The Ghost of Guir House - Page 35/80

"Dorothy! Dorothy! it is bed time!"

Miss Guir arose, and saying "Good night," left Ah Ben and Mr. Henley

to themselves.

"I am afraid I have been very stupid," said the old man,

apologetically; "indeed, I must have fallen asleep, as it is my habit

to take a nap in the early evening, after which I am more wide awake

than at any other hour."

"Not at all," answered Paul, "I have been enjoying my pipe, and as

Miss Guir seemed disposed to be quiet, think I must have been nodding

myself."

"Do you feel disposed to join me in another pipe and a midnight

talk," inquired the host, "or are you inclined for bed?"

Paul was not sleepy, and nothing could have suited him better than to

sit over the fire, listening to this strange man, and so he again

accepted eagerly. Ah Ben seemed pleased, declaring it was a great

treat to have a friend who was as much of an owl as he himself was.

And so he added fresh fuel to the dying embers, settled himself in

his cosy corner by the fire, while Paul sat opposite.

"Every man must live his own life," resumed Ah Ben; "but with my

temper, the better half would be blotted out, were I deprived of this

quiet time for thought and reflection."

"I quite agree with you," replied Paul, "and yet the wisdom of the

world is opposed to late hours," "The wisdom of the world is based upon the experience of the worldly

prosperous; and what is worldly prosperity but the accumulation of

dollars? To be prosperous is one thing; to be happy, quite another."

"I see you are coming back to our old argument. I am sure I could

never school myself to the cheerful disregard for money which you

seem to have. For my part, I could not do without it, although, to be

sure, I sometimes manage on very little."

"Again the wisdom of the world!" exclaimed Ah Ben, "and what has it

done for us?"

"It has taught us to be very comfortable in this latter part of the

nineteenth century," Paul replied.

"Has it?" cried the old man, his eyes fixed full upon Henley's face.

"I admit," he continued, "that it has taught us to rely upon luxuries

that eat out the life while pampering the body. It has taught us to

depend upon the poison that paralyzes the will, and that personal

power we were speaking of. It has done much for man, I grant you, but

its efforts have been mainly directed to his destruction."