首页 >出版文学> The Romany Ryel>第12章

第12章

  BYURSULA
  Penn’dtheRomanychikelakidye"Mirydeariedyemishomcambri!"
  "Andcoinkerdotutecambri,Mirydeariechi,miryRomanychi?"
  "Omirydyeabororye,Abovalorye,agorgikorye,Soskisturpreapellengogrye,’Twasyovsoskerdomancambri。"
  "Tutawnievassavielubbeny,Tuchalfrommirytanabri;
  HadaRomanycwalkair’dtutecambri,ThenIhadpenn’dketutechie,ButtushanavassavielubbenyWithgorgikierattobecambri。"
  "There’ssomekernelinthosesongs,brother,"saidMr。
  Petulengro,whenthesongsandmusicwereover。
  "Yes,"saidI;"theyarecertainlyveryremarkablesongs。I
  say,Jasper,Ihopeyouhavenotbeendrabbingbaulorlately。"
  "Andsupposewehave,brother,whatthen?"
  "Why,itisaverydangerouspractice,tosaynothingofthewickednessofit。"
  "Necessityhasnolaw,brother。"
  "Thatistrue,"saidI;"Ihavealwayssaidso,butyouarenotnecessitous,andshouldnotdrabbaulor。"
  "Andwhotoldyouwehadbeendrabbingbaulor?"
  "Why,youhavehadabanquetofpork,andafterthebanquet,Mrs。Chiknosangasongaboutdrabbingbaulor,soInaturallythoughtyoumighthavelatelybeenengagedinsuchathing。"
  "Brother,youoccasionallyutterawordortwoofcommonsense。Itwasnaturalforyoutosuppose,afterseeingthatdinnerofpork,andhearingthatsong,thatwehadbeendrabbingbaulor;Iwillnowtellyouthatwehavenotbeendoingso。Whathaveyoutosaytothat?"
  "ThatIamverygladofit。"
  "Hadyoutastedthatpork,brother,youwouldhavefoundthatitwassweetandtasty,whichballuvathatisdrabbedcanhardlybeexpectedtobe。Wehavenoreasontodrabbauloratpresent,wehavemoneyandcredit;butnecessityhasnolaw。Ourforefathersoccasionallydrabbedbaulor;someofourpeoplemaystilldosuchathing,butonlyfromcompulsion。"
  "Isee,"saidI;"andatyourmerrymeetingsyousingsongsuponthecompulsatorydeedsofyourpeople,alias,theirvillainousactions;and,afterall,whatwouldthestirringpoetryofanynationbe,butforitscompulsatorydeeds?
  LookatthepoetryofScotland,theheroicpart,foundedalmostentirelyonthevillainousdeedsoftheScotchnation;
  cow—stealing,forexample,whichisverylittlebetterthandrabbingbaulor;whilstthesofterpartismostlyabouttheslipsofitsfemalesamongthebroom,sothatnoupholderofScotchpoetrycouldcensureUrsula’ssongasindelicate,evenifheunderstoodit。Whatdoyouthink,Jasper?"
  "Ithink,brother,asIbeforesaid,thatoccasionallyyouutterawordofcommonsense;youweretalkingoftheScotch,brother;whatdoyouthinkofaScotchmanfindingfaultwithRomany!"
  "AScotchmanfindingfaultwithRomany,Jasper!Ohdear,butyoujoke,thethingcouldneverbe。"
  "Yes,andatPiramus’sfiddle;whatdoyouthinkofaScotchmanturninguphisnoseatPiramus’sfiddle?"
  "AScotchmanturninguphisnoseatPiramus’sfiddle!
  nonsense,Jasper。"
  "DoyouknowwhatImostdislike,brother?"
  "Idonot,unlessitbetheconstable,Jasper。"
  "Itisnottheconstable;it’sabeggaronhorseback,brother。"
  "Whatdoyoumeanbyabeggaronhorseback?"
