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very pleasant too said pleasant enough no doubt but how very improper why did she come to any harm v not that i know of where was the harm then if she did not feel she was doing wrong it was not against the customs of her country but it was against ours true but do you know i have learned to think we are in some of our customs v i can easily believe that for you seem hardly like the same creature you were two years ago you don t think me altered for the worse i hope said quickly indeed i do not but i almost start at the change it is so difficult to fancy you the quiet little girl who came out of the ah that horrid cried if i have a dozen girls they shall never go into one my dear i am quite serious i can tell you they could not go into a worse place if it had not been for fear of being put into one for life i would never have married for you know i had seen him but twice and i did not like his looks much but you see he has made you happy said yes but it was quite a venture it might have been just the other way it generally is papa and mamma and aunt knew nearly as little of him as you and i did besides he really was not very agreeable at first and moreover he was not at all religious quite anti christian i am afraid i may say ah said that is too common a case two thirds of the young men of the present day are â only a step above a step below you might say if you knew more about it said and a pretty deep step too why and i know several and they are very good people indeed â quite above looked at her in some dismay i hope will be careful what he is about said he he may be as himself as he likes i should be very sorry if he were to make you so and so would my father and mother be it would break their hearts pray do not call an said he is full as good as i am if not better but at the beginning i grant you it was not so and if he had made me as as himself papa and mamma would have had to answer for it however he was then so and that there was little fear of my trying to be like him he openly told me that the first and only time the claims of religion had ever been pressed upon him was at twelve years old when he received his first communion since which time he had never thought of a hereafter nor entered a church if he had said that before marriage instead of after said it would have been more to the purpose oh it would have made no difference said papa would not have broken off the match all he would have for would have been that i should be allowed the free exercise of my religion and that has never been when we first went to live at we were very dull for we did not know anybody and as i had no did not much like my going out i was not accustomed to do so therefore did not mind it till i found most other young women did so and then i wanted to do the same and did not approve it and was rather cross about that time however he picked up an acquaintance at a with a spanish officer who stuck to him because could speak spanish which most others could not so i was allowed to visit this old officer s wife who was a and had been in england and at their lodgings we used to meet two or three english families ot course but none the worse i mean none the less agreeable for that thus we formed quite a pleasant little and used to have the most charming that was very fortunate for you said but the best of it was continued that from that time began to improve and instead of always grumbling and wasting his time at cards or he became fond of books and newspapers and but especially of conversation which made him infinitely agreeable tell me about these said throwing himself into a seat what did you do what did you talk about much less about politics or scandal than you would suppose â indeed we had nothing to do with them though public affairs were sometimes discussed and as we ladies were not seated aloof we heard everything â we took interest in everything then they talked about new discoveries and inventions and about free trade and protection and commerce and â not deeply of course but quite deeply enough for me and they used to talk about different public men and different countries and about books and authors and pictures and painters and music and so that you see we had no want of subjects no indeed said drawing a long breath that almost was a sigh how delightful why can we have nothing like it here we shall if we ever have a free country ah that then pursued there were some delightful english girls daughters of a civil engineer who was surveying for a railway you can conceive nothing so fair such lily skins such lovely hair such delicate feet and hands but these girls took no care whatever of their in little round hats and black they took amazing walks with their father or with their brother hills rocks mountains â they minded nothing they would put some cakes in a basket and start off with literally for nothing but to hunt for wild flowers insects and and when

1Charles Darwin

they had walked miles in pursuit of these would come home quite satisfied with their morning s work spend the afternoon in their collection and come out in the evening or receive us at home as if nothing had happened wonderful said the english have such social activity but yet these girls pursued studied languages kept journals took notes of sermons copied heaps of music worked and and read hundreds of books only think they got up a book club among the few english families and actually had boxes of new books at stated periods sent over from london to that remote comer of france from the library of i think said after a pause if i ever marry â which most likely i never shall â i should like to marry a woman who knew and could do all these things ah but said smiling they are so i am sure you never will by the bye tell me precisely what is a they believe in christ i think certainly they do replied with emphasis but not in the pope oh the pope his shoulders they may in him and welcome nobody has believed in him since ah but i am not talking of they in the itself and in the inter of saints and in the seven and in the blessed hold hold interrupted that is enough i might make allowance more or less for all the rest but if they do not believe in the blessed they cannot be christians here the nurse came in wiping her lips after some slight saying has the blessed young gentleman slept all this while y indeed he has said and has made my left arm quite stiff he is so heavy so i will hand him over to you and stretch myself i think said wistfully if you would really like a walk nobody would see us and therefore nobody could laugh at us so if you are ready i am ready oh am ready this moment cried gladly and throwing a veil over her head and taking up a large fan she placed herself at his side where shall we go v through the suppose and up to the deserted she tripped down the shallow marble stairs o passed through the little in the heavy folding house door into the full blaze of sunlight and her head with her fan darted into the where she instantly found herself in a delicious green light laughing at the success of her enterprise she fled hither and thither gathering flowers and wild and then sat down to arrange them triumphantly telling her brother their names entered into all the pleasure of the and when they had tired with hunting for wild flowers they sauntered on towards the romantic little overlooking the valley do you know said i have become a great reader i have read nearly all the works of walter scott what in english y said in profound respect for her no bought a pocket translation i have brought anne of with me and you may read it if you like thank you i should enjoy it so much why should not we both enjoy it i have not read it myself yet and if we bring it out here in the morning before it is so hot you can read to me while i work that will be better still aunt must not get wind of it oh i will satisfy aunt by her the baby and have you read v no said innocently but i have read stories of which is just the same thing and if you like i will tell you one of them let us sit here on the steps and you shall hear all about the merchant of it is such a lovely story and of italian origin you know desired nothing better and casting himself on the turf in the shade while his sister sat on the step just above him he listened in lazy luxury while she told of and the pound of flesh nd and the so as she went on that her version of the plot was nearly as long as the play itself and they prolonged their sitting till the heat drove them in what are the names of the young ladies v said as they returned through the said ah what a horrible name their christian names are and is soft and pretty enough that is just what she is at dinner the young people were asked where they had been and general exclamations of surprise not with were uttered at the idea of their taking a walk together and in the heat of the day defended it stoutly however so stoutly that held his peace for she plainly did so with a clear conscience which he could not directly after dinner she was borne off from him by the elder ladies to make amends for her loss a certain old dropped in by name father who was in the habit of frequently his leisure on and sometimes playing with him this he did on the present occasion giving a and very badly printed newspaper to read which he eagerly ran through though it contained wondrous little news and that little either or of the most uninteresting description that scoundrel has shown a light pair of heels you ll see said father so i hear said suddenly raising the paper before his face to hide his change of colour ah those fellows only make bad worse said why can t they let things be oh there are some who on revolution just as and on mud said father there are always a set of fellows bent on turning the world down this very day a wretch has been caught books that are in the index and will have to sup on bread and water a while for his pains what books said with interest well if you ask me

1Charles Darwin

i believe they to be copies of the holy bible which you know is quite unfit for general circulation indeed i do not know it because i never read it said i think i should like to do so if it came in my way for my curiosity is excited ah you young people have mostly ears said father the way this rascal s crime was discovered is he sold a copy to the who as soon as his back was turned began to examine his purchase and finding what it was he tore it up and used it for waste paper but mark the event the poor innocent people who came to his shop in the course of the day and carried their purchases away wrapped in these leaves what was printed on them and were so with what they read that they hastened back to the to give or sell them some more of his waste paper and his shop was literally with long after he had parted with the last leaf to them he told them they would certainly find the man about the town and might buy of him as he had done so these went looking about for him when they might as well have hunted for a needle in a bottle of hay by good luck old father had rescued one of the books from a poor ignorant girl before she had had time to derive much mischief from it and learning from her that the man was coming back to be paid he laid information against him in the proper quarter the result of which was that about an hour ago he was captured and clapped into prison was mute but though his eyes continued to the columns of the newspaper he did not read a word chapter vii su l ow happily the days of went by took care to to a walk the following morning with the bait of anne of in her hand as they were gaily passing through the â the brother s eyes quickened by the sister to the perception of many natural beauties he had never cared to notice before â the colour was brought into s cheeks by the unwelcome and unexpected apparition of a friend coming towards them â the last man he would have expected to meet in a wood he had scarcely time to who would have thought of meeting when looking surprised and embarrassed also came up to him he however two years older than and more self possessed immediately e greeted him and cast a look of admiration and inquiry at his companion my sister the stammered instantly made the of bows who knew him quite well by report and looked on him not as a man but a boy said we have come out for a walk will you join us v with felicity returned greatly relieved if will allow me to profit by your kindness o yes the more the said we were going up to the little for me to read a tale of scott s to while she worked will it be any amusement to you v i shall enjoy it of all things i was quite surprised to meet you here so was i to meet you and then they all three laughed the joyous laugh of youth stay here are some wood said and they all began to hunt for them with great eagerness it seemed however to that off one particular corner to himself and she boldly accused him of having been on some superior in that quarter before they met him and now wishing to preserve them for himself this idea seemed to amuse immensely but he assured her she was quite in the wrong and that he could really show her where to find some beautiful which he had noticed as he came through the wood he her away a few paces when resolved to see whether his sister s accusation had any foundation peered down into the suspected corner and cried the ground here has been disturbed what do you mean what is there cried running back buried treasure t returned pulling forth a small thick book soiled and ruffled with the evident haste with which it had been thrust among the leaves how curious exclaimed how came it there v said laughing allow me to present the volume to its owner looked as red as scarlet as we say in the and taking it carefully wiped it why did you put it there v said still laughing and putting his arm round his neck y because i did not mean you to see it of course said smiling a little but evidently what is it you ought not to ask said it is bad manners o no it is not said quietly i need not have hidden it if it were what then since you will know â mind i trust to your honour you may i swear it is then la he pronounced the name with unaffected reverence ah i guessed as much said i knew the look of it directly it is never out of the hands of those english girls i was telling you of at least it is always on their and they read it night and morning s interest in it seemed increased by this intelligence i should like to read it myself said he i am rather sorry now that i did not buy one yesterday of the v said he sold me mine i suppose you know he is in prison for it looked pained not for selling me this particular copy said he he knew it was a trade counted the cost and paid it could you the same v well i hope not to be tried otherwise i should not have hidden my copy do you find it worth the cost v i think it divine â here is a shady

1Charles Darwin

nook cried establishing herself in the shadow of the nobody is likely to interrupt us which book shall we read toss up looked i do not think you are serious enough to like my book said he try me i will be as grave as a judge which will the prefer v yours said drawing out her work i know my husband likes it here it is then said handing it to you read said throwing himself on the ground with his arms under his head and his hat over his eyes after an instant or two of in a low voice began reverently to read the second chapter of st and went on to the end of the seventh then he paused t said yes said it seems like the word of one looking down on the world from the highest point of view if we lived up to these grand yet simple words we should be angels no we should be christians why do the priests dislike it so much inquired because there are things in it which they cannot get over look here for instance how read you v the he shall utterly yes what is there in that v the image of the blessed what is that but an idol v you are very daring do not say such things i pray you in the hearing of my sister did you not say your husband liked this book v yes said how did he come by it said i should have thought him the last man to buy it one rainy day he was lounging the time away at mr s and grumbling because he was disappointed of some he had ordered miss said here is a volume that may possibly be quite new to you and which if you it thoughtfully will certainly banish he thanked her and having looked a little into it put it into his pocket observed that the rain had ceased and returned home with me he shut himself into his own room and remained there for hours when he came to dinner he was calm and very silent directly after dinner he disappeared again and did not return till supper this would have been dull enough for me had not the miss dropped in but as they did so i did not mind it in short continued to himself a considerable portion of every day for the purpose of studying this book which i need not tell you was la a french version of it instead of its making him he became wonderfully softened by it a mild light shone in his eye a heavenly peace sat on his brow a placid smile played on his lips and you know he is not regularly handsome exactly but i assure you i learnt to think him so what little there is of him is good said said giving him a smart rap with her fan he is not tall i own but people may be too tall many are so nor did i at first approve of his wearing spectacles but as his eyes are small he perhaps looks best in them at any rate i am now quite used to them and have no wish he should leave them off smiled how pleasant it is said he lazily to lie here and hear a woman intensely pleasant said i only wish i had a sister she would smooth all my and hard edges let me tell you said that was half ashamed to come out with me i had the utmost difficulty to prevail on him well you know it is against all rule said but it is pleasant sometimes to break through rules â when they are bad ones said and read forbidden books when they are good ones said but it is time now for me to go home and look after my small child t the two young men rose with some reluctance and followed her into the did you hear of that futile attempt at s said in an under tone to shrugged and gave an expressive look do you know that escaped nodded we shall hear again of him some day perhaps and how v who can say but i feel for him and with him when can you and i have a talk together v when you will not till after to morrow though any time after that and he bowed his farewell at the door in spite of his friend s pressing him to enter hastened to her room and finding her baby just waking took him in her arms and dismissed the nurse immediately afterwards and sailed in looking very stately they seated themselves in chairs immediately before her and clearing her throat thus began we have a sacred duty to perform a sacred duty to perform echoed yes resumed and this duty must be performed however disagreeable you were brought up my dear in the paths of virtue and and when your education was completed your father and i you to the care of one of the best of husbands he may not be so very young or so very handsome â dear mamma cried looking much hurt i am sure no one need complain of s looks and as to his age he is quite in the prime of life i am very happy my dear to hear you say so said yes so am i in but the better he is the more he ought to be considered pursued and a good wife will consider her husband the same or almost the same in his absence as in his presence you need not it mamma said a good wife will consider a good husband quite as much in his absence as in his presence even more so if it were possible then my dear why do you not suit your practice to your theory why mamma what can you

1Charles Darwin

mean what would think my love of your all about the neighbourhood with dear mamma he would think nothing of it he would like it he sent me home expressly to be happy happy my dear yes by all means in a reasonable sort of way but this is quite unheard of quite quite outrageous i am sure said with a tear in her eye which dropped on her baby s face as she stooped to kiss it might be in much worse company than his own sister s unquestionably my love at proper times and seasons in the bosom of his own family but not about in woods why mamma what harm could there be in my helping and to pick a few v you don t mean le was with you oh my child my child what an you have been i could not have supposed you so heedless you a married woman â yes i a married woman and a mother said beginning to cry might be supposed to have a little discretion and need not be treated quite as if i were in leading strings you my dear mamma live quite out of the world and aunt is all but a but the world is growing older and wiser every day everywhere except in poor dear italy and does not such senseless customs as separating dear brothers and sisters in the intercourse of daily life as if they were and well my love but is neither your brother nor your sister but a very handsome man and what would â young man i consider him quite a boy said handsome he may or may not be for i never troubled myself to consider but my need fear no made to his disadvantage for my is worth a dozen chapter viii a man i s had not come home to make herself disagreeable she soon assured her mother that her wishes should be attended to and the walks should be given up she told this in an aside to the next time they met and as he was more sorry than surprised he contented himself with saying ah i knew it was too good to last and himself with anne of during the rest of the evening our readers if duly attentive may remember a certain priest who was with a at the commencement of this narrative the name of this priest was father he t ore by no means a good character but had a jovial manner which made him rather popular one night this priest was and found next morning lying dead in the street the public voice instantly pronounced two bad characters lately discharged from prison the but these were not apprehended by the police instead of them they arrested a tailor a coffee house keeper and all these three were men perfectly by crime but known to be of liberal principles the of s apprehension filled the little household of with consternation it was to no purpose that they knew him to be a young man of character and believed him to be perfectly innocent to be liberal was to be to be was to be suspected to be suspected was to be condemned cried white as ashes him as he hurried forth with emotion to the town beware what you say or even look or your turn may come next he gave her a look of grief and nodding assent went out the national guard had risen and seized every suspicious man in the place it may be added some ones too on reaching found that the examination had already taken place and whose sole crime was having been the first to see the body when they opened their shops in the morning had after a sharp that was not particularly been was imprisoned to await his trial in vain boiled and in vain he sought s friends and applied to men in office he was sent from pillar to post and unable to obtain any information save that he could not obtain access to the prisoner who was watching for him ran down to meet him when he returned seeing from his face that he had learnt nothing satisfactory she earnestly whispered be patient oh be patient in a few days m or as he was indifferently called arrived to the infinite satisfaction of and he was rather a plain little man of five and forty with spectacles and a moustache calm and he seemed truly glad however to see fly into his arms he had been one of the french officers occupying rome but was now on half pay which o obliged him to live in his own country and he was not rich enough to live in the capital passing he had visited a sister at the where was being educated had had a glimpse of in the parlour and decided on that slight foundation that he should like her for his wife having a mutual friend he soon made acquaintance with and soon made proposals for his daughter which as was not rich he was glad to accept shortly afterwards visited her daughter and after a little chat said â my dear should you like to be married y replied that she had no particular objection and within a month she was the wife of a of sixteen at the time of his sister s marriage saw little enough of his brother in law and that little did not particularly attract him but s recent accounts of his transformed character and the evident joy with which she ran into his arms assured that there must be something in him and he embraced him in a truly manner wanted to know whether he had not been dull in her absence i replied that he had missed her very much but that he had not been dull he never was now they had so much to say to each other

1Charles Darwin

that it seemed as if they had been apart a thought how delightful it must be to be so united and wondered whether he was in the way his father was out his mother was nursing the baby his aunt was at prayers he thought he would smoke a cigar how it with you v said suddenly not particularly well said but i have been delighted to see not particularly well what you v ii what is there for me to do but to shoot v do you want then to shoot men y that is your trade not mine but certainly if there were a war i would gladly be a be content you will be one before your beard is grown oh what mean you v cried leaping up running across to him and putting his hands on s shoulders gently my dear boy said laughing the glove is not thrown down yet f but you think it will be all the world says so and what all the world says must be true i hoped you brought news ah you thirst so for news si di is always your word how can it be otherwise everything of real interest everything is kept out of the newspapers we can only pass things from mouth to mouth true enough said in this very town pursued a crime has just been committed no account of which will ever get into the papers or reach the ear of justice and he related the murder of the priest and the of listened with grave attention this is a sad affair said he i must inquire a little into it to morrow as a i may do so more safely than you can perhaps we may find a silver key to his prison and starting up as who had stolen away reappeared with the baby he amused himself with his young a little while and then sitting down to the piano played the to william tell after which he sang the famous enough to make clap him and then pace the floor with a martial tread also he sang a little in which a father might be supposed thus to address his child â tu mon id sur la le en ce des qui la pour done ma sur â d je t examine s un pas tu mon c est et lies i sort tu au ta done ma sur â d je t examine s un pas if he had not much voice made up for it with expression his of the father s charge was distinct grave and pathetic his sharp and startling as the crack of a rifle when he suddenly twisted himself round on the music stool there stood shedding tears this emotion which would have disgusted an englishman was understood and by the frenchman who tapped him on the arm with â va mon you are easily touched and have been upset about this friend of yours to morrow you and i will have a talk together next morning as having taken his solitary cup of coffee was lounging on the stone bench outside the house smoking a cigar came forth shaven and drawing on his gloves as if about to take a walk are you going into cried starting up then i will go with you i was going to ask you have you any good lawyer in the town v ii that is to say doctor we call him but i don t know that he is so have you any acquaintance with him v o yes we meet at the suppose we call on him then he is not retained i suppose for v no poor has not much to spend on lawyers is his father alive v no his mother lives with him this business will kill her poor old soul the real are undoubtedly beyond the frontier by this time meanwhile false witnesses have been for young as he is is hated by the priests and why can you ask they know his opinions and i met him in the wood one day reading the bible ah she told me of that well he might have been worse employed a friend lately put it into my hands i knew of it only as the book of books by which they swear i read it from end to end a whole universe of new truths burst upon me i seemed to breathe a different air whatever else remained dark to me one thing appeared as clear as day â that the peculiar of the church of rome are to be found they are not in the bible yet the bible is the word of god y i want no voice from heaven to tell me that for it speaks to my whole nature and meets its deepest wants and purest emotions as only the word of god can you are a then i suppose v said anxiously you may call me what you will but i give myself no name but that of christian i draw my â â religion from the bible alone and am ready to join whatever church does the same at whatever risk what has made so deep an impression on you said after a pause cannot be indifferent to me for i know you to be much better informed than myself but though i see glaring in our church i have always supposed the church itself to hold the truth which us the claims of the bible to our reverence and belief have never been made known to me but should the opportunity occur i shall gladly read it the poor man who sold a copy of it to is now his offence in the same prison indeed cried i must seek him out then for he must be a sort of martyr can you tell me anything of him v i met him on the road and

1Charles Darwin

he offered me his books for sale he is a named he appeared a good sort of fellow his language was good and his dress and bearing respectable ah well you love darkness better than light i verily believe o no we are for light you have aspirations rather than principles and whatever you may thirst for you never yourselves so as to make your aspirations triumph too true sighed what a miserable failure that was again lately in which was concerned you know who he is don t you said quickly i saw him saw him cried stopping short he was a fugitive i helped him on his way do tell me all about it cried eagerly you need not be afraid was but too glad to pour out what he was full of to some one he looked up to and whom he could trust he told me added he in the next fact in which i am engaged i will succeed or die perhaps neither said i respect his genius and pity his misfortunes but what is the use of deceiving ourselves we must look upon one another for what we really are this man with all his real patriotism is by no means to truth the i admit have made him subtle and all are counted fair in war but he is cunning as a fox and i should be heartily sorry for you to be mixed up with him you will only share his fate probably an one without your country a be advised wait in patience a good time will come soon or late love your country and welcome make sacrifices for her when they are called for but don t throw away your life like a fool italy will have need of you some of these days chapter ix bonds and imprisonment here was to be a in the evening and workmen were busily boards and for while carts laden with were driving in from the country and women were of green white and crimson from their windows here and there with some other colour that the significant colour might not be too these preparations were not with s feelings and made the town appear even to him than usual here is s coffee house said he to and himself standing in the doorway i who did not just then seem with customers bowed made way for them and received s orders for a cup of and a newspaper which he brought to him himself at a little table apart meanwhile s arm was touched by a young man who was the only other person present and who said in a whisper i want to have a few words with you willingly said starting and seeing that his brother in law was engaged with he withdrew to another table on which stood an empty coffee cup and looked at his friend â the two little groups thus occupying two of the shop i want to speak to you about pursued the young man whose name was and who belonged to the same with and i am all attention rejoined in the same under tone and fixing his glowing black eyes on him as if he would read his soul i am prepared to help him are you v by all means how v what is his case to day may be ours to morrow we should make common cause there are others prepared to join us he will never get off in a regular way the priests hate him and he has long been watched by the police you give him up then as lost v yes unless we free him you know the slave a wretch who would sell his soul for a glass of brandy well he has become very thick with the spy has been seen to gold has been heard to talk big and has an unlimited supply of cigars it appears was seen to talk with father the afternoon before the murder and heard to say rather you expect too much i cannot and will not this some little difference between them probably some trifle which could explain but which he certainly will have no opportunity of explaining whereas these words will be tortured and twisted into something again was seen at dark to part from a man at the corner of a street by whom v and heard to say depend on me then so declared next time he is examined rely on it will remember or invent a good deal more meantime he is to all but his but i have much more to tell you y s mother has you know a directly she becomes the least agitated this gets worse so that she shakes like a leaf and cannot get out a word now before she knew the danger was in my father stepped in to her well says he how goes all with you where is gone to says she which my father of course knew he had not says he he went there yesterday did he t no this morning says she before i was up he had the very badly last night poor fellow and i was obliged to send to the s for some for him after we had shut up for the night and i applied it to his tooth myself with a bit of cotton wool and it did him a world of good and made him sleep like a top now would not an englishman say here is clearly an there are three parties that can was at home and in bed to wit the the maid and the mother not a bit of it directly she heard what had happened fell a trembling and has done nothing but tremble ever since you can t get a word out of her my father spoke to the girl who by this time was in a so your young

1Charles Darwin

master has disappeared said he disappeared says why he has gone to has he not says he oh sir said she you surely know he is under arrest poor young gentleman i feared to shock you says my father oh you needn t fear that sir says with a toss of her head my feelings are not at all concerned about him well young woman says my father you might show a little more humanity i think he slept at home all last night v i suppose he did said you suppose you mean you know said my father how can i know whether he slept or lay awake r said she getting very sullen oh well you know he was in the house said my father that was all i meant of course he was in the house i suppose said the perverse at least i don t know that he was out of it ejaculated ay indeed and now she has set off nobody knows where saying her mother is sick i don t believe she a mother â she is spirited away somewhere that she may not give evidence but you have not heard of the last stroke yet what is that the the my father went over to him good day some if you please we want something sometimes to our by the way tells me her son had the so violently last night that she sent to you for after the house was shut up his face into an expression of indescribable she sent for but how do i know for whom or for what v my father was disgusted with the little he was a gossip of old father s moreover he has government patronage such as it is so of course he will say nothing that government does not wish him to say nor remember anything that government does not wish him to remember is lost groaned yes as far as justice is concerned my father who has undertaken his cause for love rather than money of carrying him through so now said with suppressed excitement now is the time for us to cut in how v will you be true to death and are you ready ready listen then we are in communication with the prisoner in these wretched times and in this one should always prepare for the worst and i when we were together pricked up our ears at some notable of the day and means of communicating with one another by should there ever be need the process is slow but sure and simple i have only had time as yet to exchange these brief words with him hope i hope became intensely interested but other persons entering the it was no longer a safe scene of conference and only added in a whisper with a look that spoke volumes meet me on the bridge at nine to night to which responded lo the arrival of the new comers also ended the conference between and and the frenchman calmly drank his coffee read his newspaper and listened to the floating talk around him as came up to him he looked up and said by the way i should like to see that poor i had forgotten all about him said i have just been talking to the son of our best who can perhaps tell me what to do and hastening back to who was leaving the he exchanged a sentence or two with him and then returned saying with a smile he says a to the will be sufficient bon said the other and rose from his seat him to the prison and after a short and conference with the head that disinterested and official showed them into s cell it was in the lowest and part of the prison an arched under ground gallery below water mark with a grate at the entrance through which alone it received light and air the atmosphere was offensive water was continually dropping from the roof and from the sides and floor a little straw on that floor was s bed and a piece of black bread and of water composed his only food looked up he was wan and but had as yet no of heart or hope to judge by his calm mien my poor fellow have they no better place for you than this ejaculated the kindly frenchman as he picked his way across the foul stained floor o yes sir rejoined with simplicity they have a much better cell in the prison a dry one which prisoners may have who can afford to pay for it but the sisters of charity said this was good enough and too good for me they the whole arrangement and denied me the two hours exercise which the at first allowed even taking the key of my cell themselves that he might not he has only had it back again to day speak french mon it is my native tongue as well as yours sisters of charity do they deserve the name v hardly sir i think but my good man this is rather hard dealing is it not for the bible v oh sir i counted the cost and do not complain joseph now lies in precisely the same circumstances in the prison of st for having ventured to say on reading the new testament that he found nothing about the conception in it the book p g could they show him that there was something about it that would have been to the purpose if they could said smiling but the law sir the law of the country was against him there is an article in the code to this effect that whoever with deliberate intent shall utter against god against the blessed virgin or against the saints shall be punished with imprisonment and the punishment may be extended to hard labour for a time according to the gravity

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of the you have not been guilty of v no sir i was speaking with regard to whose words they as such precisely do you keep up your spirits tolerably in this place i m afraid mine would flag terribly i think of st paul s words sir but none of these things move me he bore a good deal more than i have been called to do yet i must not at the first trial you speak like a man a brave one a christian one at least i try to be when st paul asked what the lord would have him to he was told that he must suffer not inflict sufferings mark you sir on himself our good god does not require us to do that but just to bear what he puts upon us or what men put upon us which is not so easy ah sir they could not unless they were permitted our lord said thou have no power at all except it were given thee you teach me a lesson only through my master s words sir our master s words you are right he is mine oh blessed confession to him sir whatever i must not stay much longer with you but tell me is there anything i can do for you in the world without yes sir please write to my mother or rather to my brother he will soften it to her a will gave the name and address and added a short message which wrote down just then the looked in and said you must be quick sir those blessed sisters are coming pray cut short what you have to say â i loo i will i will god bless you rely on me and keep up heart rely on god accept this trifle i wish it were more but i am not a rich man god bless you sir you did not tell me your name louis of i will remember it in my prayers they squeezed each other s hands and who had not said a word stepped forward and shook hands with him also when the door had closed on them turned his face to the wall and wept just then a little pipe outside the walls began to play a certain tune which he knew well it was a hymn tune he had often sung words to it something to the effect of our â afflicted soul to christ draw near thy s gracious promise hear his faithful word declares to thee that as thy day thy strength shall be how singular who could know that tune here t who could play it t was it some one within or without the prison was it accidental or intended to comfort however that might be it cheered like a voice from heaven loi he could hardly have been more comforted had he heard the words fear not i am with thee when the pipe ceased his momentary sadness had quite departed he was strengthened and cheered and able to think over the unexpected visit he had received with great delight little by little his thoughts again he fancied he saw his mother s tears his own began to start some one without whistled the first four notes of the same air it was quite enough le n est pas le a little boy with white was meanwhile sitting in the street with his back against the prison wall this little boy had wandered far and wide he had known the green lanes and crowded courts of old england had received of christian teaching had been won into church or chapel where he had picked up the tune he had just played and then whistled thus you see readers there was no miracle it was only one of those cases of which we only see one side in which our good god makes the simplest agents the efficient instruments of his good purposes to us when his people cried for flesh in the wilderness the lord did not for them the cattle upon a thousand i hills he made the little birds of the air serve their need doubtless some which have been set down as supernatural might simply be accounted for thus for instance the ray of light which de took as a miraculous answer to his prayer may have been only the gleam of some passing lamp or the fitful light of the moon meanwhile and hastily conducted to the door by the were by him when they inquired whether they might see though gold openly gleamed between s finger and thumb impossible pray hasten it would be as much as my place is worth the sisters will be upon us â but why should he be denied intercourse with his friends he is not condemned excuse me it is out of the question he is under particular recommendation chapter x non i he remainder of the day proved rainy but only produced a pleasant coolness in the air and laid the dust true to his appointment made his way to the bridge of san just as deep and thick darkness was succeeding the short twilight the dingy houses of were so draped and with coloured lamps that they were hardly to be recognised wreaths were suspended across the streets amid which glow worm lights played lively strains before some gaily lighted shrine of or saint at the shops an ornamental arch and at the entrance of the town was the station of a really good band and all the gentry of the neighbourhood slowly through the streets without the family groups of on foot who were in an orderly manner enjoying the show the smart report of fire arms and the of added to the of the the brilliancy of which was by the darkness of the night many of the peasant women were decorated with ornaments that must have descended to them through

1Charles Darwin

many generations when they met their female friends their greeting was an affectionate kiss and it was pleasant to see the of these poor people whose lives in general were a monotonous round of hard work even the baby carried in the arms of its father came in for a share of the entertainment among the carriages which wound their way through the crowd might be seen the rusty old of containing himself his wife daughter and son in law all of whom seemed very well pleased with the had excused himself under pretext of seeing the better on foot how many things has young italy done under pretext he made his way however through the crowd as well as he could to the deserted little bridge where under cover of solitude and darkness his friend awaited him how late you are whispered i thought you never would come it is little more than nine o clock said and the crowd me well what are you going to do hush we must be as still as death it is so dark that a may be within of us i am going to hold communication with by what means said you shall see the result said smiling a little under cover of the dark you have heard i suppose of table v do you believe in it v said hush i believe there are some very clever connected with it my father who is you know a very acute man went the subject very closely with an american with whom he happened to be travelling and what he of him and repeated to me i have turned to account â in a way however of my own and i tried it together before this misfortune overtook him and we therefore can act in concert so many stand for a given letter then a pause then another series of and so on till the word is completed the process you see is io necessarily slow though we invented to prevent mistake you may as well take down the numbers i shall name to you do you know where he is then and can he hear you yes here are my it is almost too dark to use them but you may â o yes i can write in the dark so as to be come with me then and his arm in s he led him through ways till they found themselves beneath the prison wall on a side that was scarcely pierced by a window here threw himself on the ground bidding beside him and applying his mouth to the wall with both his hands made a peculiar hissing sound that supposed was meant to be audible within apparently it was so for presently whispered with a satisfied air he answers he then felt along the wall till he came to an of some sort into which he inserted his brass tipped cane with which he commenced a series of brisk sharp at regular intervals and then applying his ear to the counted the in response two three five seven are you putting them down v whispered he replied in the affirmative and in this occupation they remained absorbed for more than an hour long pauses occasionally as if were pausing to reflect all that is but a single sentence said at last drawing a deep breath as he relieved himself for a moment from his uncomfortable posture now i am going to put another question the answer to this was longer still and was going to reply to it when a sudden signal was given from within which signified â interrupted all is over for this time said stretching and shaking himself come along we will go home and spell out what he has said what do you not know v how can i my whole attention was absorbed in the counting i could not at the same time spell and put together how then did you v my questions had no reference to each other they walked silently through a dark alley which brought them immediately out on the lighted street and on s carriage j io which was drawn up before a gaily illuminated shrine nodded to her brother who returned the salutation how haggard looks whispered she to her husband he does not seem enjoying the much the two young men merely crossed the street and passed into a much one in which stood the advocate s house they were admitted by an old woman and themselves to s bedroom where were a a rifle gloves fishing rods and a good many books in disorder now then said setting down a miserable little lamp he had taken from the old woman consisting of a twisted paper in a broken tea cup full of oil he opened the read me off the figures while i set down the letters my first question to him was â what made you say to f s you expect too much i cannot and will not now for his answer here it is it related to a book he would have me give ah exclaimed i know what book it was gave him an look la go on stay mused that shows that there was then some difference between and the priest but none that would have led to blood knew he possessed a book and would not give it up that was all the teaching of that book if i mistake not would lead to injuries not them well said after a little my next sentence was we have the means of your escape have you though v cried yes to a certain point it will be a difficult matter but i trust we may succeed now for his answer how rejoiced he must be the answer was long and took time to it filled with blank disappointment there is not a shadow of proof against me and there is evidence

1Charles Darwin

in my favour i must be soon or late and were i to escape a stain would rest on my character so like him exclaimed such madness ejaculated why he ll die as sure as i sit here no he feels the confidence of innocence said he does not know that the evidence he on said will altogether fail him it will never do to let the matter rest thus escape he must tell me are you ready to undertake a little risk in this matter v i have already promised it money we can raise among ourselves is you know a of ours my mother and his are half sisters his cousins and i are secure of getting him out of the and out of the town but how out of the state v let me ask my brother in law said he is a generous hearted man and has much more knowledge than we have that may ruin all you remind me of an incident in the history of england a plot for the destruction of the king lords and was detected owing to one of the betraying it to a nobleman in whom he had a personal interest ay but there is going to be no in this case is true as steel and would never stoop to treachery even if he refused help it is a very question said i know nothing of and therefore may be allowed to distrust him i knew little about him myself till quite recently he married my sister you know two years ago and immediately carried her off to a french provincial town where they have lived ever since chiefly with a few english families oh if he likes the english that the question said the english love liberty and hate injustice they would cheer him on in to escape legal murder i consent you should trust him since you his fidelity but proceed with due caution it may be no great matter to a frenchman that an italian more or less should die i visited a prisoner with him this morning said and his conduct was humane in the extreme a political prisoner v no a poor arrested for how could the silly fellow do such an thing doubtless the think us silly fellows for doing anything so as trying to free our country well such dense may think so and after a little more talk the young men parted every italian it is said prefers riding to walking consequently looked about for the old family rather than walk two miles by himself in the dark he found it very much in such a position as he had left it only before another shrine at another s the ladies eating and the of their acquaintance paying them their one of them afterwards his homage by paying for the the band was playing and apparently had the time to the family of for they did not seem at all surprised at s long absence and were as yet in their infancy therefore was able to contract her sufficiently to make room for her brother and the signal was given to the coachman to drive home as soon as he could get clear of the crowd stars were now brightly shining in the deep purple sky and an of lesser lights in the guise of fire flies darted hither and thither as they left the town behind them went into the balcony on their return to finish the evening with a cigar to him repaired and in a low voice imparted to him all he had to tell looked grave upon it he did not much wish to have anything to do with prisoners escaping from the ruling powers and if there were any escaping in the case he would have wished to in it it was a pity the escape could not be effected by sea could not some be engaged to aid the flight then again said he did not want to escape one could not make a man escape against his own will all this fell coldly on s heart he felt persuaded that must yield on reflection to the of the case but the coast was so watched just now there was a lying at the very mouth of the harbour and many smaller vessels were on the alert escape by sea would be most guarded against because most tempting and if he were caught his case would more than ever be hopeless there were as many ways of escape by land as there were points of the compass and plenty of good covers when pursued h started objections which could not he went to bed dejected next day asked his father s consent to accompany and on their journey to at least across the frontier wondered what his son could want his son replied he wanted change he was sick of the monotony of his life it was almost as bad as being a to such raised his eyebrows and after a little thought said he had no particular objection but he must not be more expensive than he could help crops were bad vines â nothing looking up promised not to be expensive a few days afterwards he came with great glee to who as before was smoking in the balcony i have secured a said he see here it is read it well said after reading â age eighteen height a and sixty eight hair black eyebrows forehead eyes dark nose straight lips full teeth even moustache not much chin pointed oval complexion olive well that s all right enough as far as it goes is not it v right yes but there is very little in it no mention of this little on my cheek they ll put it in for you if you are particular no thank you said laughing but this description would do just as well for another person as

1Charles Darwin

for me it would not do for me no but it would do for some that i could name for instance said removing his cigar and looking at him i thought he observed presently that was some years older than you only twenty months and his moustache â might be got rid of true well i see your game i cannot say it is right but you have great excuses one must venture something for one s friend i should not have been any more scrupulous at your age you will help him then across the frontier if we fall in with him we will give him a lift â as a stranger you know who is weary i would rather meanwhile not hear any more about it and i advise you to say nothing of it to the good folks here oh i do not need such a warning i suppose not knows him by sight though i do not so we shall not pick up the wrong man and said unconsciously using the thought of a great poet if it be done at all best it were done quickly we start the day after to morrow so get over your friend s scruples that day and the next was to be seen making preparations that might have for a longer journey putting shirts etc into a small â shirts that had his mark on them a little book of poems with his name written in it and his little of money finally a direction card on the outside inscribed at full length it did not occur to him that in all these to deceive was the essence of falsehood his thoughts were full of his unfortunate friend chapter xl the departure he carriage was waiting the luggage packed a little knot of assembled round the open to kiss the beautiful lady s hand shower blessings on her and the baby and speed the travellers on their way was speaking some last words to his daughter his wife was taking yet another embrace of her was giving money to the poor people and paying his and fat father with his hands folded on his ample chest and his brows shaded by his enormous hat completed the group and looked on with satisfaction at the bustle while with suppressed excitement sprang into his seat and could not resist within himself as he caught ii the old priest s eye ah old gentleman there is something on foot this time that you don t know of crack went the whip round went the wheels were never folks so glad x j ut t s spirits rose from the very instant they were in motion and in spite of a tear glistening in her bright eyes as she exchanged the parting look with her mother cleared up like a may morning and laughed and talked so gaily that said he had nothing to do but to listen ye should see our said he presently as they crept up a steep hill said laughing inclination is not wanting they are the of and a christianity prepare ye the way of the lord make his paths straight every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain and the glory of the lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together for the mouth of the lord hath spoken it is that the word of prophecy said with surprise the word of prophecy surely enough though whether i have any right to apply it in a secondary sense to the introduction and use of is a different question i see nothing incredible in it â i mean in their being in the general of christianity perhaps this lovely country of ours may be with some of these days said and perhaps the day may not be so very far off said do not at the present monotony of your life but prepare yourself for the good time coming but how v cried eagerly yourself to fatigue hard fare manly exercises self control leave off cigars my good fellow read more and go to the read i would gladly read said somewhat bitterly but where am i to get books v keep up your french as much as you can you may have need of it some day with whom am i to speak french nay now you are making difficulties french is spoken everywhere and learn english too if you can it will be something to break your mind upon where am i to get a master teach yourself man don t be a do something earnest if it be but to break stones the will like nothing better than to see you the light and smoke the light cigar why you smoke cigars yourself in moderation only in moderation can bear witness and fm not an italian and my country does not want and we have not a foreigner sitting down on us and we are not an oppressed and france is not merely a expression and in brief cigars are less to me than to you why i wonder you can buy them at all when it is to the profit of the government well my sources of comfort are not so numerous that they need be hear him the poor fellow his sources of comfort and if his cigars are taken away from him he will sit down and cry ah poor italy italy is dead cover her up her away italy is not dead said stoutly nor are the whatever your may say or your own s very bitterness shows life precisely and my very bitterness shows my real desire to be of use to you i with you i pity you but one cannot help people who won t help themselves do you mean you with me or with italy v

