon which Orchis said: 'Why, ChinaAster, you are the dolefulest creature. Why don't you, China Aster,take a bright view of life? You will never get on in your business oranything else, if you don't take the bright view of life. It's theruination of a man to take the dismal one.' Then, gayly poking at himwith his gold-headed cane, 'Why don't you, then? Why don't you be brightand hopeful, like me? Why don't you have confidence, China Aster?"I'm sure I don't know, friend Orchis,' soberly replied China Aster,'but may be my not having drawn a lottery-prize, like you, may make somedifference.'"Nonsense! before I knew anything about the prize I was gay as a lark,just as gay as I am now. In fact, it has always been a principle with meto hold to the bright view.'"Upon this, China Aster looked a little hard at Orchis, because thetruth was, that until the lucky prize came to him, Orchis had gone underthe nickname of Doleful Dumps, he having been beforetimes of ahypochondriac turn, so much so as to save up and put by a few dollars ofhis scanty earnings against that rainy day he used to groan so muchabout."I tell you what it is, now, friend China Aster,' said Orchis, pointingdown to the check under the stone, and then slapping his pocket, 'thecheck shall lie there if you say so, but your note shan't keep itcompany. In fact, China Aster, I am too sincerely your friend to takeadvantage of a passing fit of the blues in you. You shall reap thebenefit of my friendship.' With which, buttoning up his coat in ajiffy, away he ran, leaving the check behind."At first, China Aster was going to tear it up, but thinking that thisought not to be done except in the presence of the drawer of the check,he mused a while, and picking it up, trudged back to the candlery, fullyresolved to call upon Orchis soon as his day's work was over, anddestroy the check before his eyes. But it so happened that when ChinaAster called, Orchis was out, and, having waited for him a weary time invain, China Aster went home, still with the check, but still resolvednot to keep it another day. Bright and early next morning he would asecond time go after Orchis, and would, no doubt, make a sure thing ofit, by finding him in his bed; for since the lottery-prize came to him,Orchis, besides becoming more cheery, had also grown a little lazy. Butas destiny would have it, that same night China Aster had a dream, inwhich a being in the guise of a smiling angel, and holding a kind ofcornucopia in her hand, hovered over him, pouring down showers of smallgold dollars, thick as kernels of corn. 'I am Bright Future, friendChina Aster,' said the angel, 'and if you do what friend Orchis wouldhave you do, just see what will come of it.' With which Bright Future,with another swing of her cornucopia, poured such another shower ofsmall gold dollars upon him, that it seemed to bank him up all round,and he waded about in it like a maltster in malt."Now, dreams are wonderful things, as everybody knows--so wonderful,indeed, that some people stop not short of ascribing them directly toheaven; and China Aster, who was of a proper turn of mind in everything,thought that in consideration of the dream, it would be but well to waita little, ere seeking Orchis again. During the day, China Aster's minddwelling continually upon the dream, he was so full of it, that when OldPlain Talk dropped in to see him, just before dinnertime, as he oftendid, out of the interest he took in Old Honesty's son, China Aster toldall about his vision, adding that he could not think that so radiant anangel could deceive; and, indeed, talked at such a rate that one wouldhave thought he believed the angel some beautiful human philanthropist.Something in this sort Old Plain Talk understood him, and, accordingly,in his plain way, said: 'China Aster, you tell me that an angel appearedto you in a dream. Now, what does that amount to but this, that youdreamed an angel appeared to you? Go right away, China Aster, and returnthe check, as I advised you before. If friend Prudence were here, hewould say just the same thing.' With which words Old Plain Talk went offto find friend Prudence, but not succeeding, was returning to thecandlery himself, when, at distance mistaking him for a dun who had longannoyed him, China Aster in a panic barred all his doors, and ran to theback part of the candlery, where no knock could be heard."By this sad mistake, being left with no friend to argue the other sideof the question, China Aster was so worked upon at last, by musing overhis dream, that nothing would do but he must get the check cashed, andlay out the money the very same day in buying a good lot of spermacetito make into candles, by which operation he counted upon turning abetter penny than he ever had before in his life; in fact, this hebelieved would prove the foundation of that famous fortune which theangel had promised him."Now, in using the