a girl, rang faintly
clear of an ancient virginal aspiration of the sex to escape from their coil,
and bespoke a pure cold savage pride that transplanted his thirst for her to
higher fields.
 

                                 Chapter XXIII

                    Treats of the Union of Temper and Policy

Sir Willoughby meanwhile was on a line of conduct suiting his appreciation of
his duty to himself. He had deluded himself with the simple notion that good
fruit would come of the union of temper and policy.
    No delusion is older, none apparently so promising, both parties being eager
for the alliance. Yet, the theorists upon human nature will say, they are
obviously of adverse disposition. And this is true, inasmuch as neither of them
will submit to the yoke of an established union; as soon as they have done their
mischief, they set to work tugging for a divorce. But they have attractions, the
one for the other, which precipitate them to embrace whenever they meet in a
breast; each is earnest with the owner of it to get him to officiate forthwith
as weddingpriest. And here is the reason: temper, to warrant its appearance,
desires to be thought as deliberative as policy; and policy, the sooner to prove
its shrewdness, is impatient for the quick blood of temper.
    It will be well for men to resolve at the first approaches of the amorous
but fickle pair upon interdicting even an accidental temporary junction: for the
astonishing sweetness of the couple when no more than the ghosts of them have
come together in a projecting mind is an intoxication beyond fermented
grapejuice or a witch's brewage; and under the guise of active wits they will
lead us to the parental meditation of antics compared with which a Pagan
Saturnalia were less impious in the sight of sanity. This is full-mouthed
language; but on our studious way through any human career we are subject to
fits of moral elevation; the theme inspires it, and the sage residing in every
civilized bosom approves it.
    Decide at the outset, that temper is fatal to policy: hold them with both
hands in division. One might add, be doubtful of your policy and repress your
temper: it would be to suppose you wise. You can however, by incorporating two
or three captains of the great army of truisms bequeathed to us by ancient
wisdom, fix in your service those veteran old standfasts to check you. They will
not be serviceless in their admonitions to your understanding, and they will so
contrive to reconcile with it the natural caperings of the wayward young sprig
Conduct, that the latter, who commonly learns to walk upright and straight from
nothing softer than raps of