1Charles Darwin

both in this way did try to the generous spark of energy in his young relative and invite him to scorn delights and live laborious days who was alive to every noble impulse lent a ready ear to him and promised to read more think more take more exercise and smoke less the rest of the journey was infinitely agreeable to him at noon they rested during the heat of the day at a lonely inn the characteristic of which was certainly not cleanliness here they had a dinner which pronounced detestable and even the could not say much for as they were finishing dinner the waiter said in a low voice but loud enough for to hear â the road is not too safe you had better not travel after nightfall you do not mean there can be any danger before nine o clock said i assure you he returned it is not well to travel late unpleasant things may happen oh well then we will travel early said lightly adding to his wife in french he wants to keep us here all night we shall reach the frontier before sunset showed no signs of alarm and as soon as the afternoon shadows began to they resumed their journey the way by accounts of the siege of rome in you never saw he added such a soldier as he was a â a hero of romance yet he could not save rome said we may not have seen the last of him yet said you have been dazzled by the patriotism and the misfortunes of â as you call him but is a much safer hero for your that man is the soul of honour he would not tell a lie to save his life there is a child like simplicity about him great modesty and perfect freedom from his convictions are strong but directly he is convinced of error he how much some men seem born to do said who yet do so little i mean they are forced to leave their work luckily my friend this life is not the end of all things the sun at length set gradually behind heavy clouds and had for some time been quite silent and the latter betrayed symptoms of while his brother in law looked gravely the summit of the next hill would bring them to the frontier here then we will alight and walk up the ascent said bon said her brother s hand as he quitted his seat he took a kiss and left her in the carriage which slowly crept up the hill the fell behind as the road turned beheld them at some distance and the next instant they were hidden by a steep bank covered with there was no fear now of for she was within sight of the besides though the italian twilight is short it was not yet dark nevertheless her pulse beat quickly and her eye and ear were on the alert the carriage stopped an official asked to see the the will be here directly said calmly they are only walking up the hill he glanced at the tickets on the luggage and at the same instant they came up here are our said cheerfully and gave them into his hand the official read deliberately the lady has an infant we shall be glad to get on said putting something else into his hand said the man his inspection all right and the two stepped into the carriage and drove onward one of them was but the other was not chapter xii home again s country house was built round a court the apartments forming three sides and the fourth being formed by a covered terrace the court was planted with orange and trees and one or two and moreover there was an ancient fountain in the midst on the ledge of which a handsome might frequently be seen himself the covered terrace was a favourite of the family and boasted a broad stone bench on which often lay two or three old scarlet cushions here the old ladies performed various and here was wont to smoke his cigar about a week after the departure of and was knitting on this bench muttering her prayers to herself and also keeping an eye on a brood of little chickens at her feet and finding time besides to think to herself our dear is doubtless enjoying himself nicely when himself walked in without unless of so moderate a as to be carried in his pocket possible is it walking home in this leisurely manner why you look as if you had dropped from the moon well and how have you enjoyed yourself and how far have you been and what have you seen i have enjoyed myself pretty well aunt thank you where is my mother v she was here just now well and how is v she was quite well when i left her and baby also that darling baby certainly he is the finest child i ever saw well he is a nice little fellow certainly but not very pretty he would be just like if he wore spectacles the idea of the precious little infant wearing spectacles you don t know the value of a nephew that s clear why that dear child is the very image of people see differently said is there any news none whatever â except that the old hen is dead and caught an owl yesterday evening and father has the oh is that all all why what would you have the poor man have i mean is that all the news yes except â oh i forgot one thing that will greatly astonish you has escaped indeed when the very day you went it was such a pity and should not know it because they took some interest in him it created quite a stir the police searched everywhere but i do not

1Charles Darwin

think anybody was sorry they could not find him indeed how should they he escaped by sea oh indeed yes of course that was the easiest way and the recollected afterwards having seen a boat they could not make out put off and disappear behind the point well said after a pause i think i shall go into the town and hear all about it my dear child a mile and a half in the heat of the day you must be mad to think of it not at all aunt says it is very of us to be so afraid of a little fatigue and a little heat us who do you mean us young and therefore i mean to myself and take a great deal of exercise without heat or cold but my dear it is almost dinner time â e e â o no there are two good hours to dinner and to the time of day besides i want to borrow some books of my child sooner than you should get a i will lend you quite a new book â the life of st francis of new oh aunt quite a new copy indeed it is some of the leaves not cut they will never be cut by me then said laughing and away he sped along the dusty road which led to he remembered having noted a pile of books heaped in a corner of s room and it struck him that here might be found some of the food for the mind which had commended to him but he had a still more pressing call to his friend in order to talk over s escape he met him on the steps of his own door and immediately they were embracing and kissing like as they were enter enter said i have a thousand things to ask and to say and he half pushed half dragged him into his room and closed the door well said he with all right i suppose was not my part managed you met at the appointed spot v we met at the appointed spot exchanged an embrace a few loving words and then parted i have had no tidings since but have no doubt all has gone well what an affair it has been and he drew a deep breath these things make one feel a good deal older this was your first affair of the sort v o no it was not a few days before i had helped to escape s and and he is by this time in england i fancy why i knew you were longing for i action but had no idea you had begun already you will make a well i wish i may it is rather a dangerous game but you should have heard my brother in law you cannot think what burning thoughts he poured out such assured hope for the future such contempt for our national and he says if we would succeed we must all low and personal interests in one common principle of union we must strengthen ourselves in body and mind by manly exercises and hard reading fm determined will for one and i have come to you now partly to into that heap of books and borrow what takes my fancy if you will and walk ride fence and box if you will â i am ready for you but you never knew such a stir as was made when was missed the town was turned down as for poor old she will never recover it the abrupt and brutal investigation which took place brought on a fit of and she now lies in bed attended by an old woman is it possible said to make her understand that is safe v i think not besides it might be dangerous he charged me to her with it you know he is fond of his mother and i feel it a sacred duty to fulfil his parting request if possible well you can but try besides told me that i should find a treasure worth having concealed behind a picture in his room and bade me accept it as a token of his affection nay then go by all means you can hunt over my books another time they are chiefly law books and what is this s english i should like to borrow that if you could lend me an english book or two to pick out with it here then is an odd volume of i value it so little that i will make you a present of it and here is â ha that will be a treasure indeed you know learnt his beautiful english from and the bible as you are not i doubt your being able to make out by the aid only of s dictionary however you can but try yes i can but try said putting the books under his arm this will at any rate be what called something to break my idleness upon he proceeded to the dwelling of which was in a gloomy back street with grass grown pavement finding the door he went in mounted the stairs and tapped at the door of the di no answer he pushed it a little open and saw that it was empty just then a weird looking old woman coming out of one of the caught sight of him and approached on his asking for told him seemingly with unaffected grief that she lay in a helpless hopeless state without any of her kindred to look after her on s asking her whether she thought could comprehend anything he might have to say to her of her son the nurse shook her head but said he might try and led the way to s bedside had never seen any living being so like death a momentary he stepped forward and kissed her hand with his usual affectionate respect

1Charles Darwin

then after gazing wistfully into her glazed eyes he spoke into her ear as distinctly as it was possible to articulate â safe he is safe it was difficult to say whether a faint expression of gladness did not on the poor mother s face persuaded himself of it though the nurse thought otherwise and after lingering by her a little longer and her hand he turned to the nurse and told her in a low voice that he had an errand to io s room the old woman who was touched by his feeling pointed the way to him and resumed her charge and entering his friend s room found everything there in the disorder occasioned by the visit the floor strewn with torn papers and the leaves of books the and pillow open and cast upon the ground whatever else the might have found they had not discovered the object of s quest a small picture of st hung in the shade and on removing this picture he discovered a small closet containing three books they were the bible which had bought of and the first two volumes of d s history of the like an area making off with the family plate basket from a butler s did steal off with these pearls of great price less exposed it may be to public notice at high noon when every blind was closed and many an eye shut in sleep than at midnight when the the and the were lurking in the corners of the streets the blind passionate love of the youthful for one whom they believe worthy makes them see everything as that beloved one sees it maintain what he like what he likes and carry the spirit of imitation often to a ridiculous extent for congenial society and pursuits had been by the and conceived the most impressive opinion of his powers of mind his judgment and experience therefore when bade him read he resolved to read when he advised him to learn english he determined to avail himself of the first opportunity of doing so and now that he found himself in possession of s bible he remembered that it was s book of books and was seized with a strange thirst for its contents in spite of walking himself into a fever he found himself too late for dinner and the family party dispersed his mother however embraced him with fond reproaches and helped him with solicitude asking few questions till he had appeased his hunger having satisfied herself of the welfare of and the baby she asked him how he had liked and and was astonished to hear he had not been to either ma come where in the world have you been i turned off and spent a few days with my uncle this uncle was of a small village and more to be commended for the qualities of his heart than his head he was brother to a kindly rather silly old man very fond of s visits when he could get them generally found these visits dull you me child had you and then quarrelled oh no no mother we were the best of friends well then your conduct is unaccountable would gladly have accounted for it but he knew that if he did his mother s would in a few hours have the benefit of his com â he therefore began to divert her by the sayings of don and the answers of his deaf housekeeper and when at length she was called away from him he hastened to his room and began to examine his treasures there was an old in which they could lie hidden down he sat to the first chapter of and there he sat almost without moving for two hours during those two hours he devoured chapter after chapter like a romance he did not begin like by kneeling to ask for humility and to pray that the holy spirit might direct nd him he was too ignorant for but he read with strange wonder the sublime narrative of creation of the fall of the first of the flood of the confusion of tongues of the call of while he was in the history of the majestic old man and lost in wonder at his holy boldness in and pleading with the lord of all the earth heard his own name and reluctantly obeyed the summons at night before he slept he went through the histories of of jacob and of joseph he never slept till he had finished and then he went to bed with a head almost too full to sleep before he had left his family he had as usual the with his father mother and aunt next morning he was over it occurred to him that he could take his book to the old where had read to him and the associations of that spot were dear and pleasant to him thither he repaired without meeting a living creature and there while a fair page of nature lay open before him unnoticed and he turned the page of revelation suddenly he paused â he had come to chapter xx how is this thought he there is something wrong at last the are given the second is thou shalt not take the name of the lord thy god in vain but here it is set down thou shalt not make unto thee any image nor the â hum â hum ha the third ought to be remember that thou keep holy the here in the corresponding one which is called the fourth is written remember that thou keep holy the sabbath day â hum â hum i la mi la fu la died di e non nd di ci la il e per those waters of spiritual life in which a lamb may and yet an elephant can swim affect different minds in different ways as various as their characteristics

1Charles Darwin

it was the first chapter of st s gospel which so seized on the attention of mr alexander afterwards bishop of that he read on and on till from an incredulous son of he became a believing christian s mind was much less he was no deep but he had an of deception and having accepted the bible for the word of truth on the word of one whom he trusted he no sooner found the between the as they stood in it and as they were taught by his church than the veil was torn from his eyes and he became indignant under the sense of having been the of a from this moment he in reality ceased to be a and though he was a long long way e il died in due il mi e da mi la non la died di il per la di e a â from the whole scope of the book of life he read believing that â within this awful volume lies the mystery of mysteries and happiest he of human race to whom the lord hath given grace to read to learn to mark to pray to force the gate and learn the way having finished the narrative parts it must be owned he slowly and with interest through the portions meanwhile he turned to the thick close covered pages of d s work printed at in le it began sur le les qui p ne les just as it is with us thought un certain d d d et de au de i ou s les des us again muttered i know very well that hovered at one time on the brink of it can only be the bible that has saved him then he read how a vast and proud had weighed down the world how it was by christ who brought the human soul again into contact with the source of truth how the truth was gradually by human inventions and how from small rome at length the of the world it was like seeing the reverse side of the beheld events and historical characters he was acquainted with in a new point of view a new light fell on them and threw all the shadows the other way not being accustomed to tough reading he found it dry work till he reached he was greatly interested in him but le courage h he on till he reached the charming chapter beginning here he found himself in company with the that shook the world he followed little martin into the wood to make up his saw him under the s care heard him at christmas at the door of the benevolent peasant whose rough voice at first frightened him and traced his course till he reached the university then came an absorbing passage one day he entered the university library and turned over one book after another till at length he came to one which caught his attention he had never seen it before he read the title â it was the bible a rare book at that time almost unknown his interest was strongly excited he was astonished to find in this volume a good deal besides the fragments of and read in church on sundays which he had supposed to all the word of god here were whole pages whole chapters whole books of which he had not had an idea just my case thought his heart beat continued the writer he devoured the pages with he happened to have opened on the story of and the little samuel he could hardly contain himself that child whose parents lent him to the lord all the days of his life the song of wherein she proclaimed that the lord had exalted the lowly and meek the little child growing up in the immediate presence of the eternal â every word filled him with an emotion he had never felt before oh exclaimed he if this book were but mine and so he read it and re read it then read how the young man fell sick but struggled through his sickness how he took his degree how his friend was how he asked himself what would become of me if i were thus suddenly snatched from this life and how his soul was troubled he saw him trying to this trouble by entering the but no it would not do n there was a chained bible in the and to this martin resorted again and again to s the neglect of his prayers they should have been offered before he began to read but they need not have been long ones he tried to their number at the expense of sleep for seven weeks he scarcely slept he his appetite himself to dry bread and a but it would not do he felt he could not work out his own salvation and he knew not who could and would read with great how the poor was found lying senseless in his cell by certain and how the young boys by their sweet voices roused him to life and tears then the humane general of the when he came on his rounds noted the unhappy young man aod to his mind why these sad thoughts v said he instead of your body for your sins fling yourself into the very arms of confide in him in the beauty of his life in the of his death do not fear god has not lost sight it is you who have lost sight of him r and he went on to explain to him that the love of god was more than all and sacrifices the scales fell from s eyes but oh said he groaning i am such a sinner such a sinner well said cheerfully would you be a make believe sinner and have a make believe v it does us good to recall these things though

1Charles Darwin

we know them so well already but to they were quite new and with ever increasing interest he followed through his career with him step by step he received a letter from one from the journey and voyage had been effected in safety his kind companions had frankly offered him a home as long as he needed one but he would not them with his support they gave him letters to their english friends among whom he hoped to find employment of some sort and he begged to write to him as soon as he could send him his address he longed to know how his mother was and only regretted her age and kept her in italy he could never discharge his obligations to and and now he incurred one more in committing his mother to their charge he thanked for providing him with linen and a small supply of money he regretted to say he must borrow some of to carry him to england but he trusted by and industry soon to repay them both and he hoped had found his proffered gift and accepted it ti i ed s heart ached at having to tell him of s death certainly it was what is commonly called a happy release but she had undoubtedly been frightened and worried out of her life s first letter was followed by a second giving his address in some street in the were in england but not in london so his letter to them was of no use he had put down his name at s among a host of others as a teacher of italian a young lady happened to apply the same day for an italian master on reading over the list she thought was the prettiest name and for no better reason her choice fell on him she proves a most delightful pupil he wrote and her mother treats me as a son the young lady her name is is training herself for a as her father died and unexpectedly left them in circumstances she is m every branch of education but italian i think myself happy to be her sometimes they invite me to tea on one occasion a friend of theirs gave me an opera ticket of course i enjoyed the treat immensely and who do you think sat next me and me in italian the man whom you knew as how sad his history is he is writing it now undertook the unwelcome task of him with his mother s death but before his letter could reach him wrote again after he described his impressions of england and the english but of course he chiefly judged by the surface for he seemed to have got into a little cluster of of all shades of but yet he struggled to see with his own eyes not theirs and to draw his own the english expect this war to be over before winter k he said there has been a report of the fall of alas the report was false and the were to spend that terrible winter in the also he said is clever but i him i never feel quite sure of his truth of his misfortunes there can be no doubt poor fellow he is now about the country was deeply affected by the news of his mother s death and considered himself the cause of it his letters became strongly with religious feeling which he frankly owned was by and her mother he even expressed a wish to enter the church and thus the winter passed on chapter xiii jt will be remembered that during the war an italian was formed with a view of being either sent to the or to some of queen victoria s to relieve our regular troops paid have a hateful name and have too often earned it by hateful conduct but this was formed of the most orderly well behaved men imaginable victor who already had an eye to the of italy thought himself happy in having this opportunity of giving some of his troops a taste of foreign service side by side with the tried of england and france and now a well trained soldier rejoiced when it fell to his lot to exchange the monotony of at home for the field abroad it was in the lovely month of may that the reached the and came to the assistance of the worn wearied fresh as healthy cheerful and neatly in grey their appearance was very much admired by the english who gave them a cordial welcome the fighting season was now coming on and the army was so much increased by that it was thought necessary to extend its position on the th therefore french lo xx and marched towards the the falling back as they advanced without offering any opposition the space occupied by the was thus nearly doubled and a plentiful supply of water secured the plains around them were covered with luxuriant and flowers in some spots were so covered with purple red and yellow blossoms as to look like liked his position very well though occasionally he was a prey to strange for home amid the on duty during the night watches his thoughts would dwell with a mixture of luxury and pain on amid scenes which owed all their colouring to fancy and would turn with much greater certainty of truth to at the daily round and common task â feeding chickens and weaving cloth drawing water with the blind grandmother and her never far off he knew what bis father and brothers were doing in the fields wondered if his father had quite forgiven him and his brothers ceased to whether his grandmother and sister frequently talked and thought of him at such an hour they were dining at such an hour repeating the at such an hour sleeping or lying awake as the case may be thought he received

1Charles Darwin

a letter from who wrote to him by her secretary about once a quarter and the old felt more interest in her genuine affection than in the love letters it was usually his lot to pen we pray for you daily she said and we pray for a speedy and righteous peace father keeps on well but seems tired at times you know he is always very silent your star ling and you sometimes for me i think of you always â always expected soon to know what warfare really was and wondered how he should feel in the midst of a battle he looked with interest and curiosity at the shattered of soldiers he sometimes saw who had borne the of the campaign and regretted that they could not speak a mutual language seemed the only italian word they had at command occasionally he strayed towards the village of with its tower rising amid a grove of trees and now and then a stray shot from the lounging about it warned him that he was getting too near them one fine spring evening an english officer proceeded to pay a visit of curiosity and inspection to the camp on his way thither one of the on of the allied armies approached and offered to sell him a rare bargain that the had left behind them what was it a piano the officer laughed and shook his head it was rather too large to be put into a presently another camp offered him another treasure â an old post chaise well thought he if any one has a mind for the piano here is a post chaise to put it in the drum had beaten to quarters ere he reached the camp where a singular scene presented itself strolling through it with apparent carelessness yet with a quick eye that continually glanced into the soldiers huts he beheld a sight which he thought he should never forget three or four lighted candles in almost every hut rendered their plainly visible and he saw circles of soldiers in various easy listening attentively to one of the party who read aloud he beheld groups thus occupied again and again approaching near enough to distinguish the nature of the book that thus interested them he found it to be the new testament it looks like a church said a young to him as he turned away deeply moved at the sight i assure you it generally occurs every night and the camp at this hour is peculiarly still it fills me with surprise and said the officer who would ever have thought to see a whole of occupied in reading the word of life too of all others approaching a young man stretched at full length and lying almost on his chest with his head supported by his hands and his elbows resting on the ground apparently in his book the officer him in italian and said thou what thou â for it was he â started violently and looking up at him with his bright honest eyes answered almost in the words of scripture how can i except some one teach me you must pray said the officer kindly you must pray for grace and light no one can read in the dark we read god s word in the dark till the holy spirit sheds its light on the page that holy spirit is given to them that ask for it ask for it in the name of christ and it will be given you will you v yes sir here the officer either turned shy or got to the end of his italian for he turned suddenly away looked wistfully after him i wish he had said a little more thought he for he might have set a poor fellow in the right way yet what he said was very good and i will act ki ft o thy holy spirit to me a poor ignorant sinner and me for thy dear son s sake it was a short prayer and a very good one a few days after the attack on the took place chapter xiv a strong minded lady ne fine day was proceeding to the town when he heard a strange cry of the tone seemed neither masculine nor feminine and when he approached the person who had cried out the question still seemed rather doubtful though he concluded that he saw a lady she was mounted on a very fine horse wore a very habit and collar her hat gloves and whip looked too a dog stood beside the horse and at the of her saddle hung a small basket containing a small the lady looked about thirty years of age but might be more she was tall upright and a good deal i thought you never would hear me said she in english as drew near and then in italian â will you help an female under difficulties in the first place you see i have dropped my whip in the second i want you to direct me to a horse doctor picked up the whip and presented it with a profound bow and then laying his hand gently on the horse s neck said â is this handsome animal in want of a doctor this no but my groom s horse has broken down completely and actually lies on the road helpless shivering and cold as ice about a hundred yards off so i told to stand by him while i rode on in search of help i certainly know of a horse doctor but have no great opinion of him said he bears a very indifferent reputation and probably would make your horse worse instead of better for the sake of a job oh that would never do said the lady come and see him yourself and give me your opinion of him was no great judge but he was curious to see

1Charles Darwin

more of the lady whom he concluded to be english but who did not by any means realize his ideas of an the lady giving her a little with her heel and her rein lightly in advance and could not help admiring her a turn of the road brought them close to the groom and prostrate animal the former of whom immediately began tossing his arms aloft in despair exclaiming â o there is no hope no help for him his leg is broken broken exclaimed miss for such was her name suddenly up this is bad isn t it v said she appealing to he must be shot if she had added and you must shoot him she could scarcely have given him a greater turn he almost expected her to produce a pistol from her and perform the feat herself meanwhile she rode on to the spot and throwing her bridle over the sprang to tiie ground thank you said she as silently stood at the head of her horse and she then proceeded to examine and handle the invalid animal with great care and without any fear why i don t believe his leg is broken you stupid fellow said she his knee is i grant you and i don t believe he would have stumbled if you had not ridden him so badly poor fellow poor fellow poor patting him with great tenderness to s evident satisfaction and then a little to him on which to s surprise and pleasure exerted himself and struggled to his feet trembling all over oh you rogue were you v said miss caressing him no no poor fellow you are really hurt you must lead him gently forwards and then we will see what we can do we are not far from sir are we v her manner had much increased in politeness to whom in fact she had not at first taken for a gentleman o no said you may ride there in ten minutes is there a good inn v i am afraid you may not think it such hum that s for i shall have to wait in it till my brother comes round in his however i am accustomed to it and i have letters of introduction to the and il ah they will do everything in their power then for you be assured they are our two principal men many thanks for your services sir my brother i am sure will be glad to acknowledge them here is his card and bowing to him she rode on the card was with captain j r n and miss was beneath looking over his shoulder perceived the groom close behind him and said you must not walk that horse too fast have you ridden far to day si and he stated the number of miles ha that was a long ride for a lady the lady thinks nothing of distances she has ridden that horse of hers two thousand miles is it possible per she has or at any rate two hundred all the way from have you been long in her service three weeks and have been travelling all that time all that time have you got into any difficulties on the road per we have we were once nearly captured by the ay and how did you get off luckily the did not see us lucky certainly said disappointed of an adventure ah i was frightened i can tell you but the was not frightened she had a pistol and she told me that if we fell in with the and i ran away from her she would shoot me do you think she would have done so v per and what has the lady done v once she a man across the eyes did he cry out r per and resent it y s no a per laughed he thought though the lady had called herself she seemed very little to need protection hospitality is the virtue of o civilized races said by virtue of two letters i was able to travel two weeks and some days without ever except on one occasion seeing the inside of an inn consequently miss no sooner sent her letters to the and than they hastened to lay themselves their houses and all they possessed at her feet and when after a little hesitation presented himself at the he found these two gentlemen descending the stairs miss was seated at the window of the room which had been occupied by the miss it commanded a charming view of the bay and of the open sea beyond she was still in her habit and she sat herself with a large green fan her head uncovered and a face by no means shaded by a profusion of yellow brown hair i am glad of this opportunity of thanking you sir for your kindness on the road said she not only offering her hand but giving his a cordial grasp do you speak english y not a word luckily i am pretty in italian though i my accent is not good these polite of yours the and have been laying everything they possess at my command i can hardly understand such cordiality from perfect strangers though of course it is not meant to be taken literally oh said i can venture to say their good will was not assumed curiosity mingled with their kindness in wishing to see you within their doors our lives are so that any accomplished traveller us amply for the utmost kindness we can have the good fortune to whatever claim i may have said miss to the of an accomplished traveller this is an agreeable characteristic of your nation when i was passing some poor people gathering last autumn they exclaimed have some have some there are plenty for you and for us you seem to have been a great traveller said rather her of late

1Charles Darwin

years i certainly have been but during my early life i had little change so that being now without home ties with ho near relative in fact except my brother i wander hither and thither at will for i am quite old enough now to do anything that is respectable and now she added after a moment s pause l pray tell me something about yourself for i only know what your card tells me â that you are indeed there is little to tell i am merely the son of a country gentleman my life has been a blank but that is your own fault i have no patience with you why is not my life a blank because i don t let it be so i should be covered with blue mould if i contented myself with doing nothing or with doing of my mind would grow quite like an old apple tree besides your life a blank why it has not been a very long one i should not take you to be twenty are you v reluctantly admitted that he was not well who expects or at least has a right to expect their life to be anything but a blank up to that time â in the way of great events that is people do not generally have great offered to them before that age they are not ripe for them but in the way of of â oh our lives may before twenty be anything but a blank you english have such energy said after a pause that s why we go ahead so my father began the world with almost nothing and died an man universally respected in the town in which he lived that would not have been the case if he had allowed his life to be a blank you should extend your views your ideas that is very well for you to say who may over europe at your will i only wish i had the means but without going beyond your own country there is plenty worth seeing within it perhaps you have never been to v to rome v no v i have never been beyond a day s journey from home said a little impatiently i thought so you should visit the different states and capital cities ma come v said with the emphasis of s i have not a horse and groom as you have per then said miss laughing with your on your back as my brother has done who might have a dozen horses and if he chose see how our young englishmen about during the long down icy slopes one another over and too often the of guides in germany what hosts of young students with fair flowing locks troop along on their walking making the air ring with their songs and laughter believe me it is very delightful i can quite believe that said but why should not you also persisted miss as i rode to this place i could not help remarking what a splendid tract of country i was in the through which the road is carried were veins of and not only in chalk but in one another you understand me v not quite said ah you are no the road itself is made and the views both and are particularly fine there is one distinction however between your roads and ours are you up in the subject v not exactly said ah you are no road you however the almost tropical vegetation around you â the rocky paths with and mountain ash from whence you glance down on romantic ruins picturesque cottages and churches of singular architecture all this has so long been familiar to me said that you take no interest in it just so you are no painter i think i may also say no poet s colour deepened at this home question after a moment s silence he said gravely â if neither poet nor painter there is something else beginning with a p i am a ah precisely just what i might have supposed a son of young italy and what are the young sons of italy going to do for their mother v that is a difficult question said i will answer it said miss s they must make themselves men at present they are boys really cried you are very hard upon us look here said miss laughing you and i are nothing to each other our acquaintance commenced may end as quickly as it has begun it is of very little moment to me that during the short time we are together you should think me an odd or even an ill bred woman but if during this short time i by putting things a little strongly make a new and useful impression it may be of real moment to you believe me i quite feel the force of what you say and am grateful to you pray do not spare me well then during the short time i am here come to me as often as you will i may be here to day gone to morrow for my brother is coming in his to pick me up i shall like you to see him he is a capital fellow but he is a sad hand at italian i wish then i could speak english said why should you not learn i will teach you if you like as long as i stay wherever i go i like to leave a mark behind me oh thank you thank you the thing i should like of all others i have a dictionary and a volume of but â is quite too difficult for you learnt english from and the bible you are not said miss what you should begin with should be some nursery which would instantly fix themselves in your mind by their and would teach you the and accent

1Charles Darwin

as well as anything else as for instance said as for instance sat upon a wall which i may by â what shall i say is not the thing â i e r non of course should have been however was immensely at this nonsense and especially at the number of feet in the last line which he said were quite enough for to stand upon and he wanted to know who the king was whether of or or any other and whether did not a bad constitution after a good deal of nonsense and sense had been talked she dictated to him something in english and then when she looked over it exclaimed â oh what a hand is this your best in some confusion replied that he had not known she required his best let me see what your best is then he complied a little annoyed and took much pains ah said she after a pause during which he was very uncomfortable this is much too you know fm speaking as a friend oh do by all means put in well then since you allow me i will say that it is quite remarkable to me how you have in everything even in such a little thing or what you consider such a little thing as handwriting now in my country to write a fine italian hand has become quite a proverb makes his say we think we do know the sweet italian hand and walter scott represents the old ladies of queen elizabeth s time as the delicate italian hand in which the physician used to write his but the writing of you modern is not fine it is it is weak poor and now i tell you honestly that i am accustomed to judge of people s characters by their handwriting and i am seldom deceived i can almost always trace some ana if you care therefore to stand high in my opinion you know the way i shall never let you see my handwriting again said deeply and tearing the paper into little bits on the contrary my friend i hope i shall see a good deal more of it and see it a good deal better and i think i shall see both you are not one to a friend for speaking the truth no certainly nor yet to owe them a grudge i should like to see your writing with all my heart though you have seen it on my card and producing a gold pen from her lady s companion she it to a silver handle saying â bad workmen find fault with their tools but good workmen take care to have tools that don t require to be found fault with i have used this pen of s seven years and never laid out twenty five shillings to more advantage in a bold beautiful hand she wrote â whatsoever ye do do it heartily as unto the lord those words are in the new testament said yes they are have you read it all the better i see we shall be good friends i shall be glad to have you for my friend i will be then if you will be a friend to yourself and not what we english call a i chapter xv the in the ere was another rap on the head of poor the mind to strengthen and while on the glow d the steel yet the youth not feeling its full force went home to his mother and told her that she must absolutely and positively call on a surprising english lady sister of un who had brought letters of introduction to the and was overwhelmed at the idea she rarely stirred out or paid visits but and curiosity won the day and accordingly the old carriage was turned out the creaking wheels the dirty paint washed the eaten the lean long legged long horses were put to it and the in full was handed in by her son after a good deal of rocking and they got fairly to the and who had prepared herself to find the english lady in costly array was not a little disappointed to see her come out of the stable in her habit but miss took an early opportunity of informing her that she made a point of seeing her horse fed for otherwise he would only be filled with hay instead of getting a good feed of corn miss did not at all mind being asked questions and having her habit felt and examined and she promised to return the visit the day meanwhile she asked to lend her a good that she might look out for her brother went in quest of one and returned with a glass he had borrowed of a friend encouraged by his father s example called on miss chiefly by s praises he was therefore much disappointed to find her â at least forty what could there be to admire in a lady of that age and in that hideous cloth garment who looked after her horse and whistled to her dog if such were english ladies wished to see no more of them and pitied s taste when miss rode over to return s visit the old fashioned hospitality of her reception was extreme and were brought out it was a necessity she should taste them and her whip her gloves her habit were emphatically pointed out to who touched and commented on them then sundry pieces of were brought out for her admiration which was especially excited by a cope was working for don she was so sorry miss could not see his robes they were incredible miss after being shown everything in and about the house rode through some lanes she saw across the fields the cottage where s family lived and desirous to compare domestic life in the country mansion with that in the cottage she threw

1Charles Darwin

her rein to her groom alighted and crossed the fields seated at the door with her youngest brother at her knee raised her large liquid eyes and said enter enter dirt and discomfort so evidently reigned within that miss hesitated however dragging up her habit to escape if possible she picked her way into the kitchen saying in a raised voice as if were deaf said looking at her with as much interest as if she were a and she placed a chair the only one for her visitor ah repeated the grandmother whose eyes were as usual turned to the sun is that poor woman blind v cried miss stone blind said the lord has us has he not can nothing be done for her v nothing and can she do nothing v o yes she can spin she and i and that s how we live live you very well i should think your fields are full of crops ah the has half and we are heavily besides yes heavily besides echoed her grandmother what do you on black bread and â sometimes or have some there are plenty no thank you how many of you are there v began to count on her fingers there s â but poor is away he is fighting in the i wish the war were over then there s and and besides father and grandmother and me and do you all sleep in the up that ladder yes grandmother and i have a nice little room â as wide as that stretching out her arms but you have a room beyond this â we make the oil there why do you let the and chickens walk about the house y they do no harm they generally bring do no harm oh well said miss pausing and look ing at the little boy clad only in a little shirt peeping at her from behind his sister you are a pretty little boy said she do you ever wash your hands he looked at her on his hands and wiped them on his shirt you dirty little monkey cried she what should you say if i gave you this v and she held out a small coin he said nothing but stepped forward seized her hand with both his own and gave it a kiss ah said she dirty kisses are of no value to me if you would wash yourself clean i should like them very well did you ever hear my little man of christ v he nodded and pointed to a and child in a ah i see well i will tell you a story about him quite a true story you know we ought to mind whatever he said because he was the son of god who came down from heaven on purpose to save us and teach us and do us good well one day he was going along and he saw a very poor man who was blind like your poor grandmother and had been blind ever since he was born this poor man had never seen the blue sky nor the green grass nor people s faces so had compassion on him and what do you think he said to him he said go wash well the blind man if he had been stupid and might have said that will not cure my blindness but he was not so foolish as that because told him to go and wash he went he went and washed and oh what a surprise he came back seeing now do you go and wash and too v said the does not want washing said miss biting her lip but you do gave her an droll look but the little fellow ran off and presently returned with hands face and hair wringing wet from the spring ah that s a good boy said miss who had meanwhile been speaking kindly to his grandmother now you may kiss my hand and welcome and have the besides and look here i am going to give your sister all these to give one at a time to good boys that wash their faces and hands and giving the grateful girl all the small coin m she had she went away leaving a pleasant impression behind her that girl thought she made a bow that would have a and her head is set on her shoulders like that of a greek goddess but i doubt if those beautiful are more than once a week and at any rate they are with oil the poor old woman is a pitiable object patient but how fearfully ugly that poor old head of hers wants a cap and those dreadful eyes want a shade the boy dirty little fellow is a perfect how one would like to train him during this period became a thorough by no means an unusual or despised character at that day whatever it may be now in miss s company he spent but by no means wasted many a morning to his attentive ear while she swept the horizon with the she would utter her miscellaneous thoughts as thus â your would give me her eyes or even her ear rings i believe if i wanted them the most obliging creature but how dreadful the attendance at your it quite me when a man walks into my bedroom to bring me a of hot water i have now induced to take that office on herself and bring me my morning cup of coffee which i think she likes because it gives her the opportunity on one pretence or another of looking over all my things james will not be content with a cup of coffee in bed he will expect a regularly laid breakfast what water powers are wasted in this neighbourhood if a remark is made on it the answer always is non ck and so you neglect the means of making

1Charles Darwin

money it is only when nature is a harsh to her children that she has good sons then again your police your by the way you have a prison here i should like to see it have you ever been into it v yes said but i don t think it would repay your trouble it â repay my trouble the worse it is the more it needs to be seen let us go there directly reluctantly complied you will only find a few there said he and a poor wretch who has sold and denied the conception to the prison they went where the usual application admitted them the a who had served under the first napoleon was evidently pleased as well as surprised at the sight of a lady he easily allowed himself to be drawn out both with regard to his own and to those of his charges these latter were according to him unfortunate rather than deeply guilty though every one of them except had committed highway robbery with violence and one of them was quite a notorious character this worthy who gave himself the airs of a chief even in prison was very engaged in knitting a waistcoat while his companions were playing at pitch and toss and one of them was through the grate with a pretty girl who had brought him and cigars the as keeper of this human stirred up the principal wild beast and invited him to show his teeth and claws to which he willingly in fact this s mind was so that he was evidently conceited on the subject of his and he added a or two here and there like a little to season the dish miss heard him with a look that would have him if anything could turning from him with disgust she i i begged the to let her see the poor this he was very reluctant to do however pure carried the day and they were admitted into the cell poor was brought very low his protracted confinement had made him as weak as a child and when he was spoken to in the accents of friendship and compassion he wept damp and foul air and low diet had made him subject to which him exceedingly he had at this moment a one on his neck which threatened miss offered to lance it for him and producing her calmly did so and then the wound with her handkerchief o the relief he was sick and in prison and she came unto him tears sprang into s eyes as he saw her perform this act of mercy and he thought he could have kissed her hand as fervently as did she patted the poor man on the shoulder spoke to him in his own language promised to make his case known and bade him hope his wrongs should be and his ended she spoke of the signs of the times which she said that great changes were at hand and she told him that in her own free happy country where the bible was the household more than one gifted preacher and scholar believed that the end of all things was close upon us even at the very doors and then said she our light will seem to have been but for a moment she took leave of him and shook hands with all the energy of her character which i have never attempted to as feminine and then turning to the strongly urged him to let the prisoner have better food she left the prison with the belief whether well founded or otherwise that this desire would be obeyed when described this prison scene to he reluctantly admitted it was fine and almost placed miss on a level with the heroine of but he that the act of mercy should have been performed by a lady so destitute of grace and softness who rode a horse as if she had but one leg protested that he had become quite a convert to her way of riding and thought it not only more graceful but more modest than riding cross legged on which said with a shrug if you will say that you will say anything as for and her sister they praise on the and only wished it had been on a more worthy subject than a wretched did you really and seriously said in their next conversation all you said to about the signs of the times well said miss one colours a little highly when one is moved and when one wishes to console but i really think that affairs have become so bad in italy that they mend but about the end of the world about the end of the world i can say nothing we are told that even the angels in heaven know not the day but yet our lord has told us to watch for the signs of its approach and has told us what they will be and many of those signs are to be seen around us i can only say that if i know myself i shall be glad come when it will glad repeated astonished yes said she calmly and looking earnestly at a thunder cloud on the horizon if that cloud were to part and suddenly disclose the lord coming with his saints it would give me a great thrill but i know i should be glad your courage must be immense said â why so i am only sincere i know that i am a great sinner and have a sense of it but i know that he has undertaken to bear my sins if i will cast them on him and that i do and this naturally producing gratitude and affection how can i but be glad to see him face to face yes but the terrors of the lord are appalling to flesh and blood well unquestionably they must be

1Charles Darwin

to those who feeling at enmity with him call on the rocks to cover them but do you know i believe the sense of love will ever in those who feel it over the sense of power and that if i felt a bond of union existing between us i should strain my eyes towards him rather than turn them away even though she added in a low voice they were by excess of brightness a long pause followed meanwhile the sky cleared i shall look out again for james said she presently he and i are all the world to one another now and though i have no fears for myself i sometimes have for him i should think he had come to harm if he were not the most in the world by the bye we were talking of signs of the times do you know that coloured clouds of smoke last year v she added smiling not indeed green red and white but black yellow and white ah black and yellow are the colours said i m afraid is still in the interest there s the exclaimed miss standing right into the bay you can t see her without the glass â here it is she seemed to rise suddenly from the sea i see a white speck said but are you sure it is the v o yes i know the cut of her which by the bye is too large i own i am glad to see her in safety for i am always expecting her to go over but this bay is as quiet as a lake not always though said you forget the and the perhaps i should not think much of either said miss her look out whether you creep close hauled under the land or stand boldly out to sea there is not much danger here at any time i fancy and then you have no tides and scarcely any currents how slowly the comes in there is hardly air enough to fan her sails even the sailed boats do not their to day it is getting very hot said yes and presently we shall no longer be in the shade i shall go in and stir up to make some addition to our dinner james won t thank her for she went in but remained taking a lazy pleasure in watching the little which after all was making very good way miss was in no hurry to him as an occasional glance from the window to show her the s progress but in about three quarters of an hour she came out looking very brisk and began waving her handkerchief â which her brother was now near enough to see at length the little vessel one of the smallest of its kind brought to in deep water though close in shore and while remained where he was miss went to welcome her brother a good tempered looking man of forty who stepped out shook hands with her and kissed her they proceeded at once towards the inn talking gaily and rapidly and apparently over looking but miss stopping short beckoned to him and presented him to her brother polite words were exchanged and then turning shy bowed low and said he would remove from them the inconvenience of his presence mind you come again soon then cried miss as he rapidly walked off who is that young spark v said the captain oh a very nice lad son of a country gentleman in the neighbourhood the family name is he was very civil to me the first day i came here and has helped to the time since while i have been waiting for you you fellow and the had captain laughed and said you might as well expect a duck to founder she is and winged what do you think i ve been about i ve run all round then stood out for passed through the straits of and saw the group then we got into a little basin which seemed to have no outlet then we touched at la and off a little island in its vicinity there was a tall powerful man fishing the fellow i have on board told me it was general really well i should have liked to see him you know he is a remarkable man o yes distinguished himself in and also in south america well we next had a good run along how i should have liked to be with you why i wanted you to you said you preferred riding so i did and i liked it very much get into any trouble y no once a man sprang from a hedge and â laid his hand on my bridle but i him across the eyes and rode on well done oh it s no good being too particular here he might have had comrades behind the hedge with fire arms for anything i know the whole country seems and troubled beneath the surface that youth you saw just now is full of high aspirations but as simple as a baby i have been trying to spirit him up a little to make a man of himself suppose we take him a v chapter xvi a little sail ell said captain next morning at breakfast shall we have a little sail hum â i think not it is blowing rather too fresh you re afraid of being no afraid of being drowned well i think the a little thing i always told you so you told me yesterday evening that the sea here was always as smooth as glass it has been so ever since i was here nevertheless poor was lost on this coast don t call him poor â fellow i all the less fit to die certainly but i think your pity may be better bestowed says there are very ugly here sometimes i thought you were