money, China Aster was resolved punctually to pay theinterest every six months till the principal should be returned, howbeitnot a word about such a thing had been breathed by Orchis; though,indeed, according to custom, as well as law, in such matters, interestwould legitimately accrue on the loan, nothing to the contrary havingbeen put in the bond. Whether Orchis at the time had this in mind ornot, there is no sure telling; but, to all appearance, he never so muchas cared to think about the matter, one way or other."Though the spermaceti venture rather disappointed China Aster'ssanguine expectations, yet he made out to pay the first six months'interest, and though his next venture turned out still lessprosperously, yet by pinching his family in the matter of fresh meat,and, what pained him still more, his boys' schooling, he contrived topay the second six months' interest, sincerely grieved that integrity,as well as its opposite, though not in an equal degree, costs something,sometimes."Meanwhile, Orchis had gone on a trip to Europe by advice of aphysician; it so happening that, since the lottery-prize came to him, ithad been discovered to Orchis that his health was not very firm, thoughhe had never complained of anything before but a slight ailing of thespleen, scarce worth talking about at the time. So Orchis, being abroad,could not help China Aster's paying his interest as he did, however muchhe might have been opposed to it; for China Aster paid it to Orchis'sagent, who was of too business-like a turn to decline interest regularlypaid in on a loan."But overmuch to trouble the agent on that score was not again to be thefate of China Aster; for, not being of that skeptical spirit whichrefuses to trust customers, his third venture resulted, through baddebts, in almost a total loss--a bad blow for the candle-maker. Neitherdid Old Plain Talk, and Old Prudence neglect the opportunity to read himan uncheerful enough lesson upon the consequences of his disregardingtheir advice in the matter of having nothing to do with borrowed money.'It's all just as I predicted,' said Old Plain Talk, blowing his oldnose with his old bandana. 'Yea, indeed is it,' chimed in Old Prudence,rapping his staff on the floor, and then leaning upon it, looking withsolemn forebodings upon China Aster. Low-spirited enough felt the poorcandle-maker; till all at once who should come with a bright face to himbut his bright friend, the angel, in another dream. Again the cornucopiapoured out its treasure, and promised still more. Revived by the vision,he resolved not to be down-hearted, but up and at it once more--contraryto the advice of Old Plain Talk, backed as usual by his crony, which wasto the effect, that, under present circumstances, the best thing ChinaAster could do, would be to wind up his business, settle, if he could,all his liabilities, and then go to work as a journeyman, by which hecould earn good wages, and give up, from that time henceforth, allthoughts of rising above being a paid subordinate to men more able thanhimself, for China Aster's career thus far plainly proved him thelegitimate son of Old Honesty, who, as every one knew, had never shownmuch business-talent, so little, in fact, that many said of him that hehad no business to be in business. And just this plain saying Plain Talknow plainly applied to China Aster, and Old Prudence never disagreedwith him. But the angel in the dream did, and, maugre Plain Talk, putquite other notions into the candle-maker."He considered what he should do towards restablishing himself.Doubtless, had Orchis been in the country, he would have aided him inthis strait. As it was, he applied to others; and as in the world, muchas some may hint to the contrary, an honest man in misfortune still canfind friends to stay by him and help him, even so it proved with ChinaAster, who at last succeeded in borrowing from a rich old farmer the sumof six hundred dollars, at the usual interest of money-lenders, upon thesecurity of a secret bond signed by China Aster's wife and himself, tothe effect that all such right and title to any property that should beleft her by a well-to-do childless uncle, an invalid tanner, suchproperty should, in the event of China Aster's failing to return theborrowed sum on the given day, be the lawful possession of themoney-lender. True, it was just as much as China Aster could possibly doto induce his wife, a careful woman, to sign this bond; because she hadalways regarded her promised share in her uncle's estate as an anchorwell to windward of the hard times in which China Aster had always beenmore or less involved, and from which, in her bosom, she never had seenmuch chance of his freeing himself. Some notion may be had of ChinaAster's standing in the heart and head of his wife, by a short sentencecommonly used in reply to such persons as happened to sound her on thepoint. 