Having declared that the
house was ideal, she was barred from utterly blasting it in the next
breath. To tell the truth, I felt as a consequence decidedly perky and
inclined to perform the double-shuffle or something of the sort quite
out of keeping with the traditional repose of a philosopher. It was so
obvious to me that I had escaped weeks, if not months, of misery by the
ruse which I had adopted that I was fain to dance with joy. Had I
allowed Josephine to pick out a house she would have felt obliged, even
though she was thoroughly satisfied with the first she saw, to inspect
from top to bottom every other in the market, for fear that she might
see something which pleased her better, and I should have been
compelled to accompany her. There are a few advantages after all in
being of a philosophic turn of mind.
And here is another bit of philosophy for you which I am thoroughly
convinced is sound. A woman adroitly handled will permit her husband
to choose a new unfurnished house for her without serious demur. But
let the lord and master beware who takes it upon himself to do the
furnishing also stealthily and of his own accord. I will confess that
it did occur to me at first to put through the whole business at one
fell swoop--house, wall-papers, dados, chandeliers, carpets, and
curtains.
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