1Charles Darwin

going to teach courage v oh well â one can but die once and it will be in good company ril engage to bring you home to dinner i ve had points put into my sails on purpose to please you it was impossible to resist this proof of consideration so miss consented to the sail without another word of objection just as she had tied her veil under her chin to prevent its blowing away came in well said he smiling is there any wind to day not a sail in sight you are not going out i suppose indeed we are said miss and want you to go with us thought it would not do to show less courage than a lady so he you are not going to take hero said he she is not a water dog n hero won t stay behind i believe said miss perhaps she may prove a though the depth of the water enabled tne to lie close in shore it about so that it was no easy matter to step into it this being accomplished however the anchor was heaved and she over well to the wind a good deal more than liked but obeying the nicely this vessel is rather small said he small that s the beauty of it said the owner you would not have a pleasure as large as a three i suppose v i think said doubtfully instead of the it should be called the coffin this harmless captain though the next instant he called out sternly sir james you need not have had the large said miss the small one would have been quite enough you think it looks too much like a i suppose said he laughing oh we shan t come to grief this time we have not taken in one drop of water haven t we said miss as a large wave broke over hen i am wet through now at any rate how very it was of hero said to leave her fm sure she it what are you going to do with that said her brother i know somebody that would be glad of it here comes another said miss who is the somebody some professional arrangements and another postponed the answer perhaps the somebody is yourself no it isn t it sâ here they hold on said the captain what s your name keep clear of the hang that dog she ll bother you d better swim ashore i m coming round to you never mind me said miss but whistle to hero for she has scrambled up on my shoulder and keeps my back with her tail don t come round james of course i shall though said he and what do you call yourself you had better come too because we shall then have the boat to of us at present it presses against us don t you see but when we get round it will be a support yes it really will said miss i feel no fatigue whatever in my present position and could hold on for hours luckily said a boat is putting off from shore and the men are with all their might how do you like being drowned y said the captain you know st paul was a day and a night in the deep agreeable company makes anything pleasant said well here comes the boat said miss and i m not sorry for it when they had with some difficulty been picked up could not help saying â did you know we should not drown v o no said miss but i thought it and there was no good in making a disturbance i am quite determined however not to go out in that again even if it is re covered and so they all got home when re n the adventure to he added that he had never known such coolness cool repeated cool enough i should fancy in the water all that time with the driving at the of your neck i advise you to hang up your cap as a offering in the chapel though he still affected to dislike miss thought almost as much about her as his friend did and daily looked to for the recital of some new thing at length he began to join the little party in a shy reluctant sort of way though the reluctance was not as genuine as the shyness as for the it was sent round to in a very condition to be and ultimately was sold to some man who gave what the owner called a mere song for it let us hope that he did not pay too dearly for whistle even at that rate miss decided to ride with her brother along the coast to and they asked to accompany them and spend a week or two there delighted plied his father so hard with entreaties to let him go that though unable to see the least necessity for this extraordinary indulgence yielded his consent and a small sum of money for necessary expenses he borrowed a lean long legged horse which he persuaded himself was rather a handsome animal and having made a surveyed himself in an old pier glass and decided that to use the imperial expression his general make up was choice all the household assembled in the to see him off as well satisfied with his appearance as the of s family with that of moses starting for the fair arrived at the he was joined by who came to witness the departure with interest and perhaps a little envy had often contemplated the way in which miss stepped on her groom s hand and was on her saddle in a moment and being desirous to have a better understanding of the process which seemed very easy he politely stepped forward and begged to have the pleasure of mounting her she

1Charles Darwin

smiled and told him to lock his hands together and raise them when she stepped on them she laid her hand on his shoulder sprang up and â down she came because of course had opened his hands so she and others laughed and so did he with a little confusion and would have made way for her groom no no try again try twenty times rather than give up so he triumphantly succeeded in the eyes of a little knot of including a couple of priests who were highly entertained s mother too was there she had been to miss who had been friendly and to her and she had been the first to see that the had and had roused the to put off now said miss as they quitted don t your tion on your horse s ears which he is accustomed to take care of for himself but look about you observe everything admire what is admirable and notice and consider how they might be some of these days per you may help to remedy them let me hear plenty of sensible and ingenious remarks and don t mind asking questions my first sensible and ingenious remark is said that it was very lucky your groom broke his horse s knees when he did or i should â never have known you get out of the way of lit is very see how beautiful this range of mountains is and yet they are quite bare their beauty consists in their broken and endless varieties of colour with the foliage at their base we do not see and growing in the open air in our country this place might be made a paradise but those poor huts without window or chimney are unfit for human dwellings there are little windows near the roof said they are small to the glare of light and high up for safety hark there s a rifle shot said captain are we going to fall in with v it is a de said see there is a wedding party up yonder coming down from that little chapel it was a pretty sight and by frequent irregular of fire arms which made s horse turn round like a for miles along the bay they pursued a perfectly level road with cliffs of marble and slate descending to the water s edge new beauties were disclosed at every turn and learned to look at things with his friends eyes or sometimes accounted simply for something they drew wrong from the day s journey was delightful and they put up at a clean comfortable hotel where to s surprise he found they were to spend sunday â with us said miss the sabbath is a day of rest not a day of amusement with you there are those among us certainly who at the light yoke but and outwardly we are a sabbath keeping people and i believe god s blessing will rest on us as long as we keep holy the sabbath day â it proved a delightful sunday to in the morning he went to church and during the rest of the day they had of interesting and animated conversation sweet was his sleep f that night and pleasant his waking after an early breakfast they were again on their way and observed that their horses seemed the better for their day s rest the road soon be came very steep and as they ascended higher and higher the bay seemed to sink lower and lower beneath them from san the road began to descend and at miss made her companions observe the in the chalk and the veins of and this led to much talk between her brother and herself on of which knew nothing and as they rode on she told him something of the various theories of our modern they passed the third night at the next day s journey was a succession of delights and towards sunset they reached the superb bathed in a flood of golden light and now to s bewilderment they were mixed up with carts and post carriages all in a of dust he caught glimpses here and there under sombre of giant stairs with stone lions rushing down to guard them fountains sparkling in courts and statues lying among rank grass and he thought of the and and and they went to the di a respectable hotel commanding a fine view of the port and were in time for the table d the conversation was more mixed than was accustomed to and entertained him accordingly to the annoyance however of miss and the grave surprise and subsequent amusement of there was an english party of the name of and a strong minded female of the name of who talked so loudly such strange opinions and behaved with so little attention to the usual of polite society that they made themselves i and when afterwards whether those were specimens of good english society miss replied indignantly â r not at all such people as those have no place in good english society and do their country serious evil by their conduct they cannot force their way at home but they think they may do so abroad by their money and do not see that they are both and the and party henceforth became the objects of miss extreme aversion j the more so that in miss she now and then detected an exaggerated illustration of her points so far then miss was though a and being very of good cheer an example ol what to eat drink and avoid the first day was devoted to sight seeing the had long been a dream of imagined delight to miss and now she found hei day dream surpassed she drew s tion to the architecture of its palaces where everything is grand noble and full of effect nothing poor or introduced for mere show then they went

1Charles Darwin

to see the pictures at the where the and party were before them and where miss made a direct attack on by up to him and saying in a loud hard voice â can you tell me the subject of that great ugly picture put on a look of not her with a distant bow on which she looked hard at him and then walked off saying â ho i thought i heard you speak english at dinner yesterday but to day you don t understand it day after day there were churches palaces picture galleries benevolent institutions and curiosity shops to be visited and they continually found themselves crossing the path of the land party mr the father seemed a good tempered sort of man on whom his had little mercy dragging him from place to place whether tired or not miss said they quite weighed upon her mind she was so sorry for the impression they would make all through the country they soon passed onward and then she recovered herself after receiving a lesson occasionally they went in the evening to the the at which appeared excellent to though they were by no means in enjoyment of high public favour on other occasions they spent the evening at the villa of mrs winter an invalid english lady of refined and manners on sunday morning went to the cathedral in the evening miss said â come with me i want to take you somewhere willingly said but whither to hear who is he v originally he was a but in early life he was by politics later in life he learned the truth as it is in our bible and became a preacher he is eloquent zealous and well in the i heard him preach this morning and think he may become a useful man â if he is not imprisoned like poor they entered the door of a quiet looking house in a quiet looking street and entered a large room which had made in the walls of another so that might be heard in both fifty or sixty persons of the middle class were collected with in their hands and when the service began a good looking major took a prominent part in it who was seated at a small table gave out a chapter and reverently read the first verse each person present read a verse in turn miss and among the rest though the colour of the latter deepened and his voice was not very audible the chapter was then familiarly explained and questions were asked of one and another and answered with simplicity and precision a brief prayer followed and then a hymn was well sung with true italian then there was another prayer during the first they had stood and now they knelt then they sang again and dismissed them with a simple blessing as i sat there wrote a feeling witness of one f these meetings watching the countenances of these poor when i recollected that no secondary or inferior motive could have influenced them in becoming that nobody there had money to give or influence to exercise on their behalf that their only gain would be and had been suffering and scorn â when i say i thought on these things and then observed the and seriousness of their aspect the growing intelligence that was in some instances obviously struggling with and the and stupidity of years â the mingled expression of weakness and decision of self respect and humility which marked the countenances of others â and above all the tranquil happiness at once cheerful and serene which the entire assembly i could not but feel that a sight like this was worth a volume of evidences to the truth of christianity it not only the intellect it puts to shame the of the heart chapter xvii exile hen was preparing to return home he was not a little astounded to learn from his father that certain discoveries at rendered his return there and that he had better remain t where he was he hastened in the greatest to tell miss this is a pretty business said she you s are evidently suspected â though of what â oh there is plenty to suspect me of if they do but know it said and he went on to tell her of s escape and of his acting as a guide to nay here is enough and to spare to any well behaved young gentleman said o miss and when we add bible visiting prisoners with english and attending prayer meetings the wonder ceases but what am i to do then said am i to be banished for ever from my parents and my home â for ever is a long word and i don t think the present state of things can last for ever for the present all you have to do is to be patient and wait it s all very well to say be patient and wait said but how am i to live a man may wait for his daily bread twenty four hours but he cannot wait a year most true you sage have you not a sister at or or some of those places yes cried i had better write to or rather to and they will advise me but unfortunately they are by no means rich and i would not be a on them i should think very poorly of you if you consented to be one said miss they may offer you a home perhaps but you must do something for your own maintenance there is no disgrace in that quite the reverse no i don t think there is any disgrace in it but â in fact what can i do ah my friend that is a question too many of you young may ask for my own part i should be ashamed to be unable to answer it for

1Charles Darwin

myself if i were to be to morrow there are several ways in which i could earn money how v i might write a book or copy a picture or teach music or my own language or french and italian or be a daily or resident or teacher or or be a nursing sister or keep a fancy shop or a boarding e or â many other things you have so many resources one efficient resource is enough i heard our say the other day that he wanted an italian who knew something of english could write a good hand â â do think you well you have very much improved perhaps you might pass muster o dear miss will you try to get this situation for me v i will or rather you must try to get it for yourself you shall bear a letter of recommendation from me the is my friend and knows i do not lightly use my interest i think he will engage you if he can in a very state of mind the application and was successful it was an immense relief to him for he had felt himself utterly at a loss with only a few pieces of money in his pocket and here he was supplied with em and he did not know what desk work was it would probably enough to him but he had always to public business and that included plenty of office so here was an opportunity of trying how he liked it miss kept him well up to the mark during the remainder of her stay in you know said she that they who in must accept the consequences i call yours very innocent plots they were not to destroy lives but to save them still you were â acting contrary to the law under which you lived knowing the risk and now you have incurred the consequences be thankful you are at large instead of being shut up as was yea indeed but what a difference it made to feel that he could not go home a little while ago and the grievance was that he must go home soon and return to his old monotonous life but directly he found it he was filled with a great longing for the old home and the dear old faces he wrote to and and also to his parents but the worst of it was that he did not know whether the latter would ever get his letter however time would show meanwhile captain and miss returned to england and thus he was left without his best and most efficient friend however miss him up to the last for she sincerely pitied him and had conceived for him something of the interest which an affectionate aunt takes in a promising nephew if she had done something towards making him more and manly he had really softened her manner for she knew her weak points and could o io guard them she and captain were sorry that they should have been the instruments of s exile by their well intended invitation however events might all work together for good yet and so they returned to england chapter xviii the italian s life had not been since the expedition to the the italian being still in queen victoria s pay was distributed at the conclusion of the war among in different parts of england s corps went to a town in and though a put a notice in his window on many of them could only speak italian and felt lonely and strange a lady meeting a member of the bible society committee heard with much concern that a poor italian soldier had just died in the without being able to derive any religious benefit from two who had visited him because neither of them could speak his language surely said she you might at least give the other soldiers italian they could then read the word of god for themselves in consequence of this suggestion two gentlemen of the committee waited on the colonel of the regiment who was engaged the major however received them very politely and finding they wished for leave to present each soldier with a testament he replied â you must be aware gentlemen that the british government is very careful lest a system of should be brought to bear upon the foreigners in her majesty s service however do not ask my permission the is always open use your discretion on this hint the gentlemen procured a grant of three hundred italian and then took counsel together how they should them they had no great inclination to present themselves in the square and finally they decided to place the copies with a friendly who professed himself ready to take any amount of trouble in the distribution as he could speak french the soldiers were in the habit of making small purchases of him in order to have a little chat now it so happened that the first italian who came into his shop was who had been the friend and comrade of the soldier just dead had lost his testament he knew not how or when but some of its had fixed themselves in his memory while therefore he to poor s wants with the utmost kindness he would now and then offer some such consolation as let not your heart be troubled in my father s house there are many come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and i will give you rest that is heavenly said where did you get it v in la said did not you have one in the no i cannot read say those beautiful words again did so till knew them by heart and just before his last sigh when said let not your heart be troubled he responded i will give you rest and smiled as he closed his eyes on this

1Charles Darwin

world for ever was overwhelmed with melancholy for friendship had made some amends to his heart for his disappointment in love and now he felt quite alone in the world to the who had occasionally spoken kindly to him he was surprised and delighted at his holding out to him an italian testament and asking whether he would like to have it at first he could only seize it with joy exclaiming but his countenance quickly fell and thrusting his hand into his pocket he pulled it out empty and extended his open palm to the shaking his head as much as to say i have no money the assured him with a smile that the pile of on the counter had been given him to without money and without price on this clasped the little volume to his heart overwhelmed him with thanks and hurried back to the to spread the glad tidings bursting in among a group of his comrades he exclaimed with the greatest animation â see see this delightful book has been given to me it is the new testament of our lord christ and you may have copies too if you like run i advise you and get it while it is to be had away they ran and for three days the s shop was literally often as many as eighteen or twenty being in it at a time reaching out their hands to receive it and crying out â i t the were in what all this excitement about the book which many of themselves never cared to look into but on sundays and then secretly found stale flat and others who knew and felt the precious volume s worth glowed with pleasure at the reception it met with from these simple soldiers the good fellows overwhelmed the with thanks some of them exclaimed i r â others clasped their treasure to their hearts others kissed it in less than three days two hundred copies were distributed the excitement spread to the officers several of whom applied for copies many asked for the old testament also that they might possess the complete every man signed his name on receiving a copy well what was the effect of all this t it is not fiction i am writing words of truth and some of them exclaimed we will be roman no longer many went to our churches and and conducted themselves with propriety and reverence and another young soldier named went to afternoon service at a pretty country church about three miles from the town a gentleman who was one of the congregation noticed their serious and as they left the church spoke to them and invited them to drink tea at his house he sent for an italian in his employ to bear them company so â that they had the pleasure of free of ideas with a fellow and their conversation taking a serious turn he read to them and commented on several chapters of the new testament surely we may say â now this was converse such as it men to have held and god to have approved but this was not all one evening and called on one of the resident of the town he was from home but his little daughter who had run to the door expecting to open it to her father met them with the glad look of her bright blue eyes which was meant for him the next moment she turned shy but when they inquired whether they could see the minister she french enough to tell them that mon papa pas â they thanked her and withdrew when they called again the clergyman was at home and they were at once admitted into his study they wished to be admitted into the english church by he told them it was a step he could not take a long and very interesting conference ensued they were evidently simple men full of faith and humility and quite the leading articles of the christian faith several followed to their great and benefit and the clergyman became so well convinced of their sincerity that he felt constrained to administer to them the holy they so much on the following sunday afternoon therefore while some of the congregation yet lingered he received and his friend at the their unaffected solemnity had something very touching in it but to none more so than to a very lovely girl plainly yet dressed in black silk with a white straw bonnet who almost at the beginning of the service had recognised and had been watching him ever since in an english church and joining with such evident devotion in the service could hardly believe it her colour went and came and she found it impossible to think of anything else her prayers then had been answered they were both of one mind was this to be only a transient glimpse of him would he leave the church without knowing she was in it she hoped not she could not bear it she lingered behind as the congregation dispersed hoping that as he passed out their eyes would meet but he strangely remained he and his companion kept their seats till the clergyman in his white robes proceeded to the and beckoned them to it when became aware all at once of what was going to take place her heart swelled her eyes were full of tears and she pressed her hands tightly together the service over she lingered in the doorway passed out in following glanced at her in some surprise then gave a great start i o o how glad i am â and i â oh this is the sweetest moment of my life this is the crown of my happiness and there they stood murmuring broken words of and affection clasping each other s hands and unconscious that miss stood by a spectator having heard something of from s

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confidences she comprehended the situation come home with if you will said she kindly and spend the evening at our house it must be very pleasant for friends so long to meet and under such touching circumstances coloured to his temples and at once by the of the lady saluted her with the greatest respect and after a hasty explanation to who was wondering what had become of him he attended home both of them as grave and silent as judges but happy the kind explained in few words spoken aside to the housekeeper how she would have a young soldier added to her and the good lady though surprised did not look by any means displeased at the intelligence as for george he happened to be taking his holiday with his family so that there was no to the pleasure of the little party and when the housekeeper after tea settled herself in her high backed chair to invite a little repose with her hands placidly folded on her lap there was no bar to s pouring out his whole heart to in the deepening twilight he had already given her the little history of his life since their last meeting and now that she knew all about the past there was nothing to do but enjoy the present and look forward to the future it was no use asking her to marry him now â he and his comrades were on the point of leaving england but they would plight their faith to one another they would be patient and wait they would be punctual and never lose sight of the hope of marrying some future day s had made him so much more manly and self that who had formerly considered him rather boyish and very rustic was greatly impressed and the testimony he had just borne to his steady lively faith in christ as his only was sufficient assurance of his christian belief and so after two or three more delicious with her left the town with his comrades many pleasing circumstances connected with them caused them to leave a good name behind their conduct had been not one of them had been guilty of a as they passed the shop of their friend the many of them ran in to say adieu adieu and the officers saluted him by waving their swords chapter xix a plot and its punishment a da se the time had not come yet however and meanwhile italy wanted a good deal of help besides her own up to the late revolution the story of italy is the that ever was because there is so much sin in it there was a noble country with a nobly endowed race and the fragments of some noble old institutions but the people themselves had become they were over ridden by and by a corrupt the whole head was sick and the whole heart faint but italy was weeping for her sins and her woes there is no country so easy to we have our with her heroic matron mien seated queen like grasping her and shield what shield the word of god â looking but pitying at that beautiful chained woman stained with tears who says is it nothing to you who pass by and we were always passing by â running over the in the length and breadth of it admiring its art mocking its religious it it doing everything but helping it or if we tried to help it was in an way â offered tracts perhaps where they were sure to bring others and maybe ourselves into difficulties even miss with the kindest intentions took on a pleasure trip which ended in exile the next two years were of great importance in the formation of his character his religious growth for a time fell back he formed with some young who did him no good his appointment however ended sooner than he expected because he proved unequal to it this him but was of real use in making him sensible of his then he paid a lengthened visit to and then his brother in law by dint of great trouble got him employment in a public office at and here found himself among thoughtful men older than himself who were full of living interest in the progress of events and prepared to act steadily whatever might happen they were above all intelligent admirers of d the fragrance of whose pure life was it reached regularly with whose freedom of tone tempered with moderation was very to him he saw things from a distance in an european point of view and was with the opinions of sensible englishmen he was engaged to marry as soon as he could maintain a wife meantime she had gone into a nobleman s family and was satisfied to toil and to wait and that is what we must all do pursued i wish were more disposed to do so he is in paris now on some restless mysterious errand it is plain to me that his whole life has been a sacrifice on the altar of his country many of his thoughts are original exalted and seemingly prophetic but what painfully strikes me is the involuntary he has contracted under the tyranny of his foes to use a line of s â his spirit is subdued to what it works in the fine sense of truth is to deceive to to seem to him means for a desirable end he calmly relates how he has had recourse to these means to his foes to corrupt their agents to escape from their now a man s integrity under such circumstances cannot escape damage he is no longer a good citizen or a safe friend you may pity him but you cannot trust him it is curious to see how completely blind he is to what he has become he takes a very high tone and speaks

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of his own character and principles with dignity well i am greatly mistaken if he be not a he is in no want of money there is a frenchman with whom he is very intimate and whence they derive their supplies i know not but between them they are certainly well off a poor of ours named who married an english girl of eighteen by whom he has one child was lately in deep distress i helped him a little now and then and one day having rather more money in hand than usual i went to his lodgings with the intention of offering him some relief the young wife who had her infant in her arms thanked me very much but told me that a few p days earlier a kind benefactor had stepped in the frenchman who had inquired into their wants and had then given her husband such a sum of money as enabled him to take his clothes out of and supply his family with food it was very good of the gentleman she said but i could not help suspecting that his goodness had some object to gain by it especially when she told me that he and her husband had then had a private interview together the result of which was that the latter was to undertake a journey and she in the meantime was to receive twelve shillings a week so that now we are quite comfortable said she kissing her baby and your husband is still absent do you know where he is gone v he went first to sir and now he is gone to paris well it was no concern of mine and i did not want to make the poor young thing uneasy but somehow i did not think things were going quite right nor do i now this was written towards the close of december about a fortnight afterwards europe rang with the attempt of on the life of the emperor napoleon it had been planned with such utter of the of innocent blood that it excited feelings of horror and terror throughout the civilized world an italian of noble birth a man of superior education and accomplishments of enlarged and generous ideas had early in life himself by his liberal tendencies and had been subjected by the government to a series of and condemned to the without any regular trial he had been attached with a train of common to a chain which from time to time was jerked by their driver he has left his own account of the horrors of the escaping from his foes again and again with ingenuity he at length took refuge in england in england he lived five years protected by the laws and constitution of the country he who is protected by the laws should obey the laws but he was consumed by the desire to free his unhappy his beautiful land and himself on his he looked for its through the french emperor and his burning impatient hopes were disappointed he had not the fortitude to wait he could not believe that louis napoleon could say as charles had done the time is not come he considered him the of italy and by the thought resolved to attempt his life in a way that should be certain and dreadful without caring for its probably the destruction of many other persons this was he whom had known under the name of he took four or five congenial minds into his counsels and among them they devised a deadly instrument the of which when thrown on the ground would cause instant explosion and inflict death or on all within its range six of these engines of destruction were at and conveyed abroad travelled to paris as an englishman under the name of there he was joined by three of his they provided themselves with in case the should fail and to make assurance doubly sure one of them named armed himself with a with which no doubt other means failing to strike the emperor to the heart man god on the th of january the four met at noon and held a secret conference at five o clock three of them dispersed it was generally known that the emperor and would visit the opera that night they were expected to arrive between eight and nine o clock at half past six the four re assembled one of them was seen to carry something obviously very heavy in a pocket handkerchief from that time there is no account of them till just before the emperor s carriage arrived some hundreds of spectators were then assembled something having created suspicion a police officer went to the emperor s private entrance and finding there carried him off to the station house where a a revolver and a were found on him in another quarter of an hour the emperor s carriage arrived and three of the were thrown what was the result they did not injure a hair of the man they were intended to destroy but inflicted five hundred and sixteen wounds on the persons who were about him it would be vain to describe the confusion the terror of the scene himself who stood in the very front was himself struck by one of the fragments and subsequently by his own blood on his track the fifth was found was apprehended in a at his lodgings what must have been the feelings of when he found that his intended victim had escaped while he had brought destruction on himself and his and injured a host of persons who had never offended him death may the chain oppression may cease when we re gone but the the stain die as we may will live on he did die as decent as a death as poor well could did not deal in made his peace to the best of his lights with heaven owned

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that he had against the emperor â that emperor who was as the event proved to be the friend in need of italy after all his death was not as terrible as that which he had intended for the emperor he went to the sadly with a certain sorrowful dignity about him â but the the stain die as he would must live on that is just when we take means to accomplish our ends unhappy mistaken man to bring death and disgrace on himself and others in instead of patiently and awaiting the s knife never yet cut the way to true freedom chapter xx j his attempt was a to he was more appalled by the crime than by the fate of a man whose motives after all sprang from passionate love of his country the result of that love by moral and religious check so shocked him that there was no need any friend should point the moral of the tale and he would gladly have shut out the hearing of the general voice of comment but it was the theme of every newspaper every coffee house every s shop as each has its own and though open to all is practically appropriated to its own set it depended of course on the coffee house being of the black or red party whether you heard a black or red opinion on the subject then again the is a domestic institution and young italy too often turns out to submit himself to the s hands and at the same time hear what news is stirring either from himself or those who are awaiting their turn thus heard many opinions of the conspiracy and he devoured all that related to it in the public prints watched the progress of the trial with painful interest and read the details of the execution with a bleeding heart when wrote to him this deed has your country s freedom he could not it to s letter looked for domestic news and he was not disappointed after giving him sundry home details and alluding to the difficulties he had incurred in consequence of s bible and other books having been found in his room during a visit she went on to say â as for this bible reading you must not grudge the cost my brother if you are unwilling to abandon it you know well how i bore testimony to the change that extraordinary book wrought on and you know how the name of god so lightly used in common exclamation never passes his lips now but in deepest reverence of late he has openly joined the little band of here which so shocked my feelings that i made a point of going to a particular church to offer special prayers that he might not lapse into at length one sunday he so asked me to accompany him that i could not resist pleasing him and at the same time satisfying i was so pleased and impressed by the service that when next day madame asked me why i had not been at church i could not help telling her the reason you never knew anything like her exclamations she declared she should think it her duty to tell the bishop and spoke warmly of the grief my would occasion at home in vain i assured her that had not been from but converted from her and reproaches made me thoroughly wretched and i know not how i should have continued to withstand them had they not been cut short in a very striking and fearful manner you remember m well he was carried off by a few hours sudden and severe illness when i heard of his death the morning after having seen him in perfect health it seemed to me such a warning of the of life and the danger of that i went at once with to his good minister and his prayers that i might be guided into the right path i feel sure that they have been really granted and now i have chosen my lot and if you do the same you must as i say count the cost to me the result has been perfect peace this letter awoke in thoughts and feelings that had long been he did not at this moment possess a bible and knowing how sorry and would be to hear it he resolved to buy one at the first opportunity meanwhile as it was sunday he resolved to attend the service in a beautiful church in the re it had already struck him as an object of curiosity from bearing on its front the inscription stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find rest to your souls my soul wants rest thought he for of late it has been strangely it was yet too early for service but he found a group of soldiers in full uniform stand ing before the door openly about to enter the temple and worship there under the protection of law he looked at them with surprise and interest some of them had a on their breast about the size of a half crown and one of these catching s eye he made a pretext to him by asking how soon the door would open the soldier saluted and said in a few minutes may i ask what you wear v the presented us by her majesty queen victoria indeed cried regarding it with lively interest after one or two questions he concluded by asking his immediately remembered him though he had been unaware of the fact that one of s sons had and the door opening at that moment he entered without exchanging more than a smile with the young man born on his father s estate the service seemed to rather arid after the pomp of

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the yet he was struck by its simplicity and and was interested in the sermon in the course of which the preacher remarked that the first convert to christianity was an italian and dwelt on the special obligation which rested on his hearers to their pure christian doctrine by their lives as quitted the church he was struck by the singular beauty of a young lady who was leaving it she was dressed in deep mourning and wore an expression of to solemnity he followed her some distance down the re but his attention being diverted from her when he looked for her again she was gone it certainly was an unworthy motive which took the following sunday to the temple but though he did not see the fair object of his search he went again and again with the hope of doing so meanwhile what he heard there arrested his attention the habit of prayer revived he bought himself a bible and hymn book and as good habits strengthened and good principles formed the idle motive faded away being obliged to use the economy in his pleasures he often denied himself a dinner in order to go to the theatre as otherwise he had no resource but the coffee house and its newspaper â with the little back room devoted to card playing books he had none at the theatre he looked wistfully at the happy fellows who over fair ladies in the boxes and whispered soft nonsense in their ears had he heard how very and silly the nonsense was he might not perhaps have envied the of such at length he obtained the ee to one or two houses where ladies were at home to their friends on certain evenings but the mistress of the house was generally the only female present and a twentieth share of her attention even if it were equally divided hardly seemed worth seeking having occasion to change his lodgings he sought some that he was directed to by his who said that though they were not in a very quarter they were cheap and respectable he found the owner of the house fish at the door when he her she gave him a pre occupied and glance and said that if the young gentleman would have the goodness to step inside she would attend to him directly stepped into the dark dirty passage whence he could see into a room through the wide open door of which came â of sweet toned laughter standing on the threshold he saw two merry little girls who were playing instead of attending to the before them while a young lady at work was mildly suggesting a little more application whenever they saw him they became mute and perceiving he was stepped out of sight with an bow in that instant however he had seen that the young lady was the same whom he had followed down the re and he immediately felt a strong disposition to engage the lodgings whether they were attractive or not the next minute having her purchase out of sight came to him wiping her hands and begging to know how she could serve him i apartment yes she had an apartment just suited to a single gentleman but yet â not quite so young a gentleman she was afraid â there were obstacles well she did not mind showing him the apartment but she was persuaded it would not suit him however when she took him upstairs and showed him a clean cheerful room with a bed in a recess he told her he liked it extremely and inquired the terms she hesitated seemed but at last named a very moderate sum quite within his means and proceeded to say that is if you are a very quiet gentleman sir and have the fear of god before your eyes for otherwise we are such quiet people so easily put out that i would rather wait a little longer for a smiling he said to her i go to the temple every sunday every of reluctance instantly disappeared oh then said she you are one of the right sort none find it worth while to be regular attendants there who have not found the pearl of great price that is taking a great deal for granted i think said not too much not too much rejoined she where there is nothing to the eye nor bring us into credit with the world nor fill our purse it must be a good motive that takes us there for otherwise there would be none i would fain hope that a good motive takes me there said but you know the heart is above all things when once we do know that we are on our guard against it said she emphatically and i do trust dear young gentleman for your own sake as well as for ours â for mine â that your ways are ways of you speak like the mother of a family a grandmother sir all my children are dead but i have two sweet little living with me mere children they will not you beyond their laughing rather loudly sometimes oh i shall like to hear their laughter said i have heard too little laughter of late years have you other v dr sir at the of the house he prefers being there because of the sky view he is a great star and can tell of wonderful things wonderful i of a star that were it not so far off would give us light sixty times as bright as the sun what a mercy for us sir that it is so far off and yet have we ever thanked god for it v strange things said vaguely oh indeed it does sir and dr sits up nearly all night to study them therefore he sleeps by day the good man and needs that the house should be

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quiet but at times and seasons in cloudy weather for instance he gives himself a little and then the little girls can t make too much noise for him he with them races with them becomes a child himself dr will find me a very quiet neighbour said i shall have no other then v no other sir and i and that is all is one of your little girls v said no sir no daughter but as good as a daughter and it was on her account said and lowering her voice that made me at first hesitate to accept you as because you see you are a fine young gentleman and fine young gentlemen sometimes take things into their head and are not discreet not discreet then bad things happen and sorrow and tears and i would not for worlds have anything to do with young gentlemen because at present my has no ideas â no ideas oh fear not me said seriously i am discreet to the last degree and should never presume to raise any ideas that s how it should be if will but be as q you say for my poor girl â she s almost more to me sir than a daughter â for i feel the charge so responsible her mother was my foster child her father lies in the state prison her friends will do nothing for her unless put her into a but she holds to the belief and would by no means take the veil so you see sir how i am the care of this girl on me and she must be as safe with me as in a and a good deal safer too i hope said once for all have full confidence in me i will not abuse it if you feel you cannot trust me do not have me i can go somewhere else but i do trust you said you have an honest face and i dare say have sisters of your own one very dear sister who is married and a dear papa and mamma no doubt v ah my parents are very dear to me said but i have not seen them for a long time i am banished from them there again exclaimed and for what v indeed they know best the authorities chose to think my books and papers me that s just the way with them well we shall have a fellow feeling for you they always single out our and best it almost seems best we should be born with no ideas â no ideas s confidence might have been worse placed than in who would not have betrayed it on any account he found a barrier placed between himself and the young person whose outward appearance had so him but now that he had a clue to her little history he would not have presumed on her position for the world on the contrary a feeling made him ready to be her protector and champion if need were meanwhile he even took pains not to cross her path so that they need not have known that they lived under the same roof two or three weeks passed without s seeing the philosopher at length one day as he ascended the stairs he heard some one calling aloud overhead for and looking up saw a pale man with flowing white locks and a green skull cap looking down over the chapter xxi hen we from a pleasure that we are withheld from by a strict sense of right it is peculiarly grateful to us when the natural or course of events puts it within our grasp thus at the year s end who had so respected s fears found himself actually possessed of the esteem and friendship of the whole household it would be difficult to say with precision how this was brought about dr broke the ice in the first instance by loudly everybody from sleep one night and them to his to contemplate some interesting through his all that had to say for it was that it doubtless strange events â strange events while the sleepy children expressed their surprise and disappointment that the did not look much bigger through the the old cried and bade them go back to their pillows but he vouchsafed some excellent remarks to and to because he said they were intelligent and understanding this little incident seemed to make them no longer absolute strangers to one another and though the link was of the slightest cherished it and thought the presence of a lovely girl in the house imparted fragrance to it then won by his pattern conduct could not refrain from now and then on s such a rare temper she guides the children with a rein of silk they will mind her when they don t mind me and not through fear â all through love they will do anything refrain from anything at her bidding and her with kisses oh you know what ladies are in the world at large how how how full of caprice and â what worthless ideas my has no ideas she is all good ness all sense if her father were free she would be perfectly happy she would live in poverty with him and think it sweet a piece of bread and a would suffice her for him she would work her fingers to the bone and you cannot say as much for the ladies who pass evening after evening between the and the theatre my might have shone with them but for adverse circumstances she is better as she is good as pure gold and without ideas by being without ideas did not imply a dense state of ignorance but simply a mind or with evil ah the good doctor finds her a great help sometimes she would add at dead of night when all are drowned in sleep but

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the or the wicked he the heavens with his wonderful glass just as did and he wants some one to set down his observations and my has robbed herself of her sleep to be his secretary till in the morning her eyes have been quite red immediately began to think would be well worth his study and that he might gain much profit by acquaintance with dr whether he had any sinister or by ends not apparently not since though he obtained occasional admission into the he never once met there and as he volunteered now and then to act as the doctor s it may have been in order that should not be deprived of her beauty sleep learnt something of dr besides an old world philosophy that viewed earthly affairs from a high point of view and general observations from them you are young he would say you go to your office to your coffee house i am old and i sit up here among the stars if i were young i would prepare for action whenever it should come the right hour may be waiting for the right men being old i watch and i wait for six years the lord s hand has been heavy on us for six years the has failed the olive the palm the orange the have been along the by the northern blast for six years the lord s hand has been heavy on us but what if the seventh should be the year of release and indeed coming events were beginning to cast their shadows before the people s idol was being watched with jealous interest as who should guide the of state amid rough waters the emperor napoleon had bitterly disappointed others besides he was viewed with distrust his motives and intentions were suspected his sincerity was the marriage of prince napoleon with the princess was at the public temper was and all at once things took a turn the year of release was at their doors without their knowing it on new year s day cloud no bigger than a man s hand appeared on the horizon and speedily the whole face of europe was darkened by it the emperor receiving the congratulations of the foreign ministers treated the representative of in a manner as ominous as unexpected then stirring rapidly succeeded each other every sense was on the alert lord was hastily sent to to smooth matters he did not find it easy nor even possible meantime russia offered and proposed a to settle the points that could alone justify a war but declined to before france and did refused to before and france with men ready for action said she could not for she had never armed fancy the excitement in the italian s and shops how contradictory reports one another how characters motives and intentions were the despatch written at noon was set aside by the at two o clock which wa rendered by the measures adopted at or by the unexpected incident at four the situation became every moment more complicated the with better reason than the of old spent their time in little else than in hearing or telling of some new thing people came and went in s office so that he heard each new incident as it occurred and heard the remarks of the public prints vehemently discussed one day after returning to his lodging burst in upon him what a surprise they threw themselves into one another s arms you here exclaimed what has brought you v what is bringing every italian hither v rejoined are pouring in from every quarter i have come from england on purpose to join surely you will do the same v with transport we will fight side by side but v is willing i should come even had she not been so i could not have stayed away you may imagine then how sweet it is to come with her and approval her prayers will be my shield laughed aloud his delight was too great to contain itself it must find expression in words and gestures he seemed suddenly to have shaken off the in which he had been imprisoned during his state and to find himself ready to the enthusiasm everywhere is beyond belief continued at last for the first time in our national existence we are all going to join hands and step forward as one man there will be no but in good and brave deeds party feelings personal old heart must all be put out of sight what do you think of a young who has just reached to himself as a private in the army it took him several days to reach the roman frontier on the side and he was obliged to swim the various rivers what a hero cried his name how i wish would join us rely on it he will the french are ready to cross the on the shortest notice and troops are landing at at the rate of three or four thousand daily the grand old palaces are being converted into oh things must come to a crisis now what shall you say of the emperor napoleon if he us v i shall regret having done him injustice but i would rather we delivered ourselves ah but we cannot think of could not be more brave than they were there we must consider whether we with ten thousand can meet him that with twenty thousand or else while he is yet afar off we must send an with conditions of peace french help rather than that said but come let us go out and hear what is the last news every hour now added fuel to the flame now it was a party of young who had all manner of dangers to desert and fight under the standard now two hundred who were hailed with welcome doors were thrown open to the guests

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arriving and insisted on receiving and who had just joined his friends what a happy evening that was to them after hearing all there was to hear abroad they came home to the temperate little supper neatly spread for them in s best room where on excuse of common cause the whole house drew together dr from his study and from her frame silent indeed yet speaking with her eloquent eyes and varying colour â which so distinctly wrought that you might almost say her body thought love rapidly and is by some common object of deep interest that shows us to each other in our best light s eyes now so continually sought and met s that at length hers were modestly cast down and she betrayed embarrassment but she was soon startled into stronger feeling said â i left the english in a fine state of confusion they have taken this very awkward moment to parliament just at the time when it should be in perfect working order then after a moment s pause he added we owe them much gratitude that mr has carried his point and procured the of and his fellow who are now on their way to us was going to utter an expression of joy when exclaimed my poor father and burst into tears she was instantly the object of every one s tender sympathy but especially of s and he in a low voice offered her the warmest congratulations she acknowledged them by a grateful look but was so much overcome as to be obliged to retire accompanied by the before the room however she turned round at the door and raising her eyes said in broken accents â can give me any idea when my dear father will arrive here v in a very few days and i will make it my care to let you have the earliest tidings of it she bent her head in thanks and withdrew what a charming girl exclaimed directly she was gone if i were you i should be deep in love with her how do you know he is not said this coming campaign may win him favour in the eyes of his lady love though this was spoken lightly in the deep of his heart thought oh that it may be so chapter xxii have a particular favour to ask of you said granted before asked returned readily what is it v let me be the one to tell of her father s arrival oh you selfish wretch said laughing nay would not you be selfish rejoined to claim a privilege which would be nothing to you but a great deal to me v i see how it is with you said and be assured that if instead of being nothing or but little it were a great deal to me you should have it a thousand thanks you oblige me exceedingly nay only think of my obligations to you i owe to you and liberty and perhaps life your exile has been the result i never viewed it in that light said what other light could you view it in returned assisting in my escape and reading my books were surely the only against you look on me as your obliged friend for life i only wish i could make you some less trivial return than the present perhaps when fighting side by side in the struggle which is now imminent some opportunity may occur with regard to that charming girl who to judge of her on so short an acquaintance seems worthy of you be assured i will help your suit instead of it worthy of me i only wish i were worthy ol said as to a suit i prefer none yet but should the war give me an opportunity of myself i may have some ground on which to the approbation of happily there is no of rank between us my family is as good as hers and no better and my father would like me to marry early circumstances permitting let me see how old are you v twenty two almost twenty three and how manly you are grown you may hold up your head with the young man in but you must learn to hold it up and will be none the worse for a few weeks are you for the or the the who enter the regular army en to remain in it till six months after the war i confess the is a favourite corps of mine â and of plenty of others said laughing all new comers are eager to obtain admission into it several hundred are under training at let us be among them said s is to consist of three of twelve hundred men hark do you hear what the is playing one of the songs that have sprung up for the occasion and sang the words â i air all son i su e la a al l la r the of brave young men from all quarters to the standard enabled leaves of absence to be granted to those who had long been separated from their families and took advantage of it to run home embrace his family and bring back his brother as a the blind grandmother the whole family cheered them on their way one morning hastily tapped at s door and being desired to enter stood in the doorway and said with emotion â prepare yourself â the desired moment is at hand my father exclaimed turning pale but the next instant she recovered herself sprang forward to welcome him and the pale wasted prisoner and his child were locked in one another s arms withdrew from so tender a scene but his self denial was duly rewarded for doctor who was eager to receive full details of s imprisonment insisted on giving an entertainment the same evening to all the family including and and then