'China Aster,' she would say, 'is a good husband, but a badbusiness man!' Indeed, she was a connection on the maternal side of OldPlain Talk's. But had not China Aster taken good care not to let OldPlain Talk and Old Prudence hear of his dealings with the old farmer,ten to one they would, in some way, have interfered with his success inthat quarter."It has been hinted that the honesty of China Aster was what mainlyinduced the money-lender to befriend him in his misfortune, and thismust be apparent; for, had China Aster been a different man, themoney-lender might have dreaded lest, in the event of his failing tomeet his note, he might some way prove slippery--more especially as, inthe hour of distress, worked upon by remorse for so jeopardizing hiswife's money, his heart might prove a traitor to his bond, not to hintthat it was more than doubtful how such a secret security and claim, asin the last resort would be the old farmer's, would stand in a court oflaw. But though one inference from all this may be, that had China Asterbeen something else than what he was, he would not have been trusted,and, therefore, he would have been effectually shut out from running hisown and wife's head into the usurer's noose; yet those who, wheneverything at last came out, maintained that, in this view and to thisextent, the honesty of the candle-maker was no advantage to him, in sosaying, such persons said what every good heart must deplore, and noprudent tongue will admit."It may be mentioned, that the old farmer made China Aster take part ofhis loan in three old dried-up cows and one lame horse, not improved bythe glanders. These were thrown in at a pretty high figure, the oldmoney-lender having a singular prejudice in regard to the high value ofany sort of stock raised on his farm. With a great deal of difficulty,and at more loss, China Aster disposed of his cattle at public auction,no private purchaser being found who could be prevailed upon to invest.And now, raking and scraping in every way, and working early and late,China Aster at last started afresh, nor without again largely andconfidently extending himself. However, he did not try his hand at thespermaceti again, but, admonished by experience, returned to tallow.But, having bought a good lot of it, by the time he got it into candles,tallow fell so low, and candles with it, that his candles per poundbarely sold for what he had paid for the tallow. Meantime, a year'sunpaid interest had accrued on Orchis' loan, but China Aster gavehimself not so much concern about that as about the interest now due tothe old farmer. But he was glad that the principal there had yet sometime to run. However, the skinny old fellow gave him some trouble bycoming after him every day or two on a scraggy old white horse,furnished with a musty old saddle, and goaded into his shambling oldpaces with a withered old raw hide. All the neighbors said that surelyDeath himself on the pale horse was after poor China Aster now. Andsomething so it proved; for, ere long, China Aster found himselfinvolved in troubles mortal enough.At this juncture Orchis was heard of. Orchis, it seemed had returnedfrom his travels, and clandestinely married, and, in a kind of queerway, was living in Pennsylvania among his wife's relations, who, amongother things, had induced him to join a church, or rather semi-religiousschool, of Come-Outers; and what was still more, Orchis, without comingto the spot himself, had sent word to his agent to dispose of some ofhis property in Marietta, and remit him the proceeds. Within a yearafter, China Aster received a letter from Orchis, commending him for hispunctuality in paying the first year's interest, and regretting thenecessity that he (Orchis) was now under of using all his dividends; sohe relied upon China Aster's paying the next six months' interest, andof course with the back interest. Not more surprised than alarmed, ChinaAster thought of taking steamboat to go and see Orchis, but he was savedthat expense by the unexpected arrival in Marietta of Orchis in person,suddenly called there by that strange kind of capriciousness latelycharacterizing him. No sooner did China Aster hear of his old friend'sarrival than he hurried to call upon him. He found him curiously rustyin dress, sallow in cheek, and decidedly less gay and cordial in manner,which the more surprised China Aster, because, in former days, he hadmore than once heard Orchis, in his light rattling way, declare that allhe (Orchis) wanted to make him a perfectly happy, hilarious, andbenignant man, was a voyage to Europe and a wife, with a freedevelopment of his inmost nature."Upon China Aster's stating his case, his trusted friend was silent fora time; then, in an odd way, said that he would not crowd China Aster,but still his (Orchis') necessities were urgent. Could not China Astermortgage the candlery? He was honest, and must have moneyed friends; andcould