  "Why,ascamp,brother,raisedabovehisproperplace,whotakeseveryopportunityofgivinghimselffineairs。Aboutaweekago,mypeopleandmyselfcampedonagreenbyaplantationintheneighbourhoodofagreathouse。Intheeveningweweremakingmerry,thegirlsweredancing,whilePiramuswasplayingonthefiddleatuneofhisowncomposing,towhichhehasgivenhisownname,PiramusofRome,andwhichismuchcelebratedamongstourpeople,andfromwhichIhavebeentoldthatoneofthegrandgorgiocomposers,whoonceheardit,hastakenseveralhints。So,asweweremakingmerry,agreatmanygrandpeople,lordsandladies,Ibelieve,camefromthegreathouse,andlookedon,asthegirlsdancedtothetuneofPiramusofRome,andseemedmuchpleased;andwhenthegirlshadleftoffdancing,andPiramusplaying,theladieswantedtohavetheirfortunestold;soIbadeMikailiaChikno,whocantellafortunewhenshepleasesbetterthananyoneelse,tellthemafortune,andshe,beinginagoodmind,toldthemafortunewhichpleasedthemverymuch。So,aftertheyhadheardtheirfortunes,oneofthemaskedifanyofourwomencouldsing;
  andItoldthemseveralcould,moreparticularlyLeviathan—
  youknowLeviathan,sheisnotherenow,butsomemilesdistant,sheisourbestsinger,Ursulacomingnext。SotheladysaidsheshouldliketohearLeviathansing,whereuponLeviathansangtheGudlopesham,andPiramusplayedthetuneofthesamename,whichasyouknow,meansthehoneycomb,thesongandthetunebeingwellentitledtothename,beingwonderfullysweet。Well,everybodypresentseemedmightywellpleasedwiththesongandmusic,withtheexceptionofoneperson,acarroty—hairedScotchbody;howhecamethereI
  don’tknow,buttherehewas;and,comingforward,hebeganinScotchasbroadasabarn—doortofindfaultwiththemusicandthesong,saying,thathehadneverheardvilerstuffthaneither。Well,brother,outofconsiderationforthecivilgentrywithwhomthefellowhadcome,Iheldmypeaceforalongtime,andinordertogetthesubjectchanged,IsaidtoMikailiainRomany,Youhavetoldtheladiestheirfortunes,nowtellthegentlementheirs,quick,quick,—penlendedukkerin。Well,brother,theScotchman,I
  suppose,thinkingIwasspeakingillofhim,fellintoagreaterpassionthanbefore,andcatchingholdoftheworddukkerin—’Dukkerin,’saidhe,’what’sdukkerin?’
  ’Dukkerin,’saidI,’isfortune,amanorwoman’sdestiny;
  don’tyouliketheword?’’Word!d’yeca’thataword?abonnieword,’saidhe。’Perhaps,you’lltelluswhatitisinScotch,’saidI,’inorderthatwemayimproveourlanguagebyaScotchword;apalofminehastoldmethatwehavetakenagreatmanywordsfromforeignlingos。’’Why,then,ifthatbethecase,fellow,Iwilltellyou;itise’en"spaeing,"’saidhe,veryseriously。’Well,then,’saidI,’I’llkeepmyownword,whichismuchtheprettiest—
  spaeing!spaeing!why,Ishouldbeashamedtomakeuseoftheword,itsoundssomuchlikeacertainotherword;’andthenImadeafaceasifIwereunwell。’Perhapsit’sScotchalsoforthat?’’Whatdoyemeanbyspeakinginthatguisetoagentleman?’saidhe;’youinsolentvagabond,withoutanameoracountry。’’Thereyouaremistaken,’saidI;’mycountryisEgypt,butwe’Gyptians,likeyouScotch,areratherfondoftravelling;andasforname—mynameisJasperPetulengro,perhapsyouhaveabetter;whatisit?’’SandyMacraw。’Atthat,brother,thegentlemenburstintoaroaroflaughter,andalltheladiestittered。"
  "YouwererathersevereontheScotchman,Jasper。"
  "Notatall,brother,andsupposeIwere,hebeganfirst;I
  amthecivilestmanintheworld,andneverinterferewithanybody,wholetsmeandminealone。HefindsfaultwithRomany,forsooth!why,L—dA’mighty,what’sScotch?Hedoesn’tlikeoursongs;whatarehisown?Iunderstandthemaslittleashemine;Ihaveheardoneortwoofthem,andprettyrubbishtheyseemed。Butthebestofthejokeis,thefellow’sfindingfaultwithPiramus’sfiddle—achapfromthelandofbagpipesfindingfaultwithPiramus’sfiddle!
