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The sun poured brilliantly into my room when I awoke the next morning. I was free from all my customary aches and pains, and a delightful sense of vigour and elasticity pervaded my frame. I rose at once, and, looking at my watch, found to my amazement that it was twelve o'clock in the day! Hastily throwing on my dressing-gown, I rang the bell, and the servant appeared.
"Is it actually mid-day?" I asked her. "Why did you not call me?"
The girl smiled apologetically.
"I did knock at mademoiselle's door, but she gave me no answer. Madame Denise came up also, and entered the room; but seeing mademoiselle in so sound a sleep, she said it was a pity to disturb mademoiselle."
Which statement good Madame Denise, toiling upstairs just then with difficulty, she being stout and short of breath, confirmed with many smiling nods of her head.
"Breakfast shall be served at the instant," she said, rubbing her fat hands together; "but to disturb you when you slept—ah, Heaven! the sleep of an infant—I could not do it! I should have been wicked!"
I thanked her for her care of me; I could have kissed her, she looked so motherly, and kind, and altogether lovable. And I felt so merry and well! She and the servant retired to prepare my coffee, and I proceeded to make my toilette. As I brushed out my hair I heard the sound of a violin. Someone was playing next door. I listened, and recognised a famous Beethoven Concerto. The unseen musician played brilliantly and withal tenderly, both touch and tone reminding me of some beautiful verses in a book of poems I had recently read, called "Love-Letters of a Violinist," in which the poet [FOOTNOTE: Author of the equally beautiful idyl, "Gladys the Singer," included in the new American copyright edition just issued.] talks of his "loved Amati," and says: "I prayed my prayer. I wove into my song
Fervour, and joy, and mystery, and the bleak, The wan despair that words could never speak. I prayed as if my spirit did belong To some old master who was wise and strong, Because he lov'd and suffered, and was weak.
"I trill'd the notes, and curb'd them to a sigh, And when they falter'd most, I made them leap Fierce from my bow, as from a summer sleep A young she-devil. I was fired thereby To bolder efforts—and a muffled cry Came from the strings as if a saint did weep.
"I changed the theme. I dallied with the bow Just time enough to fit it to a mesh Of merry tones, and drew it back afresh, To talk of truth, and constancy, and woe, And life, and love, and madness, and the glow Of mine own soul which burns into my flesh."
All my love for music welled freshly up in my heart; I, who had felt disinclined to touch the piano for months, now longed to try my strength again upon the familiar and responsive key-board. For a piano has never been a mere piano to me; it is a friend who answers to my thought, and whose notes meet my fingers with caressing readiness and obedience.
Breakfast came, and I took it with great relish. Then, to pass the day, I went out and called on Mrs. Everard's friends, Mr. and Mrs. Challoner and their daughters. I found them very agreeable, with that easy bonhomie and lack of stiffness that distinguishes the best Americans. Finding out through Mrs. Everard's letter that I was an "artiste" they at once concluded I must need support and patronage, and with impulsive large-heartedness were beginning to plan as to the best means of organizing a concert for me. I was taken by surprise at this, for I had generally found the exact reverse of this sympathy among English patrons of art, who were never tired of murmuring the usual platitudes about there being "so many musicians," "music was overdone," "improvising was not understood or cared for," etc., etc.
But these agreeable Americans, as soon as they discovered that I had not come for any professional reason to Paris, but only to consult a physician about my health, were actually disappointed.
"Oh, we shall persuade you to give a recital some time!" persisted the handsome smiling mother of the family. "I know lots of people in Paris. We'll get it up for you!"
I protested, half laughing, that I had no idea of the kind, but they were incorrigibly generous.
"Nonsense!" said Mrs. Challoner, arranging her diamond rings on her pretty white hand with pardonable pride. "Brains don't go for nothing in OUR country. As soon as you are fixed up in health, we'll give you a grand soiree in Paris, and we'll work up all our folks in the place. Don't tell me you are not as glad of dollars as any one of us."
"Dollars are very good," I admitted, "but real appreciation is far better."
"Well, you shall have both from us," said Mrs. Challoner. "And now, will you stop to luncheon?"
I accepted this invitation, given as it was with the most friendly affability, and enjoyed myself very much.
"You don't look ill," said the eldest Miss Challoner to me, later on. "I don't see that you want a physician."
"Oh, I am getting much better now," I replied; "and I hope soon to be quite well."
"Who's your doctor?"
I hesitated. Somehow the name of Heliobas would not come to my lips. Fortunately Mrs. Challoner diverted her daughter's attention at this moment by the announcement that a dressmaker was waiting to see her; and in the face of such an important visit, no one remembered to ask me again the name of my medical adviser.
I left the Grand Hotel in good time to prepare for my second visit to Heliobas. As I was going there to dinner I made a slightly dressy toilette, if a black silk robe relieved with a cluster of pale pink roses can be called dressy. This time I drove to the Hotel Mars, dismissing the coachman, however, before ascending the steps. The door opened and closed as usual, and the first person I saw in the hall was Heliobas himself, seated in one of the easy-chairs, reading a volume of Plato. He rose and greeted me cordially. Before I could speak a word, he said:
"You need not tell me that you slept well. I see it in your eyes and face. You feel better?"
My gratitude to him was so great that I found it difficult to express my thanks. Tears rushed to my eyes, yet I tried to smile, though I could not speak. He saw my emotion, and continued kindly:
"I am as thankful as you can be for the cure which I see has begun, and will soon be effected. My sister is waiting to see you. Will you come to her room?"
We ascended a flight of stairs thickly carpeted, and bordered on each side by tropical ferns and flowers, placed in exquisitely painted china pots and vases. I heard the distant singing of many birds mingled with the ripple and plash of waters. We reached a landing where the afterglow of the set sun streamed through a high oriel window of richly stained glass. Turning towards the left, Heliobas drew aside the folds of some azure satin hangings, and calling in a low voice "Zara!" motioned me to enter. I stepped into a spacious and lofty apartment where the light seemed to soften and merge into many shades of opaline radiance and delicacy—a room the beauty of which would at any other time have astonished and delighted me, but which now appeared as nothing beside the surpassing loveliness of the woman who occupied it. Never shall I behold again any face or form so divinely beautiful! She was about the medium height of women, but her small finely-shaped head was set upon so slender and proud a throat that she appeared taller than she actually was. Her figure was most exquisitely rounded and proportioned, and she came across the room to give me greeting with a sort of gliding graceful movement, like that of a stately swan floating on calm sunlit water. Her complexion was transparently clear—most purely white, most delicately rosy, Her eyes—large, luminous and dark as night, fringed with long silky black lashes—looked like
"Fairy lakes, where tender thoughts Swam softly to and fro."
Her rich black hair was arranged a la Marguerite, and hung down in one long loose thick braid that nearly reached the end of her dress, and she was attired in a robe of deep old gold Indian silk as soft as cashmere, which was gathered in round her waist by an antique belt of curious jewel-work, in which rubies and turquoises seemed to be thickly studded. On her bosom shone a strange gem, the colour and form of which I could not determine. It was never the same for two minutes together. It glowed with many various hues—now bright crimson, now lightning-blue, sometimes deepening into a rich purple or tawny orange. Its lustre was intense, almost dazzling to the eye. Its beautiful wearer gave me welcome with a radiant smile and a few cordial words, and drawing me by the hand to the low couch she had just vacated, made me sit down beside her. Heliobas had disappeared.
"And so," said Zara—how soft and full of music was her voice!—"so you are one of Casimir's patients? I cannot help considering that you are fortunate in this, for I know my brother's power. If he says he will cure you, you may be sure he means it. And you are already better, are you not?"
"Much better," I said, looking earnestly into the lovely star-like eyes that regarded me with such interest and friendliness. "Indeed, to-day I have felt so well, that I cannot realize ever having been ill."
"I am very glad," said Zara, "I know you are a musician, and I think there can be no bitterer fate than for one belonging to your art to be incapacitated from performance of work by some physical obstacle. Poor grand old Beethoven! Can anything be more pitiful to think of than his deafness? Yet how splendidly he bore up against it! And Chopin, too—so delicate in health that he was too often morbid even in his music. Strength is needed to accomplish great things—the double strength of body and soul."
"Are you, too, a musician?" I inquired.
"No. I love music passionately, and I play a little on the organ in our private chapel; but I follow a different art altogether. I am a mere imitator of noble form—I am a sculptress."
"You?" I said in some wonder, looking at the very small, beautifully formed white hand that lay passively on the edge of the couch beside me. "You make statues in marble like Michael Angelo?"
"Like Angelo?" murmured Zara; and she lowered her brilliant eyes with a reverential gravity. "No one in these modern days can approach the immortal splendour of that great master. He must have known heroes and talked with gods to be able to hew out of the rocks such perfection of shape and attitude as his 'David.' Alas! my strength of brain and hand is mere child's play compared to what HAS been done in sculpture, and what WILL yet be done; still, I love the work for its own sake, and I am always trying to render a resemblance of—"
Here she broke off abruptly, and a deep blush suffused her cheeks. Then, looking up suddenly, she took my hand impulsively, and pressed it.
"Be my friend," she said, with a caressing inflection in her rich voice, "I have no friends of my own sex, and I wish to love you. My brother has always had so much distrust of the companionship of women for me. You know his theories; and he has always asserted that the sphere of thought in which I have lived all my life is so widely apart from those in which other women exist—that nothing but unhappiness for me could come out of associating us together. When he told me yesterday that you were coming to see me to-day, I knew he must have discovered something in your nature that was not antipathetic to mine; otherwise he would not have brought you to me. Do you think you can like me?—perhaps LOVE me after a little while?"
