Bores

The great secret of borcdom is to be found in two leading qualifications. A böre raust be unable to find amusement in Liruself, and he must also be unable toi:üd amusement in any one else. He rnu.-.i; depend for his amusement neitber on his own inind nor on the ininds of his iriends, but simpJy on the gratification which it is to him to give a special direction, or at least to stippose that he gives a special direction - for he is a creature of the most unlimited credulity in the art of magnifying his own influence - to the minds of his friends. He is in despair unless he can imagine himself a person of inflúence, and unluckily he can n6ver imagine himself a person of influence - for he is a man of very limited imaginative power - nnless he is taking overt steps to convince somebody of eomething, wbetner it be of some technical doctrine like Dngald Dalgetty's strategie principie, or simply of his own importance, or even of the importance of his patrons, like Mr. Collins in "Pride and Prejudice." To bea first rate bore you must have no. resources in yonrself and no resources in your friends, bnt must depend for your satisfactions on the real or fancied power of inaking your friends either think or do what they would olherwisenotthick or