_Upon a time._--This is not a fairy tale, though it opens in a very
suspicious manner. It is a sad recital of facts. Upon a time does not
mean that any one sat down on a watch, or made himself familiar with the
town clock. It is not very specific, I admit. It may refer to any time,
but, I think, the design was to call attention to Benedict's time. You
know how it is yourself. You remember how often you have stood on a
dock, and seen the steamboat ten feet out in the stream, or have struck
a depot just as the train was rolling around a curve in the distance,
simply because you were not upon a time. Then, as you walked on the dock
or platform, you would strew your pathway with--curses. But I do not
mean anything of that sort. No, I refer to something grander, nobler,
more magnificent.