It would have been a cold heart indeed that would not have responded to such a speech as this, uttered with the pleading prettiness of a loving child. Besides, I had warmed to her from the first moment I had touched her hand; and I was overjoyed to think that she was willing to elect me as a friend. I therefore replied to her words by putting my arm affectionately round her waist and kissing her. My beautiful, tender Zara! How innocently happy she seemed to be thus embraced! and how gently her fragrant lips met mine in that sisterly caress! She leaned her dark head for a moment on my shoulder, and the mysterious jewel on her breast flashed into a weird red hue like the light of a stormy sunset.
"And now we have drawn up, signed, and sealed our compact of friendship," she said gaily, "will you come and see my studio? There is nothing in it that deserves to last, I think; still, one has patience with a child when he builds his brick houses, and you must have equal patience with me. Come!"
And she led the way through her lovely room, which I now noticed was full of delicate statuary, fine paintings, and exquisite embroidery, while flowers were everywhere in abundance. Lifting the hangings at the farther end of the apartment, she passed, I following, into a lofty studio, filled with all the appurtenances of the sculptor's art. Here and there were the usual spectral effects which are always suggested to the mind by unfinished plaster models—an arm in one place, a head in another; a torso, or a single hand, protruding ghost-like from a fold of dark drapery. At the very end of the room stood a large erect figure, the outlines of which could but dimly be seen through its linen coverings; and to this work, whatever it was, Zara did not appear desirous of attracting my attention. She led me to one particular corner; and, throwing aside a small crimson velvet curtain, said:
"This is the last thing I have finished in marble. I call it 'Approaching Evening.'"
I stood silently before the statue, lost in admiration. I could not conceive it possible that the fragile little hand of the woman who stood beside me could have executed such a perfect work. She had depicted "Evening" as a beautiful nude female figure in the act of stepping forward on tip-toe; the eyes were half closed, and the sweet mouth slightly parted in a dreamily serious smile. The right forefinger was laid lightly on the lips, as though suggesting silence; and in the left hand was loosely clasped a bunch of poppies. That was all. But the poetry and force of the whole conception as carried out in the statue was marvellous.
"Do you like it?" asked Zara, half timidly.
"Like it!" I exclaimed. "It is lovely—wonderful! It is worthy to rank with the finest Italian masterpieces."
"Oh, no!" remonstrated Zara; "no, indeed! When the great Italian sculptors lived and worked—ah! one may say with the Scriptures, 'There were giants in those days.' Giants—veritable ones; and we modernists are the pigmies. We can only see Art now through the eyes of others who came before us. We cannot create anything new. We look at painting through Raphael; sculpture through Angelo; poetry through Shakespeare; philosophy through Plato. It is all done for us; we are copyists. The world is getting old—how glorious to have lived when it was young! But nowadays the very children are blase."
"And you—are not you blase to talk like that, with your genius and all the world before you?" I asked laughingly, slipping my arm through hers. "Come, confess!"
Zara looked at me gravely.
"I sincerely hope the world is NOT all before me," she said; "I should be very sorry if I thought so. To have the world all before you in the general acceptation of that term means to live long, to barter whatever genius you have for gold, to hear the fulsome and unmeaning flatteries of the ignorant, who are as ready with condemnation as praise—to be envied and maligned by those less lucky than you are. Heaven defend me from such a fate!"
She spoke with earnestness and solemnity; then, dropping the curtain before her statue, turned away. I was admiring the vine-wreathed head of a young Bacchante that stood on a pedestal near me, and was about to ask Zara what subject she had chosen for the large veiled figure at the farthest end of her studio, when we were interrupted by the entrance of the little Greek page whom I had seen on my first visit to the house. He saluted us both, and addressing himself to Zara, said:
"Monsieur le Comte desires me to tell you, madame, that Prince Ivan will be present at dinner."
Zara looked somewhat vexed; but the shade of annoyance flitted away from her fair face like a passing shadow, as she replied quietly:
"Tell Monsieur le Comte, my brother, that I shall be happy to receive Prince Ivan."
The page bowed deferentially and departed. Zara turned round, and I saw the jewel on her breast flashing with a steely glitter like the blade of a sharp sword.
"I do not like Prince Ivan myself," she said; "but he is a singularly brave and resolute man, and Casimir has some reason for admitting him to our companionship. Though I greatly doubt if—" Here a flood of music broke upon our ears like the sound of a distant orchestra. Zara looked at me and smiled. "Dinner is ready!" she announced; "but you must not imagine that we keep a band to play us to our table in triumph. It is simply a musical instrument worked by electricity that imitates the orchestra; both Casimir and I prefer it to a gong!"
And slipping her arm affectionately through mine, she drew me from the studio into the passage, and together we went down the staircase into a large dining-room, rich with oil-paintings and carved oak, where Heliobas awaited us. Close by him stood another gentleman, who was introduced to me as Prince Ivan Petroffsky. He was a fine-looking, handsome-featured young man, of about thirty, tall and broad-shouldered, though beside the commanding stature of Heliobas, his figure did not show to so much advantage as it might have done beside a less imposing contrast. He bowed to me with easy and courteous grace; but his deeply reverential salute to Zara had something in it of that humility which a slave might render to a queen. She bent her head slightly in answer, and still holding me by the hand, moved to her seat at the bottom of the table, while her brother took the head. My seat was at the right hand of Heliobas, Prince Ivan's at the left, so that we directly faced each other.
There were two men-servants in attendance, dressed in dark livery, who waited upon us with noiseless alacrity. The dinner was exceedingly choice; there was nothing coarse or vulgar in the dishes—no great heavy joints swimming in thin gravy a la Anglaise; no tureens of unpalatable sauce; no clumsy decanters filled with burning sherry or drowsy port. The table itself was laid out in the most perfect taste, with the finest Venetian glass and old Dresden ware, in which tempting fruits gleamed amid clusters of glossy dark leaves. Flowers in tall vases bloomed wherever they could be placed effectively; and in the centre of the board a small fountain played, tinkling as it rose and fell like a very faintly echoing fairy chime. The wines that were served to us were most delicious, though their flavour was quite unknown to me—one in especial, of a pale pink colour, that sparkled slightly as it was poured into my glass, seemed to me a kind of nectar of the gods, so soft it was to the palate. The conversation, at first somewhat desultory, grew more concentrated as the time went on, though Zara spoke little and seemed absorbed in her own thoughts more than once. The Prince, warmed with the wine and the general good cheer, became witty and amusing in his conversation; he was a man who had evidently seen a good deal of the world, and who was accustomed to take everything in life a la bagatelle. He told us gay stories of his life in St. Petersburg; of the pranks he had played in the Florentine Carnival; of his journey to the American States, and his narrow escape from the matrimonial clutches of a Boston heiress.
Heliobas listened to him with a sort of indulgent kindness, only smiling now and then at the preposterous puns the young man would insist on making at every opportunity that presented itself.
"You are a lucky fellow, Ivan," he said at last. "You like the good things of life, and you have got them all without any trouble on your own part. You are one of those men who have absolutely nothing to wish for."
Prince Ivan frowned and pulled his dark moustache with no very satisfied air.
"I am not so sure about that," he returned. "No one is contented in this world, I believe. There is always something left to desire, and the last thing longed for always seems the most necessary to happiness."
"The truest philosophy," said Heliobas, "is not to long for anything in particular, but to accept everything as it comes, and find out the reason of its coming."
"What do you mean by 'the reason of its coming'?" questioned Prince Ivan. "Do you know, Casimir, I find you sometimes as puzzling as Socrates."
"Socrates?—Socrates was as clear as a drop of morning dew, my dear fellow," replied Heliobas. "There was nothing puzzling about him. His remarks were all true and trenchant—hitting smartly home to the heart like daggers plunged down to the hilt. That was the worst of him—he was too clear—too honest—too disdainful of opinions. Society does not love such men. What do I mean, you ask, by accepting everything as it comes, and trying to find out the reason of its coming? Why, I mean what I say. Each circumstance that happens to each one of us brings its own special lesson and meaning—forms a link or part of a link in the chain of our existence. It seems nothing to you that you walk down a particular street at a particular hour, and yet that slight action of yours may lead to a result you wot not of. 'Accept the hint of each new experience,' says the American imitator of Plato—Emerson. If this advice is faithfully followed, we all have enough to occupy us busily from the cradle to the grave."
Prince Ivan looked at Zara, who sat quietly thoughtful, only lifting her bright eyes now and then to glance at her brother as he spoke.
"I tell you," he said, with sudden moroseness, "there are some hints that we cannot accept—some circumstances that we must not yield to. Why should a man, for instance, be subjected to an undeserved and bitter disappointment?"
"Because," said Zara, joining in the conversation for the first time, "he has most likely desired what he is not fated to obtain."
The Prince bit his lips, and gave a forced laugh.
"I know, madame, you are against me in all our arguments," he observed, with some bitterness in his tone. "As Casimir suggests, I am a bad philosopher. I do not pretend to more than the ordinary attributes of an ordinary man; it is fortunate, if I may be permitted to say so, that the rest of the word's inhabitants are very like me, for if everyone reached to the sublime heights of science and knowledge that you and your brother have attained—-"
"The course of human destiny would run out, and Paradise would be an established fact," laughed Heliobas. "Come, Ivan! You are a true Epicurean. Have some more wine, and a truce to discussions for the present." And, beckoning to one of the servants, he ordered the Prince's glass to be refilled.
Dessert was now served, and luscious fruits in profusion, including peaches, bananas, plantains, green figs, melons, pine-apples, and magnificent grapes, were offered for our choice. As I made a selection for my own plate, I became aware of something soft rubbing itself gently against my dress; and looking down, I saw the noble head and dark intelligent eyes of my old acquaintance Leo, whom I had last met at Cannes. I gave an exclamation of pleasure, and the dog, encouraged, stood up and laid a caressing paw on my arm.