  Why,I’llbackthatfiddleagainstallthebagpipesinScotland,andPiramusagainstallthebagpipers;forthoughPiramusweighsbuttenstone,heshallflogaScotchmanoftwenty。"
  "Scotchmenareneversofatasthat,"saidI,"unlessindeed,theyhavebeenalongtimepensionersofEngland。Isay,Jasper,whatremarkablenamesyourpeoplehave!"
  "Andwhatprettynames,brother;there’smyown,forexample,Jasper;thenthere’sAmbroseandSylvester;thenthere’sCulvato,whichsignifiesClaude;thenthere’sPiramus—
  that’sanicename,brother。"
  "Thenthere’syourwife’sname,Pakomovna;thenthere’sUrsulaandMorella。"
  "Then,brother,there’sErcilla。"
  "Ercilla!thenameofthegreatpoetofSpain,howwonderful;
  thenLeviathan。"
  "Thenameofaship,brother;Leviathanwasnamedafteraship,sodon’tmakeawonderoutofher。Butthere’sSanprielandSynfye。"
  "Ay,andClementinaandLavinia,CamilliaandLydia,CurlandaandOrlanda;whereverdidtheygetthosenames?"
  "Wheredidmywifegethernecklace,brother?"
  "Sheknowsbest,Jasper。Ihope—"
  "Come,nohoping!Shegotitfromhergrandmother,whodiedattheageofahundredandthree,andsleepsinCoggeshallchurchyard。Shegotitfromhermother,whoalsodiedveryold,andwhocouldgivenootheraccountofitthanthatithadbeeninthefamilytimeoutofmind。"
  "Whencecouldtheyhavegotit?"
  "Why,perhapswheretheygottheirnames,brother。A
  gentleman,whohadtravelledmuch,oncetoldmethathehadseenthesisterofitabouttheneckofanIndianqueen。"
  "Someofyournames,Jasper,appeartobechurchnames;yourown,forexample,andAmbrose,andSylvester;perhapsyougotthemfromthePapists,inthetimesofPopery;butwheredidyougetsuchanameasPiramus,anameofGrecianromance?
  ThensomeofthemappeartobeSlavonian;forexample,MikailiaandPakomovna。Idon’tknowmuchofSlavonian;but—"
  "WhatisSlavonian,brother?"
  "Thefamilynameofcertainnations,theprincipalofwhichistheRussian,andfromwhichthewordslaveisoriginallyderived。YouhaveheardoftheRussians,Jasper?"
  "Yes,brother;andseensome。Isawtheircrallisatthetimeofthepeace;hewasnotabad—lookingmanforaRussian。"
  "Bythebye,Jasper,I’mhalfinclinedtothinkthatcrallisisaSlavishword。Isawsomethinglikeitinalilcalled’Voltaire’sLifeofCharles。’Howyoushouldhavecomebysuchnamesandwordsistomeincomprehensible。"
  "Youseemposed,brother。"
  "Ireallyknowverylittleaboutyou,Jasper。"
  "Verylittleindeed,brother。Weknowverylittleaboutourselves;andyouknownothing,savewhatwehavetoldyou;
  andwehavenowandthentoldyouthingsaboutuswhicharenotexactlytrue,simplytomakeafoolofyou,brother。Youwillsaythatwaswrong;perhapsitwas。Well,Sundaywillbehereinadayortwo,whenwewillgotochurch,wherepossiblyweshallhearasermononthedisastrousconsequencesoflying。"
  CHAPTERVIII
  TheChurch—TheAristocraticalPew—DaysofYore—TheClergyman—"InWhatWouldaManbeProfited?"