1Charles Darwin

the captive s narrative was given at length he was determined to join the army though his health did not promise a very efficient but he declared that freedom and happiness would soon make a man of him again and so the event proved on the morning before good friday we english were startled by two at complete with each other the first spoke of peace the second announced the almost certainty of immediate war had insisted on s instantly or threatened to declare war in three days two hundred thousand men on the banks of the or within three days march of it made this threat of no slight import while the little state at the foot of the perhaps soldiers including those in garrison occupied the opposite side of the river glowing with patriotism but probably not strong enough to delay the enemy s march on the capital a single day during the three days pause the chambers full powers to the king the announcement was received by the public with enthusiasm and when count appeared on the top of the wide flight of stairs leading from the chamber he was loudly cheered till he made his escape out of sight the had o been presented by baron on saturday april he remained in till the three days had expired at half past five on tuesday evening count delivered to him the answer of the baron quitted at six and was escorted to the frontier by a officer that night a hundred and twenty thousand crossed the they were commanded by general and thus the first step was taken â of which it had been said that the party taking it would physically have the advantage morally precisely the reverse then there was in hot haste king victor published a to the effect that the message was an insult to be with disdain and that he would be the leader of his people let our war cry be the independence of italy second to him in command was general meanwhile troops were pouring from paris to and the railway trains to and were crowded with soldiers eighty thousand french troops were expected in italy during the week four thousand workmen were busily clearing the passes of from snow little did think when he crossed alone on foot and at midnight that he might enjoy the silence and solitude little did he think as his imagination peopled the dark with sights and sounds and it seemed to him as if all the that ever toiled up that ascent were then marching up at dead of night in one close array their and gleaming up those star lighted â that in eighteen months of merry hearted would be along that pass to deliver italy with all and means for the purpose down to their coffee pots coffee mills blankets and flannel after all it was who turned the scale with regard to our young choice of the regular army their preference had certainly been for the romantic service of but who certainly was neither young nor active enough for a in the and who you may think had made out that was under her influence had said to him i hope you will take care of my father her pleading look was more than he could resist nay he felt it a privilege to lay her under an obligation my life for his he said fervently he shall sustain no harm if i can help it her grateful look him he then told his friends of his resolve they tried to shake it found it out of the question and so themselves with him and as to serve till six months after the end of the war then they applied themselves most vigorously to for which there was little time enough was delighted to have secured her father this little body guard but yet she dreaded losing sight of him again and would wistfully say o that i could go with you he bade her be grateful for the they had so recently received without wishing for meanwhile the not knowing how to take advantage of their first step crept a few miles into the country halted surveyed and made no important movement for seven days while poured into all that time and every moment was improved during the next five days the ally fell back and began to throw up along the as if permanently to remain there in position their vast numbers enabled them to form a line right across the country from the to the po general occupying the line stood face to face with them whose amounted to about four thousand struck a blow wherever he could with his flying bands was now at his happiest facing the enemy the horrors of war as yet hidden in its glories a pure young love in his heart his earliest friends for comrades and a fine character before his eyes in whom he learnt every hour better to appreciate what talks they used to have and how much the elder man had to say of the past and how much the younger ones hoped in the future their first engagement was a small one at none of them were hurt similar small engagements ensued during the next few days which chiefly served to bring the troops into practice one day when they were merely resting on their arms and was seated beside a small enjoying a cigar and conversing by with his young companions noticed a little two wheeled provision cart approaching them which presently drew up and a youth scrambled out rather awkwardly looked hesitatingly towards them and then away from them a new hand apparently muttered cried hastily laying his hand on s arm excuse me but that is â yes i am right and he coloured violently is the nonsense said indignantly well said you should know better than i sir but â indeed indeed

1Charles Darwin

it is with a hasty exclamation sprang to his feet threw away his cigar and walked quickly towards the cart followed a few paces behind by while and were struggling with laughter the recognition had taken place before came up in a very like attitude was clasping her father s hand in both her own and bending down her face while he in an voice was but my child your discretion had forsaken you your fears for me were needless and you would only me by being at hand as for lodging in some farm house the farm houses are all abandoned and lest they should cover as for a few girls having joined us in uniform it has been altogether a folly and mistake on their part whatever they may do you must go back began to cry and turning her head away towards the left she saw colouring very red she faced about again a fine soldier you would make indeed said her father a pretty when the sight of the first young soldier you meet turns you as red as a turkey cock indeed this has been too of you said you are unaware of the risk altogether a false move said her father you must go back again my child shall i see her home sir said no i shall get leave to accompany her myself said have the goodness to take charge of her for a few minutes till i have seen our commanding officer of course this was no unpleasant task to who hoped the officer might not easily be found he seated himself beside who had placed herself on the hill side and drawn her cloak around her and began with â this was heroic and kindly intended of you to the last degree i am very glad will not let you stay but we shall never forget the honour you have done us the devotion you have shown to him and the cause you see he is quite well we have had a little brush or two with the enemy but it has done us no harm they are retiring as we advance we keep a good distance between us and it seems as though we should only have to walk them through italy show them the door and shut it after them then if there is so little danger said why should not i be with papa there are plenty of dangers for ladies said and nothing at present your taking this step if indeed he had been wounded â then if he should be wounded said she quickly you will not be surprised to see me again v let us hope there will be no occasion for it said we need not meet troubles soldiers especially what a delightful com your father is he tells us such interesting things can you wonder then at my anxiety about him said certainly not but i must just relate to you something he was telling us this afternoon probably you may not have heard it and by degrees he won her out of her low spirits and when returned he found them conversing very calmly together that s right said he i never can bear to see tears now then scramble into your little cart as soon as we have it what are all these good things for us and wine why we shall feast like princes what is in this little bag v please do not open that papa it is mine oh your i suppose black pins and so forth and making her laugh in spite of herself he helped her in and got in after her flourishing the whip in splendid style did not return till late and when next saw him he inquired whether he had accomplished his little journey without yes he said i placed my daughter in safety i am glad you insisted on her return said but surely her enterprise was heroic and very touching the result of much love and little judgment said there is no knowing how far under such guidance poor may be led or chapter matter of history emperor napoleon landed at on the th of april his reception was most brilliant the imperial passed between a street of boats from which a shower of flowers was strewn upon it when count received him on landing he called him mon and kissed him on each cheek thence attended by the religious civil and military authorities he proceeded to the palace and showed himself on the balcony to the enthusiastic at night the were beautiful and a gathering formed a dark background to the shining city the emperor came to fight not to be f ted and soon passed on to the seat of war only some unimportant engagements had as yet taken place he surveyed the country with very few attendants on horseback in the of a general the common people welcomed him with gladness and ran out to salute him he conversed with them in italian at an old italian who had been in exile ever since approached and exclaimed with tears running down his face il r the emperor was moved and spoke to him kindly this was on the th of may on the night of the th the emperor was roused from sleep by an de camp of d to tell him that he expected to be attacked at daybreak or soon after it is that all said napoleon it was hardly worth while to disturb yourself next morning he started early on a ride to the field of meanwhile d whose corps was scattered over a great extent of country sent forward six of cavalry to check the enemy s advance and general was ordered to get his division immediately under arms and start for other forces were ordered to support general nothing can the beauty of the country about the hills are clothed with and gardens

1Charles Darwin

the plains with fields of and and the vines hang in between the trees here and there a walled town or an old castle crowns a distant height this fair scene was destined to be the field of a battle the cavalry were driven back by the upon where they were brought up by the force of and a fierce contest took place in the streets from which the french were driven after two hours hard fighting but now a most arrived of two and half a battery of the village was and the were driven back though in good order general pursued them a little while and took two hundred prisoners the retreated to where they had and retired yet farther during the night this battle the emperor missed by going to see and by not giving credit to the warning he received during the night he was yet however to show himself a good soldier in the field on may made a dash into and took prisoners and cannon on the th victor led his troops across the in the face of the enemy who were fortified in then ensued s first battle the was carried after an obstinate resistance at the point of the their loss was very great had a slight wound which rather gratified him than otherwise on the th endeavoured to but were and pursued by the king who took prisoners and eight cannon four hundred were drowned on the st of june the french drove the from about this time and were a good many more important additions had been made to the but with no relation to this story there was no more brilliant soldier at than victor wherever the fight was there was he the moral force he thereby exercised was immense the vainly endeavoured to restrain him he pushed forward into the of the fight great events now followed fast the battle of took place on the d of june the emperor wrote to the five thousand prisoners are taken is of the enemy are killed or wounded this was under the mark the brief summary gave no picture of the struggle for the bridge at the heaving masses on either side supporting their comrades in front the plunging of shot and rattling into the living mass it left imagination to paint the the streaming blood the frightful wounds the imperial guards with the emperor in their midst supported the shock of the enemy for two hours this decisive victory procured the freedom of only twelve miles distant the had quietly but most anxiously awaited the course of events the in their passage through the city left town and castle and treasure at the disposal of those who should come after them the citizens speedily availed themselves of their liberty to place themselves under victor s protection the continued to pursue the who were in full retreat towards the poor general of whom the times correspondent said at the beginning of the war that his prominent characteristics were boots and well was s in consequence of this defeat and succeeded by general the had been completely ignorant the french were turning their right flank till a french general with a guard of came suddenly upon one of their who was mending his trousers as soon as they found their flank turned they were compelled to fall back they withdrew across the in such haste as only imperfectly to blow up a magnificent bridge which the french therefore made use of with the aid of a few many of the soldiers poor fellows had not tasted food for twenty four hours most of those who were sent wounded to were wounded in the back by the dreaded which they dared not face war is a dreadful thing but this was a just and necessary one if ever war was some of italy s enemies were taken off about this time by natural death â the king of and prince and now the emperor issued one of his famous â to the the fortune of war having brought us into the capital of i am about to tell you why i am here when attacked i resolved to support my ally the king of the honour and the interest of france making it a duty to me to do so your enemies who are also mine endeavoured to the sympathy which has been felt in europe for your cause by making it believed that i only made war from personal ambition or to the territory of france if there are men who do not comprehend their epoch i am not of the number in the enlightened state of public opinion there is more grandeur to be acquired by the exercise of moral influence than by fruitless and that moral influence i seek with pride in to restore to freedom one of the finest parts of europe your reception of me has already proved to me that you understood me i do not come here with the system of the sovereign nor to impose my will on you my army will only occupy itself with two things â to combat your enemies and to maintain internal order it will not throw any in the way of the legitimate of your wishes providence sometimes nations as well as individuals by giving them a sudden opportunity for greatness but it is on condition that they know how to profit by it profit then by the opportunity which is offered you to obtain your independence yourselves fly to the standard of king victor who has already so nobly shown you the path of honour remember that without discipline there can be no army be to day only soldiers and to morrow you will be the free citizens of a great country hitherto the campaign had been to a season of intense interest and pleasure there were dangers there were but they only the glories of the

1Charles Darwin

onward march at first their path had literally been strewn with flowers roses were shed upon them from the windows and of every town through which they passed and women and girls to the roadside with for their blessing them and encouraging them when they reached the ground from which the had retired before them signs began to show themselves of the of war the country was everywhere beautiful but running to waste no were at work farms were abandoned deserted no in the lanes nor cows in the meadows from the empty houses the furniture and even the doors and windows had been carried away rows of trees had been cut down and their trunks and branches converted into churches were turned into looked into a fine cathedral and saw the floor with straw and depending from the pillars and fires lighted outside in one church were two hundred horses such was the excellent temper of the country however that no was nor was there as yet any difficulty in getting supplies private persons placed their horses and money at the disposal of government the waiting rooms at the railway stations were turned into for bread and piled with to the to the march was a mere the last had crossed the frontier river the french and were swiftly following them in compact masses along narrow roads with their stores dragged behind in innumerable old brick that the might well have defended had been taken no advantage of and on either hand had been turned to no account as cover for in front were woods of oak and chestnut the beautiful foliage of which might well have concealed an but they no lurking foes a deep and wooded valley crossed this at its bottom flowed the and round a hundred the river was by a good stone bridge under the green cliffs beyond were seen the bell towers of the villages of and the french and crossed the river in two columns and their bright arms were soon glancing through the green foliage on the other side then began the horrors of the fight but still enthusiasm carried the raw hands well through it and those who were went boldly onward leaving the blood stained behind for others to muse over and shudder at and thus again and again once or twice threw himself before to between him and danger till the elder gentleman him with some saying â young gentleman you are do you think no one is ready to for italy but yourself was checked and ashamed but continued to watch over the s safety as he hoped and believed in fact his motive was penetrated but both reached comparatively and were s feelings as he passed through the ornamental iron work gates of the city and beheld the wondrous of the world famous soaring high overhead oh the enthusiasm with which the were greeted the first large body of troops which entered the city was headed by m duke of the people frantic with joy were ready to cast themselves beneath his horse s feet a little girl of five years old dressed in white forced her way through the crowd and with a child s fearless eagerness held up to the great general a almost as large as herself the brave man raised her up and placed her standing before him on his saddle the little creature threw her arms round his head and kissed him repeatedly amid ringing cheers and thus still holding and her he rode on amid showers of o flowers and applause while some eyes were wet with tears nothing could be or more free from studied effect than the entry of the two sovereigns hot and dusty they rode along side by side and the emperor s usually impenetrable countenance was not without emotion after short repose the proceeded on their glorious march it was again a to the banks of the for the were in full retreat towards their famous it was a pleasant course to the victorious troops through that park like country the long straight roads were shaded by rows of tall elms and and on each side a little of water a dense growth of with a profusion of wild flowers the nut and wild vine grew in wild here and there the opened into charming little grassy while amid the were heard the songs of and picturesque villages greeted their eyes at every turn and large farm houses peeped from the woods a little off the road the ran from their work to look at the troops and offer them of their best and the bursts of lively music the of wine glasses the groups of tired warriors and refreshing themselves and the admiring crowds shouting gave the whole scene the appearance of a fair and thus onward across the and onward across the even to otherwise the had retreated even across the when with that fatal weakness of purpose which seemed to all their military movements they the in four enormous divisions and came upon the main body of the french their left wing seems to have commenced the attack and an early success attended their right wing against the but the emperor napoleon directed his chief efforts against their centre which he at length broke and from that moment the battle was lost and won the the leaving behind them fifty thousand men in killed wounded and prisoners and louis napoleon who had been constantly in the fire and thereby animated his troops slept that night in the room occupied in the morning by the emperor of retiring to rest he wrote this letter â the emperor to the friday evenings great battle â great victory the whole army formed the line of battle which extended five in length we have taken all their positions and captured many cannon flags and prisoners the battle lasted from four o clock in the morning till

1Charles Darwin

eight o clock in the evening chapter xxiv sick leave gently my young friend you had better leave me here to die dear if you could once get your arm round my neck i think i could lift you my arm is broken and as he made a slight effort to raise himself the blood from a wound in his side go my boy go your own wounds require attention you have fought well and faithfully our italy is made bear my love to my daughter and kissing him he sank to the earth and closed his eyes in desperation got his arms under him and fairly raised him from the ground but unused to so heavy a and faint from loss of blood he staggered and fell across him they thus remained till found them and cried â a i here they are at last dead one on the top of the other not dead i trust said flying towards them and laying his hand on s heart no no he yet lives get a little water and â here first support him while i convert my handkerchief into a as usual he is in front of and this time not to the s advantage we shall never be able to carry them both from the field said raising his voice to be heard above the war of elements there go two men with a one of them is and the men thus summoned came up when came to himself he found himself over rough ground in a wagon full of wounded and the intolerable pain made him again when he re opened his eyes he was on a hospital bed having his wounds dressed he closed his eyes and presently smiled without opening them as some kind hand placed a handkerchief sprinkled with de near him excessively weak but alive to every sound he heard s altered voice which seemed full of sad music near at hand he spoke slowly and with frequent pauses but calmly and gently he said â if he should recover tell him that i loved him tell him his devotion to me was not though i made as though i did not notice it or like it it seemed to me that he was not indifferent to my daughter was it so you are his friend perhaps you know it was well then events are in the hands of god duties are ours i do not desire to be a barrier if the inclination is mutual tell them my love them both how sweet was this to he did not speak he did not open eyes but stepping lightly from one couch to the other saw such a smile on his friend s face that he was quite sure he had heard and he could not help smiling too and could not remain with them long but they took counsel together and without a word to the wrote by the next post to and to days must before their letters could be received meanwhile they left their charges under the faithful care of who was one of the he and his young had long since recognised each other and spoken kindly words the hospitality and goodness of the italian ladies especially those of at this period is matter of history their doors were open to the sick and wounded they nursed them supplied their needs and welcomed as sisters the mothers and wives who came from a distance to watch over them there was need for all their cares the troops were assailed by fearful sickness and seemed likely to add to the horrors of war the dead bodies of men and horses were so imperfectly buried that cats and dogs scratched the earth from them and the air was for miles within the sad chambers of the sick little was said of outward events which would either them or fall on ears but the last act of the drama was being played and while europe was discussing the progress of the plot and on its winding up the curtain suddenly fell the famous had been reached invested on the point of being summoned threatened and hovering on the rear of the great when an was concluded at the emperor wrote to the a treaty of peace has been signed between the emperor of and myself at first the could not believe it that he who had promised to free italy from the to the â of whom it had been said that he never from his formed design nor is ever elated by success â should come to this sudden pause seemed incredible and their indignation was to their disappointment they overlooked the much he had done because he had not given them more they knew not whether they were not going after all to be sold to the enemy and to have the princes forced back on them the newspapers which told of the were publicly burnt the french portraits and indignantly torn down and as napoleon rapidly passed through the country on his way back to paris he was received in the cities he had freed with marked and silence the the reaction were too great they deserved great allowance to be made for it and by degrees nobly recovered their temper they themselves by no rash act they lost not an inch of what they had gained by want of firmness the world expected much of them and a they did not fall below the mark for a few weeks it was impossible to tell in what the heaving mass of events would issue in a few months everything was going on better than ever â better than any one had dared hope italy was made strong and deserved it the crisis could not altogether be concealed from the sick men though it increased their fever opening his eyes one morning after a troubled night could hardly believe their

1Charles Darwin

evidence when he saw bending over her father the next instant he found his hand tenderly clasped by his beloved mother o the bliss of that moment henceforth they were very happy even in spite of the began to think he should live to see italy made yet believed in the emperor and could not forget all he had done for them and when the newspapers shortly said that had intimated that if the carried their any farther she should make common cause with and bring on a european war exclaimed â there did not i tell you so the emperor had his reasons he stopped because he had not strength to go on he had his reasons no doubt said i am old enough now to think a part is better than none and became great friends s mother had a warm and tender heart she was shocked that a young unmarried woman should have undertaken a journey of such risk and devote herself to such cares she insisted on taking the night watches herself and as soon as possible and were removed to the house of a friend of the already well filled indeed but where a room was given up to the two sick men and another to and their intercourse thus became very close and something like a family tie sprang up between them if not like that of mother and daughter yet like that of affectionate aunt and niece though they were all eagerly looking forward to the time when the should be up and about again yet in fact they were living some of their happiest hours at lowest ebb man s thoughts are oft elated he knows not that the present struggle of active virtue and the war she bravely holds with present ill sustain d by hope does by the skill of some conceal d and happy become itself the good which yet seems distant far t and when and received leave of absence till they were fit for actual service a happier party could not be imagined than the four persons who together by easy stages not to but to had pressed on the father and daughter a warm invitation to be her guests till s health should be re established which to s joy was gracefully and cordially accepted their journey through the country was very interesting though they did not willingly pause anywhere but for necessary rest and refreshment trampled blood stained fields ruined dwellings and destroyed crops bore tokens indeed of the heavy price the country had paid for freedom and the emperor s name was still uttered with aversion but how much they owed him after all and how much gratitude they would now have expressed but for distrust of hidden motives prince louis napoleon the king s son in law and the emperor s cousin had been assigned a peaceful though rather part and made a progress through the recently provinces on his way to he reached the nearest town to s home and by way of a genial reception the authorities decided that twelve pretty girls of the class dressed in white their hair beautifully arranged and decorated with flowers should meet him at the gates and it may easily be conceived what a joyous excitement this programme occasioned strange to say from being a decided foe to progress had by recent events been converted into a hearty liberal and he and s father exchanged congratulations on the military of their sons this royal reception delighted them both and made some amends for their being out of the line of the emperor and king they took a lively interest in it and made themselves as busy as bees at length the royal approached and the good tempered looking prince met admiring glances on whichever side he turned not excepting the beaming looks of who as lovely as any of the chosen twelve and with a white silk handkerchief neatly arranged over her beautiful hair had secured an excellent point of view as the prince reached the gates where the of fair maidens awaited him two of the prettiest took his horse s rein while the other ten ranged themselves on each side of him and thus they conducted him to the entrance of the mansion prepared for him not to be by them the prince on offered an arm to each of the blushing girls who had held his bridle and with an air of good humoured gallantry ascended the wide marble stairs with them then them he kissed them each and bowed and smiled his thanks while their modest cheeks with the brightest this little incident caused no small and amusement and certainly confirmed and strengthened the when alighted at the last railway station a book offered him a bible it was who had been let out of prison though he looked older and thinner his countenance beamed with joy at his own and the of italy from the to the the word of god could now have free course and though the boon was as yet but very little appreciated no one where victor s sway extended could be imprisoned for it who recognised immediately congratulated him on his release and bought one of his books as did who told him he had endured a longer than himself went on his way rejoicing how it was to breathe the sweet pure air and see the deep blue sky overhead and the tinted mountains of in the distance his life was delightful to him he visited towns villages and lone farm houses seldom selling a book without dropping a word in season in with the t at in which city the priests had been wont to boast that had never taken root he found nine pursuing the same work as himself when his stock of was exhausted he repaired thither for a fresh supply and started afresh with renewed spirit in spite of bad

1Charles Darwin

weather and swollen rivers he would stand crying in the market places la la holding an open volume high aloft and seldom or never in vain one day having arrived at he met an old jew going towards the the jew him with the single word v hebrew no said but i wish well to the oh indeed said the old man rather that is a rare thing and pray what good can you do them silver and gold have i none said but i have what is far more precious and of this i would fain make you and your people and pray what is that v do not you value your soul above all earthly treasures v why of course i do said the old man what then v soon or late you and i and all mankind must appear before the judge of the whole world now this must be a dreadful thought when we take a of our past lives oh in how many things have we acted contrary to his holy will and and do we not therefore deserve his wrath and indignation you have now no sacrifices for sin how then can you make do you not in thoughtful hours dread to appear before the god you have offended when he sits in judgment t the old man looked much annoyed and shrugged his shoulders saying go go you are a silly saying this he entered the put on his and turned towards and his prayers but the words had spoken remained in his head on coming out of the he found him selling his books in the streets and answering the questions of the old man stood apart and as he thought unobserved listening to him while he spoke of god s love to mankind in sending his only son to make for their sins that through his sacrifice once offered all who believed on him should be saved when the people had dispersed and was about to move onward the old man approached him and said â your words disturbed my prayers and made me altogether unhappy i therefore come to ask you what it was you were about to tell me concerning our souls perhaps if i were to tell you you would not believe me said because i am a here are your own â consult them he then handed him a small hebrew bible open at the d chapter of the jew read it and then said â of whom does the prophet speak v then nothing opened and ex to him the reasoning and that this must needs be the very christ the old man after listening to him some time said â ah this is a doctrine indeed i wish i had been taught it from my infancy now i fear it is too late i am old you cannot a fresh good branch into the stock of an old wild tree fear not said god s word expressly declares that you being wild by nature shall yet your be contrary to nature into a good tree here are the very words in the chapter of st paul s to the take them home and read them i will mark them for you come and talk them over with me at night he told him where he should be found gave him a new testament and some tracts and from that time till his departure from the jew was his nightly visitor he seemed in a very state of mind and earnestly desirous of salvation what changes exclaimed he one day in the governor of compelled us to strictly confine ourselves to our now several jews sit in the italian parliament at giving their on the highest interests of the country surely better times must be at hand for our people the number of jews in and is considerable and took care never to be without a supply of their own in hebrew as well as the entire word of god in italian blessed are they that sow beside all waters chapter xxv all s well charming the old villa looked when the travellers reached it with the and the old court and the perched on the ledge of the marble fountain and the faded scarlet cushions lying on the old stone bench exactly as of aunt sat on the bench looking somewhat wan and weird for she had secretly for with many an tear but now she hastened towards him in ecstasy at his return covered with glory she said fondly looking at his and then there were and to greet him with the warmest of and his kind father much more than of and old father and more genial than ever and tears mingled with smiles and embraces and seeing all noting all with glances from her long fringed lashes thought oh how happy a home how good he must be for them all to love him so as for his world known woes had made him a distinguished character he and at once and understood one another ah were as happy as happy could be looked just as and as when we first made acquaintance with it but there was a change in the inn having been and discharged in the very last that took place had made the best of his way to had married her in a church and with her and his had bought the then vacant by the death of the became as distinguished for cleanliness as it had been notorious for dirt as famous for its excellent as it had been infamous for its horrid and withal reasonable in its charges and noted for female attendance instead of a great dirty man bringing hot water into ladies for had lived so long in england that she knew and had acquired english tastes and as the english were likely to be her best customers she determined to make her house

1Charles Darwin

is but on yonder behind the cherry orchard and i will there take out your thorn before you can say ave it will be long enough before i say ave returned the traveller smiling but i thank you heartily good mother and will readily ac your kindness gently then don t hurry said she helping him up if it were not for this load of for our old white cow i d carry your bag for you if not yourself into the bargain come said he laughing i m rather too heavy for that i m not worth what i have been it s true said she but the time has been i can tell you first sees when i have lifted a sick person a good deal heavier than you are however no good comes of the case as it stands is that you must carry your bag and i my grass in now said the traveller they let the cows help themselves to their grass is it possible said the old woman what strange people they must be i ah i don t grudge my trouble for poor and i am sure she thanks me in her dumb way with her large brown eyes the english would tell you rejoined the that she would thank you much more for turning her out into a field of she would conduct herself like a returned the old woman fling up her tail and heels sky high and waste ten times more than she ate and eat till she burst children sick persons and animals must take what is given them and be thankful but see there is our cottage with the row of white on the roof and there s lis in her scarlet standing in the porch the feeding her tame from her mouth the poor bird is so fond of her that he often shows his gratitude by bringing her a or a and one day he into her mouth a fine live worm i will soon give me one â of her needles and i will have out your thorn in a minute meantime i cannot bear to see you limp so surely i can carry your bag let me try i why tis as heavy as lead you must be carrying an iron weight m round your neck for a penance v oh no good mother i torment myself with â no such self imposed and as to my load of books i assure you that to me my is books have you my son will be them presently he s a r book that fellow i often tell him he should have been a priest instead of a poor wood by this time they reached the foot of a few rustic steps which led to the door of the low heavy built cottage with its tiny peering out through a luxuriant man sees â tie of ivy which also clustered round a in the porch containing a rude weather stained group of the virgin and child with a little lamp of blue glass hanging before it in the porch feeding her tame bird stood a young girl of eighteen with a fresh sweet face drooping eyelids and sweeping dark lashes falling on her rosy like cheeks there was a great air of modesty and goodness about her as soon as she saw the old woman approaching she ran out to relieve her of her and cast a look of smiling inquiry towards her companion i want one of your needles said the old woman this worthy young man has broken a thorn into his foot and i have promised to extract it for him lie there then said to the grass tumbling it down against the wall and into the cottage is this one too small grandmother no this will do exactly said the old man come in friend come in make no ceremony â you are welcome the the stranger thus stepped into tlie cottage and found himself in a large old kitchen with a shaped chimney in it oh the hearth of which glowed the embers of a very small fire a thick wooden pillar decorated by a supported the from which of dried apples and a rude table was covered by a clean white cloth on which were spread knives and cups a large loaf a strong smelling cheese a di h of huge crimson their green leaves yet glittering with recent washing and a tall brown of beer on a smaller table near one of the little was heaped quite a cloud of clear white muslin at which to judge by the and of cotton close at hand had recently been busily employed at a just beneath the other window sat a somewhat hard man of about forty intently occupied in what seemed to be rather clumsy some of which were in progress others finished and adorned with a little red and white paint on their faces sees while round him lay tools paint pots and ready to hand welcome friend said he nodding at the stranger as he looked up for a moment from his work which he immediately resumed that s my son said the old woman he s very busy which is the reason he cannot seem more glad to see you now then â patting a wooden settle by the hearth as she spoke â sit down here my good fellow whip off your shoe and put your foot on this stool and we ll have out the thorn in a come give me the other shoe too and i ll clap them together outside the door for they are covered with dust mercy on us though how your foot is you must have walked far on it i fancy after the mischief was done just look at it cast a hasty glance over his shoulder and at the same time eyed the new comer from head

1Charles Darwin

to foot there was something foreign and picturesque in his simple dress he was of yet vigorous make and appeared about eight and twenty of age the expression the of his mouth and eyes was exceedingly good his complexion was brown and healthy his hair dark and slightly curling cried he drawing in his breath with a comic air df pain as the old lady made rather a sharp with her needle if i can find aught of the thorn said she my name s not the long and short of the matter is your foot must be set on a little bread and milk to boil that i will directly said the girl proceeding to obey her with â the milk stands i had but just finished when you came in i am afraid you are going to make a long job of it my kind friend said the is your time so precious said mother looking up in his face oh no only i had hoped to push on to the town before dusk and get me a bed the town is full to overflowing said she for to morrow as you doubtless know is our saint s day and there is to be a grand procession which strangers are from all parts first sees to see wherefore even if you manage to limp or thither which i very much doubt it is extremely unlikely that you would get any better accommodation than a stable whereas it you remain here ou shall sup with us and have a clean bed and i will dress your foot and your travelling with comfort to morrow will that suit you do you think suit me my generous hostess i am only too ready to accept your say no more then but consider yourself one of us till the morrow you are welcome â is not he heartily welcome said and now said she that i have bound up your foot you shall remain just where you are and get your bread and cheese not your beer though for milk will be better for you to night or suppose yes there is some fresh not that we allow ourselves such a treat often but to morrow is a festival i will grind it directly and meantime as you are feverish shall give you a draught of new milk the ho gratefully applied his lips to the brim of the foaming hich she smiling held to him delicious i cried he yes there s like new milk when you can t get beer or coffee said youve knocked over the red paint mind where you re going girl do come from far master oh yes i am always on the tramp they call me the i have books to hawk books capital cried his work for a moment i should like to turn over the contents of your bag only that i am so busy maybe you will read us a spell by and by â gladly said do you happen now pursued to have a copy of the terrible and history of the man wolf who lived in the forest of and devoured many women and children no first sees ah i fear tis out of print more the pity have you then the heroic history of count who on his return from tlie holy land found liis wife married to his deadly enemy whereon the count fought his rival the rival the count and the took poison neither have i that master oh no mine are good books â books well i hope i like books too said looking a little disappointed however you shall read me a spell after supper â which is now ready said his mother so wipe the paint oflf your hands master and come and say grace like a good christian what a noble white lily you have in your garden said gazing at it through the open door with admiration ah that s for me to morrow said with a bright smile i am to walk in the dressed in white crowned with ivy and carrying the lily will not that be charming the you will be charming doubtless said rather gravely â and ray two little brothers are to sing hymns of praise in white and crowned with flowers hymns to god to our patron saint oh said coldly then addressing himself to you seem very busy making master observed he i repeated laughing no my time is not quite so much wasted as in doing that they are images of our patron saint i oh iâ i suppose you are aware that an image of our blessed lady fell down from heaven many years ago into a certain pool in these parts ever since the water of that pool has been famous for miraculous especially on the day of our patron saint a church was built over the pool a town formed round the church and for many years the of to it on the saint s day caused money to freely among us of late sees â years zeal of has been much diverted to other but a revival has been occasioned by the zealous preaching of some which will we expect result in a great of to our shrine to morrow to supply the demand for images of the virgin and our saint which is looked for i have nearly completed a stock that would surprise you most of them are already dressed j my mother will complete the others after supper as fast as i can hand them over to her and will sell them at the church gate tomorrow so there you have the history of my as you call them concluded laughing the will be lovely continued turning her beautiful eyes toward the streets are already decorated with boughs across so as to form charming adorned with gold with silver and with flowers will be seen at the

1Charles Darwin

corners of the streets blue green and scarlet will float from the windows the bells will ring the will sing hymns incense will the perfume the air â the scene will be one of enchantment i and there is to be a miracle play added her grandmother and was to have played the virgin mary but another girl her out of the part which our bore i will say for her with the sweetest temper oh it is not worth speaking about said softly blushing and looking away the virgin mary repeated do you know now the sound of her name coupled with a play on my ears i suppose you will think me a fastidious fellow oh no i shall not said for really a strange kind of feeling came over me after i had accepted the part for it seemed to me i was not good enough so that on the whole i was rather thankful that put herself forward i am sure if you are not good enough she is not nor cannot be cried mother warmly what say you sen ii what i say returned ia that i think you had best not make the girl conceited i m pretty nearly sick for my part of hearing of nothing from morning to night but muslin gowns ivy crowns and all the rest of it they re all very well in their way and why are we without the children where are and school must have been over long ago they re being kept in for a said mother their voices are sweet as pretty as master knows right well he makes much count of them and will them to the last tis no use setting on their thick milk before the they return it will only burn oh here they are i at the same moment two rosy panting little boys burst into the kitchen they had evidently been racing home and were still so full of play that they could not refrain from giving each other sundry and fine curly headed little they were too but much more fitted for their coarse and shoes than for angels garments of white and gold give over said returning his brother s box on the ear and then staring hard at and his foot what made you so late boys said their father there was another father thank goodness the last â and crowds of people to hear us among others some english travellers such bodies i but so grand i â and i heard one of the ladies whisper to one of the that wo sang like little angels and how spiritual it was father heard her as well as i i know i could see it in the troubles corner of his eye and then he swelled out his chest and beat time more than ever but just then little who is always up to some mischief ran a brass pin into me up to the head i do believe i so that made me cry out and then father in a rage gave me a rap on the head for which i could have cried out still louder only i dared not so i only a little and the english lady looked greatly put out and muttered what a shame â it was a shame too wasn t it father see there goes another procession along the road priests and all cried running to the door how tired they look â all in a of dust men and boys women and girls all muttering over their i wonder where they ll all sleep to night where indeed grumbled they never consider that beforehand that s tho worst of these all tho are full even the stables said i heard people say so the oh they must pack in where they can said mother gazing after the procession well but there s no place left to pack in persisted the lord will provide said mother well i hope he will muttered returning to his work bench but i shouldn t like to be among that for all that â no well and why not as well as any other honest girl if the lord will provide where s your faith mother his mother made no answer but began stirring the thick milk over the fire unable to lâ ave his seat had obtained a bird s eye glimpse of the procession through the door picturesque i sighed he and yet you look sad said who overheard him i fed sad he replied his eyes do know said she softly as she stood near him at her sewing i liked what you said about the virgin just now indeed yes even though it was rather at my expense there seemed something beautiful in your reverence for her for my part i quite ah said he with another sad smile that is precisely what do not is it possible and â come master cried from his work bench you promised to read me a spell from one of those books of yours after and so i will gladly replied his bag you know i told you they were all on grave subjects none the worse for that are they published by authority oh yes by the highest authority nay then you can t read amiss what will you have said hesitating here is the life death and of our lord christ and the what he said on earth and what people said to him that cannot be otherwise than good said wringing the nose of one of his little saints with a pair of but yet â one knows all that so well have you ne er a life of some saint oh yes here s the life of as great a saint as ever lived that must be st peter then said no it is not st peter i won t tell you his name but i

1Charles Darwin

will read you something about him and then you shall tell me who he is very well perhaps i may be deeper in legends than you think fellow though i am said smiling and dipping his brush into the white paint at this time began reading aloud in a distinct impressive voice there arose no small stir about that way for a certain man named a who made silver for brought no small gain to the whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation troubles and said ye know that by this craft we have our wealth moreover ye see and hear that not alone at but almost throughout all asia this now i come to his name said interrupting himself can you give it me no you e me returned who had paused from his work but go on the style and story please me but craft who was this a saint â why was it a craft to make and sell her ah now you are stretching the word beyond what is here meant said craft here stands for trade though it might well be said that it craft truly in the worst sense to make and get silly ignorant people to buy them in honour of a false goddess saint was the of of womanly and purity â hum said well go on â this man hath persuaded and turned away much people saying that there can be no gods which cure made hands so that not thb only this our craft is in danger â trade you know master just as your craft is saints â but also that the temple of the great goddess be despised and her magnificence destroyed whom all asia and the world just as we all worship the virgin mary put in when they heard these pursued they were full of wrath and cried out saying great is of the and the whole city was filled with confusion and having caught and men of paul s companions in travel j ah now you ve let the cat out of the bag cried tis st paul â keep on i like it â r they rushed with one accord into the theatre and when paul would have entered in unto the people the suffered him not and certain of the chief of asia which were his friends sent unto him desiring that he would adventure himself into the theatre troubles some therefore one thing and some an other for the assembly was confused and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together and they drew alexander out of the multitude the jews putting him forward and alexander beckoned with the hand and would have made his defence unto the people but when they knew that he was a jew all with one voice about the space of two cried out great is of the and when the town clerk had appeased the people he said men of what man is there that not how that the city of the is a of the great goddess and of the image which fell down from just like our virgin muttered seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against ye ought to be quiet and to do nothing for have brought hither these men who are neither robbers of churches nor yet of your goddess wherefore if and the which are with him have a matter against any man the law the is open and there are let them one another i but if ye inquire anything concerning other matters it shall be determined in a lawful assembly for we are in danger to be called in question for this day s uproar there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this and when he had thus spoken he dismissed the assembly â how well he reads exclaimed with admiration as closed the book how spirited the is said his brush which had remained idle you may set aside that life of the saints for me master i shall buy it but there are lives of other saints bound up along with it said all the better if they are equally well written i like the so much that i will take them on trust thank you my worthy friend may god s blessing be on you as you read i think you will find you have not made a bad bargain but yet shall i give you or two by all means said spent a little time in turning over the pages i hardly know whether you will like to hear what i have opened upon now said he hesitating it is spoken by one having authority let s have it then by all means said don t scruple man nor matters i the speaker says pursued they that make a image are all of them vanity and their things shall not profit they are their own witnesses they see not nor know that they may be ashamed who hath formed a god or a image that is profitable for anything behold all his fellows shall be ashamed and the workmen they are but of men let them all be gathered together let them stand up yet they shall fear and they shall be ashamed together the smith with the both in the coals and it with and it with the strength of his arms yea he is hungry and his strength he the â no water and is faint the carpenter out his rule he it out with a line it with and he it out with the compass and it after the figure of a man according to the beauty of a man that it may remain in the house he him down and the and the oak which he for himself among the trees of the forest he an ash and the rain doth it then shall it be for a man to

1Charles Darwin

burn for he will take thereof and warm himself yea he it to bread and yet thereof a image and it he part thereof in the fire with part thereof he flesh he himself with it and i am warm i have seen the fire â and with the thereof he a god t down to it it unto it deliver me for thou art my god i that is strongly put said as paused strongly put is it not said â has not your good mother just swept up your and thrown them on the fire yes â only i don t worship these if you don t those will who buy them well that s true if one could suppose now that what you have just been reading was spoken by one who had a right to speak â it is said his whole face lighting up with some fire from within it s the word of god himself it begins the aye and the book is â the bible i thought as ejaculated mother with a long breath that was almost a sigh the bible i m curious to see one said with a singular expression stealing over his face i ve heard of it often and he stretched out his hand don t touch it father cried stepping forward not touch it j and why not it s dangerous i the how do you know have you read it oh no but the priests say so it teaches bad things it teaches people to despise the blessed virgin nay interposed listen to this â and the angel came in unto her and said hail thou that art highly favoured the lord is with thee blessed art thou among women that s the said what you call the is nothing more or less than a text taken out of the bible bead it with your own eyes i it was found here and nowhere else i thought you said just now added softening his voice that you were pleased with me because you saw that i the virgin i did i but you replied that you did not love her no you said you quite adored her i only said i could not do that â i can reverence and love her but i only god i not the mother of god no created being christ himself said woman what have i to do with thee he addressed his mother as a very woman i won t hear you said flushing deeply it s rank what business have you to come here saying things to our faith i love i the virgin she is my hope my life my all i â clasping her hands and looking upwards with intense devotion take our religion from us and you take everything it is fine reasoning and discussing things now when we are all in health but who gave us that health who obtained it for us with every other blessing who may withdraw it from us in a moment and what have we left on our death beds if we have our best friend all excellent most excellent said in a penetrating voice if spoken of the son instead of the mother the son the of the mother say rather the father hears the of the son you are than i i can t argue with the you cried passionately but you shall not my faith nor the faith of my dear little brothers go to bed the minute we have sung the ave maria play for us at once father and reaching down a she gave it to and with her face averted from and an arm round the neck of each of her little brothers prepared to sing the evening hymn to the virgin played a few solemn notes the little boys lifted up their voices and sang like s heart so wildly that she could not command her voice she sang a few faltering notes struggled with a sob kissed her father and was gone m drew the bow across the strings of his so as to produce a sort of wail and then set it aside what an uproar you have made said he abruptly dear dear dear said mother more in sorrow than in anger to think that you should make such a return as this for my bringing you home and doing so much for you i you have sent oflf to bed quite in a poor dear â i grieve said that my conduct should appear to you so ungrateful as i know it must do i was hungry added he with feeling and you gave me meat i was thirsty and you gave me drink i was a stranger and the you took me in lame and in pain and yon unto me don t name it said mother herself in lighting a brazen lamp which the daylight rendered necessary christians should help one another and a christian i take you to be in spite of the hard things you have been saying even our blessed lord did that sometimes said his objected it to him this is a hard saying who can receive it v and yet what he had been telling them about his flesh being meat indeed the true bread from heaven became easy enough to re when he the feast ah we are all poor ignorant creatures said there s many a nut i find too hard to crack without counting those you given me to night but let us see this book of yours continued he smiling and stretching out his hand perhaps it may have all the more for me for being at any rate i m too old to be hurt by it but i m glad has gone off out of hearing s for though the and these â wretched little images has somewhat my reverence for them i love to see