"You know Leo, of course," said Heliobas, turning to me. "He went to see Raffaello while you were at Cannes. He is a wonderful animal—more valuable to me than his weight in gold."
Prince Ivan, whose transient moodiness had passed away like a bad devil exorcised by the power of good wine, joined heartily in the praise bestowed on this four-footed friend of the family.
"It was really through Leo," he said, "that you were induced to follow out your experiments in human electricity, Casimir, was it not?"
"Yes," replied Heliobas, calling the dog, who went to him immediately to be fondled. "I should never have been much encouraged in my researches, had he not been at hand. I feared to experimentalize much on my sister, she being young at the time—and women are always frail of construction—but Leo was willing and ready to be a victim to science, if necessary. Instead of a martyr he is a living triumph—are you not, old boy?" he continued, stroking the silky coat of the animal, who responded with a short low bark of satisfaction.
My curiosity was much excited by these remarks, and I said eagerly:
"Will you tell me in what way Leo has been useful to you? I have a great affection for dogs, and I never tire of hearing stories of their wonderful intelligence."
"I will certainly tell you," replied Heliobas. "To some people the story might appear improbable, but it is perfectly true and at the same time simple of comprehension. When I was a very young man, younger than Prince Ivan, I absorbed myself in the study of electricity—its wonderful powers, and its various capabilities. From the consideration of electricity in the different forms by which it is known to civilized Europe, I began to look back through history, to what are ignorantly called 'the dark ages,' but which might more justly be termed the enlightened youth of the world. I found that the force of electricity was well understood by the ancients—better understood by them, in fact, than it is by the scientists of our day. The 'MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN' that glittered in unearthly characters on the wall at Belshazzar's feast, was written by electricity; and the Chaldean kings and priests understood a great many secrets of another form of electric force which the world to-day scoffs at and almost ignores—I mean human electricity, which we all possess, but which we do not all cultivate within us. When once I realized the existence of the fact of human electric force, I applied the discovery to myself, and spared no pains to foster and educate whatever germ of this power lay within me. I succeeded with more ease and celerity than I had imagined possible. At the time I pursued these studies, Leo here was quite a young dog, full of the clumsy playfulness and untrained ignorance of a Newfoundland puppy. One day I was very busy reading an interesting Sanskrit scroll which treated of ancient medicines and remedies, and Leo was gambolling in his awkward way about the room, playing with an old slipper and worrying it with his teeth. The noise he made irritated and disturbed me, and I rose in my chair and called him by name, somewhat angrily. He paused in his game and looked up—his eyes met mine exactly. His head drooped; he shivered uneasily, whined, and lay down motionless. He never stirred once from the position he had taken, till I gave him permission—and remember, he was untrained. This strange behaviour led me to try other experiments with him, and all succeeded. I gradually led him up to the point I desired—that is, I FORCED HIM TO RECEIVE MY THOUGHT AND ACT UPON IT, as far as his canine capabilities could do, and he has never once failed. It is sufficient for me to strongly WILL him to do a certain thing, and I can convey that command of mine to his brain without uttering a single word, and he will obey me."
I suppose I showed surprise and incredulity in my face, for Heliobas smiled at me and continued:
"I will put him to the proof at any time you like. If you wish him to fetch anything that he is physically able to carry, and will write the name of whatever it is on a slip of paper, just for me to know what you require, I guarantee Leo's obedience."
I looked at Zara, and she laughed.
"It seems like magic to you, does it not?" she said; "but I assure you it is quite true."
"I am bound to admit," said Prince Ivan, "that I once doubted both Leo and his master, but I am quite converted. Here, mademoiselle," he continued, handing me a leaf from his pocket-book and a pencil—"write down something that you want; only don't send the dog to Italy on an errand just now, as we want him back before we adjourn to the drawing-room."
I remembered that I had left an embroidered handkerchief on the couch in Zara's room, and I wrote this down on the paper, which I passed to Heliobas. He glanced at it and tore it up. Leo was indulging himself with a bone under the table, but came instantly to his master's call. Heliobas took the dog's head between his two hands, and gazed steadily into the grave brown eyes that regarded him with equal steadiness. This interchange of looks lasted but a few seconds. Leo left the room, walking with an unruffled and dignified pace, while we awaited his return—Heliobas and Zara with indifference, Prince Ivan with amusement, and I with interest and expectancy. Two or three minutes elapsed, and the dog returned with the same majestic demeanour, carrying between his teeth my handkerchief. He came straight to me and placed it in my hand; shook himself, wagged his tail, and conveying a perfectly human expression of satisfaction into his face, went under the table again to his bone. I was utterly amazed, but at the same time convinced. I had not seen the dog since my arrival in Paris, and it was impossible for him to have known where to find my handkerchief, or to recognize it as being mine, unless through the means Heliobas had explained.
"Can you command human beings so?" I asked, with a slight tremor of nervousness.
"Not all," returned Heliobas quietly. "In fact, I may say, very few. Those who are on my own circle of power I can, naturally, draw to or repel from me; but those who are not, have to be treated by different means. Sometimes cases occur in which persons, at first NOT on my circle, are irresistibly attracted to it by a force not mine. Sometimes, in order to perform a cure, I establish a communication between myself and a totally alien sphere of thought; and to do this is a long and laborious effort. But it can be done."
"Then, if it can be done," said Prince Ivan, "why do you not accomplish it for me?"
"Because you are being forcibly drawn towards me without any effort on my part," replied Heliobas, with one of his steady, keen looks. "For what motive I cannot at present determine; but I shall know as soon as you touch the extreme edge of my circle. You are a long way off it yet, but you are coming in spite of yourself, Ivan."
The Prince fidgeted restlessly in his chair, and toyed with the fruit on his plate in a nervous manner.
"If I did not know you to be an absolutely truthful and honourable man, Casimir," he said, "I should think you were trying to deceive me. But I have seen what you can do, therefore I must believe you. Still I confess I do not follow you in your circle theory."
"To begin with," returned Heliobas, "the Universe is a circle. Everything is circular, from the motion of planets down to the human eye, or the cup of a flower, or a drop of dew. MY 'circle theory,' as you call it, applied to human electric force, is very simple; but I have proved it to be mathematically correct. Every human being is provided INTERNALLY and EXTERNALLY with a certain amount of electricity, which is as necessary to existence as the life-blood to the heart or fresh air to the lungs. Internally it is the germ of a soul or spirit, and is placed there to be either cultivated or neglected as suits the WILL of man. It is indestructible; yet, if neglected, it remains always a germ; and, at the death of the body it inhabits, goes elsewhere to seek another chance of development. If, on the contrary, its growth is fostered by a persevering, resolute WILL, it becomes a spiritual creature, glorious and supremely powerful, for which a new, brilliant, and endless existence commences when its clay chrysalis perishes. So much for the INTERNAL electrical force. The EXTERNAL binds us all by fixed laws, with which our wills have nothing whatever to do. (Each one of us walks the earth encompassed by an invisible electric ring—wide or narrow according to our capabilities. Sometimes our rings meet and form one, as in the case of two absolutely sympathetic souls, who labour and love together with perfect faith in each other. Sometimes they clash, and storm ensues, as when a strong antipathy between persons causes them almost to loathe each other's presence.) All these human electric rings are capable of attraction and repulsion. If a man, during his courtship of a woman, experiences once or twice a sudden instinctive feeling that there is something in her nature not altogether what he expected or desired, let him take warning and break off the attachment; for the electric circles do not combine, and nothing but unhappiness would come from forcing a union. I would say the same thing to a woman. If my advice were followed, how many unhappy marriages would be avoided! But you have tempted me to talk too much, Ivan. I see the ladies wish to adjourn. Shall we go to the smoking-room for a little, and join them in the drawing-room afterwards?"
We all rose.
"Well," said the Prince gaily, as he prepared to follow his host, "I realize one thing which gives me pleasure, Casimir. If in truth I am being attracted towards your electric circle, I hope I shall reach it soon, as I shall then, I suppose, be more en rapport with madame, your sister."
Zara's luminous eyes surveyed him with a sort of queenly pity and forbearance.
"By the time YOU arrive at that goal, Prince," she said calmly, "it is most probable that I shall have departed."
And with one arm thrown round my waist, she saluted him gravely, and left the room with me beside her.
"Would you like to see the chapel on your way to the drawing-room?" she asked, as we crossed the hall.
I gladly accepted this proposition, and Zara took me down a flight of marble steps, which terminated in a handsomely-carved oaken door. Pushing this softly open, she made the sign of the cross and sank on her knees. I did the same, and then looked with reverential wonder at the loveliness and serenity of the place. It was small, but lofty, and the painted dome-shaped roof was supported by eight light marble columns, wreathed with minutely-carved garlands of vine-leaves. The chapel was fitted up in accordance with the rites of the Catholic religion, and before the High Altar and Tabernacle burned seven roseate lamps, which were suspended from the roof by slender gilt chains. A large crucifix, bearing a most sorrowful and pathetic figure of Christ, was hung on one of the side walls; and from a corner altar, shining with soft blue and silver, an exquisite statue of the Madonna and Child was dimly seen from where we knelt. A few minutes passed, and Zara rose. Looking towards the Tabernacle, her lips moved as though murmuring a prayer, and then, taking me by the hand, she led me gently out. The heavy oaken door swung softly behind us as we ascended the chapel steps and re-entered the great hall.
"You are a Catholic, are you not?" then said Zara to me.
"Yes," I answered; "but—"
"But you have doubts sometimes, you would say! Of course. One always doubts when one sees the dissensions, the hypocrisies, the false pretences and wickedness of many professing Christians. But Christ and His religion are living facts, in spite of the suicide of souls He would gladly save. You must ask Casimir some day about these things; he will clear up all the knotty points for you. Here we are at the drawing-room door."
It was the same room into which I had first been shown. Zara seated herself, and made me occupy a low chair beside her.
