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CARLYLE'S LOVES AND LETTERS 97
a great man with a Scotch sense of economy
and a peasant's notion of wifely duties, she
may often have so gossiped. The fact is,
Carlyle, in his most playful moments, kept
one eye on " the eternities," and Jane, in her
most solemn, never lost sight of the comic
spirit.
The volumes before us are well printed
on good paper, and without are embellished
by a device two hearts, stamped in gold,
linked with a golden ring, and supported by
a plump little cupid ; the same device is
repeated on the title-page
in mauve. Trifles
may be significant ; whether this symbol was
suggested by the editor, or whether the editor
was influenced by it, are questions deserving
thought. Turning to matters less subtle, we
wish that Mr. Alexander Carlyle had not
found it necessary to rake up the ashes which
reticence had allowed to grow cold. Also,
we wish that he had adopted some other
policy towards Jane Welsh ; the pin, even
between deft fingers, is an ignoble and un-
attractive weapon. In his notes he contrives
a small and unpleasant sensation (vol. i, p. 319)
which would be more effective were it supported
by anything better than a piece of
gossip, for which no authority is given, and
the doubtful interpretation of one passage in
a letter. We are grateful to him, however,
G