Vice Versa; or, A Lesson to Fathers Read online

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  VICE VERSA

  OR

  A LESSON TO FATHERS

  BY F. ANSTEY

  LONDON

  JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W.

  FIRST EDITION (_Smith, Elder & Co._) _June 1882_

  FIFTIETH IMPRESSION _May 1915_

  _Reprinted_ (_F'cap 8vo_) (_John Murray_) _October 1917_

  _Reprinted_ _March 1918_

  _Reprinted_ _January 1920_

  _Reprinted_ _August 1924_

  _Reprinted_ _June 1926_

  _Reprinted_ _August 1928_

  _Reprinted_ (_Cr. 8vo_) _September 1929_

  _Reprinted_ (_F'cap 8vo_) _December 1931_

  _Reprinted_ _November 1937_

  _Reprinted_ (_Cr. 8vo_) _June 1949_

  _Reprinted_ _October 1954_

  _Reprinted_ _March 1962_

  PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY LOWE AND BRYDONE (PRINTERS) LIMITED, LONDON,N.W.10

  CONTENTS

  PAGE

  PREFACE 1

  1. BLACK MONDAY 3

  2. A GRAND TRANSFORMATION SCENE 15

  3. IN THE TOILS 31

  4. A MINNOW AMONGST TRITONS 48

  5. DISGRACE 69

  6. LEARNING AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS 87

  7. CUTTING THE KNOT 104

  8. UNBENDING THE BOW 120

  9. A LETTER FROM HOME 133

  10. THE COMPLETE LETTER-WRITER 146

  11. A DAY OF REST 155

  12. AGAINST TIME 169

  13. A RESPITE 185

  14. AN ERROR OF JUDGMENT 195

  15. THE RUBICON 207

  16. HARD PRESSED 221

  17. A PERFIDIOUS ALLY 240

  18. RUN TO EARTH 258

  19. THE RECKONING 269

  _PREFACE_

  There is an old story of a punctiliously polite Greek, who, whileperforming the funeral of an infant daughter, felt bound to make hisexcuses to the spectators for "bringing out such a ridiculously smallcorpse to so large a crowd."

  The Author, although he trusts that the present production has morevitality than the Greek gentleman's child, still feels that in thesedays of philosophical fiction, metaphysical romance, and novels with apurpose, some apology may perhaps be needed for a tale which has theunambitious and frivolous aim of mere amusement.

  However, he ventures to leave the tale to be its own apology, merelycontenting himself with the entreaty that his little fish may be sparedthe rebuke that it is not a whale.

  In submitting it with all possible respect to the Public, he conceivesthat no form of words he could devise would appeal so simply andpowerfully to their feelings as that which he has ventured to adopt froma certain Anglo-Portuguese Phrase-Book of deserved popularity.

  Like the compilers of that work, he--"expects then who the little book,for the care what he wrote him and her typographical corrections, willcommend itself to the--_British Paterfamilias_--at which he dedicateshim particularly."