"Tell me," she said, "can you not come here and stay with me while you are under Casimir's treatment?"
I thought of Madame Denise and her Pension.
"I wish I could," I said; "but I fear my friends would want to know where I am staying, and explanations would have to be given, which I do not feel disposed to enter upon."
"Why," went on Zara quietly, "you have only to say that you are being attended by a Dr. Casimir who wishes to have you under his own supervision, and that you are therefore staying in his house under the chaperonage of his sister."
I laughed at the idea of Zara playing the chaperon, and told her she was far too young and beautiful to enact that character.
"Do you know how old I am?" she asked, with a slight smile.
I guessed seventeen, or at any rate not more than twenty.
"I am thirty-eight," said Zara.
Thirty-eight! Impossible! I would not believe it. I could not. I laughed scornfully at such an absurdity, looking at her as she sat there a perfect model of youthful grace and loveliness, with her lustrous eyes and rose-tinted complexion.
"You may doubt me if you choose," she said, still smiling; "but I have told you the truth. I am thirty-eight years of age according to the world's counting. What I am, measured by another standard of time, matters not just now. You see I look young, and, what is more, I am young. I enjoy my youth. I hear that women of society at thirty-eight are often faded and blase—what a pity it is that they do not understand the first laws of self-preservation! But to resume what I was saying, you know now that I am quite old enough in the eyes of the world to chaperon you or anybody. You had better arrange to stay here. Casimir asked me to settle the matter with, you."
As she spoke, Heliobas and Prince Ivan entered. The latter looked flushed and excited—Heliobas was calm and stately as usual. He addressed himself to me at once.
"I have ordered my carriage, mademoiselle, to take you back this evening to the Avenue du Midi. If you will do as Zara tells you, and explain to your friends the necessity there is for your being under the personal supervision of your doctor, you will find everything will arrange itself very naturally. And the sooner you come here the better—in fact, Zara will expect you here to-morrow early in the afternoon. I may rely upon you?"
He spoke with a certain air of command, evidently expecting no resistance on my part. Indeed, why should I resist? Already I loved Zara, and wished to be more in her company; and then, most probably, my complete restoration to health would be more successfully and quickly accomplished if I were actually in the house of the man who had promised to cure me. Therefore I replied:
"I will do as you wish, monsieur. Having placed myself in your hands, I must obey. In this particular case," I added, looking at Zara, "obedience is very agreeable to me."
Heliobas smiled and seemed satisfied. He then took a small goblet from a side-table and left the room. Returning, however, almost immediately with the cup filled to the brim, he said, handing it to me:
"Drink this—it is your dose for to-night; and then you will go home, and straight to bed."
I drank it off at once. It was delicious in flavour—like very fine Chianti.
"Have you no soothing draught for me?" said Prince Ivan, who had been turning over a volume of photographs in a sullenly abstracted sort of way.
"No," replied Heliobas, with a keen glance at him; "the draught fitted for your present condition might soothe you too thoroughly."
The Prince looked at Zara, but she was mute. She had taken a piece of silk embroidery from a workbasket near her, and was busily employed with it. Heliobas advanced and laid his hand on the young man's arm.
"Sing to us, Ivan," he said, in a kind tone. "Sing us one of your wild Russian airs—Zara loves them, and this young lady would like to hear your voice before she goes."
The Prince hesitated, and then, with another glance at Zara's bent head, went to the piano. He had a brilliant touch, and accompanied himself with great taste and delicacy; but his voice was truly magnificent—a baritone of deep and mellow quality, sonorous, and at the same time tender. He sang a French rendering of a Slavonic love-song, which, as nearly as I can translate it into English, ran as follows:
"As the billows fling shells on the shore, As the sun poureth light on the sea, As a lark on the wing scatters song to the spring, So rushes my love to thee.
"As the ivy clings close to the tower, As the dew lieth deep in a flower, As the shadow to light, as the day unto night, So clings my wild soul to thee!
"As the moon glitters coldly alone, Above earth on her cloud-woven throne, As the rocky-bound cave repulses a wave, So thy anger repulseth me.
"As the bitter black frost of a night Slays the roses with pitiless might, As a sharp dagger-thrust hurls a king to the dust, So thy cruelty murdereth me.
"Yet in spite of thy queenly disdain, Thou art seared by my passion and pain; Thou shalt hear me repeat, till I die for it, sweet! 'I love thee! I dare to love THEE!'"
He ended abruptly and with passion, and rose from the piano directly.
I was enthusiastic in my admiration of the song and of the splendid voice which had given it utterance, and the Prince seemed almost grateful for the praise accorded him both by Heliobas and myself.
The page entered to announce that "the carriage was waiting for mademoiselle," and I prepared to leave. Zara kissed me affectionately, and whispering, "Come early to-morrow," made a graceful salute to Prince Ivan, and left the room immediately.
Heliobas then offered me his arm to take me to the carriage. Prince Ivan accompanied us. As the hall door opened in its usual noiseless manner, I perceived an elegant light brougham drawn by a pair of black horses, who were giving the coachman a great deal of trouble by the fretting and spirited manner in which they pawed the stones and pranced. Before descending the steps I shook hands with Heliobas, and thanked him for the pleasant evening I had passed.
"We will try to make all your time with us pass as pleasantly," he returned. "Good-night! What, Ivan," as he perceived the Prince attiring himself in his great-coat and hat, "are you also going?"
"Yes, I am off," he replied, with a kind of forced gaiety; "I am bad company for anyone to-night, and I won't inflict myself upon you, Casimir. Au revoir! I will put mademoiselle into the carriage if she will permit me."
We went down the steps together, Heliobas watching us from the open door. As the Prince assisted me into the brougham, he whispered:
"Are you one of them!"
I looked at him in bewilderment.
"One of them!" I repeated. "What do you mean?"
"Never mind," he muttered impatiently, as he made a pretence of covering me with the fur rugs inside the carriage: "if you are not now, you will be, or Zara would not have kissed you. If you ever have the chance ask her to think of me at my best. Good-night."
I was touched and a little sorry for him. I held out my hand in silence. He pressed it hard, and calling to the coachman, "36, Avenue du Midi," stood on the pavement bareheaded, looking singularly pale and grave in the starlight, as the carriage rolled swiftly away, and the door of the Hotel Mars closed.
Date: 2015-04-20; view: 382


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1:00 am
Richard Bangs' Adventures With Purpose New Zealand: Quest for Kaitiakitanga The adventurer pursues an age-old Maori tradition - the origins of "kaitiakitanga," the responsibility of human beings to protect the natural world. He begins at Mt. Aspiring National Park, strikes north to the Franz Joseph Glacier, heads east to the coast at Kaikoura, then crosses the Cook Strait to the North Island and the capital city of Wellington. His journey culminates at Cape Reinga on the upper tip of New Zealand.G
2:00 am
Race 2012 Using the presidential election as a lens, this documentary examines America's increasingly complex racial landscape. With a behind-the-scenes approach, the film navigates the high-stakes world of racial pollsters, spin doctors and candidates as they compete for voters of many ethnic and racial groups.G
3:00 am
Outdoor Idaho "Climbing Idaho" Today's rock-climbing enthusiasts support climbing gyms, clubs and advocacy groups - no longer the exclusive band of wanderers of just a few decades ago. The heights they achieve throughout the state require skills, levels of expertise, techniques and climbing methods as varied as the state's terrain. Cameras follow as they seek to conquer nature's rock walls.G
3:30 am
MotorWeek "Acura Rdx" Road Test: 2013 Acura RDX. Road Test: 2013 RAM 1500. Goss' Garage: Engine Plug Problem. D
4:00 am
Sesame Street "Baby Bear's Baby Doll" Baby Bear and Curly Bear are happily playing with dolls. Telly comes along and wants to show Baby Bear his new bulldozer, and Baby Bear quickly hides his doll behind his back and says that it is Curly's. They start to play with the bulldozer, but then Baby Bear suggests they need a driver and he offers his doll. D
5:00 am
Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood "Daniel Shares His Tigertastic Car/Katerina Shares Her Tutu" Daniel Shares his Tigertastic Car - Daniel and his friends are playing together in the park. Daniel has a new toy car and struggles to share it with the others. But in the end, Daniel learns that sharing is easy when he knows he will get his special toy back. D
5:30 am
Martha Speaks "Dogs In Space/Dogs from Space" Dogs in Space - Mrs. Clusky asks the class to present projects on the solar system, but TD finds himself distracted by comic books. Can he save the Planet of the Dogs from evil space cats and still get his homework in on time? Vocabulary: (E) planet, star, solar system, constellation, orbit (I) sun, moon, earth, space, spaceship. Dogs from Space - Inspired by TD's comic about the Planet of the Dogs, Martha has a dream about what life would be like as an alien space dog. D
6:00 am
Nature "Wolverine: Chasing The Phantom" Cameras follow researchers who follow this elusive, independent and resourceful animal - the largest member of the weasel family - that they rarely see in person. They use remote cameras, radio collars and DNA to track the creatures, who have turned out to be remarkably family oriented as well as tough and powerful for their size.G
7:00 am
Rick Steves' Europe "Siena and Assisi: Italy's Grand Hill Towns" Rick tours the innovative medieval hospital in Siena and a bakery that makes panforte. He explores the Chianti region and spends a night at a farmhouse where he learns about the Slow Food Movement before following the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi.G
7:30 am
Smart Travels - Europe with Rudy Maxa "Florence" Rudy visits the great museums and landmarks, then beats the crowds in peaceful Oltr'arno across the river.G
8:00 am