1Charles Darwin

my children and especially my daughter religious who would not said heaven forbid that i should be such a demon as to try to make her otherwise i no i respect her zeal mistaken though it is and would only divert it to a higher object you talk in said for my part i can t make out what you have been quarrelling about do not call it by so harsh a name said i was very zealous for the lord of hosts and would not have his glory ascribed to another and she was very zealous for the blessed virgin and called this book dangerous said well may it not be so if it he it can only be so to them that are lost said for it is the word of god himself addressed to all he says ho one that come ye to the living waters and the lord promised the who the were to write accounts of all he â had said and done while on earth that the holy ghost should bring all things to their remembrance he did not leave them dependent on their human memories how otherwise should they have recorded word for word page page of his and yet so clear is it to the reflecting reader that never man as they have represented him speaking that it is self evident his words must be faithfully set down from heavenly inspiration and is not such a record precious truly it ought to be said but why then do our priests say it must be withheld from the because they have departed in many things from the pure doctrine of god and fear to have it found out they know that the church as it now is and the bible cannot stand together and they choose thai the church should stand for reasons good said laughing it is too much to their own interest in many ways that it should be so and yet s history there are some good men amongst them added he gi owing grave and yet it was one of the best and most devoted of these picked few who shook my faith in them all he wanted my co operation in what he termed a pious fraud an but a most one it would have been if i had consented to it i i would not he was brought short up baffled provoked and in some measure abashed he said a little to me about it â no matter what i i could see his reasoning was not good and told him so some of his brethren would in his case have thereupon threatened me but he did not he went away and i never saw him more but you see master i ve had my own thoughts about these matters since come give me the book to his great surprise suddenly advanced laid his hand strongly on his shoulder held the other up to heaven looked upwards with all his soul in his eyes and as if addressing some one with whom he was in immediate communication said lord go i bless thine own word to this q the man s soul i thee in the name of christ a deep colour mounted to s temples he was struck with the and energy of the address s well as with some accidental likeness which the look and gesture of bore to that of a picture of st john preaching in the wilderness which he had seen in the church of the you are very earnest said he after a moment s pause are you paid for what you are doing i have just enough to keep me from a few benevolent persons some per on the books you sell no no then w hy have you their distribution so much at heart because i feel an imperative impulse to place in the hands of others the means by which i myself have been made perfectly happy i am a in our favoured valleys you perhaps know that the pure gospel has been handed down from father to son from the ear s history days of christianity we have for it fought for it and though we no longer die for it we live for it my father was a soldier under general during the war and could tell of the fatal night when the inhabitants of la tour and st were to have been by the roman he was one of the soldiers who wrung from their general permission to fly to the defence of their homes a tremendous which burst over the valleys them by the who failed to at the appointed time and on learning the that the devoted village had obtained abandoned their but that is a tale for a winter hearth i never heard of it however said my father continued was continually absent from us with his regiment but my mother dwelt in her native valley tending a few cows and sheep with my assistance as i grew older i loved to accompany the hunters in pursuit of the an the little larger than a goat but much superior to it in power and the strongest man cannot hold one of a month old they bound from i to rock to a prodigious distance gaining the and themselves from them without fear their skins are so valuable to the french that the hunters are well paid for their trouble and though many perish the danger has a delicious excitement in it i am ready to take your word for it said laughing go on i like to hear you often continued in pursuit of a i have stolen along on its foot marks it behind rocks till overtaken by a thick mist which has enabled my game to escape me i have passed the night a rock my supplied me with a little cheese and bread frozen so that i have been

1Charles Darwin

obliged to break them with a stone in the morning i have resumed the chase but even the excitement of a life like this was not enough for me my mother died my sister went to live with some relations and i re i s history â solved to be a soldier aud fight beside my farther i should have known you had been cried mother by the carriage of your head when you got rid of the bag â but your martial tread my son was spoilt by your ah said smiling i was not in the army long enough to learn much or to do much the war was just over my good father died and i was by an injury to my finger and allowed a trifling an english clergyman engaged me as his travelling servant before i had been with him long i would have served him for nothing so greatly did i become attached to him i on his death bed i told him that when he was gone i thought i should devote myself to the distribution of the holy he approved of my resolution and told me how to commence my task and where to get a of me to begin my labours among those from whom i should be unlikely to meet with decided opposition this i did at first with the great success in parts of france and holland i met everywhere with the greatest kindness and held many interesting conversations with those who received me often read ing praying and with them far into the night they called me the col because i carried my bag round my neck at length i was seized with an intense longing to my native valley and see how it with my only sister whose name was though we commonly called her she had be i attached to a young man who was a roman catholic and after my mother s death had gone to reside with some roman catholic relatives who to my sorrow had her to their faith this had not diminished my affection for her i undertook a protracted journey to see her selling as i went and at length having surmounted the pass of the col de la i came in sight of my smiling valley dotted with villages churches and rows of oh how beautiful it looked i a man stood gazing down on it in profound thought on my s history â ing him a traveller s greeting he turned his large brown eyes slowly round upon me â it was my friend go on said you make me work all the better i found continued that he had brought his cows up to a patch of rich pasture on the mountain side and was spending the summer in a little in a of the rock he gave me milk bread and delicious honey and made many inquiries as to where i had been and how i had been living i found he had married and was the father of two children whom he had left with his wife in the valley below when i asked of him news of my sister his face clouded and for a few moments he was silent and what to say poor said he at last it was generally supposed that michael would marry her however it proved that his own intentions were quite for he became the husband of the only child of a rich farmer had too much self command to show herself disappointed but yet and i noticed that her the cheek grew paler but my good friend nothing can pain her any one day in crossing the bridge her mule alarmed at the troubled water beneath which was carrying along trunks of trees as if they had been threw her into the river which swept her away before any assistance could be offered a cross marks the spot where her body was found â my wife often hangs a on it this unexpected calamity so overcame me that i sat down and wept bitterly my life seemed suddenly to have lost all its sunshine comforted me as well as he could and would have detained me with him but it was the sabbath morning and i was anxious to press forward and pour out my trouble to god in the little house of prayer where i had expected to sing songs of rejoicing the grey headed school master was already reading the bible lessons when i entered the church with a full heart sat down among people who had known me from infancy as soon as the good ascended the desk his eye fell with a kind of uncertain recognition on me he s history proceeded calmly with the service in the midst of which a man whose face i well recollected approached with a young infant in his arms as a candidate for wrapped in the pink and silver mantle i had so often admired when a child our as we call our minister was accustomed to his simple and impressive to the times and on the present occasion he alluded to the which was just over his text was â thou shalt rejoice in all the good things which the lord hath given thee thou and the and the stranger that u with thee though these latter dear friends said he m conclusion had no of their own they rejoiced in the abundance of others and so should you nay though you should be not only a stranger but have come to us from afar with travel soiled apparel brow and feet and instead of finding a smiling home to welcome you should come to a desolate hearth and a turf covered grave will not the good father of all bind up your wounds and wipe all tears from your eyes he will he the will if you will but cast your on liim and say

1Charles Darwin

god i am very full of trouble â comfort me the good man s words tore open my soul and yet healed it many a compassionate eye rested on me and when the service was ended many a cordial hand grasped mine or was laid on my shoulder the good insisted ou my dining with him and i afterwards accompanied him to a village six miles off where he was engaged to preach in the afternoon on our way he questioned me concerning my course of life and was surprised and pleased to learn what it was for several weeks i continued in attendance on him while he made his examination progress through the ten sections sometimes holding his coat for him while he preached in a stable that was hot from the number of people who to hear him i sold many and he advised those who bought them to study them continually one morning after his thus them he exclaimed to me hark i they are reading their in the what he meant to ex s history press was his that they were thus employed at a time of day when they might have been attending to their affairs from the time i left my beloved valley accompanied by blessings and good wishes my real battle of life began i visited places that as yet sat in darkness was persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed when they drove me one city i passed on to another even to my natural taste change of scene the excitement of difficulty and danger intercourse with various and on the highest subjects that can engage the mind have always been attractive to me and as for blows and opposition do i not bear them all for christ there is indeed a bitter spirited priest who at my success me from place to place either personally or by his and much my work but he is my only great stumbling block ceased and for a few minutes there was a deep silence mother then said â the you are weary my son will you not go to bed i never retire to rest if i can help it said without praying with and for those who lodge me have either of you any objection i have none said giving him his hand oh nor i said mother laying aside the scraps of blue and crimson with which she was dressing the first read a short passage from tlie new testament then kneeling down in which example he was followed by his two companions he up a short plain and hearty prayer i have been taking up your time terribly with my long story said he oh that s no matter said been working the chief of the time and you have made the evening fly swiftly i have more work to do if i had the mind to do it but somehow your story and prayer have made mc sick of these toys and i think e en turn in s i shall sit up till i have dressed the last said mother smiling is a good fellow i am sure of it i saw it in his face from the first but neither his story nor his prayer have made a bit of in me i m as good a catholic this minute as ever i was then she his little chamber with a hanging over the clean straw bed with its gay you ll be selling your books in the town tomorrow said she yes and you your images yes there are good people i hope of au sorts the world is wide enough for us both good night had already gone to bed so his mother finished her work in the kitchen alone just as she was biting off her last thread she heard an uncertain sort of tap at the outer door she opened it and there her stood a man of very countenance is there a person here named said he the no that s not our name said mother shutting the door upon him but have you no guest or of that name persisted he putting his foot in we don t take and i never heard the name before said she well there s a fellow of that name somewhere that i can t find said the other he s no very safe customer there are a good many customers about to night said mother and we re very cautious who we let in so as i m to be early you ll excuse my up at once and she closed the door in his face â though i ve never k ard the name of before thought she i can guess is a likely person to own it i iv t saint s panting as was his kind hosts were yet earlier mother did not forget in the interest of brushing her blue cloth jacket and arranging her clean striped handkerchief the care of seeing to his which in the clear morning light she was well able to draw out having certain after the approved fashion of old lady and laid them on the wound she covered it neatly with a minute of lawn and pronounced him to be now in safe walking condition is your name said she it is said with surprise but how did you find it out the oh said she with a look we good have ways and means of knowing things that you poor would never guess â i suppose my old foe has been leaving his card of inquiry said amused though provoked is that it the very said mother he knocked at the door last night just as you were in bed and warned me against you as a dangerous sort of gentleman he has an ill look â if i were you i would not have much to say to him much to

1Charles Darwin

say i don t want to have anything to say to him cried i only wish he would have nothing to say to me rely on it he thinks he is doing god service said she by hunting you down ah my good mother i and suppose he does think so can a creed be the true one well get up now and come to our said she for it may very likely saint s day morning stand you as well as ourselves in stead of a dinner we a busy day before us being left to himself down and was about to pray when he was startled by hearing in the adjoining chamber engaged in the same act though to a very object he was unable to help hearing the following â i bless you perpetually glorious st anne i and by the joy which you felt in tending the most pure babe mary your daughter i you to entreat of the same our lady her most protection that i be not deceived by the cunning of the infernal enemy nor betrayed into any criminal act however small i propose to do all in my power to promote your glory and do the utmost that i can that you may be and loved to receive me into the number of your servants make me my life and imitate those virtues by which you were so pleasing to the divine eyes come most compassionate mother i to the with your most delightful daughter to my aid and defence when i shall be presented at the divine to be judged for all the years and days of my life deliver me from that horrible sentence and from the eternal pains of hell that i have so many times deserved amen so thought within himself she is placing herself yet one step farther off from the mercy seat â the with the with yet another applying to the mother of the mother of the son of the father when she might go straight to the merciful father himself of whom said in that day ye shall ask me nothing whatsoever ye shall ask the father in my name he will give it you and he prayed all the more fervently though not audibly for the kind people who were him on entering the kitchen he found every one busy who had bestowed an extra hour s care o n her beautiful hair had already woven her ivy wreath and was placing that and her white lily with her brothers in a saint s day light basket the little boys were their mouths by drinking their too hot in their hurry to set forth and mother in her care to provide for every one s breakfast was not losing sight of her own the of the party was pack ing her somewhat freight of images ram it in any way said his mother rather impatiently as he tried to force down an obstinate little wooden leg that would itself that would be very treatment of the toe of a saint said surely mother even the pope s toe would deserve more consideration than that i mother had been too long used to hear such speeches as this from to be much at it she only gave him a little and said you are more loth to damage your own you than to a saint but come i it is time you should lock us out since you persist in keeping the house to day nobody would run the away with it i fancy if you would be and come with us ah do father cried the two clinging to his skirts we should enjoy ourselves twice as much pleaded you would have the pleasure of seeing as one of the holy maidens with her white lily pursued mother off with you all i cried pushing them him what fun would it be to me do you think to be among a crowd of gaping people to stare at a of red faced priests in red white and purple followed by herds of over their ah well if you are going to talk like that father the sooner we are off the better said you might as well have had a holiday with the rest of us i am going to have a holiday returned i am going to read my new book when i have packed all off saint s morning jerked her chin shook her head reproachfully at him and went forth and remember my good friend said pressing his hand that has power to come in to his when the doors are shut may he come to you when we are all gone and enable you to understand what you read then you will have no reason to regret having sheltered the poor shall we not see you again said returning his friendly grasp not unless god s providence my own purposes well â his blessing be with you and with you and yours i i shall not forget your kindness farewell i the little boys had run on to their sister who was already considerably in advance mother shouldered her and after them followed by looked after them for a few moments and then locked himself in he cleared away the breakfast made all tidy and then taking up his book with the air of a man about to en the joy himself at leisure was going to open it when suddenly pausing he knelt down clasped his hands and uttered mentally a few words of hearty prayer it was one of those impulses which in we look back upon and distinctly recognise as proceeding from the holy spirit then he took up his book and mother as they went more frankly than as df their acquaintance had been so recent yet more carelessly than as though they were so soon to part though they stepped out briskly the managed

1Charles Darwin

to keep ahead but presently her youngest brother looked round and ran back to familiarly taking his hand and saying my father told us you strange man that you had been a hunter will you tell me some stories about hunting willingly said who soon nailed his new little ally by the ears next fell off to him and they on one on each side of the his tales of perils and s ay only filling up the pa by eager questions and entreaties for more they gradually gained on and at length were close behind her and though she still kept aloof there could be no doubt that she heard every word that was said why there s the town i cried at last i never knew the road to it seem so short that s owing to you master giving s sleeve a pluck i suppose said abruptly you are not going to set up your wares right my grandmother oh no i her post will be close to the church â mine among the lanes and by ways lurking in the corners of the streets said that s not over polite sister observed and in his sweet s voice he began to chant â in in ut well i meant no harm said rather ashamed i only hoped he would not spoil s market g the that would be ungrateful after her kind â ness to me said the town is wide enough for us both here then we had better part said stopping short where two roads met that way will suit you as well as any other quite said farewell my good friends may god s grace descend on you and abide with you the same with you said mother and they parted the town was all life and commotion bells were from church flags flying and floating from windows and streets were converted into leafy with sweet faces glancing and sweet voices echoing through them shop shutters were universally put up and substantial were pouring forth in holiday attire to mix with the fresh looking in from the country mingled with these were crowds of less fresh looking who had arrived and had passed the intervening hours none but themselves could tell where or how saint s day morning now and then a gay constrained the dense masses to themselves yet closer then a would appear in ribbons and and containing a establishment here and there foreigners might be seen attracted by curiosity while everywhere mingling with the rest were clean shaven priests and dirty and of all orders together in a strange that s the young lady who said we sang like angels whispered to his sister her gown looked round and saw a party of english travellers issuing on foot from an inn it consisted of a gentleman of about five and forty whose countenance sense and kindness with a blooming girl on each arm and followed by an english footman in plain rich livery they are those are with some eagerness as the party mingled with the crowd nonsense child said ladies are never called ihe what then said said at a venture and at the same moment they reached the door of the acquaintance where she and the children were to change their dresses and where mother obtained the loan of a stool and a light table for her counter carried them for her to the spot she selected which was close to the church wall in an angle formed by a and here with her eyes shaded as yet from the sun by the church itself and her wares carefully arranged before her mother sat down extremely cheerful and comfortable to gaze on the shifting scene till her busy time came oh the little boys having speedily equipped themselves in their and set off to join their brother without troubling the little cracked looking glass with a single inspection of themselves indeed could not spare it but it for a considerable time being very difficult to please with her appearance this morning at length the last fold was settled the last saint s day morning look taken and with her tall white lily in her hand she forth from the carved old porch with a mixture of and self that was very greatly admired by an irish artist who happened to be just then passing sketch book in hand on the look out for the picturesque in fact with her white robes white lily and girlish blushing face thrown into strong relief by the dark background of the doorway she did just then look to a casual observer a lovely apparition sent to be a moment s ornament and yet those who who were familiar with might have plainly see that she did not in reality appear to so much advantage in her white muslin gown as in her accustomed cotton jacket and red because nothing is so trying to a person who is to good society as a white gown which generally occasions their feeling and looking awkward and over dressed in it secondly because it did not fit particularly well the but was rather about the bust and longer in the skirt than she was used to the unfortunate consequence of which was that before the day was out she put her foot through it now she makes her way through the crowd to join the chorus of now she drops her modest eyes before the keen fierce glance of a commanding looking priest who is his way in the same direction he is a man of about forty the upper part of his face is decidedly handsome the brow intellectual the eye piercing the nose finely â the full red lip â ah now we come to the worse part of his face there is something defiant in his countenance and yet he is a fine figure of a man fit for a knight or a

1Charles Darwin

knight of st john his eye after surveying is caught by that of an exceedingly ill favoured looking immediately he makes his way up to him and with a sort of salutation him in an under tone have you followed him says the priest no says the i have lost the saint s day morning i had him in my up to the village where wo dined badly managed said the other while you were dining he made oflf for once in your fat life you might have dined at supper after him to his once in my life repeated the in the tone of an injured man do and then count for nothing why you dine on and too you sinner rejoined the priest in a still lower tone only on fish instead of flesh and with plenty of beer to wash it down that beer is the disgrace of you that is very fine for a man to say who can drink wine when he likes retorted the i have a weak stomach and cold water does not agree with it as the half said my is but my appetite is catholic yourself to such a if you will said the priest contemptuously so that you recover the scent i am sure he is in the town and he proceeded on his way v t t when parted from companions he found himself in a a few good houses but chiefly made up of inferior dwellings nearly all of which were either already locked up or casting forth a strange of and strangers who had lodged in them the preceding night among these he was very unlikely to find customers nor did he notices single person engaged in the ordinary business of life except a baker s boy who seemed very anxious to get rid of his steaming as soon as possible pursued his way and soon found himself within the gates in one of the inferior streets which in the city like the he had left appeared almost forsaken by its usual occupants from the door of a house of rather a superior class to the rest however was issuing a gaily dressed party consisting of three ladies neither young nor old an elderly sort of gentleman and a tall boy these all as they hurried by evidently on the all absorbing subject of the festival to which they were hastening s attention however was withdrawn from them to a girl apparently a maid of all work who had accompanied them to the door and who after seeing them off and casting an eager look up and down the street turned into the house leaving the door wide open behind her then throwing her apron over her face she began to cry in great loud sobs just like a child she was of the regular build coarse red thick large heavy footed and as a homely german could well be nevertheless the kind hearted felt some pity for her he paused at the open door and tapped on the it with his she pulled her apron from her face who are you and what is it you want said she away her tears i would ask do you want anything in my way said only that you seem in trouble trouble indeed i repeated she passionately who has a right to be in trouble i wonder if i have not when every soul in the house but me is gone to see the procession â except mrs who fancies herself ill and so i must be left behind to look after her which is more than her own sisters will do i don t believe she has a bit the matter with her except low spirits and though she will have it she has a mortal complaint and that no one will have pity on her i m sure have an easy time of it when they re ill eating what they like and as much of it and as often as they like and ordering their servants about as if they were n t flesh and blood like themselves if you but knew the of water i have to carry up that great stair in the city case day after day to say nothing of anything else â i shall burst something some of these days your stay lace perhaps thought but he said did you ever hear of my good girl to be sure i have cried she looking a little brighter and how they all left her at home and went away to enjoy themselves and she sat down arid cried till a little old fairy came and gave her a fine coach and six and turned her into a grand lady but you are not an old fairy i think have you got a in that bag no i carry wares a great deal more valuable said things that may prove better worth your having than a coach and six with running are you a cried she come in come in it will kill time to look at your pretty things even though i ve no money to buy any of them but mrs has money v l run up to her and persuade her to see your things then maybe the she ll buy something for herself and for me too and with more vigour than grace she sprang up the great oak staircase clearing two steps at a time without any apparent fear lest anything should burst swung his bag round from his back to his breast he felt a that he should meet with a customer presently the girl called out from the landing come up come up mrs will see you and just shut the house door before you leave it obeyed instructions and having mounted the staircase to the first floor was ushered into a lofty though moderate sized apartment looking into the street there was a good

1Charles Darwin

deal of old fashioned and carving about it but the furniture was modern the curtains were of pale green with under curtains of muslin the carpet was green and the warm summer were softened by blinds this glow worm light gave a hue of additional to the in the countenance and hands of a lady no longer young who on a couch facing the window she was wan and wasted with an air of and depression in her face and mien she was draped in soft white muslin and a delicately fine handkerchief lay in one of her faded hands while the other held a newspaper a faint perfume of pervaded the atmosphere though there were fresh roses and lilies on the bid the man come forward said the lady in a weak voice or he will not hear one word that i say well my good man what have you to sell books madam replied books i repeated with falling countenance books i repeated mrs with more n well turn them out and let us see what you have any good new novels oh no m they are all religious i have plenty of that class already said she coldly no do not them i will not the trouble you or stay perhaps you may have something suitable for she deserves a little present poor girl for she runs about a good deal for me in the course of the day have you anything calculated for the lower orders oh yes madam and for the higher orders too and he opened a small bible and held it towards her oh said she her head i can t read one word of such small print as that the letters dance before my eyes here is a better type said opening another edition with but intention at a given place be good enough to compare the two together and he held the books towards her indicating the same passage in both with his finger j nd regarding her earnestly she read words a faint colour tinted her face and turning her head aside she began vo shed tears come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and i will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn of me i am in j he meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my is light i i have seen that dear book long before said she long long ago when i was less in need of itâ j know what it is here give it me and opening her purse she took out money and gave it him here is too much said give the smaller copy to but that is cheaper i must give you change madam give one of your precious books to the next person you fall in with who needs one and cannot afford to buy one whence come you good man and they fell into conversation which not only the time to the poor lady but led to what seemed like the pouring in of oil and wine to her poor heart meanwhile with stolid countenance and eyes fixed on the opposite house shifted from one foot to the other and present in her hands seemed it by its the weight after much of tha i counsel and comfort which a strong christian can impart to a weak one departed leaving a gleam of sunshine behind him such as seldom visited that shady room the next house he tried and the next and the next were empty then he came to an old woman who could not read a and watching a child in a go cart then to an who hailed him with glee when he heard he had books till he found they neither novels nor then to another who took a small type copy with a grim smile because he knew the bible was having left this man found himself at the corner of a street at the end of which he caught a bird s eye view of the procession â priests crosses boys in girls crowned with flowers relics the far image of the virgin yes all this theatrical effect and bewildering were in honour of that little block of worm eaten wood what do you think of that john said the in the english traveller already spoken of addressing his man servant over his shoulder i think my lord said john touching his hat that if that there image had fell down from heaven it would most likely have been a pretty deal better made and think papa said one of the girls that it is like a bad copy of the black virgin of all the more likely to be then they would tell you said her father smiling if the agree they would that they were taken from a common original ah then what would become of all the other we have seen said the young lady which have the reputation of being equally but have no likeness in common meanwhile had caught a glimpse of and her lily and thought she looked lovely he turned away with a sigh repeating to himself eyes and see not ears have they and hear not they that make them are like unto them and such are all they that put their trust in them the the next door he knocked at was opened by a poor woman with a face full of anxiety she said i was in hopes you were some one i knew that i might send you for the doctor my poor child is so ill â and i dare not leave him i will fetch the doctor said if you will direct me where to find him who is he dr at the corner of the street of the three kings said the woman tell him margaret wants him i

1Charles Darwin

ll take care of your bag till you return or stay perhaps you do not want to return this way never mind said i shall run the lighter without it and having obtained a definite direction to the unknown street he laid his bag on the table with a copy on the top of it and hastened on his errand almost every one was now in church dr s house was at some distance from margaret and when at length reached it he saw the doctor just descending his steps with a flower in his button hole and in the city drawing on a pair of new gloves with the of a man who having got through his morning round has a right to enjoy the end of a festival if he can his expression changed a little when him but being a truly good natured man he immediately gave up his pleasure scheme and turned about to visit the sick child quite a city of the dead said he to as they traversed the deserted streets no longer even the hum of many voices in the distance have you had a peep at the show v barely said for me i rarely get a treat of any kind said the doctor some case is sure to occur now and then of an afternoon i walk into the theatre and see a comedy and i should have liked to the music to day as the service is particularly fine but i don t care for the flags incense old men and young maidens â besides the good saint with my practice half the i am called in for are nervous and these are the precisely of a class that most to miraculous those not the complaints our lord used to cure said hey who oh christ iâ no i his were of rather a different sort i there s no knowing even of like those how many might be to natural causes new discoveries are made every day you are a perhaps sir said and what if i am said the doctor quietly i know sir that many of your benevolent profession are so strange it seems to me that your close and intelligent examination of the mysteries of divine wisdom should induce you to stop at second causes instead of proceeding to the first the doctor smiled without replying you are a reading man i presume said he after they had walked some minutes in silence chiefly the reader of one book j said in the city the man to be feared is the man of one book said dr so my master used to say though he had read many observed who was your master inquired the doctor an english clergyman sir the reverend george i was his travelling servant you have seen the world i oh no sir only a few countries and are you in service now yes indeed sir to the best of masters and who is he god the doctor fairly started he eyed sharply raised his eyebrows a little and smiled you are a character i perceive said he i understand you exactly you profess and like to say startling things would to god sir i were not singular i i wish as st paul said that others were both almost and altogether such as i am except except what the except the bonds of natural i don t remember st paul saying that no sir he simply said except these bonds i mean i don t recollect ever to have heard the speech you allude to indeed sir and yet â pardon me for repeating to you your own question to me â are you not a reading man i believe so said the doctor i have sucked the out of more than one university and yet having penetrated into all mysteries and all knowledge have you never the acts of the to a gentleman of your intelligence sir i should have thought the history character and genius of st paul would have been peculiarly interesting so then cried dr your one book turns out to be the acts of the no sir the bible but here we are at margaret s the door stood the mother was sitting beside her sick child s cradle but with a in the city totally altered countenance every had disappeared and given place to a mild serious composure the child was quietly asleep the mother attentively reading s specimen volume her eye was on the verse as one whom his mother so will i comfort thee her face lighted up with a smile of when she saw the doctor and she bestowed a look of gratitude on bless you bless you good friend said she to him returning to him his bag of books i thank you heartily for your kindness and lowering her voice for the comfort my dip into your book has given me keep it said putting it back i had the means afforded me of giving it to the first person i should meet who needed it without being able to pay for it you appear to be that person god s grace be on you farewell she gave him a hasty but most eloquent look of thanks and followed dr to the child s cradle the when re entered the street a black dog ran out of a house a few doors off looked right and left and running up to him looked wistfully in his face returned to the house and looked out again to see if he were following that is a call for help as plain as a dumb beast can make it thought and he followed the dog into the house and up the dirty stairs of what seemed a lodging house reaching the he found a man apparently in a on a miserable surrounded by casts painting implements and all the litter of an artist

1Charles Darwin

s this is a case for dr thought how lucky he should be at hand and he immediately returned to seek him at margaret s f vi i saint s gas the case is one of pure exhaustion said dr bending over the artist fetch some brandy from whom said from margaret obeyed without a word and the physician poured a little through the exhausted man s lips presently he opened his eyes with an uncertain wistful look here still sighed he i was in hopes all had been over that was a very ungrateful hope of yours rejoined dr cheerfully when we have had so much trouble in keeping body and soul together for you â the who are you said the artist feebly i am dr the physician â your physician â everybody s physician and i don t mean to lose sight of you till i have set you on your legs again my companion must answer for himself i only know that he seems an eccentric benevolent fellow and perhaps you think that is all you know of me and all i need to know just now said the artist feebly pressing his hand god bless you for your tell me my friend how came you in this state to be left alone my friends are far oflf â my money is gone the people of the house are kind but i have concealed my want from they knew i was ill but not how ill and they have all run after the show of course i shall rail against these as long as i live â they make people fools selfish fools well my good friend i shall send you something as soon as get home but it will be out of the kitchen in the evening i shall look in on you again and make out a little more ol saint s day your case you are an artist i see â perhaps when you get about again you may accept a commission for a little picture though i am a very humble meantime farewell this companion of mine will i hope stay with you till the people of the house return they are coming in now said looking over the stair head and the mistress of the house seeing a strange man to her came up looking rather surprised dr who knew her by sight gave her to understand that her wanted looking after and after giving a few simple directions to which she promised to attend he left the house followed by shall we cross each other s paths any more i wonder said the doctor smiling indeed sir i know not it was fortunate for the poor artist that i knew you were at hand do you know anything of him oh no sir i am quite a here i am only a â a what the a of the books i carry round my neck oh religious books doubtless sir ha â i remember now what you said of your one book you have tried your own then which most do not i am a soul sir as far as it pleases god to bless so humble an instrument still a nevertheless one without or your wares are you must take care you don t get into trouble it will not be the first time sir i neither court danger nor it hum â you are a curious fellow the service is over i see the people are pouring out of church next they will be eating and drinking at the coffee houses and beer shops and then they will be off to the miracle play with their heads so full of church you will find yourself my good fellow â what we both be doing in another sense the next minute â fighting st the stream saint s afternoon give me your good wishes sir that i may not be borne down it well â i will â i do i there is something about you that pleases me farewell you have not asked me to buy one of your books would to heaven sir you would â and read it well i will do both give me a be quick the purchase was rapidly made the bible dropped into the doctor s pocket the price of it transferred to the little purse carried in his bosom and the farewell was once more spoken with on one side and respectful earnestness on the other the next moment found himself involved in the living torrent he stood aside for a minute or two to give it free course before him were some foreigners in a similar position and closely between them and him a whom caught in the act of a gentleman s pocket â the replace it said he in a low void e laying his hand strongly on his shoulder the thief started from head to foot restore it pursued still under his breath or i give you into the hands of justice what portion has the thief in the kingdom of heaven the man replaced the handkerchief suddenly released his shoulder from s hand and the next moment was gone the crowd a little moved on presently he felt some one at his bag but the and were too strong to give way after wards he thought he felt a at his pocket but he knew the utmost he could lose was a cotton handkerchief he had now won his way to the low wall and iron railing adjoining the church and finding a convenient ledge on which to rest himself and his books he quietly awaited the of the crowd he observed several persons carrying the little figures sold by mother and that her wares were more in request just now than his were likely to be s afternoon one of these had been bought as a curiosity by john the english footman who was now

1Charles Darwin

sight seeing on his own account he was surveying it from top to toe with an amused ir when him for a john bull said quietly in english take care of your pockets i â the second time you have me i cried the thief in a rage as john clapping his hand on his pocket saved his handkerchief and the disappointed man aimed a blow at s temple which john s arm with a look of concentrated malice he disappeared in the crowd so you speak english do you said john to familiarly you don t look english though â you re not ruddy i am been in english service perhaps yes travelling servant who with the reverend george i m with lord what are you doing now the selling you don t want one i suppose i should think not â a pretty story to tell of one of lord s servants â no ive three two at home and one here large print and travelling pocket what jolly fools the people are making themselves there to day it is weu they do not understand what you are saying they have had no means of knowing better that is their misfortune not their fault hark they are cheering something is going on in the church a miracle a miracle was echoed from mouth to mouth â the bishop s niece â two years a â healed in a moment â miraculous spring merciful of our lady â power of faith â were the fragments of speech heard passing among the crowd see there s the bishop s carriage drawing up for her cried john climbing up the to look over the heads of the excited throng i saw her carried in â i shall like to v saint s day afternoon f bee her walk out â propped up between two as fm alive i â ah i â and he gave a tremendous groan of irony and disgust which luckily for him was drowned in the of true the carriage â past the lady in feathers and jewels bowing to the through the plate glass rich and rare were the gems she wore john and that they dare call a miracle i oh my after the had rushed past well said he hungry time is at hand i shall step into that shop opposite and get some bread and cheese will you come too i ll stand treat de un ami as we say in french many thanks said but i have not earned my dinner yet you are spare said john i ve heard my lord say a ha of bread and a bunch of would suffice you at any time that s not the way john bull his flesh and muscles no we stand by tlie roast ie de the you seem a said not much of that replied â john evidently flattered german i can t frame my mouth to but french i got on with pretty well as soon as i took to my own way of learning it instead of lord s what was his way said why said john he gave me some little books one of which was called dialogue but bless my heart there was nothing in the dialogue that i had the least occasion to say madam sir or miss i am your obedient servant my lord and the young ladies knew i was that without my telling em and i ain t nobody else s a vessel of war i love milk butter and cheese and stuff nothing that would be really useful such as look sharp â mind what you re after â that s mine â go along i â i ve nothing for you these are the things a fellow wants the books are too civil by half not one of them has anything corresponding to i ll blow you all up so as soon as i mad this out by attentively reading the saint s day afternoon english column i made up my mind that the author was not a man of the world and put his book carefully away in brown paper as a of my lord and studied the language by ear hence i speak it like a native you are frequently told so said continually said john i make my way wherever i go that is wherever the people understand either of the only two civilized languages on earth french and english and i m of double the value in consequence to my lord who has no need of a i must say the only persons who are those who ought to be the very last namely my lord and the young ladies to whom i am so useful but this is only poor human nature and i ve observed in the course of my life what i dare say have observed also that it isn t the foreigners themselves who laugh at you for their language but own countrymen and who think they can do better however if you will not un i shall so good bye i shall keep an eye on you through the window the the street now clearing a little began to make an demonstration of his business by silently extending one of his books to such passengers as he judged from â their appearance to be likely to become some paused to give the volume a casual examination and returned it without a word others stopped questioned and went away without buying it after all at length sold a copy then a long time passed without his having another customer then his market people crowded round him to hear what he had to say in recommendation of his books and at length his whole stock ran off with the exception of a couple of copies these appeared unlikely to be sold as the people were now hastening in another direction to see the miracle

1Charles Darwin

play lord in passing had a few words of an interesting nature with the but as he also was bound for the green meadow chosen for the theatre with the purpose of making his observations not on the play but the audience he pro saint s day on his way after a few cordially expressed wishes of success to his mission as the day was now past its and his business at a stand thought he might as well refresh himself at the coffee house john had long left it and the public rooms were quite deserted except by a woman who was sweeping them and of whom some bread and cheese you will perhaps prefer sitting in the open air said she and at her suggestion he went through the house to a plot of open ground behind it where a few benches and tables were set under trees a party of dirty looking men were just moving from one of these tables where they had been drinking beer there was no other company except a young man talking very earnestly to a girl at a table apart sat down near them and while waiting for his refreshment drew one of his from his bag and began to read he continued to keep his eye on the page while he ate his bread and but occasionally his attention was diverted by lis catching a few of the impassioned words uttered in an under tone by the young man and by the girl s sobs he was urging her to some course to which she would not consent and at length with a muttered curse he arose and went away the girl remained shedding tears without raising his eyes from the book as if reading aloud uttered in the tone of compassion woman why thou whom thou the girl started from head to foot but uncertain whether she were addressed or not said nothing after a single searching look at her which made her eyes sink before his pursued in the same tone there is joy in over one sinner that the girl in tears i repent said she softly the blood of christ from all sin said oh how i wish i had never come on this pilgrimage said she it was against the known will of my father and mother what shall i do saint s day arise and go to thy father and say father i have against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy daughter he will be ao angry i â he has reason to be angry but your own course is plain deserves a sharp punishment and you must bear his anger meekly harshly it may be expressed but suppose he thinks worse of me than t deserve and me from his door i hare no friend â if you do what is right and are penitent for having done wrong god will be your friend i am still more afraid of my mother â can a mother forget her child yea she may forget the lord yet will not i forget thee the girl sat in an agony of i dare not go back i exclaimed she then why did not you go with the young man said no â i could not â i had just strength to the avoid that yet now i feel so unhappy â i shall never see him again â and again she wept that will not be the greatest misfortune that might happen to you oh what ca i i do wringing her hands hear this â and he read to her the of the prodigal son as she listened her features become more composed i have half a mind and yet â have quite a mind what shall i say if any where do you come from from the neighbourhood of on the road to my father is a we don t live in the village i shall probably be pursuing that direction and may reach your door as soon as you will go forward go bravely i will come up with if i can and will stand by you and for you but should any occurrence detain me still go home without waiting for the people you came with to you what is your name saint s day afternoon you must turn off at the broken cross before you reach and when you have crossed two fields you will see our cottage which has three beside it oh if you should fail me i â i will not god willing can you read yes sir take this book with you then and when your heart fails read a little of it and then go forward again i give it you courage your fate depends on the decision of this hour will you go she rose took the book and said i will remained for some time in a fit of musing on rousing himself from which he his bible and occupied himself according to the continual custom of the in committing a certain portion to memory the striking of the town at length to him that the day was and on looking about him he saw people at a distance moving in various directions which led him to conclude that the miracle play was over and the audience he had no longer any business in the town his object was to proceed to the and avail himself of one of the to descend to for a fresh the battle op the pigs supply of his foot which he had strained a good deal the day before was somewhat by his late rest aâ d having paid his little reckoning he started briskly on his journey ready to enjoy it now that the hot sun was declining and the fresh evening air his temples in making his way towards the high road he had to cross the market place

1Charles Darwin

where a considerable number of persons had collected round a man who was either or preaching his violent action and tones made it at first to decide which by the crowd paused for a few minutes to hear what he was saying a year and a half ago proceeded the speaker impressed with a sense of my duty and of your danger i warned you of these wolves in sheep s clothing that were creeping into the fold wolves shall i say nay rather devils w ho enraged to behold you advancing in neglect nothing that is calculated to religious principle in our towns and villages not content with doing all they can the to the faith of people by their false logic and they them to purchase detestable books to be the holy translated into the vulgar tongue but which have been condemned and by the church again and again i have one of these now in my hand which on this very day of all others has been sold to a poor young fellow who little knew that he had better have laid hold of a red hot coal than have touched the infamous even if it had been offered to him instead of at the low price which as a mere blind the asked for it see here â not closely enough mind you to enable you to one word of its contents â but behold from a distance â what paper what what binding could it ever answer to any honest man i ask you to supply such an article as this for three in a fair way of trade to say yes would be absurd no are actors behind the scenes persons ready to waste good money in the of bad books but the â e of thb pigs do not you faithful and beloved i play into hands by handling peeping into or in any wise having anything at all to do with these books or their on the contrary them chase them fly at them fall upon them scatter and them i you will be doing good and acceptable service having heard quite enough of this discourse was quietly endeavouring to make his way through the crowd but the had become so dense in consequence of the fresh streams of people pouring in from the that he thought it best not to attract attention too much by his neighbours the heat made him feel for his handkerchief to apply to his face and to his surprise instead of drawing forth his own red cotton one he found in his hand a lady s gaily and embroidered he then remembered having felt a man s hand in his pocket early in the day and was not a little astonished to find that instead of having his own withdrawn a much hand the one had been added to it his attention was diverted from the mystery by hearing one or two voices in the crowd exclaim â we bought books father i what shall we do with them bring them hither to me my sons replied the without delay and ve will make an da e of them we dip them in and fix them on poles and set them alight and carry them all blazing about the streets as and and lucky will it be for the wretched of such matter if he blaze not in some market place himself soon or late there goes the fellow that sold me mine f shouted one of s morning customers â him in the green jacket that s stealing like a fox i have at him and he aimed a stone with such precision as to hit the violently on the at him i after him i away with him cried the preacher clapping his hands and them on as if in chase of some wild beast my friends â began but a half the battle of the bitten apple hit him on the temple he saw it was no time for remonstrance but for flight and darting from his with the of a hare he left them in full cry after him being far more slender and than the majority of those who were giving him chase he bade fair to win the race but his wounded foot soon began to make its remembered and whether he would or no his pace in spite of the continually sent after him the crowd being in that condition after a day s pleasure that usually itself in or mischief were delighted at this outlet for their spirits heads were out of doors and windows to see what was going on and the tumult suddenly darted through a covered way into a back street and thence crossing into a by lane he for a moment escaped his foes and was beginning to halt on his tender foot wh a fresh cry of stop thief i he has stolen the virgin s pocket handkerchief made him spring forward with renewed quick as lightning it flashed across his mind the that the man whose hand he had felt in his pocket that morning had either for purposes of mischief or to himself of dangerous made him the unconscious of one of those gay pocket handkerchiefs with which the various images of and saints were on as the finishing touch of their fashionable casting it behind him as a spanish would drop his scarlet flag he continued his flight while a yell of from behind announced the crowd s of his supposed the chase now becomes a painful one he on the foe close at his heels when suddenly an unexpected force appears in the field the horn is heard in advance that war charge the return of the champion at the head of all the pigs in the neighbourhood in another moment is among the not hemmed in by them but clearing them by half over their heads with the

