Мхи старой усадьбы
The Celestial Railroad
Forinstance,ayoungmanhavinginheritedasplendidfortune,laidoutaconsiderableportionofitinthepurchaseofdiseases,andfinallyspentalltherestforaheavylotofrepentanceandasuitofrags.Averyprettygirlbarteredaheartasclearascrystal,andwhichseemedhermostvaluablepossession,foranotherjewelofthesamekind,butsowornanddefacedastobeutterlyworthless.Inoneshoptherewereagreatmanycrownsoflaurelandmyrtle,whichsoldiers,authors,statesmen,andvariousotherpeoplepressedeagerlytobuy;somepurchasedthesepaltrywreathswiththeirlives,othersbyatoilsomeservitudeofyears,andmanysacrificedwhateverwasmostvaluable,yetfinallyslunkawaywithoutthecrown.Therewasasortofstockorscrip,calledConscience,whichseemedtobeingreatdemand,andwouldpurchasealmostanything.Indeed,fewrichcommoditiesweretobeobtainedwithoutpayingaheavysuminthisparticularstock,andaman’sbusinesswasseldomverylucrativeunlessheknewpreciselywhenandhowtothrowhishoardofconscienceintothemarket.Yetasthisstockwastheonlythingofpermanentvalue,whoeverpartedwithitwassuretofindhimselfaloserinthelongrun.Severalofthespeculationswereofaquestionablecharacter.OccasionallyamemberofCongressrecruitedhispocketbythesaleofhisconstituents;andIwasassuredthatpublicofficershaveoftensoldtheircountryatverymoderateprices.Thousandssoldtheirhappinessforawhim.Gildedchainswereingreatdemand,andpurchasedwithalmostanysacrifice.