The Desert Speaks "Desert Treasures" The desert can yield a bounty of treasures, but what does gold have in common with trees, fish and meteorites? To the right person, they all have a sentimental, if not monetary, value. Using the Tucson Gem and Mineral show as a launching pad for the quest, The Desert Speaks travels around the country's deserts to find out where exactly these items come from and who values these unusual treasures. The search begins with a hunt for fish fossils in the Red Desert of Wyoming and then a visit to the Painted Desert with the Bach family. D
8:30 am
Ciao Italia "Lamb Roman Style/Abbacchio Alla Romana" Mary Ann re-creates a classic Roman meal, starting with a trip to the butcher to prepare a Marinated Leg of Lamb that's fit for an emperor's feast. Then she shows you the trick of preparing Roman-style Artichokes, and finishes off with a hearty Potato Casserole. Even when you're not in Rome, you can eat as the Romans do. D
9:00 am
Cooking Odyssey "Thessaloniki - Part 2" Eva vists the museum of Byzantine culture explores a vineyard with one of the largest corkscrew collections in Europe and discovers a Jewish museum in northern Greece, and Chef Yianni makes a unique Byzantine inspired dessert. D
9:30 am
Pati's Mexican Table "Easy Comfort Food" Simple, easy, home-style cuisine that you'd find in just about any Mexican home, recreated for the American kitchen. This meal was Pati's favorite "everyday" meal growing up in Mexico, and one she regularly makes for her own family today. She's proud to share the steps so that you can enjoy it, too! Dressed-up Chicken Milanesa; Chayote Squash and Pickled Onion Salad; Chunky Chipotle Mashed Potatoes. D
10:00 am
America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated "A Moroccan Feast" Test cook Julia Collin Davison shows host Christopher Kimball how to make a Moroccan-style Chicken Tagine at home with foolproof Couscous that's better than any store-bought brand. Then, gadget guru Lisa McManus reveals her pick for the best compost bucket. Later, test cook Bryan Roof uncovers the secrets to making your own preserved lemons. D
10:30 am
GardenSMART Landscape Makeover - Part 2. A beautiful front entrance sets the tone for your whole house and garden. Changing an entryway can provide some of the biggest bang for your buck. D
11:00 am
Bluegrass Underground "Scott Miller & The Commonwealth" Americana pioneer Miller remains a roots-rock legend for his "burn-the-juke-joint-down" band, the V-Roys, and his work with singer/songwriter Steve Earle. His band, the Commonwealth, brings a bluegrass and edgy mountain tinge to that sound, framing Miller's finely crafted songs written in the grand Southern literary tradition. D
11:30 am
Music Voyager "Tennessee Special - Round" The singer-songwriter embodies the unique and profitable symbiotic relationship between the stars of country music and the artists responsible for crafting the words and melodies. Music Voyager invites four of Nashville's most prolific and successful songwriters for an intimate and rare performance at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Featured artists include revered singer-songwriters Buddy Miller, Darrel Scott, Elizabeth Cook and Guy Clark. D
12:00 pm
Sesame Street "Rahki Road" Leela is making bracelets to celebrate an Indian holiday called "Rakhi", a time when sisters, brothers, and friends show how much they love each other by exchanging special bracelets, foods, and gifts. Leela already sent a bracelet to her brother, Sunil, in India and now she is expecting a bracelet from him any moment. Just then, a delivery person brings a box that turns out to be a sample of laundry detergent, instead of her brother's bracelet. D
1:00 pm
Dinosaur Train "Carla Cretoxyrhina/Train Trouble" Carla Cretoxyrhina - On this underwater excursion, the Pteranodon family meets up with Carla Cretoxyrhina, a young shark who turns out to be much nicer than her reputation suggests. She introduces the family to her dad, bringing them face to face with the "Big Fish in the Sea." Train Trouble - The speedy dinosaur brothers Oren and Ollie join our kids on a train trip to Troodon Town, but unplanned engine trouble sends Oren and Ollie sprinting the Roundhouse to bring back another engine to save the day!. D
1:30 pm
Super Why! "Galileo's Space Adventure" Princess glimpses a flash of light while the friends are learning about space. What could it be? The super readers blast off into the tale Galileo's Space Adventure and investigate the solar system with a young astronaut seeking to rescue his beloved teddy bear named Houston. Will the super readers be able to assist, or will Houston have a problem? Educational Objectives: To learn about our solar system. D
2:00 pm
Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That! "Secret Super Digger/Pucker Up and Blow" Secret Super Digger - Sally is trying to grow a flower for her mom, but it just won't grow. Time to see Finola! At Finola's Farm, she introduces Cat, Sally and Nick to her secret super digger - Diggery the earthworm. Diggery shows them how plant roots need water air and compost, which Diggery helps to make. D
2:30 pm
Wild Kratts "Seasquatch" The Kratt brothers' sub loses power while they are exploring the strange landscape of the ocean depths and they are trapped on the ocean floor of the deep sea. Aviva must figure out how to harness the energy from the deep sea's hydrothermal vents in order to save the brothers and return them to the surface. The Wild Kratts team learns all about the amazing process of chemosynthesis and how deep sea creatures transform toxic chemicals into energy. D
3:00 pm
Wyland's Art Studio "Albatross Sun" Paint the albatross sun with shapes and form, using color and contrast.G
3:30 pm
Piano Guy Host Scott Houston and guests show viewers how to play Antonio Carlos Jobim's bossa nova tune, "Corcovado," and the signature lick from Billy Preston's "Nothin' from Nothin'." Featured guests include Lori Mechem, Dave Powers and Bradley Sowash. D
4:00 pm
Inventions That Shook The World "The 1920's" Mobsters, jazz, and turbulent economic times mark the 1920s. Silent film makes the transition to the talkies as sound comes to the silver screen. The refrigerator gets a makeover from the smartest man in the world, and poverty inspires a desperate inventor to come up with a winner called television. Part 3 of 10G
5:00 pm
PBS NewsHour NULL
6:00 pm
NOVA "Forensics on Trial" NOVA investigates the shaky state of crime science and looks for cutting-edge solutions. Today's forensics are in a state of crisis with few established scientific standards, no central oversight and poor regulation of examiners. Innocent men and women have been convicted on faulty forensic evidence. Of the more than 250 inmates exonerated by DNA testing in the last 10 years, more than half of the wrongful convictions stemmed from poorly executed forensics.G
7:00 pm
Inventions That Shook The World "The 1920's" Mobsters, jazz, and turbulent economic times mark the 1920s. Silent film makes the transition to the talkies as sound comes to the silver screen. The refrigerator gets a makeover from the smartest man in the world, and poverty inspires a desperate inventor to come up with a winner called television. Part 3 of 10G
8:00 pm
Alan Alda in Scientific American Frontiers "Hot Planet - Cold Comfort" Alda learns about global warming and what could happen if the great Atlantic Conveyor shuts down. He also slogs through melting permafrost to survey drowning forests in Alaska.G
8:30 pm
Alan Alda in Scientific American Frontiers "Hydrogen Hopes" The show looks at how science might obtain hydrogen from renewable sources, store it safely and provide a usable fuel.G
9:00 pm
NOVA scienceNOW "Can Science Stop Crime?" Pogue gives the third degree to scientists pushing the limits of technology -- not only to solve horrific murders -- but also to try to prevent crimes before they even happen. He learns the latest techniques, from unraveling the clues embedded in a decomposing corpse, to detecting lies by peering directly into a suspect's brain, to tracking the creation of a criminal mind. And we meet a genius crime-stopper who's made some terrifying discoveries, including how easy it is for a bad guy to highjack -- not just your laptop -- but your kids' toys, medical devices and even your car. D
10:00 pm
NOVA "Forensics on Trial" NOVA investigates the shaky state of crime science and looks for cutting-edge solutions. Today's forensics are in a state of crisis with few established scientific standards, no central oversight and poor regulation of examiners. Innocent men and women have been convicted on faulty forensic evidence. Of the more than 250 inmates exonerated by DNA testing in the last 10 years, more than half of the wrongful convictions stemmed from poorly executed forensics.G
11:00 pm
Inventions That Shook The World "The 1920's" Mobsters, jazz, and turbulent economic times mark the 1920s. Silent film makes the transition to the talkies as sound comes to the silver screen. The refrigerator gets a makeover from the smartest man in the world, and poverty inspires a desperate inventor to come up with a winner called television. Part 3 of 10G

subset: commoncrawl


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Lesser-Known 4x4 Parks & Trails - Ultimate AcreagePosted in Features on November 1, 2005
Each year we head someplace new for Ultimate Adventure, and though we sometimes hit popular places in whatever region we are wheeling, we often forgo them in order to wheel and reveal lesser-known trails. Unfortunately, more and more public land is being shut off to wheelers. Luckily, 4x4 parks are popping up all over so we can still explore what is available for wheelers. This year we found four spots that were willing to host our crew of rambling rigs. Here are the first two.


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PASADENA, Calif. –- Newt Gingrich "kicked off" his California campaign this afternoon outside of Los Angeles but failed to attack either of his two GOP competitors: Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum.
Gingrich, speaking at a Hispanic Leadership event in South El Monte, never mentioned either Romney or Santorum. Asked by reporters following the event why he did not mention either men by name during his speech, Gingrich said he was sticking to talking about himself.
"I believe, when we went back and analyzed it, I do dramatically better when I focus on the nation's problems and I focus on the nation's solutions. I don't do nearly as well when I focus on my competitors," Gingrich said inside Cielito Lindo Restaurant. "We took lesson that has worked twice in the last three months."
The former House Speaker added, "I think my ideas are much bolder than Santorum or Romney's. I think my ideas are much clearer and more specific and I have to focus on communicating those ideas."
Gingrich will spend the next three days in California mostly focusing on fundraising – something the campaign needs to stay in the race. The former House speaker only has one win under his belt, the South Carolina primary back in mid-January while Santorum has racked up four victories in Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, and Minnesota and Romney has three in New Hampshire, Florida, and Maine. Gingrich says, though, he will be back on top soon.