1Charles Darwin

light of a practised hunter the next minute they are entangled among the crowd run the battle op the pigs between their legs many a clumsy cursing getting their own trodden on and expressing their sense of the and injury by pier ing of laughter mingle with the uproar of the multitude the human is for a while brought to a stand and gets ahead but soon the scent is re covered and the pack in full cry is once more at his heels it is of no use now to mind the of his foot he is in the he has passed them he is in the open road in the fields he is them the and become more and more faint his limbs and lungs have won the race but where is he in what direction has he been running east west north or south the sun flaming as it goes down tells him that but he knows no more he has been running a couple of miles for safety without a thought whither he is going all he knows all he sees is that he has never crossed the ground before that the fruit trees and com and the apple are new to him that he is far away from the city and from the high road and that he is approaching the back entrance of a large heavy built cottage with milk and set out against the wall to dry suddenly he is clasped to a man s heart a well known cordial voice come in thou blessed of the lord and he finds himself in the arms of he had approached the back of his host s cottage by a course without knowing it after a day of solitary intense study and self communion which had wrought strange and gracious changes in his inner being had come to the door half dizzy with the continuous flood of new light that had been pouring in upon him to breathe for a few minutes the fresh evening air â had heard the distant shouts had the panting fugitive and as he drew nearer and more near beheld in him to his surprise delight the very man he longed to see and feared never to see again how fast and vividly and fervently the the battle op ill words flow when the heart and soul give them utterance in a few minutes had given a picture of the day s story in a few more minutes had given to understand how the great of his spirit had been broken up the souls of the two men were knit together they poured them out in prayer and giving of thanks they fell into yet deeper more solemn communion on the most thrilling most important subjects that men can look into they deeper into one aiid another mystery than they had ever done before â mysteries through which a lamb may yet in which an elephant may swim they helped one another through led one another on their hearts burning within them all the time it was as in those old days when they that feared the lord often to one another and the lord and heard it and a book of remembrance written before him for them that feared the lord and thought upon his name and they shall be the lord of the hosts in that day when i make up my in the midst of this converse such as it men to have held and god to have approved and came in not overflowing with of animal life and boyish fun as on the preceding evening but tired worn out hungry and cross close on their heels followed mother and kindly as usual she was one of those rare whom nothing can put out â and last of all drooping and the languid who had them all in the morning and who now like after the ball had subsided from her finery into her ordinary peasant costume all of course were taken by surprise when they saw in his old quarters â the little boys first was for pulling ear when his face suddenly half its length and became expanded into a broad smile at sight of the the battle op the pigs all you strange man i â cried he springing to him and winding his arms tightly round one of s i thought we should never see you any more how glad i am you have come back but why did you say you should go the other way here exclaimed mother pausing astonished at the threshold i can hardly believe i see him i i hope you are not sorry to see me though said i was chased out of the town like a mad dog was it yo i they were making such an uproar about cried mother in still greater surprise i thought they had been pursuing a thief here came in with her bundle of properties under her arm how tired i am i cried she dropping into the first seat tired to death iâ oh iâ uttering a little shriek of surprise when she saw you are not sorry to see me again i hope said in his accent the well replied she i certainly hoped we were going to have the evening to ourselves i that is an speech to a valued guest said her father valued repeated she slightly curling her lip yes valued replied with decision but come you are all worn out â i am the only fresh one among you â i will get supper ready you said you would have it ready for the children against their return observed mother making the nearest approach to a rebuke she was ble of and nothing is done â the fire out â the table bare â and the cow not i do believe i cried starting up â oh goodness i i hear the poor thing

1Charles Darwin

i let me milk her for you said rising with a limp i have often a whole of twenty cows no thank you said my father promised to do it and since he has not remembered his promise i ll milk her myself the battle op the pigs i quite forgot exclaimed i am truly sorry i â i entirely forgot it if one wants a thing done it is best to do it one s self cried catching up the stool and vanishing as she spoke that girl is quite upset said mother looking after her â i can t think what has come to her this day or two dear me dear me i and without more she set down the portion of her stock in trade turned up her best skirt and pinned it round her tied on her coarse apron and began re lighting the fire while confused at his was hastily spreading the supper table with every he could find aided in a weary way by remained at s side s hand and occasionally applying it to his cheek and examining him all over especially his feet this foot is bleeding you poor man i cried he suddenly oh i look mercy on us said mother the ing from her task to survey the injured member why it s cut through and through it does not hurt much said not nearly as much as when the was in it yesterday because the bleeding it said his humane but it is very to lose blood from the foot â i ll attend to it directly before i another stick â and won t mind waiting a bit for their will you certainly not said i couldn t touch a morsel while that foot was bleeding so it makes me feel quite sick it makes feel sick too i know said little gazing anxiously at his friend â he s turning quite grey quite white i i look i fainted as dead as a stone when he came to his senses he felt quite confused and all over was holding him up in his strong arms mother binding up his foot and who had been so with him a few minutes ago was cold water on his face and shedding warm tears j viii s tears must help to swell the vast of the sources of which are for and unaccountable since she was a very unlikely girl to waste such symptoms of weakness merely because a man had badly cut his foot and as for any more pity for the than for any who begged a cup of milk at the â nonsense it is not to be supposed for an instant the family at length sat down to their late supper but was not permitted to stir from the rude settle which answered every purpose of a sofa as far as comfort went and the little boys â who sat close enough to him the to be able to help him to whatever he wanted without leaving the table â fed and him as as if he had his hands as well as his foot discourse however it seemed as if all had their minds too full or their bodies too weary to permit them to utter more than short sentences moreover there seemed a feeling of disappointment or melancholy the excitement of the miracle play was over and the young people had been embarrassed and by one or two and accidents mother had found a good market for about half her stock but had had her pocket picked of her while these were alluded to one after another the only person who was not weary was the most silent of all ai d seemed living in some spirit world of his own to judge from the smile of sweetness that shone upon his countenance they had just concluded their meal when a tap was heard at the door mother quick as thought moved the brass lamp she had the working just lighted so as to throw into the shade and shifted her own position a little to to do the same so that they sat between him and the door and nearly concealed him the meanwhile had raised the latch and walked in without farther ceremony he was a tall fresh looking young german rather superior to the as far as color and features went though his countenance had little more intellect than one of s and his figure had about as much as a of flour that was concealed indeed by his though it could not carry off a certain of carriage and of shoulders is it you lad said you should have come earlier if you wanted supper for we have just cleared the dishes oh that doesn t signify â much said whose was not rapid i only thought i d just look in well it t be for long then my good the fellow said for we re just going to shut up oh i ll go directly if you like i said moving to the door no no don t take him up like that interposed mother only means to say that we are tired one and all with our day s work and pleasure and are longing to be in our beds that s all he means i didn t see you there master said where said why in the town said no sign i wasn t there though master i however the fact is i kept house i m too old for all this nonsense why your mother wasn t said my mother had her to sell said repeated aye repeated taking up one of them and with it what are they else i fashioned them and painted them fashioned and painted that saint said pointing to one in a the working as if he had hit on an ment â yes and i can tell you

1Charles Darwin

who he was said peter the little legged fellow that used to live over against the town hall but we re all getting sleepy to night and you don t wake us up much are you sleepy said to very said sighing instead of yawning you wouldn t speak a word to me to day said he lowering his voice i didn t see you said shortly not see me oh i â well if i did i only just caught sight of your shoulders when you had turned aw y â there was no good in that was there no only you knew well enough where i should be knew why i told you i well then i had so many things to think about that it was no wonder if i forgot it the and yawned this time so that she set all the others too what an odd thing it is said mother that when one person everybody should come and i be to your bed or you ll yourselves tomorrow and the goose captain will blow his horn without your hearing him veil i don t seem wanted said getting up and looking wistfully at by the by there was a funny thing happened this evening why there s a man one would think he frightened you said a friend â of ours who is not very well said mother why goodness you are in such a all up the back of your you ve been in the mud all among the pigs said still staring hard whose face he could not see you never knew such a bother there was a man selling wicked books in the town by the by i came to warn yon against him the working thank you i never buy wicked books said i feel the compliment all the same â we were him out of the gates pursued when up comes the witli all his you never knew such a row in your life here and there they were as if all their noses were being rung at once people right and left â me among the rest who got a between my legs down i went â and i fall heavy i should think so said bursting out laughing laughed too i should think you needn t laugh said to her looking hurt why not said i thought you meant us to laugh who could help it well i shall be oflf said abruptly beginning to be sensible through all his that hia presence was i m wanted at home there s a many things he added darting a look at that they think at home none can do better than i the doubtless said mother you re an excellent fellow ah said he towards the door and looking at i wish d said that instead o she i made no answer well good night to you all cried turning short round when he reached the door hey why that s the very man i what man said annoyed at himself for having shifted his position just an instant too soon why the man that sold the wicked books said fixing his round blue eyes on the the have a remarkable gift of staring you silly fellow they weren t wicked said why i bought one myself oh did you so said slowly moving but still keeping his eyes which began to have something of malice in them on you ve got one of those books have you master that we ve been dipping in and carrying round the town on a pole the working you d better not though vm a silly fellow am i well maybe i am though they that are at home don t think me so good night stay i cried as he went forth let him alone said he grows more tiresome every day i think i am quite glad he is gone but i am sorry he has gone in an mood said â i would have set him right in two words said laughing they are as well he s always hanging about and she don t like him not i said so now til bar the door father and we ll sing ave maria and be off and she put the into his hand said her father gently taking the instrument from her and then laying it on the table i am going to play that hymn no more no more father no more my dear daughter henceforth i shall only offer prayer and praise to the one true god the father what do you mean i mean what i say this morning i could hardly be said to believe in god or man to night i am a firm in god the father and his son christ but in no saint no created being as an object of worship clasped her hands in desperation this is your doing i cried she darting a look at say rather her father this is the lord s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes god sent this man to our door to save me to destroy the peace of the family i think exclaimed to break down the walls of our faith oh i this is the first night we have ever gone to bed without joining in the ave maria how can we expect a blessing to rest on the house and wringing her hands together she hurried into her own little chamber and shut herself in never mind never mind my friend said to who looked full of trouble the working she ll come right soon or late i know that girl s heart as well as i know my own our lord himself warned us said â that the gospel of peace should sow in families should set the father against the son the son against the father the mother against the daughter the daughter against the

1Charles Darwin

mother yes it is the little that the whole lump said ns and while the is going on how should it be otherwise trust me friend though i am a new convert i can see my way a little in this matter and am prepared to take up this cross and now let us pray pray with us and for us as you did last night and then we will turn in the little boys knelt beside their father then when the short fervent service was over slipped off to bed you are not going to morrow said to as he wished him good night oh yes i am the oh no you must not you cannot yes i can and i must i have work to do do it here i good advice i said smiling no replied smiling in return my work here is done not while remains as she is said i can safely trust her to you said trust her to her father indeed cried mother â you the acquaintance of yesterday and the friend of all future t said well i â i dare not hinder your mission and yet you might perhaps be more employed in watering the seed you have sown in a grateful soil than in scattering it in dry places the soil is so good it is sure to take root said i may come back some day and put in my god grant it said fervently and yet i think you might give us one more day don t you think so mother the doubtless he knows his own concerns best said mother if you ask me i must say i think he has been here long enough i can t expect you to stay after such a speech as that said to smiling a few minutes however you see my mother is just going off to bed and i want to say a few words to you of my future plans and prospects this doll making is laid on the shelf for ever i must consider what other things i can turn my hand to the two men sat up in close and earnest communion far into the night it was not improbable that if he acted in with his new views would have to lay down all in order to follow the truth the open bible before them was frequently consulted at length they went to rest at day dawn was feeding her and the little boys were driving their reluctant towards the goose captain of the neighbourhood mother in hand had started to reap for her cow and who had had a draught of milk the and had taken leave of within doors came forth ready to start on his journey his â rude from the town had for the time driven the girl from his thoughts and whether he would or no he had been compelled to take flight in an opposite direction from that in which he had promised to overtake her but he now to follow her though with little expectation of reaching her home in time to be of any service farewell said he farewell returned carelessly you will wish me good speed on my journey i hope oh yes as long as your road leads away from here and your bag is empty my bag has a book in it still said and i will give it to you if you will accept it thank you i son t v ant such a present i should have to mention it the next time i confessed and it would soon be taken away from me your books have done harm enough among us oh why did you ever come thb working here you have sown between me and my dear father he is longing to be at one with you again go seek him and make it up with a single word a single word what is that word to be why you have opened a great gulf between us my heaven is no longer his heaven â then let his heaven become your heaven oh i let my simple find their way to your heart what motive can i have for trying to lead people astray i seek to lead them from darkness to light from the power of satan unto god i thank you we want none of your leading we have very good leaders of our own already â leaders ah if the blind lead the blind shall not both fall into the ditch really we are very much to you for the supposition i hope our way is as likely to be right as yours i believe nay i am sure it is well since you will not accept my book the accept at least my fervent good wishes and those wishes are for your entire union of purpose and feeling with your father however wrong you may think him remember he is your father i not to learn that now farewell a pleasant journey to you and a better mission to you i farewell the lord watch between thee and me when we are absent the one from the other when he had walked a considerable distance from the house he turned to take a last look and saw still at the door looking after him he waved his hand to her and she immediately went in ix it is four o clock in the afternoon of a mellow day the sun s rays light up height and valley rippling stream and broad blue river purple mountains in the distance and nearer at hand grey en coffee colour red orange and rush along that broad blue river but as yet no the land an english travelling carriage is along a high road planted with trees and loaded with purple and rosy fruit which the are busily gathering within the which is open are lord and his daughters the

1Charles Darwin

eldest of whom is read the ing or seeming to read while the youngest her quiet who is scarcely eighteen is to be d at the end of the autumn when her lover will return from a foreign court this german tour therefore though it helps to pass the time without her thoughts between her and her younger sister there is all the between out and not out to scarcely seventeen everything is new everything is delightful she wonders how her father and sister can read when there is so much to see but discouraged by their pre occupied attention to her frequent exclamations she is trying to shut up her new and exciting impressions within her own heart and mind therefore she back in her softly corner notes all and says nothing but a continual smile plays about her sweet mouth and lights up tke dark depths of her large like eyes in the sits john at the out set he had i companion mrs or as she always pronounced her own name mrs heavens the young ladies maid but she became beware op the dog at and is to them at though she and john are on the best of terms he is on the whole rather pleased to have the to himself without having his miscellaneous observations and reflections interrupted by her continual to learn of him which she never can the precise corresponding of german and english money to tell her once or twice and have done with it thinks he is all very well but to have to tell her a dozen times in a day one a penny for it s no good being more with her thirty one and then to hear her a with a after all is for one s temper john was a favourable specimen of the alert intelligent young english footman a sterling shrewd good humoured well faithful man servant he was a man of first rate at swimming fishing good at accounts fond of reading famous at and a player on the the games of chance he with sovereign contempt he had a pretty taste for was a tolerable and a good son and a good christian and to conclude the list knew his own work and did it knew his own place and kept it john had been brought up in lord s family and would have gone through fire or water had need for him or any of his house as for our young ladies whom he considered rather more than possible or probable angels â namely certain if not yet absolute â he would have held it a pleasure and privilege to bestow a black eye on any man foreigner or otherwise who should offer them the smallest full of his own cheerful thoughts which he was mentally arranging in the form of a letter to his mother to be written on thin silvery foreign paper at the next halt john sat on high with his arms crossed on his chest as if he were on his way to races the road which began to ascend was not steep enough to make it worth while for him ta walk bo he did not to sa e the horses the beware op the dog open country that stretched far and wide on either side was studded with villages farms rows of fruit trees and corn fields but unbroken by a single h this peculiarity the taste of john who loved the green hedge rows of and had already many between hop grounds and to the of the latter as his eye somewhat contemptuously the surface of the wide before him john noted an ancient or at the extremity of a field they were passing at the door of this solitary dwelling stood a group which immediately fixed john s attention in another minute or so savage and and wild cries made lord and miss look up from their books a man was seen swiftly dashing across the field towards the road pursued by a brace oi savage who were likely to pull him down the next moment catching the alarm as he stood up in the eagerly at the the race cried papa i papa i something is the matter i let us stop at the same instant john losing all memory of etiquette and of pure french leaned over the back of the carriage eagerly exclaiming my lord my lord i the coal porter they have set their dogs at him have him up in the in a moment said lord no sooner said than done the carriage immediately stopped and the next minute with the at his heels bounded into the road caught john s outstretched hand and sprang into the seat beside him john with the handle of an umbrella bestowed a blow on the foremost of the dogs which sent him howling back to his companion and the carriage drove on you re the light chap ever i saw cried john with admiration how came this about was it for selling said lord standing up and leaning over tho back of the carriage ad beware of the dog dressing himself to the with a look of much interest the action of s heart prevented him for a few moments from answering he smiled but could not turn his breath and lord awaited his ery when at length he could speak he began instinctively in his native language but remembering himself immediately changed it for english which he spoke less rapidly but without any hesitation you honoured me my lord by speaking to me yesterday in the town said where i was offering for sale in the evening when i had parted with nearly all my stock a tumult arose and i was assailed with and driven from the town chance led me back to a house where i had passed the previous night the owner who had purchased a bible had employed

1Charles Darwin

the entire day in its earnest perusal not without prayer and the result was a as sudden and i believe as effectual as that of such cases are rare some in them altogether i the that they occasionally occur i seldom look for an immediate reward of my labours but in this instance i had it the man had great force of mind and simplicity of purpose he was desirous i should continue under his roof but i had a call to a certain village not far from hence on my way to it after some hours i approached yonder farm house having yet a bible in store i resolved to it for sale and approached the door a man was crushing apples in a mill at first he did not distinctly comprehend my but a young man probably his son who had alighted from a heavy cart horse just before i came up and whose face i remembered to have seen spoke to him aside for a few moments with much eagerness on which his face became with rage you the rascal said he to me who caused such a tumult in the town last night i dare say you thought the report of it would not reach this secluded place but ill news flies if you do not instantly depart i will set my dogs at you i was beginning to but op the dog without another word he put his threat into and though i am no bad yet having a tender foot it would have ill with me but for your s rescue j rejoice that we came up at the time said lord where are you going towards my lord we shall pass through you may continue where you are till we get there do you often meet with such as these continually my lord you see you are fighting against the stream constantly my lord it must needs be so a dead dog with the stream a live dog can swim against it hum i are there many of you i am the only one my lord as yet as yet then you expect co wherever there is a demand there will eventually be a supply but do you attempt to as well as the the e people will let me my lord but that is on the province of regularly trained and ordained teachers alas my lord can people read the bible in the dark i shall be happy enough to yield my post to regularly ordained teachers when they to occupy it meantime i hold my little candle to those who cannot read without it you had some sort of training i think you told me yesterday from mr yes my lord he taught me as much as he had strength to teach and i had capacity to receive during so short a time you could not have had a better i knew him well he was worthy of his name he had some though so he favoured your teaching and preaching did he he said my lord he believed i had in the school of christ ha i that has a of george in it certainly he also said my lord that christianity is indeed by church order but does beware of the dog not exist for the mere sake of it he thought if christianity led the way order would be sure to follow aye that was a good deal like him too and lord sat down and resumed his book but did not turn the leaf for some minutes john now took up the word there s politeness for you i said he in an under tone a two fields off pulling oflf his hat to us though he never saw us before nor ever will again why english touch their hats to strangers don t they said not two fields off said john no it s mere foreign â french polish look at that old chap a out the edge of his on a little instead of it on a there s civilization for you what are those people doing in the corner of that field â their corn on a piece of ground they have trodden hard said we in said john vo the such a lot of queer customs it almost one to keep a journal i think i shall if i ever come abroad again but it s too late to begin now look at those with great bundles on their heads knitting as they go there s industry for you they are carrying home for their j cows said nothing comes amiss to i them for one use or another some of the â children are washing the weeds they have col i in the stream there s economy for you i said john our english cows would turn up their noses at such rubbish german cows are not so particular said many a poor family that cannot afford to turn out a cow to grass can spare the labour of a child or old woman to reap the weeds and coarse grass on waste enough for a cow s keep we who journey from place to place should not be too to the customs of om own countries to take a hint from others when we find it all very well as far as it goes said john beware of the dog some nations and some people are in one thing some in another as long as i drink plain water my lord allows me my beer money i shall have enough soon to buy a french horn what a lot of beer money the might save i they might indeed said smiling it was unlucky too in some respects said john that i gave up beer when i did for i find upon trial that the german water does not agree with me consequence is i am only able to take coffee

1Charles Darwin

or water and am thirsty all day i didn t take a pledge mind ye but i for the sake of and in that you have your reward said t only in their beer continued john there s a lot of other things they don t come up to the mark in in these catholic countries why now i heard my lord reckoning that the working days in a year are three hundred and ten because we only rest on the sabbath day christmas day and good the friday monday and tuesday and whit monday whereas these foreigners who don t keep sunday like sunday at all but have shops and open and their and so forth their working year has only two hundred and sixty days because they keep such a lot of saints days whereby we ve a clear advantage over them of one sixth of our time in the way of industry ah said we have a clear advantage over them in many an instance besides that did you ever hear of the of not i said john well a good many years ago when the or were pretty strong in france and much blood had been shed between them and the a law was passed for their protection called the of from that time they flourished to an extraordinary degree and the district in which they were settled became so fertile under their cultivation that men called it the garden of the lord besides his field labour every â beware op the dog peasant had his loom while those who lived in towns became such as to almost all the commerce of the south of france in an evil hour louis the resolved to put a stop to all this so by way of he first destroyed twenty two of their churches then he released the from paying their debts to for years then the dead bodies of persons who had refused the communion were dug up and di about the streets then dying were obliged to submit to the presence of priests and who endeavoured to make them finally were on the with liberty to execute incredible on them â they them before slow fires thrust their heads into hot till the persecuted beyond endurance in vast numbers to england and holland carrying their skill in with them and thereby nobly the hospitality of the countries that sheltered them while the com the of their own land received an blow but stop cried interrupting himself as they reached a broken cross by the â here our roads divide god s blessing be with you must you go said john i must indeed and having uttered a few words of grateful farewell to lord the proceeded briskly on his â way x when approached the white cottage with the three trees he his pace not a soul was in sight the door and windows were shut and the red glittered on the small diamond shaped panes that peered through their mantle of ivy had returned had she been forgiven had she been were questions that occasioned some anxiety the moment he tapped at the door it was hastily opened and a couple of eager faces were thrust out they belonged to a but vigorous old peasant and a woman not much younger than himself the it is not she said the old man with a gesture of impatience but he may know something of her nevertheless said the old woman what do you want good man is your name said aye aye i m said the peasant and thia is my wife have you seen our has she not then returned alas no said clasping her hands in anguish three days ago she left us we know not why nor with whom and we have neither seen nor heard anything of her since oh my heart â and sitting down on a bench the poor sank into tears you see you said old to pointing towards his wife you see how it is with her master she naturally fears the worst and though i m of a firmer sort i know not what to think i don t know who you are nor why you come but we naturally thought yon might have seen our i have said hear that cried looking at his wife who immediately wiping her eyes and came towards him well master i saw her yesterday said there was a festival you know going on which had drawn many people together â your daughter among the rest we forbade her to go said the distance was too great for either of us and we had no one we liked to trust her with i was taking some refreshment at a said and at a table near me sat a young man and a girl that girl was your daughter the young man was no doubt said his brow and setting his teeth close he was about my height but more strongly built with yellow hair gray eyes and a on his left cheek twas he the rascal cried his hands we had forbidden him the the house and i fear that he rather than the festival tempted from home go on ho was talking to her earnestly and passionately not in such guarded tones but that i could gather the substance of what he said the girl was choking in tears and i could make out that he was tempting her to a course of sin i knew it i was sure of it cried old covering his eyes i know he never meant her any good and she so mistaken so obstinate i â tears rolled down his cheeks his wife wiped them away but hear what ensued my good friend said taking his hand she would not be guided by him in terrible anger he rose and left her then where is she cried â i thought said faltering i

1Charles Darwin

should find her here oh no i oh no i you only come to confirm our worst fears you tell us who was with her and you have not brought her home â but hear me said when the young man left her she continued weeping in a low voice i addressed to her the words of scripture woman why thou whom thou and she iâ she started â looked round â appeared surprised at my addressing her in the same tone i continued there is joy in heaven over one sinner that arise and go to thy father oh true friend cried grasping him by the hand much more passed â she confessed that she left home without your knowledge and in defiance of your known wishes but was sorry for it i applauded her for having so firmly resisted her wicked and advised her instantly to return home she said she dared not she dreaded the anger of her father but more of her mother no wonder no wonder said hastily i with her in your names and your i felt assured you would the come the returning penitent i knew you would remember that we are all and that christ died for us and that we must forgive one another she wavered trembled at last consented god be praised i cried but this was twenty four hours ago she might have been home last night well â the day was far spent when i parted from her it has now taken me some hours to come over the same ground â still i thought she might she would â she may have by the way at the house of some friend â we have no friend on the road said more likely some harm has befallen the child by the way cried or she may have returned after all to that villain to encourage her said i told her that i would follow her and endeavour to make her peace with you but i was prevented from keeping my promise by circumstances i could not foresee when i last saw her her face was set towards home let us go cried taking up his hat and staff she may have fainted by the way â at this moment a slender shadow darkened the threshold and a drooping downcast figure against the door post father i am here i forgive â said sinking on her knees sprang towards her with joy and affection on his face her mother on the contrary directly she saw she was safe hardened herself against her marked and understood the of feeling to her he whispered softly she is all in tears and too ashamed to look up â go to her it is not my place to go to her but hers to come to me replied i to make much of a good for nothing girl that has been three days out of sight of her friends in bad company just because she comes back to the only people that care for her when nobody else will have her the don t say that whispered still more because you know it is not true â would have had h r and tried so hard to have her that none but a very good girl could have stood out against his tongue do you call a girl a good girl who puts herself in the way of such there is none good no not one christ himself said so we are none of us good but by comparison and i called her good not because i thought her absolutely good for she has committed a great fault but because only the good daughter of a good mother could have acted as she did at the time i first saw her he gently laid his hand on s arm but the arm was away good daughter cried she how shall ever have the least trust in her again one woman should have pity on another pursued a mother should have pity on her child the lord has pity on us all she was going to reply in the same cutting manner as before when some softer in ence suddenly came over her with tears in her eyes she went up to her daughter and put her arm round her neck oh mother i can t bear this cried i thought you would never â and she clung to her in tears when the first of emotion was over gently said let us pray they all knelt down â and now farewell said he when his prayer was over â going cried just as we find time to think of you as well as of ourselves yes my good friend i have nothing more to do here my work calls me hence how can we our sense of your kindness veiy simply your daughter has a book i have given h r let her read in it to you frequently till i come again for i may come again some day won t you even break bread with us before you depart to tell you the truth i could not swallow u the just how no i am not hungry â i feel something of what our lord felt when he said i have meat to eat that ye know not of m y meat is to do the will of him that sent me old man and he laid his hand on s shoulder with extreme solemnity and gentleness your daughter has committed a great fault has a greater and if turning to who listened to him with suspended breath if you now apply with a true penitent heart to the blood of christ instead of to any acts of superstition god will blot out your and your sins will he remember no more you will find all about it in that book read it day and night read and pray in another

1Charles Darwin

minute he was gone was prudent in thus to one who had so lately the full free promises of the gospel let us answer this question by asking others â is justification by faith promised or is it not did christ preach it with reserve to and does it not whatever man s about it may be â does it not practically forth the fruits of good and holy living is faith the root or the branch is morality the fruit or the root can anything so break the stubborn heart as the discovery that god is love that he loves us while he hates our sins and that his most earnest desire is to free us from their power and penalty let us once fed his love to be ours and a life of holy obedience is sure to follow i all experience is for it even though all argument should be against it however all we have to do is to relate the story of a man who firmly believed the doctrine of justification by faith and who acted upon it was now taking the road to as if treading upon air his heart was light and overflowing with cheerfulness all nature seemed to with him the very hills to clap their hands and the valleys to laugh and sing no were too strong no too bold to express the gladness which universal nature displayed around him the as he passed under the trees laden with ripe and apples along the way side the who were them threw him of ripe fruit with a cheerful greeting and never did ripe or apple taste more delicious in front of cottage doors busy were setting of and to dry in the sun or hanging strings of apples from the window in how many ways thought he is our good god generous to us i in the spring he brings forth the tender blades and young blossoms in the autumn he the abundant fruits of the earth into our good measure pressed down and running over lord our governor how excellent is thy name in all the earth his mind was so so full of pleasant thoughts as to give him sources of enjoyment independent of outward circumstances he thought of the with and made out for himself in imagination some outline which was in fact not far from the reality of poor s homeward journey her disappointment at his not her her fears of meeting her parents alone and her hanging about the cottage after nightfall and sleeping in some barn or with a feeling of their protection about her though they knew not she was at hand he thought of her probable future and prayer for her formed itself in his heart then he thought of the town the festival the preaching the and the pigs â of mrs of of dr of margaret of the poor artist â they seemed like figures in a dream or shades in a magic lantern so quickly had they vanished one after another then he lingered with sweetness on the thought of he felt that short as their intercourse had been he could esteem that man as his brother he thought of with an interest and tenderness he had never felt for a woman before there was nothing to draw him back to her their paths did not run parallel it was not likely he ever see her again he had no desire but to go right on and yet he was conscious of a delicious to the ward lier passing the love of a brother again his heart formed a prayer it was for her then he thought of that benevolent old woman mother those deep violet blue eyes that expressive smile so lovely even in age â what must they have been at the age of that spontaneous kindness that cheerfulness and activity which made her a match for any one in the family how richly heaven had endowed her with gifts that no money could purchase i insensible and nevertheless to everything relating to â spiritual life i could such an one go on to the end along the broad path leading to destruction and smiling as she went no he had faith that god must have marked her for his own then those two pretty boys with voices like and faces like â if he were a father he should like two just such curly funny loving little to be his own lord again with so much to be proud of and no pride â those two high born high minded girls with intellect and purity stamped on their open brows â and that light hearted young fellow in the up to anything equal to anything â s thoughts were presently off to merry england and now just as night is falling he enters lord is there also but they put up in very quarters xi though daylight had scarcely faded the enormous saloon of the hotel de i in which a hundred and fifty persons were seated at the d was in a blaze of illumination scores of were hurrying hither and thither presenting dishes to each in succession or bearing immense piles of plates a noisy band performing opera airs was nearly drowned in the clatter of knives and forks and the hum of many voices and it occurred to john that there could hardly have been more at s feast at the more table of the d or in the quarter of the city found a number of shaggy heavy the headed together instead of in the bosom of their own families each with a long pipe that nearly reached from his mouth to the floor and with a pint of wine before him they were so obscured in a cloud of smoke of their own raising that whom the smell of tobacco always affected with felt his best refuge would be in bed as

1Charles Darwin

therefore as he had discussed his meal he retired to his chamber and slept profoundly till daybreak when he awoke the blue was trembling and sparkling in the rising sun he sprang up dressed prayed partook his early breakfast and hastened to the river side in passing a cross street he saw a man just turning out of sight in advance of him whom he knew in a moment to be his old and could hardly help smiling to think that this time he saw him himself unseen but what if his old foe unseen had seen him already he had found his way to the which was close alongside the the apart from it only the length of a plank he entered it at once the men were at their sitting about the deck and exchanging a few words now and then with a few companions sitting on the took out his little bible and began to read to himself presently a lull in the conversation ensued shortly afterwards a man with his mouth full observed come master as you are amusing yourself you may as well amuse us read us a spell looking up at him and then all around on his audience whom he took in at a glance immediately raised his right arm and hand before him with a gesture that had it not been so perfectly natural to him might have been called theatrical but as it was had something in it singularly impressive and after a single moment s pause that was just to fasten every eye him ho burst forth in his soul stirring manner with â ho every one that come ye to the waters and he that hath no money the come buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price â and so on to the end of the chapter the effect was the men drew about him absorbed just as we see them in one of s on the of listening to an who sings the adventures of â one with his hands clasped round his knee another with his arm resting on his companion s shoulder another with his arms folded on his his teeth set his eye fixed his soul in the world of dreams as for like his divine master he taught from the ship while a cluster of his hearers stood on the shore having read the chapter straight through with amazing power and fire for an man who had only zeal and a good natural taste to guide him he closed the book though one or two bade him go on for he saw passengers down to the with and luggage and the next moment the noisy bell rang and the deck was covered with people volumes of black smoke were now the issuing from the chimney men were bustling about talking leave taking and pulling off their hats continued at the side of the vessel which was just on the point of starting when a crowd of excited looking people rushed down towards it crying a on board a bible i over with him i into the water with him i him over to us and we ll make short work with him â my boys don t you wish you may get i cried john in english as the boat moved off was wiu er shouted he and shaking his clenched hand at them as the distance between them increased the men made violent gestures at him and at in return while all the others along the water side with national politeness were pulling off their hats what jolly fun said john addressing himself to and raising his hand on high to clap it into the open palm of the other with more cordiality what did th y want of you why should they throw you into the the river just for reading a chapter in the bible my senses i â you didn t know i was here continued he setting in for a regular gossip i m running down to to fetch up mrs who has run for want of knowing foreign languages are you going as far i am going on to oh i â our course lies quite the other way â i think we shall push on to â by that time sir charles will have returned and we shall get back for miss to be married look here i i ve bought a horn for ten i don t know if it s a very good one because i ve been afraid of blowing it very loud lest i might annoy lord though there was such a row at the d last night that i did not think one noise more would have made much difference just between courses i did step out and give one little blow unfortunately the note that came out wasn t in the key the band were playing in and i was obliged to hush it up directly â like what miss calls making the sons on her harp one of the running by gave me such a look i pretended i was only blowing my nose and it away in my handkerchief to repay myself j shall get up on the top of one of these hills and blow like like to blow your head off what a beautiful river that said you may say so returned john and yet it s not so much the river as the banks hills and plains and wide mountains rocks and snow white flocks castles high that touch the sky oh my oh my i it s all my eye if you had an eye you would not say so observed yes i should because i only said so for fun taken as a whole germany s nothing to england but with regard to rocks and castles on them it i to me now the rocks and mountains

1Charles Darwin

appear like toys said you must have been in then b â at i m thinking said john ah by the by you are i remember you come from where they sing â e eâ do you know now interrupted with a forced smile that went off into something very like a sob that s just what i can t stand i can t you said john with surprise and at the same time a passenger at the other end of the deck who had caught the fragment of the air john was humming took it up on a strange is not it said his eyes filling so fast that he was quite ashamed of himself strange that a bi of a tune like that should make me see my mother at her cottage door looking toward the cow pastures and my sister who has long been dead coming across the meadow in the evening sun â â he could it no longer as says in king but fairly laid his head down the on his arms and wept as if his heart would break poor fellow poor fellow said john i ve heard something before of this strange disease you are subject t y â de pay j not quite so bad as that said wiping his eyes and then out again tis that i say and nothing short of it said john positively malady de pay â short for malady i ve heard my lord speak of it you ll have to go back to your own country my poor fellow nothing else will cure you oh yes it s passing oflf said drying his eyes do you know said john i was about to ask you some questions about that country of yours because it s a land i much desire to see and very likely see next summer but as you re so tender upon it i won t allude to it any more â ask me what questions you mil replied i i the nothing will do me so much good as i talking of it and for the next two hours the two men were in earnest and almost continuous conversation on only pausing now and then to bestow a passing and pre occupied attention on the ever changing beauties of the river banks john had so many questions to put wholly and some of them enough to that the dialogue for some time took the form of a but at length it gave place to almost continuous narrative went over his own history then went back to the early history and of the not the glorious return of all which to hear did john seriously incline they sat a little way apart from every one but an sick or sleepy wrapped in his cloak with his cap pulled over hi eyes lay on a bench a little way off and who after a few muttered and at having his own meditations or disturbed by so much talking at length applied i the himself quietly to listen to every word that was said and found himself not paid amiss for his trouble once or twice an irrepressible smile at john s remarks only escaped observation under shelter of his cloak collar once or twice as related the fortitude and of his people or spoke of the various exercises his own constancy had been exposed to the became intently interested once or twice even a tear strange i found its way into his eye at length john suddenly finding himself very hungry and observing other people going to dinner said he must go and make friends with some one going below and bade accompany with a smile shook his head and produced a roll ha i cried john tis that low diet that ruins your constitution and makes the least thing upset you come along with me declined and when john had left him resumed his book a couple rather tired of themselves and of each other amused themselves at a distance from him by â the r what his book was likely to be at length to settle the they approached i you seem interested in your reading my i fellow said the gentleman very pray what may your book be the bible sir said do you wish to buy it no e said the other very hastily add retreating with his companion he observed to her in english sharp practice that i never knew a cooler thing in my life i the lady the gentleman was going to make some additional remark when he was checked by s stepping up to him why did you say sharp practice sir said he respectfully in english you asked me of your own accord the name of my book it was the last i had on hand of many that i have been selling about the country and as in many instances they have been purchased with as containing the pearl of great price i thought it possible you might desire to have one that was all the and he to his old place as gently as he came hang the fellow said the gentleman laughing rather foolishly who would have thought of his knowing english john came up at this moment see what i ve got for you here said he producing sundry apples and nuts these are the things you ll like i know you spare with low spirits and weak are always fond of these and i like them too they don t with me nothing does but the german water so now wo u go nature has given us good nut i ve been thinking of you while i was away and the sum of my thoughts is that if you would have plenty of boiled beef and roast beef and horse boiled mutton and three times a day you d have no more of this by the time they approached these

1Charles Darwin

two men had made as much progress in each other s liking as many would have taken a couple of months to accomplish the now then here we come said john to where the people live in lots all among the chimney pots eleven thousand â i don t believe there were ever so many unmarried young women in one place at one time ah there s mother on the look out for me â that neat old lady in the black silk gown old â said she does not look forty won t see thirty again though said john so she s no chicken but as good a soul when you come to know her i â why she s been like a second mother to our young ladies i i fancy there s many a mother in high life has fretted â less for a child than mrs did for miss when she thought she would not get over the scarlet fever now she sees me well they must me here so god bless you good bye i i like you my boy and i hope we shall meet again when reached he went to a small quiet looking house in a quiet street at the end of which might be caught a glimpse of a laden canal glittering in the sun the and bordered with tall trees under which men were busy among and of goods entering the quiet house by a passage the cleanliness of which was in agreeable contrast to the dirty german tapped at a door on the ground floor and was come in he entered a room furnished almost as plainly as a counting the sole of which was a pale reverend looking man advanced in life who have represented one of the early ministers he was intently engaged in writing but when he looked up and saw he appeared pleased rather than surprised well said he returned at last you have been much in my mind and in my prayers what success this time sat down and gave a detailed account of his doings which as they dated from an earlier point than that at which we have taken up his history occupied considerable time he spoke of dangers obstacles and of new broken and of old his lis h i i s the with great interest and asked many questions so you have come back empty handed said he at length no i have one copy still left said producing it and he then drew from his bosom a purse and accurately reckoned and paid down the money the books had brought him that for yourself said his putting an sum into his hand but are you sure i give you enough oh yes i would rather not be with more it is enough and more than enough for ray needs you see i so often get free quarters the is worthy of his hire my dear friend you accept a crust and leave a blessing well are you tired of your work yet oh no i i love it more than ever god be praised i on the whole i think we are making a little way oh yes but what is one among so many the there ought to be a hundred in the field â ii this one field i his friend smiled and shook his head i shall not live to see that said he nor i i am afraid said however what one man can do i will do when will my fresh supply of be ready when shall you be prepared to start to morrow to morrow not to day sir because my shoes want mending and my spare shirt and want washing my good fellow why start oflf again so soon as to morrow you want a little rest oh no i am as fresh as a lark i you know i was on board the steamer all yesterday that was entire rest well the books shall be ready for you tonight â then you can start when you will which course are you thinking of taking next have you any wishes on the subject oh no i leave everything to you i was thinking then sir i should like to the visit a few oi the acquaintance i made on my first round and see how they fare after that i might be guided by circumstances precisely so i have long felt it beat to trust all the details to yourself well go and get your mended or buy a new pair and return to dine with and me at one o clock but fail not in the to look in on mr i know he wants to see you i will sir then farewell for the present â we shall have ample time for farther talk at dinner god be with you and the old man resumed his pen as closed the door next proceeded to the residence of one of the merchant princes of overlooking the principal canal it was a mansion noble stone steps heavily carved walls hung with dutch paintings and the ceiling of the principal saloon painted with the pour seasons the abode of commercial yet the counting house formed the part of the dwelling and the wealthy merchant always dined with his family at one o clock and returned immediately afterwards to business he received with cordiality listened with interest to his narrative which he told put several ent questions him a small sum of money and on its being declined did not press it on him but bade him remember he might have it whenever he wanted it after this a short conversation strictly and personally religious ensued after which the merchant shook hands with and dismissed him he went on his various errands about the town then returned to dine with the venerable mr and his pretty daughter and spent an hour or two afterwards

