I believe that it was full of every sort of
goodness, and that men were naturally  well
disposed to one another, till the Devil got
that great idea of his. Men are born to
worship their Creator, and to supply the
wants of their neighbours, but then comes in
the deceiving fiery monster, with a pocketful
of money, and says, quite disinterested,
'Gentlemen and Ladies, it's of no use asking
you to venerate me; you don't do it, and you
oughtn't to; but the most convenient and
proper thing is for every individual to worship
only just his self. You see the result of this,'
says the old sinner; 'by paying sacrifice to
your own images, you just change things from
the right-hand pocket to the left, or if you
go abroad, as you must do, in search of offerings,
all the fish comes to your own net, and
all the fat into your own belly. You smoke
your own incense, and if you chance to be
remiss in your devotions, you may make peace
and atonement any way you please. Then,'
says the great brimstone beast—I beg your
pardon, Sir, excuse my liberty of speech—'if
anybody remark you are my servants, you
can laugh, and tell them you are no such fools.
As for any formulary of religion, follow in
that the fashion of your country'—

"The cinder gentleman, Mrs. Pittis, my
dear, rolled about in the fire, quite at his ease,
and said, 'Very good, Phil. And what else
have you to say of human nature?' by which
you will see that he had discrimination enough
to perceive the value of my observations.
'The result is, Sir,' I says to him then, 'that
the whole human race is a dancing and a
trumpeting in corners, every man singing
hymns in honour of his self. And the old
enemy capers up and down the country and
the town, rejoicing at the outcry which he
hears from every lip in his honour. A friend
is rarer than a phoenix; for no man can
serve two images, and each sticks firmly by
his own.'

"'Have you no charity yourself, this
Christmas, Mr. Spruce?' enquired the king,
after he had called to his two imps that they
should put fresh coals upon the bed, and rake
it up. 'When I was a young man, Sir,' said
I, 'no one could have started in the world
with a stronger faith in human goodness.
But I've seen my error. All the ways of
human nature are humbug, Sir; as for my
fellow-creatures, I've been very much
deceived in 'em. That's all I know in answer
to your question.'

"'I understand you, Phil,' the king said,
lounging back upon the bed, and kindling the
new coals into a blaze around him by the
mere contact of his body. 'You are a
philosopher out at elbows, and therefore a little
out of temper with the world. You would
like best to make your observations upon
human nature without being jostled. You'd
rather see the play from a snug little box,
than be an actor in it, kicked about and
worried.' 'Ah, Sir,' said I, 'and where is
such a seat provided?' 'Philip, I can
answer that question,' said the king; 'and
what is more, I can give you free admission
to a snug private box.' 'How so, Sir?' said I,
quite eagerly. 'The coal-box, Phil,' replied
the king. 'I'm puzzled, Sir,' said I. 'In
what way is my condition to be improved by
the act of sitting in a coal-box?' 'That, my
dear Phil, I will make as clear to you as a
fire on a frosty night. Know, then, that I
am King among the Coals.' I bowed, and
was upon the point of kissing his extended
hand, but drew back my nose suddenly.
'The cinder which I now have on I wear—
because it is large and easy—in the manner of
a dressing gown, when here at home. I am,
however, a spirit, and ruler over many other
spirits similarly formed. Now, Phil, the
business and amusement of myself and
subjects is to transfer ourselves at will into the
tenancy of any coal we please. The scuttles
of the whole kingdom are our meeting-houses.
Every coal cast upon the fire, Phil, is, by
our means, animated with a living spirit.
It is our amusement, then, to have a merry-
sport among ourselves; and it is our
privilege to watch the scenes enacted round
the hearths which we enliven. When the
cinder becomes cold, the spirit is again set
free, and flies, whither it pleases, to a new
abode.'"

"Isn't that the doctrine of metamicosis?"
asked the boy (a national scholar) tapping
the ashes from his pipe-bowl.

"It's a thing I never heerd on," said the
gamekeeper. Mr. Spruce went on:—

"'Did you never,' continued his majesty,
'when gazing into the fire, see a grotesque
face glow before you? That face, Phil, has
been mine. You have then seen the king
among the Coals. If you become a cinder,
Mr. Spruce, you may consider yourself made
a judge.'

"'Well, Sir,' says I, 'your reverence, it's
firstly requisite to judge whether I will or
won't sit down upon the fire. It's my opinion
I won't. I'd like a little more discussion.'
'Talk away, Phil,' said the king. 'Well,
Sir,' says I, 'since you 're always a-looking
—leastways in winter through the bars of
grates, it's possible you've seen a bit yourself
of human nature. Don't it fidget you?'
'Why,' says he, 'Phil,' a-stretching out his
arms for a great yawn so suddenly as very
nigh to set my coat on fire with his red fingers,
'I have been tolerably patient, haven't I?'
'If it's sarcasm you mean,' says I, a little
nettled, 'I must say it's a figure of speech I
don't approve of.'

"'I beg your pardon, Sir,' he says, 'and
here's an answer to your question. It's my
opinion, Mr. Spruce, that as a cinder you will
be agreeably surprised. I do see people
sitting around me, now and then, whom I can't
altogether get my coals to blaze for cheerfully.
They sit and talk disparagement about all
manner of folks their neighbours; they have a