"I believe in a few weeks I will return to being the leader in the Gallup poll," he said at a Tea Pac meeting here.
Rather than taking aim at his Republican counterparts, Gingrich focused some of his speech on President Barack Obama, especially his new budget proposal.
"The time to have the fight over the next debt ceiling is not this fall. We've played this game before. We know what Obama's going to do. He's going to get up to the last minute. He's going to stand there and say how we need to do this. We have no choice," Gingrich said. "Time to stop it is right now. What the Congress ought to do right now is passing the kind of reform that would make the debt ceiling increase unnecessarily."
It wasn't all-business for the former speaker today, though. One member of the audience wanted to know what special Valentines Day's plans he had with his wife, Callista, Tuesday.
"All I can promise is that I believe she will be quite happy tomorrow night. I think for the first time in a while we have a private dinner and hopefully [can] exchange gifts, and reconnect a little bit," Gingrich said.
After a pause and a little smile while the crowd laughed, the speaker added: "No more details."
Gingrich visits the Tulare World Ag Expo Tuesday in addition to holding private fundraisers before his supposed Valentine's Day plans.


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Another boot in the Old West collection, this time with thunder brown corona calf leather foot & camo canvas shaft and reinforced shanks. This boot features hand corded medallion with natural leather
welt. White double row welt stitch for added support for your little buckaroo's.
Broad square toe and rubber outsole for these boots are slightly full to
accommodate most children's feet.


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Elizabeth Warren raised a whopping $42 million for her Senate race — more than any other congressional candidate in the country. Yet the noted scholar on the root causes of debt and bankruptcy made a surprising admission on Wednesday: she needs a little help paying her bills.
In an e-mail to supporters, the senator-elect from Massachusetts revealed that her campaign is in debt and asked for donations to help her out of the hole. Though she did not disclose the sum in her e-mail, a campaign official said Warren owes $400,000.
So how did a record fund-raiser end up in red ink?
Warren's academic research has demonstrated that personal bankruptcy often stems from job loss, divorce, and catastrophic illness. In the case of her campaign, she is blaming pepperoni and mushrooms.
"Thousands more volunteers showed up — and that meant even more last-minute coffee and pizza," Warren wrote, listing only that food and that beverage as the cause of the shortfall.
An aide declined to elaborate on other expenses that went over budget.
Warren had a massive campaign with 130 paid staff members and television ads on constant rotation.
"Everyone, we need a little more money to pay off our final bills," Warren wrote. "Can you help one more time?"
It is not unusual for campaigns — even strong, well-funded campaigns — to end in debt.
Just last month, former President Bill Clinton sent a fund-raising e-mail asking for donations to help his wife, Hillary Clinton, retire the debt from her 2008 presidential campaign. Politico reported that Clinton still owed $73,000 as of Sept. 30.
Nevertheless, the disclosure that Warren owes money is notable because she raised such staggering sums in her race against Senator Scott Brown, shattering records month after month as she tapped into a vast network of loyal supporters across the country.
Warren is also considered a preeminent scholar on why families and businesses go broke. Her books include "All Your Worth," a guide to managing household finances, and "As We Forgive Our Debtors," a study of the American middle class.
The subject line of Warren's e-mail — "I'll come out and say it" — suggests that the Harvard Law professor, who plans to take a seat on the Senate Banking Committee, feels a bit sheepish about having to solicit even more cash from her supporters.
"Right now, I'd rather be writing about filibuster reform and banking regulation," Warren wrote. "But we still have a little more to do to wrap things up. Can you help one more time to finish 2012 strong?"
Brown's campaign, which raised about $30 million, said in an e-mail to the Globe on Wednesday that it has no debt. But Brown's campaign manager, Jim Barnett, would not say how much cash the senator has left over if he chooses to run for office again.
Candidates often struggle to stay within budget, given the pressures they face to compete in the closing weeks of a race, said Steve Duprey, a Republican national committeeman from New Hampshire who served as finance chair for Senator Kelly Ayotte's campaign in 2010.
"It's just unusual that after raising that much, [Warren] would need to raise more to get rid of her debt," Duprey said. "I hope she a does a better job balancing the federal budget than she did with her campaign books."
Mo Elleithee, a Democratic strategist who was a spokesman for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, said the senator-elect should not be faulted.
"In a race like that, it's so competitive, and there's so much you're trying to accomplish, you want to spend every dime that comes in," he said. "You can't afford to leave anything on the table."
If Warren were $1.5 million or $5 million in debt, there would be cause for concern about her financial management, Elleithee said.
"But for a $42 million campaign to go just barely over budget speaks to some pretty good management," he said.
Given that Warren was able to raise $2.5 million in the first half of October alone, it may not take her long to close her $400,000 deficit.
That sum, after all, represents less than 1 percent of the $42 million she hauled in during the campaign. "It's easy money," Elleithee said.Michael Levenson can be reached at mlevenson@


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Creative Director Serge Ruffieux who's wealth of experience stems from the likes of Dior and Sonia Rykiel, has said to have added a 'younger, flirtier spirit' to the brands and this AW18 collection shows just that. Crafted from a silk and merino blend, this coral deep v neck knit sweater from Carven features a contrasting white deep V neck, long sleeves and a ribbed hem and cuffs.
Designer colour: 250 CORAIL
Designer Style ID: 8609PU010
Farfetch ID: 13230847
Measurement Information
Model's wearing: L
Model's wearing: L
All measurements are made by Farfetch
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One shipping fee, on multiple pieces, from multiple locations.
No matter how many items you purchase, or where in the world you order from, you will only pay one fee.
Click here to find out more about our shipping options, including Click & Collect and Same Day Delivery.
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We offer free global returns.
You have 14 days from receiving your order to return the item. We strongly recommend that you book your free returns pick-up within 7 days of receiving your order to ensure that it arrives back in time. Click here to read our full returns policy.
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Delivery duties are not included in the item price when shipping to all other countries. This means you may be liable to pay import duties on receipt of your order.
With a Parisian flair that is difficult to define, Carven has always had its own way of doing things. The fashion house has roots in 1940s haute couture but is better known for its playfully sophisticated ready-to-wear.
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Selecting your vehicle's make, model, and year allows us to display only parts and items specific to your car's model and year.
Part# CVT0018
Mfg# 1015
1 Review
OPGI Price: $13.99
Part Type: (A) Aftermarket product, usually an enhancement product
Years: 1938-1993
Sold As: SET
2018 DeVille Catalog Page: 154
Keep that oil where it belongs when adjusting your rocker arms with this set of eight stamped steel oil deflectors. This set includes a clear plastic bag for better storage.


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Pascali Pascalis needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
2 winners were selected from 107 designs submitted by 20 freelance designers.
Oceania Denal Medical
We are an importer and distributor of high quality dental and medical equipment from Europe. We have distribution rights for the Oceania region, ie Australia, NZ and the Asian region….China, Japan, Singapore etc.
We also develop and design specialised products for dental equipment for the international market.
Our head office is in Australia and we are looking to attract distributors from Asia and provide a total high-end quality look for our organisation.
Our products are of the highest quality and priced as such.......we have over 40 years experience in the industry.
.Our Target Market is Dentists, dental practicioners and dental surgeons. We are also targeting medical practicioners and general healthcare workers such as, skin-care clinics and beauticians.
As we have distribution rights for Asia we are also looking to attract other dental retail companies to sell our products.
Our equipment is of the highest quality so our value base is middle to high end.
Simple, a "high-end prestiges" logo that signafies total quality and value.
Our current logo signifies our region "oceania", please see our web-site http://www.oceaniadentalmedical.com.au
Although a simple and nice logo it does not present the feel and quality of our products, our organisation and our target market.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) has announced important changes in the NMEA Board of Directors. David Gratton, a dealer director and a partner in Martek of Palm Beach, FL, has been appointed to the position of Vice Chairman of the NMEA. He replaces Jim Vander Hey, who is leaving the position to pursue a business venture outside of the marine electronics industry.
"Jim has been a very active member of the NMEA and has made a number of major contributions to the NMEA. We wish him great success in his new endeavor," said Jules Rutstein, Chairman of the NMEA Board and owner of Bethel Marine Electronics of Rockledge, FL.
NMEA's new Vice Chairman, David Gratton, joined the Board of Directors in 2001. He is Vice President of Sales for Martek of Palm Beach, a full-service marine electronics dealership located in Stuart, FL.
Gratton grew up in the Catskills, joined the Air Force in Biloxi, and worked in Los Angeles for Teledyne, where he was engaged in environmental testing for the space shuttle. While with the Air Force, he flew with the Emergency Airborne Command as a radio maintenance technician.
In 1987, Gratton joined Martek in Marmora, NJ, as service manager, and in 1997 headed south to start Martek of Palm Beach. Gratton brings an impressive and diverse set of skills and experience to his position on the NMEA Board. Among other things, he has championed the NMEA classification of Dealer Director in the firm belief that all NMEA members and sectors in the marine electronics industry should be equally and fairly represented on the NMEA Board in order to benefit the whole.
Gratton has also championed the Master Dealer Program and has been instrumental in getting the program defined and ready for implementation. Gratton holds a CMET rating and he is a managing partner in Martek of Palm Beach.
"I have known David for many years," said Chairman Rutstein. "He brings many strengths to the table for the NMEA, and I welcome him to this key position on the Board."
The NMEA Board has also accepted the appointment of Bruce Angus to the Executive Committee, the governing body of the organization between meetings of the completeBoard of Directors. Angus is a manufacturer director on the Board and he is the Director of Business Development for Johnson Outdoors, Inc., owner of the Geonav line of marine electronics.