1Charles Darwin

in conversation with them he slightly altered his plans so as not to start on the following day which was saturday but to remain to spend a quiet sabbath in and gather new mental and spiritual not to say bodily strength and refreshment before he commenced a fresh progress this gave him time for a little the f ting than he had at first in his deemed needful for in his few personal travelled as light of luggage independent of his books as an early providing neither two coats for his journey nor two pair of shoes very gold silver or brass merely a change of linen which he could get washed in any village where he for a day and a night light of purse and baggage light of foot and light of heart he quitted on monday morning with a heavily bag round his neck by a which to a less zealous traveller than himself would have been no slight took advantage of a for the first two or three hours of his progress then he or as john called it and proceeded briskly over ground well known to him he encountered and passed several laden with white deal of various sizes for the approaching and presently reached an open spot where scores of these were drawn up in the shade and their contents spread about the ground in profusion while a regular market or fair was going on among a considerable number of here paused to draw breath and sat down to rest on a shaft by the of one of the empty a man playing a wild kind of on a rustic pipe sat near under the hedge while one or two dutch built little were but merrily to his melody and a few hung about when the man ceased playing dropped a few words which led to a kind of conversation by and by his grand subject was quietly his bag opened and a few of his books disposed of he continued talking to these poor people for some time till they were drawn away from him by their needful after this the business of the fair went on so briskly that he found no other opening and from his acquaintance with such scenes that as the day would only be exchanged for and beer drinking he pursued his way presently he came in sight of a village with steep roof and strange looking spire the crosses over the graves in the little churchyard were hung with and with little cups of holy water across the opposite field â the was an old residence something in the style of country house and along the road in front of it walked a stately elderly couple who might have represented and his wife with their at their heels a lit farther on he came to the modest dwelling of the of the little church who was just stepping from his door and seeing approach with his paused for a moment to see if he had any business with him presented to him one of his books the moment the ascertained what it was his face became and he exclaimed you infamous monster is this the way you dare to come and the village with your bad books and poison the minds of my poor simple people with your doctrine be calm sir interposed and see if you are in treating me so harshly â are you not continued the angrily the of no i am not at any rate are you not a a a by the ah sir said your heat has taken away your memory and you do not just now recollect the of the to reply with and charity to those who differ in sentiment from you and by those means to avoid all moderate your displeasure i you and see whether the copies of the holy which i offer you are not faithful from the version by your church instead of doing this the became more enraged where is your s said he i don t believe you have one exhibited it that s nothing nothing at all said he scarcely glancing at it it merely you to sell books in general not in particular as i shall soon make you know in the presence of a magistrate will you say then time enough sir to think what i shall say when i am in his presence replied calmly but firmly our lord himself has left me a plain direction what to do in that case the settle it therefore in your heart not to beforehand what ye shall answer for will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your shall not be able to or resist see here is the passage â fourteen have you the assurance to compare yourself to one of the holy said the no sir these words were meant for the direction of all christ s faithful people a a mere all would in that case avail themselves of it you are a fellow who not only hawk dangerous matter but make it more dangerous still by your own i have no patience with you i alas sir you should have nothing hut patience with me i don t words with me man or i ll hale you before the magistrate i and he seized him violently by the arm well sir i am quite willing to be treated as the early christians were he dropped arm i have by the changed my mind said he you are not worth the trouble it would cost me besides i remember our magistrate has just gone from home to the next town i shall take some measures however against you and darting an angry look at the passive he brushed past him and hastily walked forward towards the village guessed that he should find every door closed against him and he was right people him as he passed along

1Charles Darwin

without his speaking a word and children threw mud and stones at him he remembered and the and passed on to another village evening was now drawing on and began to feel the want of some refreshment he saw at the entrance of the village he was approaching in the midst of a pleasant orchard a house the white washed walls of which were picked out with green paint and having a cool shady running round it under which he thought he should gladly make his dinner and supper together a woman the stood at the door with a huge coffee mill in her hands and on his making his wishes known to her she cheerfully promised him some capital coffee but a peasant inside the house who had just before him after at him for a moment cried that s the that has just been chased from our village for books our good came round to us and warned us against him just in time have nothing to do with him certainly i will not i cried the woman crossing herself nor could s procure any of his sentence hungry thirsty and annoyed he shouldered his bag and went on well thought he it is not the first time â and it was our lord s portion hungry and weary he had not where to lay his head at the end of the village he saw a shop where he went in and bought bread but he did not offer any of his for sale he on eating his roll as he went hoping before night fell to reach another village presently by the road side he saw a group of by the persons sitting while a cart was drawn up near them and a small lean horse was eating some coarse grass a woman was cutting for it with a from under the bank her companions consisted of a man and two small figures apparently of children huddled together under a coarse cloak with whom he was sharing some bread and cheese good evening friends said approaching good evening master returned the man how far is it to the next village have you never been this road before said the man i have but it was some time ago and i am not quite sure of my course i want a night s lodging then you must push on or you won t get one when you reach d said the man for they close early and all the folks will be gone to bed are you going thither yes but i don t want to get there till all the folks are gone to bed i want to slip the through the place unnoticed we sleep in the cart keep quiet then can t ye said he dealing a hard blow on the head of one of the little figures before him which suddenly slipped out of its hood to survey and betrayed to him the pink eyes and white hair of a oh don t strike the child i cried hastily child he s older than you think â i ve a pair on em and am carrying em to the next fair so you see it s my policy to keep em close for folks won t pay to see what they can see for nothing but the little wretches are as malicious and as and he hit each of them again which was answered by a couple of sharp you may tell by the very pitch of their shrill pipes how they be said he well said i shall go forward since my presence seems only to get them into trouble but remember my friend that a merciful man is merciful even to his beast who says i m said the show by the man i m sure my beast yonder is getting a good supper and rest too well â don t be harder on your little than on your old horse it s easy for you to say that but they re a deal more troublesome to manage youve no notion how vicious these little of are why if i were to put my little finger between their teeth they d bite me like they d bite it but do you think they would bite me try i i should like to see i cried the bursting int a fit of laughter and pulling the covering aside from the two faces under a hood was almost startled at the abrupt revelation of the two queer little monsters crouched together as if united by some mysterious bond like the and having their natural peculiarities by their dresses of black velvet fringed and with silver his attentive look which doubtless involuntarily conveyed something of his inward feeling of was answered by their sharp silent gaze of the ance but as he became sensible of this and remembered how the passions and emotions of young and creatures are often the absolute of those who are regarding them and as he remembered that in these forms were immortal doubtless like their bodies for want of any the least proper culture his benevolent heart softened toward the little and expressed itself through his soft and gentle eyes gradually their eyes became fixed and lost their like expression as their minds evidently became sensible of the change he silently smiled on them they clung to one another without ever removing their strange gaze from him they seemed to feed on that look and something like a quiet smile began to dawn over their faces look said quietly to the man without removing his eyes from the do you see no change tis a miracle i exclaimed the staring at them open mouthed bowing by the no miracle but that of kindness said see how easily you might rule them by the law of love you might guide them with a rein of silk you d be a famous

1Charles Darwin

cried the suddenly to be a keeper in a lunatic asylum with that eye of yours i i never saw anything like it there s nothing in the eye only in the expression well expression or whatever it is i d give something to have one like it but i m not up to that game try there s no secret in it oh tis no use trying know you see i ve a temper ah where the secret is said well try to your temper now you see how useful it will be to you god s blessing be on you in the endeavour good night i stay i won t you have a bit of bread and cheese no thank you good night my little friends the and he passed his hand carelessly over the little silk of the they uttered a low wail of regret at his departure and the girl held towards him her fragment of bread smiling he off a little piece of it and as he returned it put his finger between her teeth she did not bite him but laughed like a little child he looked at the and they both laughed farewell i he again cried cheerily and waving his hand passed on if it be objected that neglected here and there to press an advantage and avail himself of an opening for doing more than he did i can only say that he had much ground to get over that the fields were white unto harvest and he the solitary and that his lord and master whom he followed as closely as he could in all things when urged by the people of various places to continue longer with them refused saying i must preach the kingdom of god to other cities also for therefore am i sent it was now nearly dark and still by the was toiling on towards the for haven where he would be suddenly he heard the sound of a heavy horse advancing along the road from behind him presently the horse rider passed him and though the obscurity was now such that he could dimly make out their forms his own outline it appeared was better discerned by the who having ridden a little in advance drew his rein for a minute to shout out to him the day is coming when all you shall be a second st so look to it â i and with a yell of he galloped on judged this unknown ill might be the peasant who had caused his from the coffee house and he no good to himself from such a preceding him to the next village nor were his when he reached it no one would take him in many in fact had retired for the night and were already asleep others who were shutting up roughly denied him a lodging even though he should pay for it in the advance lonely and weary he crept ou his way and presently found himself beyond the village under a sand bank a portion of which having been dug away left a little cave or den in which he resolved to find shelter for the night have holes thought he and birds of the air have nests i will for once take refuge with the sand martin he himself up with his bag behind him and took out his remaining piece of bread the stars were coming out brighter and brighter every minute and he gazed at them with delight for he had learnt something of them from mr thought he you shine as brightly on me and shed as sweet influences as you did thousands of years ago on job and his friends quite so brightly perhaps for i have heard that in that distant region of the east the air is so clear that your rays distinct and divers colours â as white yellow violet and deep red you glorious are supposed by the learned to by the be sixty times as brilliant as our sun well may he who created you be called wonderful i lord our governor i how excellent is thy name in all the world i that hast set thy glory above the heavens while lay thus and absorbed in the of the host he became aware of a slight noise a little way off and the stealthy sound of wheels presently all became quiet but again he learnt that he had neighbours at no great distance from him who seemed coming to a halt they spoke in grumbling under tones and at length a rough voice said loudly enough for to hear every syllable where are s and s chains and how should i know rejoined sharply you took them yourself in the morning and most left them on the grass yes i know i laid them on the grass returned the grumbling in order that you might pack them up along with the rest of the traps and i fancy you ll have to back for them old woman if youve left them behind back yourself then if anybody s to replied she and a quarrel ensued the details of which escaped s ears till he heard the man end it by saying now then young tumble into your will and ye probably accompanying the word with a kick to judge from the shrill cry that ensued guessed pretty well who his neighbours were and resolved to keep himself close for he felt no pleasure in their they were evidently a couple of and he the idea of their poor little being kept from like a couple of dogs by chain and the party apparently soon settled to rest for all became quiet as death and after gazing up at the stars a while longer and saying his prayers under his breath fell into deep sleep he was awakened at dead of night by a nightmare sensation of a heavy weight

1Charles Darwin

on his chest and the strangeness and discomfort of his position added to the oppressive feeling under which he wa caused a trembling sense of fear to creep over him and made the perspiration cover his he experienced something like terror on discovering that his nightmare was no fancy that something warm soft breathing and heavy actually lay curled up on his chest it faintly murmur the ed when he touched it and when with a slight shudder he withdrew his hand and placed it beside him again it encountered something warm soft and alive close to his side for a moment the idea of a couple of young or occurred to him but the next instant he woke up sufficiently to recognise by the moonlight the little they also were awake and peering into his eyes and immediately began almost to him with soft kisses laying their little fingers on their lips in sign of silence then down off his body they muttered something to each other and shaking back their little spun glass seized one another by the hand rushed out into the moonlight and commenced and whirling each other round on the broad turf in perfect silence till thought he could almost realize in them a pair of little fairy all this was evidently done as much for his gratification as their own for they frequently looked toward him to see if he were watching them and then their little and joseph a their tiny arms retreating returning separating in perfect time though to no music but that of their own happy spirits it seemed the of â joy at their freedom and of gratitude to him who been kind to them though but in a passing caress and for him they ran their baby exercises o er voluntarily after the fashion that they had been by blows and starving to exhibit them to the public utterly what the had said with respect to their age and felt convinced they were very young children though to the marvel of their they were dressed up like suddenly they ceased made a low bow and and then darting back to him climbed once more up his chest clasped their little arms about his neck and fastened their lips to his cheek as if in a perpetual kiss he smiled and after yielding for a minute or two to their ardent of gratitude attempted gently to put them oflf but jo i they were both the fast asleep i was very fond of children he had pity on these poor little wretches he was not used to such sudden and caressing he was somehow melted and won in short he let the little creatures alone sleeping soundly one on each side of him and presently fell sound asleep himself at daybreak he was awakened by hearing the exclaim in a voice of dismay hey i why the are both empty i how s this here s a pretty business i advanced with an in each hand here are your little charges master said he pleasantly they found me out sleeping under a sand bank and didn t go far astray said the man with a grim laugh they soon you out well i owe you something for bringing them back to me for they cost me a pretty penny will you breakfast with us gladly said who was too hungry to be very and j my old lady will have some coffee for us presently she s lighting a fire to boil it e en now i shall want something hot and strong to wind me up a bit for we ve got to turn back to where we were the night before last to find the if i sent back by herself she d stop half way to drink and she couldn t find em so to good to what good indeed repeated however i should hardly think it worth your while to undergo all that trouble for a few links of old iron you might do without them use a cord you mean said the why they d bite it through in no time use nothing of the sort said there s no need but we haven t room for em in the cart said the man they re obliged to he under it see here s a let down in the middle to divide em and a horse cloth to draw round a bed case of that rolls up for each of them by day and with hay or straw at night what more could they desire ths nothing more plainly said especially ah youve a this said the man leave me alone to deal with the i m used to it and you re not here s something to make you less said bringing him a steaming mess of in a dirty tin company first said and yet what shall i do then for my cup for we haven t one to spare and the young drink out of the same you must go without or wait till i ve done you and i can do like the young for once and for manners says thank ye i decline i what s yours is mine and what s mine s my own â that s matrimony all the world over the little without a word put their cup into s hands and down at his feet clasping each other and watching him with their singular eyes as if it were quite breakfast enough for them to see him eat his he smiled patted their heads and looked at and a the young have hit it said they can wait till we ve done they shall have an extra bit of sugar for it kindly thought of said his coffee which was as thick as mud for my part i can t bear being harsh with children and i am sure these are younger than you think

1Charles Darwin

the girl has not changed all teeth you found that out last night when you put your finger in her mouth said grinning you re a sharp un i well i use my eyes certainly and a precious good pair youve got i think the more of you for being sharp all the world s divided into them that are sharp and them that are not those little youve taken such a fancy to are as sharp as needles sharp enough to know it is their interest to love and be faithful to those who are kind to them said take my word for it if you are kind to them they will know their own interest too well to run away from you to any one who is not the â i ve heard of going about to make a disturbance about being set free said are you the champion of white because these you know come from the same country as the there s the of it i i never saw scarcely ever heard of an till last night said as to makes us of what color he pleases you and i may not wish we were black but we could not help it if we were any more than these can help being white that s as plain as my wife said now why should others take advantage of us for what we can t help said and why should you be less kind to these poor forlorn children than you would be if they were of tlie same color as yourself how do you know that i am said why you would not chain and german children i d chain and philip pa there if she proved i replied he savagely s for you now and well i m sorry to it said down his coffee which he now began to perceive was particularly bad so don t let s harp any longer on that string if we re to keep friends said we shall never understand one another that has been partly my fault i put it to you just now as a matter of interest i will now just hint it is a matter of duty what are you driving at merely this my dear friend â now hear me patiently you acknowledge i suppose that we both have master i i m my own master who do you mean god he and i don t have much to say to one another said abruptly he has his eye constantly upon you nevertheless he has far more power to hurt you than you have to hurt these children because you can only hurt them in this world he can hurt you in the next for ever and ever and if he sees you depend on the it he will hurt severely some of these days for he has said by the mouth of his own son shall offend one of these little ones it were better for him that a were hanged about his neck and that he were cast into the depth of the sea i i object to this style of talk said let s have no more of it i say you ve had your breakfast out of me and that s enough well i thank you for my breakfast and wish you a good day i will not on you any longer perhaps some time or other we shall meet again i hope we shall not arose bade farewell nodded to the and pursued his course the little creatures who had wistfully been watching his countenance all the while he spoke though it was doubtful whether they understood his language darted after him as as when he departed and clung to his legs taking up a sharp stone sent it after jo with deliberate aim and hit her and severely on the the poor little creature shrieked and fell on the ground master master i how can you be so pitiless cried catching her up in his arms and tenderly carrying her back in his bosom fluttering like a little bird that we catch in our hand he set her down a little way from and then approaching him sat down close to his side and took his hard reluctant in his own how could you find it in your heart to do that said he in his gentle voice none of your nonsense said trying to pluck away his hand but not succeeding he averted his face however from those searching eyes you think now said that i have taken some unaccountable fancy to these little creatures at first sight not so i assure you at first they rather me it is only that i am naturally fond of children had you ever a child oh bother i none of this said aye that he had master said the stepping up behind him the hard muscles of her face strongly working three of the prettiest you ever set your eyes on they all died young more s the pity other guess children from these said turning his face away from her though toward but without looking up they were pretty as she says not like these little why now though you take on about so do you know she s as wicked as she s little i fixed his eyes on the child upon the grass who was intently watching him though she was hardly n ar enough to hear what passed he looked into her pink glittering eyes as if he would read her very soul she but met his gaze was accustomed to read the faces of and penitent and confessed in this face he detected no vice i think said he to you do her injustice can she us that s one of her vicious ways said believe she can any but a bom natural and would have learnt something of german by this time however

1Charles Darwin

she s like the and won t speak no nor the boy either for all my they ll only together in that of their own poor little souls i â they love one another i fancy so i there s no love lost between em in any other quarter for that matter why they re like a couple of love birds why i believe nothing would please them better than to be hung up together in a gilt cage with plenty of sweet things to eat and liberty to bill and all day see how the boy is caressing her now â he is her poor thing â i like him for it well i m sick of all this myself you could hardly make greater fuss if i had hit you i perhaps i should not make so much inasmuch as you did it unto the least of these little ones you did it unto me i this man speaks like an angel i cried suddenly the if you say so again ni put my fist in your eye i can t help it if you do i believe christ and the would hare talked just in the way he does where there s jealousy there s love said smiling at each in turn come added he there s the church clock striking and we are making no progress when i started just now i was eager to go towards people i care for very much but now i have changed my mind and i shall sit here till you have granted a request of mine you ll waste your time oh no it will not be wasted if it takes me the whole day to bend your will to mine the day will have been well spent he smiled in s face come what an fellow you are said he pleasantly and laying his hand lightly on his shoulder â tell ye what i cried suddenly while the expression of his face changed all at once â you re the chap ever i fell in and with in all my born days aye that you are and yet i like ye laughed yes i do and there s my hand it now then â what do you want i want you to promise never to chain those little creatures again but what and if they stray they will not they shall not and to who instantly towards him accompanied by the boy he began a kind of communication prompted by the quick instinct of human and divine affection which she by the same clue as readily understood at first she evidently from what he was proposing to her but at length yielding entire consent she stepped forward to took his hand his foot placed them first one then the other on her little neck knelt kissed the hem of his coat and then went through the same show of submission to the boy her exactly though less therefore less i m fairly beat now cried with a the short laugh and then brushing his hand across his eyes come you young â and he lifted them up nd kissed one after the other now we re friends all round said he in high good humour so we ll strike our camp without more delay and i own i m heartily glad not to have to go back to look after those chains are you going our road master yes for a mile or two said and if you will put my bag in the cart i ll carry the little girl on my shoulder xiv the child must be covered up or people will see her said whereon was into a of coarse canvas and her head was covered by a large coarse straw hat as fastened the button of her collar she gently and timidly his hand â the hand that had flung the stone come now don t be too said he the of the speech was by his kindly patting her cheek and lifting her up on s shoulder i do believe you ve found me the secret of managing her cried he as the set forth with and seated on the the baggage it was a lucky chance after all til at threw you in my way are you going to the fair no i turn oflf a few miles hence how came you to be sleeping in the open air last night was everybody in the village gone to bed not everybody but they would not take me in beds full perhaps on account of the fair no they had been set against me set against you for what reason his tale became interested in it and asked him many questions the adventures of the drew him out of himself they were simply but told and had always the power of winning his hearers attention and sympathy as long as he clear of anything that did not provoke the old quarrel of the natural heart against god â just as st paul found an attentive among the excited jews of till he began to speak of the privileges to the they gave home sickness â â him audience unto that word and then lifted up their voices and cried away with such a fellow the earth for it is not fit that he should live i a pause at length ensued during which g in a train of deep thought had no disposition to interrupt it the silence however was softly broken by a low singing sound as of a little bird over his head and patted his cheeks to let him know how happy she was and then left off her you make me wish to see at length said abruptly perhaps we may go there another summer and so on through into italy may be as great or greater wonders there than here resumed the story of his native land it

1Charles Darwin

here and there with a word of spiritual tendency just as much as he thought s mind able to bear his companion again became plunged in thought presently they came before one of those carved and coloured representations of our on the cross as large as life which n k the are frequently to be met with the road side on the continent and which to have something so while to many who have beheld and them from infancy they bring feelings of devotion was of the latter sort we ll halt here a said he stopping the horse then his rough head and approaching the figure with solemnity he crossed his hands on his breast and said earnestly â lord i here promise and vow in thy presence to keep my word faithfully to this man thy servant and never to lay hands on or violently strike the children i have under my charge so help me and all saints i amen could not forbear embracing him wiped away a tear here then we part said gently getting down and kissing her and may god s blessing be on you all i am thankful to have met you and shall be glad if we meet again â home sickness after a few more cordial words they each went on their several ways and now each step brought nearer and more near the scene of his approaching triumph but he must first step out of his path across some quiet fields to the house of a woman called mary she was one who had been by him long ago from a sinful life and he longed to know how it with her and whether she were yet in the faith he raised the latch but the cottage was empty she in the fields and had gone forth to her toil carrying her dinner with her but her bible lay on the table as if it had been used that very morning for everything else was in its formal place and observed with joy that the book betrayed tokens of constant reading every page to have been frequently though carefully turned and various favourite passages were marked one by a ribbon another by a dried flower or leaf another by a bit of thread â or tiny scrap of paper while some pages were doubled in half others turned down the at the corner above others at the corner below there could be no doubt of its being the of a bible christian s heart rejoiced he left of paper on the cover on which he had written the lord be with you mary i and went on his way the having now begun all hands were busy and it was not to be supposed that many persons would be in their homes before sunset a few scattered however there would be those who were sick and or who had charge of the sick or of young children among them lay s harvest as he passed a a boy gathering grapes cried father i there goes the man who stood by your bedside when you were dying of the i can it be says the father yes i yes i it is and instantly father and son were embracing him where are you going are you going to our village will you abide there to night and to morrow and the night after yes you must i we have a nice home sickness bed and clean upper sheet for you and soup by the fire with us you must i oh how sorry i am cries the boy that you have come just when we are so busy with the i we shall not be home before dusk but grandfather is in the house unable to stir from his arm chair and he will be right glad to see you and the news of your coming will soon spread said tho man for i shall tell every ne i see and it will run along from one group of to another so that you will have a famous congregation this evening we have gone on that room the baker s ever since you were here though the landlord has raised the rent two or three times there we meet four evenings out of seven to consult the we are packed as close as and the little room gets as hot as fire for has left the iron on purpose to school us and preach to us on week days as well as and you have no notion how popular he is but nothing in comparison with you i you are quoted among us as an and the joyfully will ha yield you his reading desk while you are among us and sit at your feet farewell till i dare stay no longer but eat this delicious bunch of grapes as you go along gladly accepted the fruit and went on full of pleasant thought in the almost deserted village he went straight to the cottage of the man to whom he had been speaking and as he raised the latch he heard a feeble voice within slowly repeat the lord is my shepherd i shall not want he shall feed me in a green pasture it was the old grandfather in his easy chair reading the to himself an elderly unmarried daughter had him in charge and was busied in household work they joyfully received asked him a questions and made him sit down and partake of a plentiful meal when he had answered their inquiries he had many questions to put in return and after their curiosity had been satisfied and as the afternoon wore away the conversation took a more profitable turn sickness and himself deep in spiritual conference with the old man who was indeed his son in the faith though his senior by many many years at the came home from the and the cottage was completely

1Charles Darwin

beset by joyous when the of their greetings had subsided they agreed to for supper and then to in the hired room to hear read to them in another hour they were crowded together for admission and found already at his post conversing with are you all here dear people he said all here dear teacher cried many voices since then we have met together to consider the blessed of god said he let us begin with asking his blessing on our deed and down they all knelt when they arose as many as could be with seats sat as close together as they could the rest stood behind every eye was fastened upon him he the bible the what a rare accomplishment it is to read well what a power it gives us to touch and the human heart i how singular that such an art should be so little improved was gifted by god with a pleasant and harmonious voice capable of any and with a pure taste needed only to be cultivated during his close personal attendance on his accomplished and gifted master mr had for his own benefit in the first place given a few simple hints in which had greatly improved his reading and when he found the desire that was in him to become a reader and of the throughout the world large he thought it a sacred duty and found it his greatest pleasure to cultivate s talent to the utmost always a simple hearted single minded fellow was far from over or indeed from his gift he felt so at the consciousness of his want of training and critical knowledge of divinity that he considered himself one of the very in god s v rome but yet he felt he had a call to that particular field of work as emphatically as any trained student of whom that solemn required at his and strong in the strength the spirit gives he felt no embarrassment in his so assured was he that divine assistance being humbly and earnestly sought the right words would always be put into his mouth at the right moment thus he never hesitated neither hurried nor paused except as earnest feeling dictated never stammered or strung words together for the sake of gaining time ho was so full of his message that he never wanted new and fervent thoughts they themselves in simple language thus it was that his hearers sat around him spell bound no eye drooped with sleep no frame or with restlessness all the senses were alert you might have heard a pin drop whenever he drew breath he read and then he commented on what he read and then he read again have you had dear then he the g b said no dear pray go on and he read again have you had enough it is now growing late â you must be weary well perhaps we have had enough this night since you will read to us again then let us pray and then they dispersed to their lowly for a week or more continued among them and then pursued the like course in neighbouring villages the churches it his soul to see the fruit of his labours at length as the season advanced he felt he had dwelt among them enough he must visit other places also he had as yet sold few books for the people were already well supplied he therefore started on a new course intending to break fresh ground and when he had made a certain round and got rid of all his stock to make a on his way back to and see how it with and and and the and with this purpose in view he home sickness for some weeks meeting with the usual amount of obstacles in a new and sealed land all at once his strength was taken from him the mysterious national disease of home sickness the for his country fell upon him his nerves relaxed his appetite fled showers of tears continually fell from his eyes in vain he tried to rouse he struggled he prayed the was on him if he heard a bird sing he wept if he heard a child laugh he wept if he heard water or saw a distant blue mountain or cows and sheep feeding in a valley he wept he took shame to himself and tried to fix his thoughts on at her cottage door feeding her and reading his bible and he turned his steps toward them and resolved to go to them at once but all in vain an impulse stronger than his strength was pulling him another way he must see his old home his mountains his valleys his roaring rivers and or lie down and die and why not v as there any sin in it h c the any duty had impelled him to go elsewhere he would have obeyed it or have consented to but there was none there was no reason why he not go home and directly he had settled this in his mind though it was in the middle of the night and he was in a strange house he felt a strong desire to start oflf at once this was an impulse however he could resist and the more he reflected on the and innocence of following his inclinations the calmer and more composed he became till at length after all his and troubles he fell into peaceful sleep he awoke another man his and restlessness were gone his bodily strength was his mind had recovered its balance he fell on his knees and thanked god for the change what poor creatures we are i thought he how of purpose how weak and in action how amidst our and resolutions the lord of all the heavens must smile to know that by touching with his little r a single nerve and setting home sickness

1Charles Darwin

i it thrilling he can spoil and divert all our de signs there is no but in him then he made the few simple preparations for his journey â he had already received a from and the purchase money of the books he sold would help to pay his way he wrote a few lines to mr to mention the course he proposed taking exchanged his german for french f ones and then set forth i just as he started in the animation of restored strength the thought occurred to him â may i not in this returning vigour cheat i myself and go to and after all but a thrill told him he might not and without a second moment s wavering he set his face ds his native mountains xv on the banks of the fell in with a fair there were shows of wild beasts with horrid pictures painted outside and the usual of drinking cake and but what caught his eye almost immediately was a canvas with a gaudy flag streaming from the top and a hung outside that two of the and al from the coast of africa were to be seen inside for the low sum of three thought he should like to see his little friends again and judge by their looks how they were used as s to his vow had had now some weeks trial he therefore paid the pays de his money value a penny english and entered the which was lighted by a lamp from the centre which threw its moderate on the and left the audience in comparative obscurity took the but as several were entering at the same time she did not pay attention to to recognise him was a wild monotonous air on a pipe and beating a little with his feet the little were dancing and in the same style as had seen them do by moonlight they really seemed dancing for amusement and when their performance was concluded it could not be expected to last very long for a penny sprang gaily into s arms and he smoothed her hair and gave her a piece of which she immediately divided with keeping the smallest half for herself as passed out he spoke to and said he was glad to see her charges look so well she answered him cordially and cheerfully and said that had been good of late which the waa perhaps partly owing to the children having drawn large as well as to s he proceeded on his way and in due time entered and traversed j la france j its people call it just as we speak of merry england and as the jews once loved to call their country the pleasant land to whose heart was now light france did indeed appear very cheerful and beautiful but the were him forward and he hurried on with the more resolution because the weather which had hitherto been fine was beginning to break up and cloudy skies were threatening heavy rains made more haste than good speed for he over his strength and was obliged to rest for some days then he resumed his journey and began to climb the ridge that divided france from hia native land the weather was still and about half way up he met coming down who told him snow had already fallen they added that the pass having partially frozen was extremely slippery and as the day the pays now toward noon they advised him to proceed no further till the next morning but pause in some shepherd s hut a strong feeling of desire however urged him forward on he went therefore with a light springing step insensible of fatigue the country he had left lay below him its towns and villages shrunk to the dimensions of toys its rivers wandering hither and thither like ribbons it still glowed in the bright sunshine but he was already entering the deep shadow of the mountain and this dark shadow continued ing and darkening and and gradually stealing over the he had left now the distant sunlight scarcely the now it is quite gone how gloomy has everything suddenly become but has neither leisure nor inclination to look behind him he right on as if the of blood were at his heels or an immortal reward l him â alas i do those with an immortal reward before them press on as he did the path skirts a precipice of several hundred feet in depth and at every step he small the loose stones which fall over the brink and splash in the unseen river far below bat now a mountain mist begins to descend and wrap him in its chilly mantle what is worse it into a fog so dense that he becomes embarrassed and off the direct path he is now following the track to some s as the and of the ground plainly warn him but he is perplexed how to regain the right path and waits by and by the mist rolls off and ho dimly makes out his course and painfully his steps but the blackness of night is bow drawing on without moon or star the path is now becoming extremely slippery and he is approaching the region of snow which seems to an uncertain sort of ghostly light is now heartily sorry he did not take the s advice and wait till the next day but there is no help for it he has lost precious time by from his path but he must push forward gradually the night became somewhat clearer the snow and but he was be the pays by it and could not be sure of his bearings sometimes he stepped off the path into a hole and plunged knee deep in snow at other times he stumbled over a concealed fragment of rock and nearly fell â he now became oppressed by intense headache and from

1Charles Darwin

having long been to the glare of the snow he saw what seemed like great drops of blood before him whichever way he looked onward with continual prayer in his heart to god for strength and direction and a continually increasing feeling of exhaustion and depression his foot struck a stone which immediately fell over a precipice close to him and thundered into a below at the same moment he lost his and in his â effort to save his bag which swung round to the side nearest the chasm he so nearly fell into the horrible gulf that he stood with violently beating heart at the fate he had so narrowly escaped a sigh of supplied the place of it prayer but he trembled from head to foot and felt convinced he must pot go er that night groping his f the way along the rocky wall on the side from the precipice he presently felt a little in it in which he could take shelter a coarse which was across his shoulders he rolled himself in it covered his face with his pocket handkerchief like a veil placed his bag under him for a seat put an in his mouth and in this guise prepared to keep himself awake till daylight he tried to hum a hymn but did not like the sound of his own voice at all and speedily ceased he could hear the bark of a distant wolf but it was on the opposite side of the chasm at length the moon arose enveloped in clouds like a veiled in weeds presently she threw off this mourning veil and shone forth like a monarch casting off disguise i immediately the whole face of the snow clad scenery seemed changed raised his veil which was his frozen breath and gazed about him in transport till his headache returned with such intensity that he was glad to cover up bis lace the again he was neither hungry nor thirsty and had often been more weary but seldom so op pressed with sadness he stamped and beat his arms against one another to keep his blood from after a long long night day dawned cold and grey the clouds seemed to hang about the east like lazy servants in some great lord s but anon the lord of that chamber the glorious bridegroom came forth and dispersed them right and left had already sprung to his feet and was the pass and oh how his heart beat with when the happy valley burst upon him in sunlight i non no â he stepped not no he darted down the mountain â ow through black pine woods now across dizzy bridges till at length he reached the dwelling of his friend was just issuing forth with her sh uttered an exclamation of joy on seeing but at the same moment he fell senseless at her feet screamed with terror and rushed out with hi the what is it a bear a wolf cried he â ha i on raising him they perceived blood from his mouth and with some difficulty they carried him in and laid him on a bed in his violent eâ fort to save his books and himself during the night when his foot slipped had unknown to himself broken a blood vessel and the change of temperature from extreme cold to comparative warmth had occasioned his when he recovered his senses forbade him to speak he faintly smiled and complied i know what will cure you my dear fellow said we must diet you on and grapes nothing else shall you get of your hosts till your lungs have quite healed and what is more not a word must you tell us of all you have seen and done since you left us though we love your long stories so much instead of that you must listen to while prose away about tlie wolves and the and the and the and the and i and when you are the tired of that shall sing to her here you must lie by all the winter till you get quite strong and well and right glad shall we be to have you with us i can tell you â but you don t need to be told that old boy i spoke truth here was obliged to remain many a day and many a week unable to reach the little church he had so himself to enter unable for some time even to cross the threshold but if his body were his mind was in perfect peace i all his feverish his restlessness his despondency had disappeared he was in his own land among his own people and with exquisite sensations of delight he received their tender cares it was of little moment to him that their common room had neither chimney nor glazed window â they were warm enough at night shut in with the cow the calf two and four sheep which were only off by a that did not reach the ceiling got some and made a little closet in the corner hardly occupying more ground surface than his bed of dried leaves the yet was content for his father s own cottage had boasted no better accommodation and these humble people were even among the simple accounted well to do their upper room contained stove of milk vessels cheese presses and a loom and spinning wheel a dozen or more black on the hanging shelf and a of bacon hanging from the ceiling they whose or bishop studied without a fire with a cloak cast over his shoulders were not likely to complain of the want of a chimney and their minds were stored with lore and spiritual wisdom though books were scarce among them as to be from house to house leaf by leaf when the news of s arrival spread through the valley many old acquaintance with the good or at

1Charles Darwin

their head found their way to him and the of his confinement by their talk one t tell of a wedding another of a market another of a day s hunting no one came empty handed so that and never had so the great a variety in their one brought a piece of bear s flesh another a bag of chestnut flour another a basket o grapes or a goat cheese or a fowl or a few eggs meanwhile when he had come in from his day s work at his loom or carved wood or read a chapter in the bible and took to wood carving too and helped to make up his store of toys for the spring fair he also gave the children lessons in reading and writing and towards the end of winter when he was pretty nearly well he had quite a little school of s and young girls and lads whom he gladly instructed in short so happily and swiftly did this winter pass that all were sorry when it broke up and was well enough to prepare to his wanderings he started in the first place for la tour little what dangers and there awaited him â xvi in better come hack in the and take a wife cried as she stood at her cottage door with her infant in her arms watching him depart i don t know that any one would have me replied he cheerfully oh nonsense i any one would have â shame for shame i won t hear another word more i good bye i well don t walk too fast especially up hill for of consequences remember you re not very strong yet i â he doesn t hear me i do believe added she lowering her after m after him what a pace he is going at i cheerily walked on to where he bade farewell to various friends and then he proceeded to la tour keenly alive to the beauty of the spring and the delight of exercise in the open air but he was not very strong yet and he found it necessary to his pace before he reached the end of his six mile stage his mind was full of thick coming memories of the stirring scenes that had occurred in that valley in the old times and he prayed to god in his heart that they might never be revived having reached la tour he went to the s house to bid him adieu and not finding him at home he left a message for him and then crossed the little street to a shop immediately opposite to buy a new handkerchief while he was choosing one the woman of the shop suddenly plucked off his hat he looked up at her with surprise and seeing no advantage to himself to be derived from the the ment coolly put it on again the woman who was a roman catholic remarked you d better have submitted and may get into trouble for this why could not you pull off your hat for manners if for nothing better when the host was being carried by the priest saw you i am sure out of the corner of his eye and you know the laws require as well as within thirty yards distance to i was not aware the host was passing said nor did i remember the law and looking out of the shop door he saw a priest and two or three little boys forming rather a poor apology for a procession going down the street he concluded his purchase and left la tour without any further delay and had proceeded about half a mile on his road when he heard himself called to from behind and the next minute a couple of came up and roughly him he mildly inquired the reason of their him they replied you will soon learn that of the magistrate our business is only to take m prison yon before him however we know very well that you are the profane fellow who kept your hat on just now before the host well â ray journey will only be an hour delayed said don t be too sure of that said the other our magistrate may put a spoke in your wheel that shall hinder it from rolling on for some time to come however it is not our business to speak to you and they walked on in silence a few boys and gradually collecting into a little body guard around them when entered the presence of the magistrate he found himself confronted by the shop woman of la tour and by two of the youths who had made up the procession these all bore witness against him that he had kept on his hat and the shop woman alleged in addition that when she out of humanity removed it for him he immediately replaced it and expressed no for his or otherwise the magistrate demanded his name place and occupation and find t tb â ing that he house to house â this is evidently a malignant fellow said he to his clerk and i t think it any honour to la tour to have been his nor to to have supplied his education â therefore my opinion is that we shall do the community at large good service by committing mr to the prison of for the term of three months that is a hard sentence sir said how am i to be maintained there without food or money thirty miles away from my nearest friends people should think of those matters before they commit replied the magistrate you may let your friends if you have any know of your position all the of and many in la tour are my said the knows me well i recognise no such title as said the magistrate though i know who you mean to you must

1Charles Darwin

go in prison and what is to become of my sir your have my bag it will be time enough to restore it to you when you come out you won t want to sell in prison but to read the bible sir you will be better without it your mind will have time to recover itself well sir luckily for me there is a large portion of it you cannot deprive me of concealed about your person no sir here touching his forehead ah that s the way with you â in grain i there s no washing the mischief out of you remove the prisoner as was removed he looked about for one who might know him but all the men were at their work he caught the eye of a little boy however who was wistfully watching him nd called out to him â tell your father and tell the and if you can run over to tell that i am going to the prison at for three months b the the boy nodded and went under guard he was placed in a cart and one seated himself beside him while the other drove as they passed between and st who had hitherto maintained silence signed towards the latter place i shall not fare so ill as the good old of st said he what happened to him said the the fathers of the got him into their power by a â he was told that one of his flock was dying and wanted his spiritual assistance on his way he was beset he took to flight but a shower of bullets brought him to the ground the report of fire arms brought a crowd of his people around him and while they were over him as he lay and bleeding the burst forth and carried oflf the whole party prisoners to the here the good old was to and as he would not he was burnt and his unhappy fellow prisoners were compelled to carry the that were to him to the stake he died glory m ing that he was counted worthy to for the cross of christ in the evening when the passed the pile of ashes on their way to the embers it is said became suddenly red as if silently against them that was a i suppose said the i who believes such rubbish as that their excited had probably something to do with it said i do not insist upon it for the faith and constancy of the of our religion need no i suppose you mean to say we have had no said the no you have had many before was worn out which was after christianity became said don t you corrupt us said the you re a prisoner now not a preacher held his peace and they on in silence â â i remember says the author of that in the on foot with my the on my back i paused in pensive contemplation before a mountain torrent not far from the col the noise which it made in its course the into which it formed itself the various colours with which its waters were stained the enormous blocks of rock which it had and separated without entirely the trees which it swept away in its course held me for some time in profound meditation this torrent was the i pursued its banks and arrived with it in one of the four valleys known as the of the ancient my torrent was no longer turbulent it flowed with strength but yet with decorum as it approached the walls of here then i beheld celebrated by the massive crowning the two heights between which the town is built these which communicate by covered ways had been partly during the republican wars but one of them nevertheless had been repaired and converted into a state prison in this fortress was to be shut up for m prison three months clouds and mists surrounded the base of the on which it stood and seemed to it in mid air the having read his and finding it was for a trifling offence committed by an obscure person carelessly observed he supposed he did not mean to pay for a separate room in reply placed in his hand the few he possessed telling him it was all he had this will not go far towards your keep said the contemptuously i have no more said and i can on bread and a few if you have the bread without the your money will last longer said the it is lucky for you that the weather is too warm for you to want fuel and he turned him into the common yard the few prisoners who were about in it immediately collected i him glad to relieve the monotony of their confinement by looking at a new face they were and repulsive in appearance they asked him what he came to prison for and when he told them the il they p tied him and called it a shame they â asked him what his occupation was and when he said they laughed he told them he had originally been a hunter they said there was some fun in tliat and began to ask him questions he answered them cheerfully and soon got into some of his hunting stories which he spun and made as entertaining as he could knowing they would now be his capital they became interested called him a good fellow him spirits and when he declined them and said he lived by rule and had broken a blood vessel they offered him bread and grapes which he accepted by night fall they were all good friends when a occurred he when some of them swore he said come if you say that i shall tell you no more stories you have not heard the best so it s to your