  WHENtwodayshadpassed,Sundaycame;Ibreakfastedbymyselfinthesolitarydingle;andthen,havingsetthingsalittletorights,IascendedtoMr。Petulengro’sencampment。
  Icouldhearchurch—bellsringingaroundinthedistance,appearingtosay,"Cometochurch,cometochurch,"asclearlyasitwaspossibleforchurch—bellstosay。IfoundMr。Petulengroseatedbythedoorofhistent,smokinghispipe,inratheranungenteelundress。"Well,Jasper,"saidI,"areyoureadytogotochurch?forifyouare,Iamreadytoaccompanyyou。""Iamnotready,brother,"saidMr。
  Petulengro,"norismywife;thechurch,too,towhichweshallgoisthreemilesoff;soitisofnousetothinkofgoingtherethismorning,astheservicewouldbethree—
  quartersoverbeforewegotthere;if,however,youaredisposedtogointheafternoon,weareyourpeople。"
  ThereuponIreturnedtomydingle,whereIpassedseveralhoursinconningtheWelshBible,whichthepreacher,PeterWilliams,hadgivenme。
  AtlastIgaveoverreading,tookaslightrefreshment,andwasabouttoemergefromthedingle,whenIheardthevoiceofMr。Petulengrocallingme。Iwentupagaintotheencampment,whereIfoundMr。Petulengro,hiswife,andTawnoChikno,readytoproceedtochurch。Mr。andMrs。PetulengroweredressedinRomanfashion,thoughnotinthefull—blownmannerinwhichtheyhadpaidtheirvisittoIsopelandmyself。Tawnohadonacleanwhiteslop,withanearlynewblackbeaver,withverybroadrims,andthenapexceedinglylong。Asformyself,IwasdressedinmuchthesamemannerasthatinwhichIdepartedfromLondon,havingon,inhonouroftheday,ashirtperfectlyclean,havingwashedoneonpurposefortheoccasion,withmyownhands,thedaybefore,inthepondoftepidwaterinwhichthenewtsanddeftswereinthehabitoftakingtheirpleasure。Weproceededforupwardsofamile,byfootpathsthroughmeadowsandcorn—
  fields;wecrossedvariousstiles;atlast,passingoverone,wefoundourselvesinaroad,wendingalongwhichforaconsiderabledistance,weatlastcameinsightofachurch,thebellsofwhichhadbeentollingdistinctlyinourearsforsometime;before,however,wereachedthechurch—yard,thebellshadceasedtheirmelody。Itwassurroundedbyloftybeech—treesofbrilliantgreenfoliage。Weenteredthegate,Mrs。Petulengroleadingtheway,andproceededtoasmalldoorneartheeastendofthechurch。Asweadvanced,thesoundofsingingwithinthechurchroseuponourears。
  Arrivedatthesmalldoor,Mrs。Petulengroopeneditandentered,followedbyTawnoChikno。Imyselfwentlastofall,followingMr。Petulengro,who,beforeIentered,turnedround,and,withasignificantnod,advisedmetotakecarehowIbehaved。Thepartofthechurchwhichwehadenteredwasthechancel;ononesidestoodanumberofvenerableoldmen—probablytheneighbouringpoor—andontheotheranumberofpoorgirlsbelongingtothevillageschool,dressedinwhitegownsandstrawbonnets,whomtwoelegantbutsimplydressedyoungwomenweresuperintending。Everyvoiceseemedtobeunitedinsingingacertainanthem,which,notwithstandingitwaswrittenneitherbyTatenorBrady,containssomeofthesublimestwordswhichwereeverputtogether,nottheworstofwhicharethosewhichburstonourearsasweentered:
  "EveryeyeshallnowbeholdHim,Robedindreadfulmajesty;
  ThosewhosetatnoughtandsoldHim,PiercedandnailedHimtothetree,Deeplywailing,ShallthetrueMessiahsee。"
