The Melancholy Korean

You must forgive our terrible rudeness, you have just arrived at our invitation, and yet your hosts keep disappearing for long stretches of time, but, please understand, things have been a bit hectic around here since Monday.  Melancholy has disappeared, apparently, and Felicity, poor girl, has been in a frightful state.  She hasn't known him quite as long as we have, and it's taken all of our efforts, the doctor, myself and Prune, to keep her from losing herself entirely.  The police are due to arrive any moment, and I cannot stay long.

But you are not here to listen to Harry Best prattle on and on.  I wish I had brains like Melancholy to entertain you, but, alas, I'm afraid I was not the most attentive scholar at university.  I did like the old buildings and the lovely elms and afternoon teas at the Master's house; all those books in the library were so beautiful, of course, but, you see, when it came time to read some of those old books, those couches in the reading rooms were so comfortable, it would be after dinner, and the rooms so warm, so you can see how one might have been inclined to another, more gently relaxing activity, than study.  It would have taken the will-power of a greater man than myself to resist, and I, of course, could never resist.

I did have a few minutes free this afternoon and, thankfully, the study was not locked.  I found something you might find interesting.  Melancholy had a book on his desk and had copied out a passage, in that wonderful handwriting of his, I assume, to share with you.  So I've taken the liberty of bringing it here.  It's from the biography of Wilberforce, the one written by his sons.  Another father giving advice to a son:

Watch, my dear Samuel, watch with jealousy whether you find yourself unduly solicitous about acquitting yourself; whether you are too much chagrined when you fail, or are puffed up by your success.  Undue solicitude about popular estimation is a weakness against which all real Christians must guard with the most jealous watchfulness.  The more you can retain the impression of your being surrounded by a cloud of witnesses of the invisible world, to use the Scripture phrase, the more you will be armed against this besetting sin.