Founded in 1957, the NMEA has led the way in establishing technical standards for data exchange in marine electronics, with the widely accepted NMEA 0183 data protocol, NMEA 2000r and certification standards for marine electronics technicians. NMEA standards and programs focus on insuring that the boating consumer is provided safe and reliable products and professional service. For more information, visit the NMEA website at www.NMEA.org or call (410) 975-9425.
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There was no shortage of ill news for the Tennessee Titans during Sunday's 51-20 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Titans wide receiver Kendall Wright injured his right elbow in the third quarter of the game and did not return.
Wright leads the Titans with 42 catches and three touchdowns on the season. Two of those receptions came against the Bears, but the rookie was part of a Titans offense that never got out of the gate. Tennessee gave up five turnovers on day and went into halftime trailing 31-5.
The Tennessean later reported that Wright underwent X-rays on the elbow, but returned to sidelines after he was taped up. The rookie said he doesn't plan on missing a game.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.


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(Reuters) - The Chicago Blackhawks will reach the midway point of the National Hockey League (NHL) season on Wednesday having already left their mark on the lockout shortened campaign.
Through 22 games, the Blackhawks (19-0-3) have yet to suffer a regulation loss and with wins over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday and the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday would enter the turn on the 48 game season virtually unscathed.
Never before has an NHL team burst out of the starting blocks with such force.
But the Blackhawks and their fans are keenly aware that it is not how you start the season, it is how you finish and the pressure will be on Chicago to parlay that early success into a second Stanley Cup in four years.
Chicago entered the record books on February 22 beating the San Jose Sharks 2-1, giving them at least a point from each of their opening 17 games, to better the old mark set by 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks.
More good omens for the Blackhawks, the Ducks used that scorching start as the springboard to the franchise's first and only Stanley Cup.
The remarkable run has carried over into March, the Blackhawks latest winning streak now at nine Games, seven of those coming by one goal.
"Any team that has had the success Chicago has had, they're doing a lot of things right," said Toronto Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle, who was coach of the Ducks when they won the Stanley Cup.
"A lot of things are going well but I would say that if you look at their team that they are a hard working hockey club that has all the pieces together and has some great leadership.
"They've got a lot of pieces of the puzzle put together and goaltending has been strong."
With incumbent Corey Crawford and volatile castoff Ray Emery manning the crease, goaltending was expected to be Chicago's Achilles' heel but instead has been the team's greatest strength.
Crawford has emerged as a legitimate Vezina trophy candidate with his league leading 1.41 goals against average sparking talk of selection to Canada's 2014 Olympic team.
Emery, who helped carry the Ottawa Senators to the 2007 Stanley Cup finals but wore out his welcome in the Canadian capital after a series of off-ice incidents, was plucked off the goaltending scrap heap in 2011 when the Blackhawks signed him to a tryout contract.
This season Emery has been rock solid collecting nine wins from 10 appearances.
"I don't look back, except to learn from experience and correct it," said Emery, who spent time playing and Russia's KHL and battling injuries before finding a home in Chicago.
"Each game's a new game. If you're overconfident, it'll bite you and if you're questioning yourself, it'll bite you too."
Just three seasons removed from hoisting the Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks have undergone several salary cap forced overhauls but managed to keep the highly skilled core of that championship team intact.
Forwards Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa have scored 11, nine and nine goals respectively while former-Norris trophy winner Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook anchor the league's top defense.
"It's just pretty amazing. We've talked about the resiliency of this team for the past couple of months," Kane told reporters. "It seems like we just keep finding ways to keep ourselves in the game or find a way to win it at the end.
"It's just amazing what's going on. The biggest thing is we're just trying to get better. It's been a fun ride and it's not over yet."
Editing by Julian Linden


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The soccer game in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung stadium last Tuesday featured a large number of commercials by North Korean companies, implying an ongoing economic transition.
In North Korea's match with Uzbekistan, a regional competition with implications for participation in the 2018 World Cup, there were various commercials from Rason Taehung Trade Company, Choson Kumgang Group, Kaesong Koryo Ginseng, Malgeun Achim (clear morning), Pyongyang Construction Material Factory and Ryunmot (pond) Trade Company.
Kaesong Koryo Ginseng and Choson Kumgang were the two companies with the most commercials.
"North Korea has tried to popularize the image of an open policy, and these commercials seems part of it. They want to show that they are following global sports rules," Kang Dong-wan of Dong-ah University told NK News. A large amount of commercials is an exceptional case. At the Mankyongdaesang sports competition, a domestic national sports event, from last March until April, there were no commercials at all.
As the World Cup games are broadcast abroad, this commercial seems designed to appeal to foreigners.
"North Korea hopes to build the brand power of its products like ginseng. At the same time, North Korea is recently promoting the consumption of domestic goods, by improving their quality, aiming to satisfy global consumers. In the long term, the growth of brand power can attract tourists and foreign investments," Kang said.
The companies filmed for the commercials are usually working in trade. Rason Taehung Company deals with marine products, while Choson Kumgang Group deals with natural resources exports goods like gold, silver and leads, and imports mining equipment. The company called Malgeun Achim (clear morning) is known as newly established IT relevant company, according to a South Korean Media CBS.
Featured image: KCNA
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Monday, March 7, 2011
Massachusetts General Hospital is first in the nation to do mammography screening using 3D breast tomosynthesis
The Breast Imaging Program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) today welcomes its first patient to undergo three-dimensional (3D) breast tomosynthesis screening. Also known as 3D mammography, this technology promises to improve cancer detection and reduce false positives.
Approved by the FDA February 11, 2011, breast tomosynthesis – a new imaging technology pioneered by the MGH Breast Imaging Program under the leadership of Elizabeth Rafferty, MD, director of Breast Imaging at MGH – produces a 3D image of the breast and gives doctors a clearer view through the overlapping structures of breast tissue. "Like flipping through the pages of a book, the radiologist is able to look at one page at a time instead of seeing the whole breast reduced to a single frame, as is the case with standard mammography," says Rafferty. This more comprehensive view increases the ability to detect and diagnose small cancers. In addition, tomosynthesis can help radiologists rule out abnormalities that may have looked suspicious in a 2D mammogram, reducing the need to call women back for additional imaging or biopsies.
The technology, Hologic's Selenia Dimensions system, improves images by digitally combining multiple X-rays to reduce distortion created by tissue overlap or density. As a result, the radiologist is able to pinpoint the size, shape and exact location of a lump or tumor; the image is not flattened like a standard mammogram. Tomosynthesis also screens the entire breast, not just the problem area. This is significant because 15 percent of women with a cancer in their breast also have another cancer in the same or other breast.
3D mammography is now available to women who need their annual screening mammogram and for diagnostic uses. The test is performed at the same time as a conventional mammogram on the same scanner. "After more than 11 years of research behind it, we are excited to now offer this option to our patients, with the certainty that we will be able to more accurately screen for and detect potential breast cancers and other abnormalities," says Rafferty.
To learn more about breast tomosynthesis please visit: www.3Dmammo.org.
Celebrating the 200th anniversary of its founding in 1811, Massachusetts General Hospital is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $600 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, reproductive biology, systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine.
Donita Boddie, 617 724-5627, email@example.com
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The potential targets are scattered and hidden all over Iran. They range from a uranium mine in the middle of the country to a nuclear power plant on the Persian Gulf coast to a complex in the northwest doing research on the use of atomic science in agriculture. There is an underground uranium-enrichment facility about a three-hour drive south of Tehran, centrifuges spinning outside the holy city of Qum and a precision-tools factory that makes them in Mashhad, way over by the Turkmenistan border. These are nearly a third of the suspected sites for the much prophesied nuclear Iran that Israeli...
Can Israel Stop Iran's Nuke Effort?
Too many targets--and too much bedrock--might make a knockout blow unlikely
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(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)
Surprise. Ten American Idol hopefuls are going home.
That was the theme of Thursday night's (March 7) finals show, and the suspense was killing me. This year, instead of the judges revealing the Top 10, the Top 10 revealed themselves to the judges.
Ryan Seacrest said they had 39 million votes this time around, and here is who won the chance to stick around: Lazaro Arbos, Amber Holcomb, Paul Jolley, Curtis Finch Jr., Janelle Arthur, Devin Velez, Burnell Taylor, Angie Miller and Candice Glover. Kree Harrison, a Keith Urban favorite all along, also made it in.
Urban told Jolley, "It's like you're listening, because you channeled theatrics into passion, and that's the thing." I think that was a compliment. Arbos was the last of the guys to make it into the finals. And when he did, his victory song was my favorite song of the night. Actually, maybe of the season — Simon & Garfunkel 's 1970 hit "Bridge Over Troubled Waters." He just nailed it.
Arthur's victory song was Dierks Bentley 's "Home." She brought the judges to their feet, and Nicki Minaj told her, "You've been my ladybug, my marshmallow, my superstar country girl, and you came alive today."
The best moment of the night was watching Urban cry. It was toward the end of Miller's victory song. "I'm virtually crying down here because I'm watching her sing, and I'm watching all your eyes well up and everything. And for me, that personifies what I love about this show is it takes somebody who is absolutely completely ready for artistry, for everything, to find their audience," he said, wiping his tears away. "And all you needed, baby, was a break."


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Chasing Cost-EffectivenessBy Eileen Feretic | Posted 2011-01-04 Print
Defense alliance seeks security, savings and interoperability.
The pilot has a cost-effectiveness component, and one of the key parts of that involves the ratio of support personnel to the number of servers. The ratio is still very high, according to Goossens, who said the goal is to get it closer to the industry standard in order to bring costs down. He added that the personnel savings are likely to generate the greatest cost savings.
As a way of achieving that goal, ACT's private cloud will be completely virtualized, using technologies from VMware, Microsoft and the open-source Xen environment—technologies already in use by the member nations. To manage these diverse technologies, "IBM offered to write tools for cloud management in this heterogeneous environment," Goossens said.