  StillfollowingMrs。Petulengro,weproceededdownthechancelandalongtheaisle;notwithstandingthesinging,I
  coulddistinctlyhearaswepassedmanyavoicewhispering,"Herecomethegypsies!herecomethegypsies!"Ifeltratherembarrassed,withasomewhatawkwarddoubtastowhereweweretosit;noneoftheoccupiersofthepews,whoappearedtoconsistalmostentirelyoffarmers,withtheirwives,sons,anddaughters,openedadoortoadmitus。Mrs。
  Petulengro,however,appearedtofeelnottheleastembarrassment,buttrippedalongtheaislewiththegreatestnonchalance。Wepassedunderthepulpit,inwhichstoodtheclergymaninhiswhitesurplice,andreachedthemiddleofthechurch,wherewewereconfrontedbythesextondressedinlongbluecoat,andholdinginhishandawand。Thisfunctionarymotionedtowardsthelowerendofthechurch,wherewerecertainbenches,partlyoccupiedbypoorpeopleandboys。Mrs。Petulengro,however,withatossofherhead,directedhercoursetoamagnificentpew,whichwasunoccupied,whichsheopenedandentered,followedcloselybyTawnoChikno,Mr。Petulengro,andmyself。Thesextondidnotappearbyanymeanstoapproveofthearrangement,andasI
  stoodnextthedoor,laidhisfingeronmyarm,asiftointimatethatmyselfandcompanionsmustquitouraristocraticallocation。Isaidnothing,butdirectedmyeyestotheclergyman,whoutteredashortandexpressivecough;thesextonlookedathimforamoment,andthen,bowinghishead,closedthedoor—inamomentmorethemusicceased。Itookupaprayer—book,onwhichwasengravedanearl’scoronet。Theclergymanuttered,"Iwillarise,andgotomyfather。"England’ssublimeliturgyhadcommenced。
  Oh,whatfeelingscameovermeonfindingmyselfagaininanedificedevotedtothereligionofmycountry!IhadnotbeeninsuchaplaceIcannottellforhowlong—certainlynotforyears;andnowIhadfoundmywaythereagain,itappearedasifIhadfallenasleepinthepewoftheoldchurchofprettyD—。Ihadoccasionallydonesowhenachild,andhadsuddenlywokeup。Yes,surelyIhadbeenasleepandhadwokeup;butno!alas,no!Ihadnotbeenasleep—atleastnotintheoldchurch—ifIhadbeenasleepIhadbeenwalkinginmysleep,struggling,striving,learning,andunlearninginmysleep。YearshadrolledawaywhilstIhadbeenasleep—ripefruithadfallen,greenfruithadcomeonwhilstIhadbeenasleep—howcircumstanceshadaltered,andaboveallmyself,whilstIhadbeenasleep。No,Ihadnotbeenasleepintheoldchurch!Iwasinapew,itistrue,butnotthepewofblackleather,inwhichI
  sometimesfellasleepindaysofyore,butinastrangepew;
  andthenmycompanions,theywerenolongerthoseofdaysofyore。Iwasnolongerwithmyrespectablefatherandmother,andmydearbrother,butwiththegypsycralandhiswife,andthegiganticTawno,theAntinousoftheduskypeople。
  AndwhatwasImyself?Nolongeraninnocentchild,butamoodyman,bearinginmyface,asIknewwell,themarksofmystrivingsandstrugglings,ofwhatIhadlearntandunlearnt;nevertheless,thegeneralaspectofthingsbroughttomymindwhatIhadfeltandseenofyore。Therewasdifferenceenough,itistrue,butstilltherewasasimilarity—atleastIthoughtso—thechurch,theclergyman,andtheclerk,differinginmanyrespectsfromthoseofprettyD—,putmestrangelyinmindofthem;andthenthewords!—bythebye,wasitnotthemagicofthewordswhichbroughtthedearenchantingpastsopowerfullybeforethemindofLavengro?forthewordswerethesamesonorouswordsofhighimportwhichhadfirstmadeanimpressiononhischildishearintheoldchurchofprettyD—。
