Pope, in
dismay. "Oh, I'll get you a good man for the time," said the nephew; and
so he did; a skilful, quiet, efficient, attentive man, whose usual duty
it was to attend on a rich old gentleman, who resided, on account of a
little mental derangement, in a certain pleasant private establishment.
Mr. Pope had not been told, nor had he inquired, where the excellent
valet, with whom he was well pleased, hailed from, nor had the valet
asked any questions concerning Mr. Pope. Both seemed to have jumped to
certain conclusions. After the valet had been there a week or more, one
day, when _downstairs_, he said to the servants: "Tell me, what is it
that is wrong with the master? He seems to me to be as sane as any of
us!"
Balfour Browne, in his book _Forty Years at the Bar_, says, "He" (Mr.
Pope) "had a broad equitable common sense, and never did anything mean or
little." He was certainly an orator, and displayed in his speeches much
dramatic power. His voice was fine, flexible and sonorous. In his later
years he must often have wished his "too too solid flesh would melt," for
it had become a heavy burden.
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