Ineverheardamorefluenttalker，oramanofgreatergeneralinformation。Withbecomingmodesty，heforebore，nevertheless，totouchuponthethemeIhadjustthenmostatheart-ImeanthemysteriouscircumstancesattendingtheBugaboowar-and，onmyownpart，whatIconceivetobeapropersenseofdelicacyforbademetobroachthesubject；although，intruth，Iwasexceedinglytemptedtodoso。Iperceived，too，thatthegallantsoldierpreferredtopicsofphilosophicalinterest，andthathedelighted，especially，incommentingupontherapidmarchofmechanicalinvention。Indeed，leadhimwhereIwould，thiswasapointtowhichheinvariablycameback。
“Thereisnothingatalllikeit。”hewouldsay；“weareawonderfulpeople，andliveinawonderfulage。Parachutesandrail-roads-man-trapsandspring-guns！Oursteam-boatsareuponeverysea，andtheNassauballoonpacketisabouttorunregulartripsfareeitherwayonlytwentypoundssterlingbetweenLondonandTimbuctoo。Andwhoshallcalculatetheimmenseinfluenceuponsociallife-uponarts-uponcommerce-uponliterature-whichwillbetheimmediateresultofthegreatprinciplesofelectromagnetics！Nor，isthisall，letmeassureyou！Thereisreallynoendtothemarchofinvention。Themostwonderful-themostingenious-andletmeadd，Mr-Mr-Thompson，Ibelieve，isyourname-letmeadd，Isay，themost_useful_-themosttruly_useful_mechanicalcontrivances，aredailyspringinguplikemushrooms，ifImaysoexpressmyself，or，morefiguratively，like-
ah-grasshoppers-likegrasshoppers，Mr。Thompson-aboutusandah-ah-ah-aroundus！”
Thompson，tobesure，isnotmyname；butitisneedlesstosaythatIleftGeneralSmithwithaheightenedinterestintheman，withanexaltedopinionofhisconversationalpowers，andadeepsenseofthevaluableprivilegesweenjoyinlivinginthisageofmechanicalinvention。Mycuriosity，however，hadnotbeenaltogethersatisfied，andIresolvedtoprosecuteimmediateinquiryamongmyacquaintancestouchingtheBrevetBrigadierGeneralhimself，andparticularlyrespectingthetremendousevents_quorumparsmagnafuit_，duringtheBugabooandKickapoocampaign。
Thefirstopportunitywhichpresenteditself，andwhich_horrescoreferens_Ididnotintheleastscrupletoseize，occurredattheChurchoftheReverendDoctorDrummummupp，whereI