  Theliturgywasnowover,duringthereadingofwhichmycompanionsbehavedinamostunexceptionablemanner,sittingdownandrisingupwhenotherpeoplesatdownandrose,andholdingintheirhandsprayer—bookswhichtheyfoundinthepew,intowhichtheystaredintently,thoughIobservedthat,withtheexceptionofMrs。Petulengro,whoknewhowtoreadalittle,theyheldthebooksbythetop,andnotthebottom,asistheusualway。Theclergymannowascendedthepulpit,arrayedinhisblackgown。Thecongregationcomposedthemselvestoattention,asdidalsomycompanions,whofixedtheireyesupontheclergymanwithacertainstrangeimmovablestare,whichIbelievetobepeculiartotheirrace。Theclergymangaveouthistext,andbegantopreach。
  Hewasatall,gentlemanlyman,seeminglybetweenfiftyandsixty,withgreyishhair;hisfeatureswereveryhandsome,butwithasomewhatmelancholycast:thetonesofhisvoicewererichandnoble,butalsowithsomewhatofmelancholyinthem。Thetextwhichhegaveoutwasthefollowingone,"Inwhatwouldamanbeprofited,providedhegainedthewholeworld,andlosthisownsoul?"
  Andonthistexttheclergymanpreachedlongandwell:hedidnotreadhissermon,butspokeitextempore;hisdoingsorathersurprisedandoffendedmeatfirst;Iwasnotusedtosuchastyleofpreachinginachurchdevotedtothereligionofmycountry。Icompareditwithinmymindwiththestyleofpreachingusedbythehigh—churchrectorintheoldchurchofprettyD—,andIthoughttomyselfitwasverydifferent,andbeingverydifferentIdidnotlikeit,andIthoughttomyselfhowscandalizedthepeopleofD—wouldhavebeenhadtheyheardit,andIfiguredtomyselfhowindignantthehigh—churchclerkwouldhavebeenhadanyclergymangotupinthechurchofD—andpreachedinsuchamanner。Diditnotsavourstronglyofdissent,methodism,andsimilarlowstuff?
  Surelyitdid;why,theMethodistIhadheardpreachontheheathabovetheoldcity,preachedinthesamemanner—atleasthepreachedextempore;ay,andsomethinglikethepresentclergyman;fortheMethodistspokeveryzealouslyandwithgreatfeeling,andsodidthepresentclergyman;soI,ofcourse,feltratheroffendedwiththeclergymanforspeakingwithzealandfeeling。However,longbeforethesermonwasoverIforgottheoffencewhichIhadtaken,andlistenedtothesermonwithmuchadmiration,fortheeloquenceandpowerfulreasoningwithwhichitabounded。
  Oh,howeloquenthewas,whenhetalkedoftheinestimablevalueofaman’ssoul,whichhesaidenduredforever,whilsthisbody,aseveryoneknew,lastedatmostforaverycontemptibleperiodoftime;andhowforciblyhereasonedonthefollyofaman,who,forthesakeofgainingthewholeworld—athing,hesaid,whichprovidedhegainedhecouldonlypossessforapartofthetime,duringwhichhisperishablebodyexisted—shouldlosehissoul,thatis,causethatpreciousdeathlessportionofhimtosufferindescribablemiserytimewithoutend。
