George Pontifex might have been brought up as a
carpenter and succeeded in no other way than as succeeding his
father as one of the minor magnates of Paleham, and yet have been a
more truly successful man than he actually was- for I take it there is
not much more solid success in this world than what fell to the lot of
old Mr. and Mrs. Pontifex; it happened, however, that about the year
1780, when George was a boy of fifteen, a sister of Mrs. Pontifex's,
who had married a Mr. Fairlie, came to pay a few days' visit at
Paleham. Mr. Fairlie was a publisher, chiefly of religious works,
and had an establishment in Paternoster Row; he had risen in life, and
his wife had risen with him. No very close relations had been
maintained between the sisters for some years, and I forget exactly
how it came about that Mr. and Mrs. Fairlie were guests in the quiet
but exceedingly comfortable house of their sister and
brother-in-law; but for some reason or other the visit was paid, and
little George soon succeeded in making his way into his uncle and
aunt's good graces. A quick, intelligent boy with a good address, a
sound constitution, and coming of respectable parents, has a potential
value which a practised business man who has need of many subordinates
is little likely to overlook.
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