he not press his sales of candles? Could not the market be forceda little in that particular? The profits on candles must be very great.Seeing, now, that Orchis had the notion that the candle-making businesswas a very profitable one, and knowing sorely enough what an error washere, China Aster tried to undeceive him. But he could not drive thetruth into Orchis--Orchis being very obtuse here, and, at the same time,strange to say, very melancholy. Finally, Orchis glanced off from sounpleasing a subject into the most unexpected reflections, taken from areligious point of view, upon the unstableness and deceitfulness of thehuman heart. But having, as he thought, experienced something of thatsort of thing, China Aster did not take exception to his friend'sobservations, but still refrained from so doing, almost as much for thesake of sympathetic sociality as anything else. Presently, Orchis,without much ceremony, rose, and saying he must write a letter to hiswife, bade his friend good-bye, but without warmly shaking him by thehand as of old."In much concern at the change, China Aster made earnest inquiries insuitable quarters, as to what things, as yet unheard of, had befallenOrchis, to bring about such a revolution; and learned at last that,besides traveling, and getting married, and joining the sect ofCome-Outers, Orchis had somehow got a bad dyspepsia, and lostconsiderable property through a breach of trust on the part of a factorin New York. Telling these things to Old Plain Talk, that man of someknowledge of the world shook his old head, and told China Aster that,though he hoped it might prove otherwise, yet it seemed to him that allhe had communicated about Orchis worked together for bad omens as to hisfuture forbearance--especially, he added with a grim sort of smile, inview of his joining the sect of Come-Outers; for, if some men knew whatwas their inmost natures, instead of coming out with it, they would trytheir best to keep it in, which, indeed, was the way with the prudentsort. In all which sour notions Old Prudence, as usual, chimed in."When interest-day came again, China Aster, by the utmost exertions,could only pay Orchis' agent a small part of what was due, and a part ofthat was made up by his children's gift money (bright tenpenny piecesand new quarters, kept in their little money-boxes), and pawning hisbest clothes, with those of his wife and children, so that all weresubjected to the hardship of staying away from church. And the oldusurer, too, now beginning to be obstreperous, China Aster paid him hisinterest and some other pressing debts with money got by, at last,mortgaging the candlery."When next interest-day came round for Orchis, not a penny could beraised. With much grief of heart, China Aster so informed Orchis' agent.Meantime, the note to the old usurer fell due, and nothing from ChinaAster was ready to meet it; yet, as heaven sends its rain on the justand unjust alike, by a coincidence not unfavorable to the old farmer,the well-to-do uncle, the tanner, having died, the usurer entered uponpossession of such part of his property left by will to the wife ofChina Aster. When still the next interest-day for Orchis came round, itfound China Aster worse off than ever; for, besides his other troubles,he was now weak with sickness. Feebly dragging himself to Orchis' agent,he met him in the street, told him just how it was; upon which theagent, with a grave enough face, said that he had instructions from hisemployer not to crowd him about the interest at present, but to say tohim that about the time the note would mature, Orchis would have heavyliabilities to meet, and therefore the note must at that time becertainly paid, and, of course, the back interest with it; and not onlyso, but, as Orchis had had to allow the interest for good part of thetime, he hoped that, for the back interest, China Aster would, inreciprocation, have no objections to allowing interest on the interestannually. To be sure, this was not the law; but, between friends whoaccommodate each other, it was the custom."Just then, Old Plain Talk with Old Prudence turned the corner, comingplump upon China Aster as the agent left him; and whether it was asun-stroke, or whether they accidentally ran against him, or whether itwas his being so weak, or whether it was everything together, or how itwas exactly, there is no telling, but poor China Aster fell to theearth, and, striking his head sharply, was picked up senseless. It was aday in July; such a light and heat as only the midsummer banks of theinland Ohio know. China Aster was taken home on a door; lingered a fewdays with a wandering mind, and kept wandering on, till at last, at deadof night, when nobody was aware, his spirit wandered away into the otherworld."Old Plain Talk and Old Prudence, neither of whom ever omitted attendingany funeral, which, indeed, was their chief exercise--these