  Therewasonepartofhissermonwhichstruckmeinaveryparticularmanner:hesaid,"Thatthereweresomepeoplewhogainedsomethinginreturnfortheirsouls;iftheydidnotgetthewholeworld,theygotapartofit—lands,wealth,honour,orrenown;meretrifles,heallowed,incomparisonwiththevalueofaman’ssoul,whichisdestinedeithertoenjoydelight,orsuffertribulationtimewithoutend;butwhich,intheeyesoftheworldly,hadacertainvalue,andwhichaffordedacertainpleasureandsatisfaction。Buttherewerealsootherswholosttheirsouls,andgotnothingforthem—neitherlands,wealth,renown,norconsideration,whowerepooroutcasts,anddespisedbyeverybody。Myfriends,"headded,"ifthemanisafoolwhobartershissoulforthewholeworld,whatafoolhemustbewhobartershissoulfornothing。"
  Theeyesoftheclergyman,asheutteredthesewords,wanderedaroundthewholecongregation;andwhenhehadconcludedthem,theeyesofthewholecongregationwereturneduponmycompanionsandmyself。
  CHAPTERIX
  ReturnfromChurch—TheCuckooandGypsy—SpiritualDiscourse。
  THEserviceover,mycompanionsandmyselfreturnedtowardstheencampment,bythewaywecame。Someofthehumblepartofthecongregationlaughedandjokedatusaswepassed。
  Mr。Petulengroandhiswife,however,returnedtheirlaughsandjokeswithinterest。AsforTawnoandmyself,wesaidnothing:Tawno,likemosthandsomefellows,havingverylittletosayforhimselfatanytime;andmyself,thoughnothandsome,notbeingparticularlyskilfulatrepartee。Someboysfollowedusforaconsiderabletime,makingallkindsofobservationsaboutgypsies;butaswewalkedatagreatpace,wegraduallyleftthembehind,andatlastlostsightofthem。Mrs。PetulengroandTawnoChiknowalkedtogether,evenastheyhadcome;whilstMr。Petulengroandmyselffollowedatalittledistance。
  "Thatwasaveryfinepreacherweheard,"saidItoMr。
  Petulengro,afterwehadcrossedthestileintothefields。
  "Veryfineindeed,brother,"saidMr。Petulengro;"heistalkedof,farandwide,forhissermons;folkssaythatthereisscarcelyanotherlikehiminthewholeofEngland。"
  "Helooksrathermelancholy,Jasper。"
  "Helosthiswifeseveralyearsago,who,theysay,wasoneofthemostbeautifulwomeneverseen。Theysaythatitwasgriefforherlossthatmadehimcomeoutmightystrongasapreacher;for,thoughhewasaclergyman,hewasneverheardofinthepulpitbeforehelosthiswife;sincethen,thewholecountryhasrungwiththepreachingoftheclergymanofM—astheycallhim。Thosetwoniceyounggentlewomen,whomyousawwiththefemalechilder,arehisdaughters。"
  "Youseemtoknowallabouthim,Jasper。Didyoueverhearhimpreachbefore?"
  "Never,brother;buthehasfrequentlybeentoourtent,andhisdaughterstoo,andgivenustracts;forheisoneofthepeopletheycallEvangelicals,whogivefolkstractswhichtheycannotread。"
  "Youshouldlearntoread,Jasper。"
  "Wehavenotime,brother。"
  "Areyounotfrequentlyidle?"
  "Never,brother;whenwearenotengagedinourtraffic,weareengagedintakingourrelaxation:sowehavenotimetolearn。"
  "Youreallyshouldmakeaneffort。Ifyouweredisposedtolearntoread,Iwouldendeavourtoassistyou。Youwouldbeallthebetterforknowinghowtoread。"
  "Inwhatway,brother?"
  "Why,youcouldreadtheScriptures,and,bysodoing,learnyourdutytowardsyourfellow—creatures。"
  "Weknowthatalready,brother;theconstablesandjusticeshavecontrivedtoknockthattolerablyintoourheads。"
  "Yetyoufrequentlybreakthelaws。"