THE ART OF LEAVING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2116, 26 June 1907, Page 3

THE ART OF LEAVING.

If ovoryono were endowed with an instinct such as would acquaint him with tho moment when it behoves him to roliovo his company of his presence tho moral gain to society, says a writer in tho Globe, would bo incalculable. , . , In order to mark tho conclusion of an aftornoon call, or some otlior chastened form of social intercourse, initiative is indisponsablo. Undoubtedly tho most dosirbablo method of effecting this is to dovetail tho parting phrasos togothor with tho previous conversation in so perfect a blonding as to permit no, gap of awkwardness to intervene between the two. Aftor which ono may perform the actual oxit with a certain oclfit which may be counted upon to inspire tho person called upon with sonsations of dolight in the past and of loss in the present. Such a consummation, however, it is not tho good fortuno of all to achiovo. Ono may frequently notice a person who is consumed by an ineffectual desire to leave. It is possible to watch tho actual maturing of tho resolution within him, until the moment arrives when he will rise slightly from his chair—to bo dragged back by some invisible and compelling force. A second attempt, frustrated by tho introduction of a fresh topic, majiy fail likewise to soparato him entirely from his sent. Indeed, he may vonture tho same thing several times more ore ho finds himsolf upon his feet and in a-fair way to gain tho door. By that time, too, his embarrassment bo doubled by the conviction that ho has long exceodoil tho conventional time-limit of calls.

A hopelessly bungled departure of the kind, itjnust bg admitted, seldom happens in the case of the gentler sex. Tho latter, possessed apparently of a more definite instinct concerning tho fitting moment, are wont to bo less easily turned from this particular purpose. The symptoms that precede an exit hero are but faintly perceptiblo; yet they are unmistakable at the same time —a premonitory rustle of the. skirt, a fleejting touch to the veil, a gradual straigthening to tho back, an indefinable alteration in tho inflection of the voice—by such, and numerous other si-ms one may know that the female anchor is about to be weighed. The methods of. the conscientious “leaver,” invariably of the male persuasion, are widely. different from these. He will rise with honest abruptness, and will invade every corner of the room l —and if permitted every other available part of the house as well —in order to discover if some one does not yet remain whom he has omitted to shake by the hand in pump-handle fashion. He is, moreover, a little opt to confuse mere politeness with a genuine desire for his continued prosenco. And there are undoubtedly occasions when a sigh of relief rises up from the inner side of the door as it closes. A doubt as to something of tho kind may even oppress the most diffident visitor. One can qeyer tell—for it is impossible to return in order to find out. But one who goes in morbid fear of such an occurrence may be comforted by the reflection that a welcomed departure of the kind is wont to fall to the lot of the person who nevor dreams of such a possibility.