two wereamong the sincerest mourners who followed the remains of the son oftheir ancient friend to the grave."It is needless to tell of the executions that followed; how that thecandlery was sold by the mortgagee; how Orchis never got a penny for hisloan; and how, in the case of the poor widow, chastisement was temperedwith mercy; for, though she was left penniless, she was not leftchildless. Yet, unmindful of the alleviation, a spirit of complaint, atwhat she impatiently called the bitterness of her lot and the hardnessof the world, so preyed upon her, as ere long to hurry her from theobscurity of indigence to the deeper shades of the tomb."But though the straits in which China Aster had left his family had,besides apparently dimming the world's regard, likewise seemed to dimits sense of the probity of its deceased head, and though this, as somethought, did not speak well for the world, yet it happened in this case,as in others, that, though the world may for a time seem insensible tothat merit which lies under a cloud, yet, sooner or later, it alwaysrenders honor where honor is due; for, upon the death of the widow, thefreemen of Marietta, as a tribute of respect for China Aster, and anexpression of their conviction of his high moral worth, passed aresolution, that, until they attained maturity, his children should beconsidered the town's guests. No mere verbal compliment, like those ofsome public bodies; for, on the same day, the orphans were officiallyinstalled in that hospitable edifice where their worthy grandfather, thetown's guest before them, had breathed his last breath."But sometimes honor maybe paid to the memory of an honest man, andstill his mound remain without a monument. Not so, however, with thecandle-maker. At an early day, Plain Talk had procured a plain stone,and was digesting in his mind what pithy word or two to place upon it,when there was discovered, in China Aster's otherwise empty wallet, anepitaph, written, probably, in one of those disconsolate hours, attendedwith more or less mental aberration, perhaps, so frequent with him forsome months prior to his end. A memorandum on the back expressed thewish that it might be placed over his grave. Though with the sentimentof the epitaph Plain Talk did not disagree, he himself being at times ofa hypochondriac turn--at least, so many said--yet the language struckhim as too much drawn out; so, after consultation with Old Prudence, hedecided upon making use of the epitaph, yet not without verbalretrenchments. And though, when these were made, the thing stillappeared wordy to him, nevertheless, thinking that, since a dead man wasto be spoken about, it was but just to let him speak for himself,especially when he spoke sincerely, and when, by so doing, the moresalutary lesson would be given, he had the retrenched inscriptionchiseled as follows upon the stone. 'HERE LIE THE REMAINS OF CHINA ASTER THE CANDLE-MAKER, WHOSE CAREER WAS AN EXAMPLE OF THE TRUTH OF SCRIPTURE, AS FOUND IN THE SOBER PHILOSOPHY OF SOLOMON THE WISE; FOR HE WAS RUINED BY ALLOWING HIMSELF TO BE PERSUADED, AGAINST HIS BETTER SENSE, INTO THE FREE INDULGENCE OF CONFIDENCE, AND AN ARDENTLY BRIGHT VIEW OF LIFE, TO THE EXCLUSION OF THAT COUNSEL WHICH COMES BY HEEDING THE OPPOSITE VIEW.' "This inscription raised some talk in the town, and was rather severelycriticised by the capitalist--one of a very cheerful turn--who hadsecured his loan to China Aster by the mortgage; and though it alsoproved obnoxious to the man who, in town-meeting, had first moved forthe compliment to China Aster's memory, and, indeed, was deemed by him asort of slur upon the candle-maker, to that degree that he refused tobelieve that the candle-maker himself had composed it, charging OldPlain Talk with the authorship, alleging that the internal evidenceshowed that none but that veteran old croaker could have penned such ajeremiade--yet, for all this, the stone stood. In everything, of course,Old Plain Talk was seconded by Old Prudence; who, one day going to thegrave-yard, in great-coat and over-shoes--for, though it was a sunshinymorning, he thought that, owing to heavy dews, dampness might lurk inthe ground--long stood before the stone, sharply leaning over on hisstaff, spectacles on nose, spelling out the epitaph word by word; and,afterwards meeting Old Plain Talk in the street, gave a great rap withhis stick, and said: 'Friend, Plain Talk, that epitaph will do verywell. Nevertheless, one short sentence is wanting.' Upon which, PlainTalk said it was too late, the chiseled words being so arranged, afterthe usual manner of such inscriptions, that nothing could be interlined.Then,' said Old Prudence, 'I will put it in the shape of a postscript.'Accordingly, with the approbation of Old Plain Talk, he had thefollowing words chiseled at the left-hand corner of the stone, andpretty low down: 'The root of all was a friendly loan.'"