When I
left England there was not a more prosperous merchant, nor a more
estimable man in the whole city of Bristol, than Herbert Philipson."
"From which we may conclude," remarked Mrs. Becker, "it is always
advisable to have angels for friends."
"We may also conclude," remarked Mrs. Wolston, "that when a stroke of
adversity, or any other misfortune, overturns the edifice of happiness
we had erected for the future, we may build a new structure with fresh
material, which may prove more durable than the first."
"Talking of having angels for friends," said Becker, "puts me in mind
of the association of Saint Louis Gonzaga, at Rome. On the anniversary
of this saint, the young and merry phalanx forming the association
march in procession to one of the public gardens. In the centre of
this garden a magnificent altar has been previously erected, on which
is placed a chafing-dish filled with burning coals. The procession
forms itself into an immense ring round the altar, broken here and
there by a band of music. These bands play hymns in honor of the
saints, and other _morceaux_ of a sacred character. Each member of the
association holds a letter inclosed in an embossed and highly
ornamented envelope, bound round with gay-colored ribbons and threads
of gold. These letters are messages from the young correspondents to
their friends in heaven, and are addressed to 'Il Santo Giovane Luigi
Gonzaga, in Paradiso.
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