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148
The Diary of a Nobody
·
George Grossmith Weedon Grossmith
118
One
observation
struck
me
as
being
absolutely
powerful—
though
not
to
my
way
of
thinking
of
course.
Mrs.
Purdick
happened
to
say
“You
are
certainly
unorthodox,
Mr.
Huttle.”
Mr.
Huttle,
with
a
peculiar
expression
(I
can
see
it
now)
said
in
a
slow
rich
voice:
“Mrs.
Purdick,
‘orthodox’
is
a
grandiloquent
word
implying
sticking-in-the-mud.
If
Columbus
and
Stephenson
had
been
orthodox,
there
would
neither
have
been
the
discovery
of
America
nor
the
steam-engine.”
There
was
quite
a
silence.
It
appeared
to
me
that
such
teaching
was
absolutely
dangerous,
and
yet
I
felt—
in
fact
we
must
all
have
felt—
there
was
no
answer
to
the
argument.
A
little
later
on,
Mrs.
Purdick,
who
is
Franching’s
sister
and
also
acted
as
hostess,
rose
from
the
table,
and
Mr.
Huttle
said:
“Why,
ladies,
do
you
deprive
us
of
your
company
so
soon?
Why
not
wait
while
we
have
our
cigars?”
The
effect
was
electrical.
The
ladies
(including
Carrie)
were
in
no
way
inclined
to
be
deprived
of
Mr.
Huttle’s
fascinating
society,
and
immediately
resumed
their
seats,
amid
much
laughter
and
a
little
chaff.
Mr.
Huttle
said:
“Well,
that’s
a
real
good
sign;
you
shall
not
be
insulted
by
being
called
orthodox
any
longer.”
Mrs.
Purdick,
who
seemed
to
be
a
bright
and
rather
sharp
woman,
said:
“Mr.
Huttle,
we
will
meet
you
half-way—
that
is,
till
you
get
half-way
through
your
cigar.
That,
at
all
events,
will
be
the
happy
medium.”
I
shall
never
forget
the
effect
the
words,
“happy
medium,”
had
upon
him.
He
was
brilliant
and
most
daring
in
his
interpretation
of
the
words.
He
positively
alarmed
me.
He
said
something
like
the
following:
“Happy
medium,
indeed.
Do
you
know
‘happy
medium’
are
two
words
which
mean
‘miserable
mediocrity’?
I
say,
go
first
class
or
third;
marry
a
duchess
or
her
kitchenmaid.
The
happy
medium
means
respectability,
and
respectability
means
insipidness.
Does
it
not,
Mr.
Pooter?”
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