Security is obviously another major issue for ACT. "Given the nature of our organization, information security is always at the top of the [priority] list," he said, "so we will be looking at the security aspects of cloud technologies quite seriously. We obviously want to avoid a WikiLeak type of issue, but, in the end, I think that was a human problem rather than an electronic problem, so that will be dealt with separately."
Goossens pointed out that such security problems are not just a concern of government. The private sector, especially in the finance and health care industries, has similar worries. He said that the cloud pilot will look at the policy, training and organizational pieces that play such an important role in security.
"We also will address cultural issues," he added. "We need to figure out how to educate people better so they use these technologies smarter. We have to adjust our processes so people don't inadvertently make these mistakes. We have to train them, and we have to have safeguards.
"All these things will be looked at. It isn't just 'Let's get a cloud in a box.' We think the human aspect is far more challenging than the technology aspect. If we invest in training, we may solve some of these problems. At ACT, training is one of the key components we're looking at.
"We don't look at technology as a silver bullet anymore. It has to be used in conjunction with new processes and training. That's how you benefit from these technologies."
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I was 7 years old when I received a tiny Christmas present—about the size of an eraser—awkwardly wrapped and covered in tape. My sister's boyfriend, Jeff, was visiting and had considerately brought gifts for his girlfriend's three younger siblings. Mine, though, was by far the smallest. I remember opening it up to reveal a miniature ceramic dog—a cold, hard nothing that fit in the palm of my hand—and thinking how unlucky I was. I gave Jeff my best cold shoulder the rest of the day.
And I've felt guilty about it ever since. Partly because, in hindsight, Jeff's gift was very thoughtful: I'd been obsessed with my dollhouse, and he had managed to find one accessory my dream home did not yet have—a pet. Still, I couldn't look past the size of the gift to be grateful for the amount of care that had gone into choosing it.
In this, experts say, I wasn't an unusual kid: For distractible, still-developing children (and that's pretty much all of them), gratitude can be hard-won. While many can be trained to say "please" and "thank you" beginning at about 18 months, true appreciativeness and generosity take time to seed and blossom.
"There's a difference between encouraging thankfulness in your kids and actually expecting it," says Claire Lerner, a child-development specialist at Zero to Three, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the healthy development of kids and families. "Raising a grateful child is an ongoing process."
Vicki Hoefle, director of Parenting on Track, a parent-education program based in East Middlebury, VT (and the mother of five teenagers), concurs: "As nice as it is to think about having a five-year-old who appreciates and shows gratitude for everything, the truth is, parents can feel successful if they raise a thirty-five-year-old who embodies that grateful spirit."
So, to Jeff Galvin I offer a long-overdue "Thank you." To everyone else, here's how to avoid getting derailed by five not-so-thankful-kid moments, both this holiday season and all year long:
Your 9-year-old keeps a running—and growing—list of toys he has to have. He's up to number 23 this season.
In-The-Moment Fix:
"Emphasize that you appreciate there are many things he wants, but let him know it will only be possible to get a few of them," says Robert Brooks, Ph.D., a psychologist at Harvard Medical School and coauthor of Raising a Self-Disciplined Child. That way, you won't make him feel greedy or foolish for compiling a lengthy list, but you will set his expectations. Another idea: Ask him to make a second list, equal in number to the things he wants to get, of things or actions he is willing to give, suggests Maureen Healy, author of 365 Perfect Things to Say to Your Kids. For example: 1) Clean his room, 2) Help you find a charity that the family can donate to, 3) Pitch in when Dad starts wrapping presents, 4) Make a holiday card. Last, if you're in for belt-tightening this year, let him know. Be honest, but keep it simple and undramatic so you don't scare him. Instead of saying "Dad might lose his job, so we have to cut back"—which might make him sure you'll be losing the house next—say something like "Nothing major is going to change, but we'll have to wait until next year to go on vacation and we have to hold off on getting the new bike you wanted." It's likely your kid will think "Okay, I can live with that," says Lerner.
Long-Term Strategy:
Help him understand that gifts are thoughtful gestures, not just a way for him to score materialistic gain, says Lerner. Anytime he receives a present, point out everything the giver put into it. If a classmate makes him a friendship bracelet, for example, say "Oh, wow—Lucy remembered that you thought these were cool. She picked out colors she knows you like, and it probably took her a whole hour to make. That is so nice." Do this enough times and he'll get the "quality, not quantity" idea before you know it.
Your 5-year-old grimaces at the stuffed Elmo her aunt gives her and says, "But I wanted a Barbie!"
In-The-Moment Fix:
"The concept of hiding your own negative feelings to protect someone else's is way too complex for kids five and under," says Lerner. (Older kids get better and better but will still have frequent slipups.) So validate your daughter's feelings without responding critically, says Brooks. Say "I know you wanted a Barbie, but let's think about all the different ways we can play with Elmo." You can also step in and model the appropriate response—and defuse the uncomfortable situation—by exclaiming something like "Wow, that was so thoughtful, wasn't it, Alli? Aunt Karen remembered you needed mittens!" This trick works for all ages: If your older son receives a gift he already owns, for example, say "Oh, cool! That's your favorite game!"
Write a little script for your child to follow when he gets a present, recommends Bette Freedson of the National Association of Social Workers. Come up with a stock line or two together, like "Thank you! I like it a lot!" He can also pick out one thing to specifically compliment ("This blanket feels really soft").
Long-Term Strategy:
Before any gift-getting occasion, prepare your child for the possibility that she may not like all her presents, but at the same time, let her know that it's still important to show her appreciation. Remind her that people put effort into trying to find her the best thing. Then devise a special cue between the two of you, suggests Lerner, that reminds her to say thank you. When you see her mouth turning down, you can clap your hands and say "Great present!" to snap her back into good-manners mode.
You can't even take your kid to get socks or lightbulbs without him whining for you to buy him something—seemingly anything.
In-The-Moment Fix:
Before you go on any shopping trip, inform your child that you'll be hitting the mall to, say, buy gifts for his cousins. "Engage him in the process," says Lerner. "Ask him what his cousin Jane likes and which toy you should get her. Get him excited about buying for someone else." At the same time, make it clear that you won't be able to buy anything for him. Then, if your son throws a fit at the store, you can refer back to that conversation, and say something like "I know it's hard to be here when you're not getting anything, but that's the rule. Now, I really need your help finding something for Jane." Let's be honest: That might not be enough to stop his whining. But steel yourself and stay strong. Caving in will only teach him that he will eventually get his way if he complains loud or long enough.
Long-Term Strategy:
Your weekends may be errand time, but try to avoid spending all your family moments pushing a shopping cart. That way, your kids won't think acquiring stuff is the leisure-time norm. (Don't get us wrong, though: We know those flattering jeans are sometimes an absolute necessity!) Denver mom Beth Korin says she and her two boys, ages 7 and 9, frequently head to the library, an indoor pool or a rock-climbing gym instead. "We try to think of things we can do that don't involve hanging out in stores," she says. Prepare kids for these events the same way you would for gifts ("We're going to have a big, delicious meal with all of your favorite foods and then we're going to play games!"). The idea you want to get across is that having experiences can be just as exciting as accumulating things (if not more).
Your 6-year-old gobbles down the Teddy Grahams that another parent at the playground gives him. But when you prod him to say "Thank you," he won't.
In-The-Moment Fix:
It's easy to turn this "teachable moment" into a battle of wills—one where you're repeating "I didn't hear you say thank you!" to your tantrum-ing child while the person he's supposed to thank is backing away in discomfort. But, explains Lerner, the fact that your son doesn't always say the words likely just means they haven't become a habit for him yet. "And getting into power struggles actually impedes the process," she says. So while you should definitely remind your kids to give thanks, it's best not to make a big deal about it if it doesn't happen.
Long-Term Strategy:
Remind yourself to model grateful behavior. When your cookie-muncher goes silent, go ahead and say the necessary "Thank you so much!" for him. (At least until he gets older and can be counted on to follow your cues.) In your own everyday interactions, always offer warm thank-yous and praise to grocery store clerks, gas-station attendants, waiters, teachers—anyone who's helpful to you or him. You may think your child isn't paying attention to those small moments, but he actually is.
When you say no to a DS that, according to your daughter, "everyone at school" has, she complains that all her BFFs get cooler stuff than she does.
In-The-Moment Fix:
Sympathize with her frustration, but remind your daughter that, actually, many people don't have as much as she does. How? Begin a tradition of charity work and donating. Start simple: As young as age 3, children can be encouraged to go through their belongings and pick out items to donate, says Lerner. Every year after that, they can get more involved. Last year, Gabrielle Melchionda of Yarmouth, ME, and her two sons, ages 5 and 9, volunteered to decorate low-income homes for Christmas. "It was so nice to see all of the kids, mine and those who lived there, on their bellies coloring together," she says. "Later, my kids asked things like 'Was that the whole house?' It sparked conversation for months. It was an experience none of us will forget."
Long-Term Strategy:
Expose your daughter to people from all walks of life. "We often try to shield our children from those who are less fortunate, but it's important that kids know how lucky they are," says Dale McGowan, a father of three in Atlanta and coauthor of Parenting Beyond Belief. So the next time you see a homeless person, pass a shelter or read a story in the news about a needy family, he suggests, ask questions—"Where do you think that man sleeps?" or "Can you imagine what it would be like not to have a home?"—that get your kids to put themselves in someone else's shoes. (At the same time, assure them that your family will always have a place to call home.) You'll be surprised—and pleased—at how often kids are moved to want to help.
Bonus mom advice:
Don't diss yourself as long as your little one is around. In fact, make a point of talking about the redeeming qualities of even that hideous necklace from your mother-in-law—how shiny! "You have to model gratitude if you want your child to practice it, too," points out Janette B. Benson, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at the University of Denver.