Rich Enough | Page 3

have
no idle time."
"How curiously we may follow out the cultivation of the earth with the
striking analogy it bears to the human mind," said Mrs. Draper, "in
sowing the seeds, in carefully plucking up the weeds without disturbing
what ought to be preserved, in doing all we can by our own labors, and
trusting to Heaven for a blessing on our endeavors! A reflecting farmer
must be a wise man."
"I am afraid," said Howard, "there are not many wise men amongst us,
according to your estimation. In all employments we find hurry and
engrossment; we do not stop to reason and meditate; many good
agricultural men are as destitute of moral reflection as the soil they
cultivate."
"At least," said Mrs. Draper, "they have not the same temptation to

become absorbed by business as merchants."
"I believe we shall find human nature much the same in all situations,"
said Howard. "There is one great advantage, however, in farming--that
is, its comparative security:--we are satisfied with moderate gains; we
have none of those tremendous anxieties that come with sudden failures,
the fall of stocks, and obstructed currency."
"And this is every thing," said Mrs. Draper, with enthusiasm. "Nobody
knows better than I do, how a noble and cultivated mind may be
subjugated by the feverish pursuit of wealth--how little time can be
spared to the tranquil pleasures of domestic life, to the home of early
affection--" She stopped, and seemed embarrassed.--Howard's color
rose high; there was a pause. At length he said,
"Every situation has its trials; those who best support them are the
happiest. But we are growing serious. I want to see your children--how
they compare with mine in health and size, and whether we can build
any theory in favor of a country life in this respect."
The children were brought; they were both girls. The eldest was the
picture of health, but the youngest seemed to have inherited something
of the delicacy of her mother's constitution.
"I can scarcely show one amongst my boys," said Howard, "that gives
evidence of more ruddy health than your eldest girl, Frances; but my
wife's little namesake, Charlotte, looks more like a city-bred lady.--O,
here comes my brother James."
Mr. Draper entered. A close observer would have been struck with the
difference of expression in the countenances of the two brothers,
although they were marked by a strong resemblance. That of the eldest
was eager and flushed; the brightness of his eye was not dimmed, but it
was unsettled and flashing; there were many lines of care and anxiety,
and his whole air marked him as a business man. Howard's exterior was
calm, and thoughtful;--the very hue of his sun-burnt complexion
seemed to speak of the healthy influence of an out-of-door atmosphere.
They were both men of education and talent; but circumstances early in

life rendered them for a time less united. Both had fixed their affections
on the gentle being before them. James was the successful suitor. There
are often wonderful proofs of St. Pierre's proposition that 'harmony
proceeds from contrast.' Frances and Howard had much the same tastes
and pursuits. Howard's attachment was deep and silent; James's, ardent
and zealously expressed;--he won the prize. Howard's taste led him to a
country life. He was not rich enough to become a gentleman farmer; he
therefore became a working one. For years, he did not visit his brother;
but at length the wound was entirely healed by another of the fair
creatures whom Heaven has destined to become the happiness or
misery of man. Still the theory of contrast was carried through; his
second love was unlike his first; she was full of gayety and life, and
gave to his mind an active impulse, which it often wanted. Frances, in
the midst of society, drew her most congenial pleasures from books.
Charlotte, the wife of Howard, though in comparative solitude, drew
her enjoyment from society. There was not a family in the village near,
that did not, in some way or other, promote her happiness. Her
information was gathered from intercourse with living beings--her
knowledge from real life. If the two sisters had changed situations, the
one might have become a mere bookworm; the other, from the
liveliness of her disposition, and the warm interest she took in
characters, a little of a gossip. As it was, they both admirably filled
their sphere in life, and influenced and were influenced by the
characters of their partners.
"Why did you not persuade Charlotte to come with you?" said Mrs.
Draper. "Sisters ought to be better acquainted than we are."
"I invited her," said Howard, "but she laughed at my proposing that a
farmer and his wife should leave the country at the same time. I have
brought, however, a proposal from