1Charles Darwin

interest to humor me on which they laughed and within an hour of bed time he said come this is the time i always read the bible and pray shall i do so aloud or to myself in prison what a joke i cried one why you have no bible shut your eyes and you won t know that come humor me for once behave awhile and if you don t like my to night it will be time enough to protest against them to morrow agreed said they and drew around him i am going said with an of great seriousness in his voice to repeat the chapter of st s gospel and may god bless it to all our souls for his dear son s sake they were hushed and still never had s been more perfect his emphasis more impressive or more winning his words like dew on thirsty ground as soon as he reached the end beholding every eye fixed on him with d attention he said let us pray and the next moment every knee was on the ground they had all just risen when the came to lock them up for the night and wondered to find them all so quiet lord god i thank thee whispered as he lay down on his hard the next morning after their meagre breakfast were yawning or about the yard how stupid this is i cried rather the straw i slept upon or a piece of wood than do nothing let us all try to invent something to do and he whose invention is the brightest shall be the king of good fellows and receive public thanks their fancies were and one after another hit upon some way of their few and miserable resources anything is better than nothing said let us make trial of all and since you are good enough to lend me your knife i will this bit of stick into an old woman s head or stay â would any one like to learn to read or write v where are our books and copy books to come from said one leave that to me said your coat is so dusty we might write upon your back and mine s not much better observing that they all laughed but the flag stones will do for if we had but slate or sticks in prison a substitute for both was hit upon by an in fellow who was rather elated by the he received for his talent and to work they went all except a select few who preferred a quiet game of pitch and toss while could thus find sermons in stones and good in everything it was no wonder that to a glimmering consciousness that he was a very good man they added a lively conviction that he was a very good fellow while they were all hard at their new employment ie suddenly cried â hold enough why so said they in surprise too much of a good thing is good for nothing said why should not we study variety there was a famous m de st victor who during a long term of solitary confinement contrived such variety in his which were all mental that he literally found himself in want of time ours is not solitary confinement we have much more variety at our command than he had and we have the of hearing a dock strike the which will enable us to our occupations what is to hinder us from having an hour for reading an hour for writing an hour for walking an hour for talking an hour for singing three or four hours for labor and an hour for prayer there s the day divided at once i think master said one of the pitch who had just been beaten you want to be king of the court no i don t said readily you shall be king and be your i shall be shall be chief shall be of police shall be master of the works shall be master of the band if vm to be said where s the treasure to come from from the to be sure i every one that or uses bad language is to fine a that s good of you who have no money wait till i the fine said laughing is of public order be shall the in prison why i shall have to fine myself i cried all the greater fun if you choose to the penalty said tis but child s play after all said well and are not leap and pitch child s play you don t despise them anything for a change i cried so hail to king the first of his name and to his new i i said young in a low voice while the others were engaged in an game for which the had neither inclination nor strength these men are of you as long as you amuse them and you may even acquire a certain degree of power over them for good but i â i like you for yourself i am here for a worse crime than any one of them has committed and myself for it and yet i love better things than they do and am sorry beyond expression for what i have done â and the poor young fellow told him a tale of woe how that he had loved and had been deceived and had been and had a wrong party and had fallen upon and nearly killed an innocent man and though he lives pursued m crime was all the same i wished him dead and was ready to kill him when i him and beat him about the head and when they brought me here i did not c what became of me since had been false i did not care to live for there seemed nothing worth living for and though was

1Charles Darwin

a i felt i had disgraced my people so i held close and went on here just like the rest but though i ve not virtue nor courage enough to take the first part i ll always be your second so reckon upon me i ll always back you up there are two or three more among us put in for as trifling as yours and i fear they are all you can permanently reckon upon for the next time the priest comes who does not come very often the others will go to him to confess and confess other people s faults or what they consider such as well as their own so he ll soon know all you and then he ll warn them against the you and they ll keep apart from you you ll see i s fears however were not fully realized it was a good while before the priest came at all secondly had meantime grown such a favorite that not one of his companions would speak ill of him the who was aware of a great change among his charges and thought it no sin to play and hear if any mischief were became a decided patron of and felt heartily obliged to him for his companions to order when the priest heard the fact reluctantly confessed that a prisoner was obtaining great influence over them the fact was so and by various accompanying statements that he thought it best to content with a very gentle charge to his to beware of being led astray by their ears let the charm never so wisely finally he played himself two or three times without being able to detect any harm and held a with mildly reminding him the old law for burning a minister who attempted to convert a catholic had never been and that though he was a he exposed himself to very said so little in reply and that little so gently that the old man could find no pretext for attacking him and being really of a mild and pacific disposition thought he might as well leave the matter alone meanwhile with a rusty nail blackened with a mixture of and for his had written out nearly all the gospel of st john on the walls of the yard this was the text book by the aid of which he taught his scholars to read and to commit portions of scripture to memory he told them this was a golden opportunity which might never occur to them again and even the most were aroused to a little exertion while the ardent made rapid and progress while all were his friends was his friend who hung upon everything he said everything he could out of him reason the ed him learned of him and aided him ia every way he could had it not been for the generosity of these poor fellows and the s humanity would have ill at the commencement of his for hia friends at and la tour could not immediately journey to nor obtain access to him when they got there but at length made his appearance loaded with a miscellaneous collection of good things which enabled to feast those who had shared their own scanty supplies with him and moreover brought a purse containing a small sum indeed but sufficient for the s w ts during the remainder of his imprisonment which had been collected for him in among the of he accepted this with as much simplicity as gratitude for the workman ia worthy of his hire and he knew that in spite of the reason of his punishment he was ia reality suffering his testimony to the cross of christ and now the time came when he was to regain his liberty to the no small regret of all those whom he was leaving behind how earnestly how affectionately did he them fo keep up to the mark he had set before them and press onward instead of falling off as soon as his personal influence was withdrawn as for he was resolved to become a as soon as his term was out which would be not long after s and he persuaded him to await him before he crossed the that they might travel awhile together with a sense of the blessing of liberty which nothing but the loss of it can give descended the rock of thanking god as he went at the foot of the steep road a man sitting on the bank started up and spoke to him and to his no small amazement he found himself greeted by john the hour and the man i cried john seizing him by tlie hand and working his arm like a pump handle you little thought to see me i fancy but i ve been watching for you this hour more i knew you were here and the would come out to day â have known it some weeks my lord is stopping in on purpose to see you oh what a lot of things i have to tell you to be sure i must begin with the end and end with the beginning when we got into the valleys a fortnight ago we found all the in a about your and making quite a personal of it every man ing it home to his own hearth and heart well my lord thought the transaction such a shame even before he remembered who you were f brought that to his mind that he took it up quite warmly and spoke of it in the public rooms and called on m and m and wrote to the of the district to beg him to let you out it was no go in prison you must stay in spite of lord s and calling it a disgrace to the times so finding your time was almost out he resolved to wait quietly in the valleys

1Charles Darwin

and see you had fair play after all and help you to make a fresh start i am grateful to lord ham said for his interest in the welfare of a poor fellow of whom he knows so little why you see we know a good deal more of you than we did before we came into the valleys every one speaks well of you the especially and there were some that could not name you without tears and where are you now at an inn in a rum sort of a place this â my lord was going to take a sketch of the fortress just because it looked picturesque in the evening sun hanging half way between earth and sky like s coffin but they were down upon him in a minute i no drawing to be made of their i oh my goodness i when every frenchman in france pay about our castle i and for reasons good â because in england every man s house is his castle and would be defended accordingly so we don t set store on the solitary one stuck on a shelf well here we are you see on our way to italy because miss has married sir e thb charles and we re following in her wake we liad a wedding i fm getting up my italian you see bride veiled in french lace three clergy to marry her twelve six in pink and six in miss all smiles and tears mrs carpet down to the carriage doors â crowd without â â bride given at the church door â all the world to breakfast â lords and w john s library the port royal latin grammar as well as s letters from italy â no end of champagne and pink ice â speeches and showers of tears â new st carriage with four â in pink satin french maid and in the oflf to two de sweet â sir charles is a so they ve gone forward with bottle and bag and we follow after like little jack â we re to pick them up at at this moment a group of people with boughs in their hands came towards them and found himself surrounded by a party of hi old friends including who had made this long to congratulate him on his his surprise and pleasure were so great that he fairly shed tears and lord and his daughter watching them from the inn window were by this simple triumph â it is not needful to relate what passed between and lord nor how found that his had been destroyed nor how lord insisted ou his accepting the pecuniary amount of their value to pay his way back to germany nor how long remained in the valleys â when he his wanderings he found his strength much diminished by his winter s illness and by his low diet and life in prison he had obtained a new supply of at and he proceeded towards his with at the time appointed just before he reached the spot he came to a group of people sitting by the with a j mule litter drawn up beside them whom the he presently recognised to be and the little knew him first and darted towards him with joyful cries hung back but when he held out his arms to her she joyfully sprung into them she had a shade over her eyes hardly more of a screen than those which ladies now call it prevented her being stared at by by and permitted her to enjoy exercise and fresh air instead of being up in the cart which had considerably improved her health and cheerfulness the whole party seemed comfortable together and after of their departed on his journey well pleased to have seen them he could hardly bring himself to judge of the little as fellow mortals there was something so wild yet so shy about them and the shrill cry which had set up on first seeing him had sounded like the signal of the having joined they crossed the col de la in safely with more deliberation than had done when he entered the valley for some weeks they together like christian and hopeful on carrying the bag but they parted when they approached the of germany as could make no way where french or italian was not spoken but they arranged to meet again at a future time s first business was to take up the german he had left behind him on the country with these on his shoulders he proceeded serenely on his way he did not long anywhere till he approached the district where we found him at the commencement of this narrative he first prepared to visit the and see whether the good seed sown there had sprung up or withered as he came in sight of their lonely cottage he beheld the figure of a girl issuing from the threshold bearing an old woman in her arms whom with some difficulty she carried beneath the and placed on a seat that surrounded one of the trees then she fetched a mat r s the her feet then e brought a book from the cottage and sat down beside her and began to read aloud as drew near he heard her in a low sweet voice repeating i will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence my help â my help even from the lord who hath made heaven and earth he will not thy foot to be moved and he that thee will not sleep â â some one is coming said the young girl interrupting herself â ah i do believe it is the good man who gave mo this book it is i â welcome sir welcome i how often we have wished to see you i and now that you are come i can see you no longer

1Charles Darwin

said the old woman for i have become blind but my is the comfort of my life â all owing to this blessed book said kissing it and it was you who gave it me he that on his way weeping said and bearing good seed shall doubtless come again joy bringing his with him i rejoice to see you reading to your mother â i was surprised to see you can her the of a mother said is always light at his work but his and wife so earnestly entreated to remain till he returned to his noon tide which was not far off that he consented lives were so monotonous that they had little to tell him he on the other hand had much to tell them and his always included a word of at length he was again on his road and briskly stepping forward towards and as he came in sight of the little on which stood their cottage glowing in the evening sun it seemed but that he had approached it with mother and seen standing at the door feeding her tame perhaps in the she had married he longed to know all about them just at this moment a hen running across the road frightened a horse approaching rap the idly who in consequence and threw his rider and then galloped along the darting forward seized the bridle and stopped the horse not without receiving a violent blow on the chest and the shock laid him senseless on the ground when the presently came up to him and found the horse standing quietly beside him hey i this is a bad business said he â and he shouted and beckoned to some who had already begun to run across the fields towards him when they saw him thrown but had paused when they saw the horse stopped lift this poor fellow up said the and get some water one of you â i fear he is stunned he has broken a blood vessel â this is a worse affair than i had supposed â i have been spared and he has been smitten poor fellow poor fellow here take him up gently and bear him into that cottage â i know something of the people who live there they are kind hearted and will attend to him â and dr for it was he the removal of poor into cottage had just finished a neat piece of and was beginning to make some cheerful remark to when she uttered a cry and said oh father here is dr bringing a dead man to us dead cried in dismay dead or fainting said some accident must have happened â how unlucky that should be from home why i do yes father i it is the next moment the poor w s in the strong arms if who bore him into the kitchen as tenderly as if he had been an infant all in tears obeyed dr s directions for his recovery and the seeing their aid was no longer wanted retired after tying up the horse in f silence i not a word i said dr laying his finger on his lips as opening his eyes and looking round somewhat wildly was about to speak for a moment the s mind was all in confusion but the next instant the sensation of pain and weakness at his chest his loosened collar the drops of water scattered on his face the current of air blowing in on him his posture and the kind faces hanging over him explained everything he was content to be silent he felt happy i am bound to pay particular attention to this poor fellow s case said dr y in to because he got this hurt in my service the best way would be to remove him to the if it were not so full for i suppose you c accommodate him very easily here do not think of removing him said he is a valued friend of ours and was doubtless on his way to us when the accident we can t think of parting w ith him in that case all is straightforward work said the doctor keep him still and cool and perfectly quiet and give him nothing but silently gave him a little â and i will look in on him in the mornings it will do him no harm to remain on this settle all night your mother is not at home i know for see sat up last night with a of mine but i shall be just in time to catch her before she leaves town and will give a s ice and a piece of block ice to pound and lay on his chest in case the returns farewell and pressing s hand kindly he nod the to and and left die cottage was on the point of speaking bat with a smile held her finger to forbid him and sitting down on a stool by his side with the water still in her hand regarded him with kind concern he replied by a look so full of and tenderness that the modest colour rose in her cheeks but it died away the next moment softly and and the simplicity of her affectionate attention remained now came from seeing the doctor ride off and sat down by him though you may not talk to us said he we may talk to you if we don t talk too much or too loud and i shall begin by saying how heartily glad i am and i am sure is the same to see you again under our roof we have often talked of you i promise you and wondered whether we should ever see you again my mother and thought not but i always had a fancy that some day or other you would find us out many strange things have happened in your

1Charles Darwin

absence in better not tell him to night perhaps said gently well perhaps you are right though i thought he might sleep the better for knowing however you may at all events know that i have studied your blessed bible day and night ever since i saw you last and you will doubtless be glad to hear that though i have given up making i have plenty of cabinet work and never was more prosperous here come the boys said perhaps father it will be better â and she whispered to him the remainder of the sentence nodded approval don t you go said he i ll see to it myself for you are the better nurse and went out and now said i shall take up my sewing and sit here quite quietly so that you can sign to me for anything you want and if you have any long speech to make you can write it on this slate but i think the best thing you can do wiu be to go to sleep â stay i can i j the make your pillow a little more comfortable â will come home by and by and be a better nurse than i am as she smoothed his pillow she saw his eyes which had hitherto continually followed her turn towards the empty in the opposite wall ah said she softly that s gone now â i know what you miss and lowering her voice and hesitating a little i don t pray to st anne oh i cried he faintly unable to keep silence any longer if i liked you so much when we thought so differently what shall i do now if we think alike a quick universal blush spread all over her face and neck and had scarcely begun to fade away when it deepened again and again varying fading and like the sunset clouds on a beautiful summer evening looking at her with intensity thought he had never beheld any earthly being so charming but as soon as he became conscious how uncomfortable he was making her he looked j way in on her part she silently edged away her stool a little so that she could neither be face to face nor see any sign he might make if he wanted anything and totally forgetful how bad a nurse she was proving herself she commenced sewing silently and diligently nor ever stayed her hand till mother came in the good dame had already learnt from dr what to expect and entered without any of the bustle of a vulgar but with the collected air of a professional nurse in which capacity indeed her services were often put in she came up to and nodded and took his hand as as if they had parted but yesterday and then set about making a few simple arrangements for his comfort these done she returned to him with the ice dr had sent him and began feeding him with it seeing which gathered up her work and was about to retire but her grandmother suddenly called her back with i you can do this as well as i and i thb have forgotten take my place child only don t set him by feeding him too fast and she hastily went out ice is very pleasant in weather and it is very pleasant to receive it from the hands of a lovely young woman especially if the feels that it would be a very easy thing to fall in love with her though the was of the and the spoon of real imitation silver had cost about never had any y appeared to so delicious he swallowed the greatest deliberation for the sake of the feast nor did seem at all inclined to hurry him as for the rest of the family they were certainly in the the or perhaps the cow house to be out of the way but just as had concluded his came in and stepping up to him said the boys are going to bed in a few minutes but i thought if it would not disturb you we might as well have our family worst ip in here as usual signified his pleased m compliance and mother and the two boys came quietly in began by reading the hundred and â not unto us lord not unto us but unto thy name be the praise for thy mercy and for thy truth s sake etc to the concluding praise the lord dear children said he when he had read to the end it is hardly possible to open the book of without coming to these words praise ye the that is to say don t praise this or that saint or holy nor glory and honour to any created being however eminent for but only to him not unto us but unto thy name be the glory â praise the lord ye his servants praise the name of the lord it is nailed down and well in the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom a good understanding have all they that do thereafter â they are on the right course the way that to life everlasting you and have often sung non without thinking much of the words even if the you understood them â well this is the of them which i have just been reading to you in your own language not unto us d lord i â and we will sing non presently because now you can sing not only with your lips but with your also not unto us lord but unto thy name be the praise â for what â for thy mercy and for thy truth s sake yes i gk d is a god of mercy and he is also a god of truth he will not say one thing and do another he said at the beginning that the wages of

1Charles Darwin

sin even of a sin as eating an apple contrary to his should be death â and death came into the world and has reigned here ever since otherwise he would not have been a god of truth he also said that the son of man that is christ should the head of the serpent that is of the devil of sin and therein he showed himself a god of mercy and he has been a god of truth in his promises as well as in his threats â he never fails in his word consequently all who will avail themselves of his own terms of reconciliation may in harbour have their sins forgiven for the sake of christ â that is â and be mad free from the power of sin by the influence of the holy spirit â that is and when they are justified and they may truly exclaim grave i where is thy victory death where is thy sting v and now dear children remember what is justification and what is and how god proved himself to be to us a god of mercy as well as a god of truth let us pray they all knelt down after prayer took up his and accompanied his children s voices in the sweet solemn of non they then kissed him shook hands silently with and stole to bed when drew near to he â was pained to see the tears down his cheeks i am afraid this has been too much for you said he tenderly oh no said hush you must not speak but indeed i must said the â whispering and drawing his friend s head close down to him that he might hear what he had to say you have made me see myself in a new light you have made me feel more strongly than i ever did before that i am an servant i have done nothing absolutely nothing to i have wasted opportunities my one talent while you with no privileges no advantages have made long strides toward the kingdom of heaven in those few simple words to your children was embodied the sum of gospel truth i why this is mere weakness cried in an voice sheer weakness of body and a letter teacher than you why who taught the teacher during the short time you abode with us were not your words like and yet sweeter than honey my doctrine and yours is one and the same because derived in both instances from the same source â the pure word of life but my are but the poor weak of yours and all that they have of in harbour body in them or of soul is derived from their original there s nothing original in me man i â except original sin but you see i m in earnest and you would never have made me so if you liad not been in earnest yourself no no you are now by god s providence in great languor and depression and see things in a bad light i can never see myself in any but a bad light whispered but the right thing to do pursued is not to see yourself at au but only the true light which is christ to keep your eyes upon the light that came into the world that all men through him should be saved right right i whispered the pressing his hand why now continued if the that were bitten by had kept over their wounds and their individual â see how bad jam â oh you re nothing to me â would they have got cured think you they would have died every man alive instead of which moses the m bade them not contemplate their own wretched bodies at au but to keep their eyes fixed on the brazen serpent right right and that s what you must do my dear friend don t begin to y ur sickness by dwelling â upon this or that short coming and thinking that god won t forgive you and you won t forgive yourself we re au servants and when we have done our best we have only done what was our duty to do â let that alone god knows exactly what we are and yet us for his servants after all us with the wages paid in advance of his own blood and if that t melt us what you are a sinner in his sight so am i but we re there s the of it i the of god by faith in christ is upon ok them that believe there is no for ok have and come short of the glory of god where is then it is excluded by what law the law of faith by which alone even the just man lives in harbour i it is to my heart to hear you i why i m only repeating your very wn words and the of st paul come and bid this dear man take comfort in god though now for a season if need to he is in manifold temptations you have made a bible christian of this girl though not immediately â she is the very joy of my heart i see how you have been the instrument of happiness to me nay don t turn away i will hold you fast sensitive as you are you shall hear me for once say how i love you i assure you there has often been a little competition between us which should have your bible â she on the watch till i had done with it and i on the watch till she had done with it at last the dear girl laid out the money i had given her for a pair of or any toy or she might fancy at the fair on a bible for herself which she got with some little trouble

1Charles Darwin

but even now i must confess to you yours continues the greatest favorite with us both chiefly i believe from having come from the as s eyes slowly turned from one loved face to the other he felt something of what expressed of the fulness of joy when he said â oh if now to die now to be moat happy and we are not the only fruits of your good seed continued drawing yet closer to him and making her sit on his knee there are other some through my some to whom you imparted the gospel of peace yourself so that we are already a little church and we have a hired room in which we meet to read and pray and consult together on the word of god tliis has not occurred without many and much persecution you may be sure but still we keep our heads above water our grand want is of a and for you see they consider us as persons and would chase our children from their schools â even if we had not withdrawn them so that the poor boys get or no and wo ik ourselves are in deplorable want of an teacher so that when you get about a little the best thing you can do will be to supply these wants till we can get a regularly ordained minister for i am sure it will be some time before you can safely carry about that heavy bag and now do you carry him into the room i have prepared for him said mother and help him to for it will never do for him to pass the night where he is i have made everything comfortable and when you are in bed i will come and you up and give you a stick to hammer against the wall in case you want anything in the night got into his room without being carried and he fell asleep and dreamed that was feeding him with ice man tt is was it not that a man whose soul had been for several years by the absorbing pursuit of a grand and holy purpose should find nothing better to dream about than eating ice was it not remarkable that the faith of a practised missionary should suddenly be at bo low an ebb as to make him grasp at a mere fragment of his own teaching restored to him by a poor brother in christ as a drowning man might catch at a plank we are all liable to these and flows the nature of s illness was to bring down his strength very much and make him as lo y as a child happiness was almost too great for him to bear ice one moment and humiliation was almost too great for him to bear the next whom the lord he frequently thus under this trial it was a blessed thing that was promoted to play in a humble way the part of to david when he strengthened his hand in god â there can be but little question was david s inferior in spiritual experience and yet in his hour of trouble he was to him and cheered his soul whether it were owing to the cool air which the little chamber through the mother had left open or to twenty drops of in a full of water which she administered to him just before he closed his eyes certainly the first part of the night was spent in refreshing sleep and pleasant dreams but when mother her lamp with her hand stole in noiselessly and without her shoes to look upon him about two hours past midnight a cold dew was on his brow an hue had settled on his countenance and hia the es were contracted with pain she cautiously placed the lamp where it would not shine on his eyes and seated herself beside him in an old arm chair to watch through the remaining hours of darkness perhaps owing to her care which would by no means allow of his leaving his bed till the physician had seen him the perfect silence and stillness in which he was kept were favourable to his for l r who did not call till early in the afternoon pronounced him to be doing as as he had expected though he would by no means hear of his sitting upright or speaking above a whisper while the dull oppressive pain at his chest lasted he was glad he had had some quiet sleep at the beginning of the night gratefully whispered to him i think sir it was the ice oh very well said dr smiling you are welcome then to have one set down to my account daily if you think it worth se for now had in fact had a second ice ice which had been sent for and paid for by no one being in her confidence but who undertook the commission and though it was not quite so great a luxury the second day as the first inasmuch as it and possibly from his hands being rather warm it would run about the plate still was grateful for the delicacy after two or three days seclusion and silence he was promoted to the wooden settle in the kitchen where he lay at length reading the bible all day with at his work bench a few yards ofl and flitting in and out hither and thither in the performance of various little domestic yes here was tlie poor fairly laid on his back with no prospect of his labours for a long time if ever a consideration which sometimes filled his eyes with silent tears and if nobody happened to observe them well and good but sometimes little would come up and wipe them off which made him feel ashamed or would suddenly leave off singing and look i ad or would kindly take his hand for

1Charles Darwin

a the minute and bring forth some soul strengthen ing text and then he would smile and fix his eyes again on his book and the next time they looked at him they would see his quiet face lit up with some inward of faith and love that an invisible had kindled now and then two or three of brethren in the faith would drop in after working hours and hold little meetings for reading prayer and sometimes they attempted and and was in a nervous fever to set them right in two words which yet they would not in their tender care of him let him speak then he would try to express himself on the slate and they would breathe on it and what he had written in their awkward attempts to it in despair he would let them go on way and hope better times and better were in store and he tried to let patience have her perfect work in him and to be content since it was god s win to be an servant one night after one of these little meetings there was a ice t great of the cottage windows put his head out and asked what it was for for your devil s agent and holding his returned a brutal voice we ll break every pane in your before we have done with you so this is your christianity is it said suppose you step in and hear a little of mine wait a bit i ll slip on my clothes and be with you directly we ll have a candle and i ll read a chapter or two out of my good book i know who you are very well by your voices and youve done me no harm but good for my book says blessed a re they which are persecuted for sake i m coming down my lads i of course they were all off before he had opened the door a few shillings repaired the mischief and his windows were never broken again the little boys had now no but german children are never in want of household or field so that they were employed one way or another all the day long still their minds were laying in spite of making each of them read a chapter in the bible to him morning and evening and when began to mend he was thankful to make the only in his power for the kindness he was receiving by attending a little to their writing and they sat on low beside him so that he could overlook them as he lay on the settle and speak to them in a low voice and when they were very good which indeed they were always he rewarded them with some of his wanderings his meeting with the little his losing himself on the col de la and his imprisonment at to such would listen so and respond by such animated expressions of delight that beyond bearing must needs her stool closer and listen too sewing all the while and affecting only a moderate degree of interest but had read many pages of the human heart and it was one of the dearest and sweetest experiences of his life when he found and knew ice himself to be winning his way into the sympathy of a girl whom the more he saw of the beauty of her daily conduct the more he esteemed as for there are many persons who can think of and attend to two things at once but he could attend to three there was his work which occupied his busy hands secondly there was the bible lying open at his side on which he continually cast down his eye taking in a verse at a time and committing it to memory his ears which must have been pretty sharp contrived to catch a good deal of what was passing in at the settle nearly behind him and one would almost suspect him of having had an eye at the back of his head he knew so well all that was going on there rejoicing over it in his quiet heart they re in for it thought one and the other of them fairly falling in love and one s as good as the other and there s not a pin to choose between them nor any one else that i know of worthy of either so i m heartily glad of it i as for mother she was so busy out of the doors as to have little time to waste on speculations about what was passing at home â either her professional services as nurse were required or there was the cow s to collect or there were the to kill and carry to market or the clothes to wash in the river â always something to do i and as for the changes that had taken place in the from one form of belief to another she said she did not see much yes i the impenetrable bid woman with her great deep set dark blue eyes and smiling eyes that like cardinal s seemed made to look into all mysteries and lips that set ill humor and heat at defiance who was so shrewd so keen so benevolent â said she did not think and had much difference i there was no shaking that out of her or coming round her or making her from that one grand in the least they were obliged to consider it lost labor and to go on as comfortably all together as ever one afternoon dr looked in on them ice and pronounced to be in such a fair way of recovery that there was no longer need of alarm for him if he would be but careful you must return to your work by degrees said the doctor what is it sir what selling sir from house to

1Charles Darwin

house i have heard of that trade before there are not many i believe who practise it i think i am as yet the only one sir in this country nay i remember falling in with one of your brethren in our town a year or so ago â that was i sir indeed i had quite forgotten you you bought a bible of me sir oh yes i recollect have you read it sir you silly fellow how should i have time we must all find time to die sir so this is what i get by my attendance an sermon i g the oh no sir oh yes say i there s a good old saying my friend let the stick to his last you undertake to cure men s souls â my time is devoted to their bodies â yours among the rest yes sir and that was what made me think of your soul why you don t me worse than my neighbors i hope it is because sir you appear so much better than the that i can t forbear a word in season always take care though my good fellow that it is in season st paul sir ventured to be instant in season and out of season i recollect now you knocked me down with st paul before you swear by him oh no i don t swear at all well i only meant you queer fellow you re a i know yoa sa df air a should stick to his ice last you must not be surprised then if i stick to mine now i was thinking sir that whereas i have as you say the cure of souls and you the cure of bodies lord undertook the cure of both bodies and souls and while he preached salvation he went about healing all manner of diseases what a glorious thing sir to unite the two i what a field of action is that which lies before a christian physician i i am not for professions my friend a single one is enough for me and demands a life time however though my time is precious and i have been with you a good while already i will just mention a case that occurred to me in my practice within the which will interest you as a bible had something to do with it there was a genteel family living in our town some little time ago named one of the daughters had a complaint which defied my art to make out i thought it nervous she would have it however nervous or not she so wasted away under it that hei life became try what i she declined day by day all the at once her disease seemed to have made a stand her pulse became less irritable and a little stronger the peculiar harassed expression of her face disappeared i had no way of for the change and watched her very narrowly one day when i called nobody was at home to show me up stairs the maid had gone out and left the door i found my way up to mrs s mrs i repeated â yes she was on the sofa and in her re grasp was a book she had evidently be n reading it was in a rich case of green velvet lined with pink silk but on examining it i found it to be a bible of very ordinary getting up â just such an one as you sold me it was throughout with pencil marks i was examining it with some curiosity when she awoke and caught me in the fact ah doctor said she in the voice that is hardly fair of you â you know very well that is but however that may be i have received more from it than from ice all your and i really believe she had the fever of the mind being the body had fair play when she became strong enough to travel i sent them all off to the can you tell me sir how it with the poor artist what poor artist â whom we found in the garret oh we got up a little for him when he got well and sent him to rome where he is now he s a clever fellow well good bye don t try to do too much at first remember fair and softly wins the day what a nice man he is said after watching him ride away if i were a man i think i should like to be a good physician not a physician of souls then said well that would be still better certainly did you know anything of that mrs i sold her the bible â who s talking too loud said mother coming in from the cow house the nay dear mother surely my tone was moderate enough however he lowered it at her bidding the less reluctantly as was sewing just within ear shot and every one else was at their own the doctor s favorable opinion of him had raised his spirits the prospect seemed to before him he became animated on the subject of wliat he should do and spoke so fast about it in his energetic whisper that was frequently obliged to say hey what and edge her stool a little nearer y and by began to shake liis shoulders with suppressed laughter marry come up i thought he to himself marry come up at last or my name s not i m sure that was the word oh that young and she sits there still no she s going softly away and he s lying quite quiet as pleased as punch i ll warrant him at having the subject xx i suppose said as they were preparing to separate for the night we shall soon have to say good bye to you now why said looking

1Charles Darwin

uneasy oh because you re such a restless wandering fellow tliat you never stay long in one place and the doctor has taken leave of you i am sure he is not fit to travel yet father said hastily who said he was rejoined putting his arm round her waist so that she could not get away are you tired of me said tired of you my dear fellow cried mi the â why i should like you to remain here always and so would â here made a sudden movement to go oflf which having been foreseen was prevented then if we are all of a mind said why shouldn t i stay that s just what i say let us just go on as we are no not just as we are said why not said i have thought of an improvement on that plan said let s hear it said i am afraid of what may say said gently to take her hand which was very decidedly put out of his reach on her father s shoulder oh never mind her said what voice has she in the matter the question is between you and me â â shall you go or stay and the answer said is i will stay â as the husband of otherwise and the day op â his voice faltered the sooner i go the better here there was a violent and final effort made to get free failing which the imprisoned bird yielded to its bondage but could feel the poor little heart beating against his arm the answer is for her to make rather than for me said though i know what it will be she won t have you i d rather hear it from her than from you though said why don t you see she can t speak said here s a colour for you i father you really are abominable i said giving him a push well if you ve anything to say why don t you say it here s a straightforward man waiting for a straightforward answer will you not give it him yea or nay dumb as a i i m sorry for you my man she s waiting for and i can tell you father cried the that you are completely mistaken â and i wish you both a very good night i and with a sudden rush against his arm she freed herself and ran off well said laughing are you satisfied with your answer or not perhaps i should not be said had not i obtained a rather more positive one what d shame i said why said i meant to tell you this very night only you me in a word dear friend will you give me your greatest treasure you will not have the heart to say no the two men grasped each other s hands the very thing i wished of au others i said and if you will continue to live with us there will be no we have plenty and to spare and shall share and share alike i hope to be soon able to put my full share of to stock said i have thinking of your proposal of my the of rejoicing becoming and scripture reader to our little church till we are able to get an or minister and then i will resume my what will say to that sees the matter exactly as i do and has consented these will be my head quarters so be my blessing be with you but though the father s blessing was so willingly bestowed it was not so easy to obtain the blessing of the priest marriage is reckoned by the roman among their seven and to receive one of these is to acknowledge yourself a member of their church however bestowed or under whatever mental accepted and were too to think of being united on these terms and the question was beginning to occasion them much perplexity and uneasiness when they learnt that a minister was in their the â to him they applied without delay and after some who had almost begun to doubt whether she should ever get married at all found herself converted into mrs considerably sooner than she had expected the good minister interested in the account given by of himself and the little knot of with whom he was connected visited the infant church which assembled like the first es in a large upper room they having been already obliged by their roman catholic frequently to shift their quarters about forty persons here drew together who listened to m with marked and earnest attention but when a twelve month afterwards he again visited the little flock which had meanwhile been under s charge he was surprised and affected to find three hundred persons collected in a little chapel of their own built by their own labour and for out of their own the following year the progress was still more extraordinary they had obtained and were the day of supporting ah ordained minister they had built a school house the chapel was enlarged and filled to overflowing and two or three hundred people for whom accommodation could not be found were hanging about the doors and windows having planted had left o water at the end of eighteen months from his marriage he had resumed his wanderings he made three or four every year returning to cottage as his head quarters and when would tenderly persuade him to his next journey a little longer he would answer her with there is so much to do the fields are white unto harvest and i am the only i at length after some years he was surprised and delighted to encounter a fellow in the field he was sent out by the bible society and though not in the position of a regular of the like being in with the

1Charles Darwin

led forward avoiding the rough places in the forest path with a half instinctive sense which comes from long familiarity now and then the were in silence relieved of their solemn burden and with stolid the train moved on the quaint dresses of the women the cold light through the tossing boughs of pine and the mournful combined to produce a sad and strange effect even the stolid who were thus accompanying s second wife to her last resting place were not wholly unconscious of the of the circumstances and although they had few words in which to their feelings they now and then muttered half to themselves and half to one another some comment which indicated the astonishment little short of of people used to the most commonplace round of life who find themselves suddenly taking part in remarkable and startling the last century was not far past its noon neck now a long cape almost bare of trees stretching out into bay in was then still thickly wooded and only a path through the of ii the forest connected the at its end with the small village gathered about the and the old square church where parson â or as the country people universally called him priest â broke the bread of life to his flock there had been grave doubts how priest might feel about performing the last rites over the body which the women angrily deserted by the men of the settlement were wearily bearing to her grave not only had been a causing great scandal by refusing to be present at the services in the old square church but there were afloat of a and darker character concerning her to the step daughter mercy who had been on the day previous to ask him priest had however given his promise perhaps somewhat reluctantly to overlook all in view of the well established of s family and the husband hoped that no allusion to the religious wanderings of his dead wife might add to his pain while the women by their presence and by taking the office of gave testimony to the worth of the departed they were not in the bundle of time without more or less conscious that the occasion should be improved to their spiritual by some of their own in the faith with the errors of the deceased they had labored with her living and their characters were too hardy to yield all opposition simply because could no longer reply they had the anger of the husbands who had forbidden them to be present at the funeral of one to whom popular gave the name of witch a name in those days of terrible import but and perhaps especially feminine is seldom unwilling to hear itself commended even at the expense of the dead as the forest began to grow thinner and there were signs that the village was near a certain subtle air of expectation made itself evident by faint signs the walked with a more alert step the women behind drew their about them with an air half of protest and half of while daughter held more firmly in her own the trembling arm of her aged father as she vainly tried to repress the growing agitation that made her own limbs unsteady and her throat dry and the of h at length between the trees appeared the heavy of the meeting house and in a moment more the rough of the in which it stood with its graves about it were brought in sight by the abrupt of the path from a thicket of and beside the churchyard gate the women saw priest his sombre robes of office blown by the chill november wind and with a sudden surprise which made their hearts stand still they saw too that he was not alone but that around him in sullen groups were gathered the men of the neck whom their wives believed still at home in the settlement from which they had come for an instant the forlorn band of half halted and wavered as if to turn back then obeying the instinct that makes women in a supreme crisis so inevitably turn to the priest they carried the quickly forward and set it before the black figure of parson ii there was a moment of complete silence then with a deep drawn sigh of fatigue wiped her heated forehead in the bundle of time upon the corner of her long coarse cloak the homely action broke the spell with which the strangeness of the situation had held them and as if at a signal the men pressed forward as they did so a tall gaunt man with weather beaten face and narrow eyes spoke ye may take the witch wife back he said with a that was partly genuine and partly assumed to help him overcome some secret lingering weakness let her lie in some of the black places in the woods where she would with her master the devil but her wicked body shall never poison the ground where christian folk are buried no grave in consecrated ground for the likes of her a hoarse murmur of assent like the distant roaring of the surf on the of white answered him from the men the women half from habitual fear of their husbands and half from superstitious dread of the possibility of from the dead began to together drawing little by little away from the their eyes appealed to priest to speak for them and to direct their course in an extremity so far removed from their ordinary experiences the of the dead leaves hurrying before the wind at their feet while in the air as a vague the distant sound of the boughs and the waves beating upon the rocks the clergyman said in tones of solemnity who gave you the right to dictate who shall rest in consecrated ground are you the leader of god s

2Charles Dickens

people no the other retorted the angry blood flushing his cheek but when the leader of god s people would let the devil s dam into the of our house it is a time when any man may speak this woman could never be made to go through that gate while she was alive why should she be carried through it now she is dead the murmur of approval swelled again louder than before and little by little the groups shifted until mercy and her white haired father were left alone beside the rough coffin you were always hasty of speech priest answered calmly but with a certain stern dignity that belonged to his office in those days who are you to say who is worthy who made you a witch i did not need to be a witch to in the bundle f time know for a witch was the stout reply i knew of her ways and her while still she lived in and i warned brother against her for that very thing she was hotly against me by this token that my broke that same day i spoke as if every in it were cut and sorely hath she many times since tormented me with her witch ask here if he was not on my boat when she my so that all my strength was naught to move it until i made the sign of a cross on it ask â i have heard interrupted the minister of your before but they are not to be boasted of in open day s limbs had failed under him as this strange went on and he had sunk a pathetic and broken figure upon the handle of the as he sat with one hand blue with the cold resting upon the head of his staff and the other clasping tightly the wrist of mercy he lifted his white head with a gesture of despair and anguish was it for this he in a voice of pain that the lord gave me strength to rise from my bed and to follow the body of my to the grave when the of i j a grave is denied her was greatly as ye all know that after his sister that was my wife died i should go to for a when he would have had me choose the sister of his own his caught under the can tell you that but all that went amiss would still lay at the door of my her that is here dead before ye and ye deny her a grave away from the wolves â she shall have her grave father mercy said with an intensity of purpose that impressed even her angry uncle she shall lie by the side of my own mother if i have to bury her with no one to help me the sympathy of the in her direction and one or two of the who had formed part of the funeral train moved almost toward the spot where she stood their action showing that the more merciful at least could not easily bring themselves to anything so horrible to their mind as to deny burial to a fellow creature before however the movement could be at all general even before it was marked whose always violent temper was fast him broke out again in the bundle of time oh no doubt knows and i am a blind fool that cannot see when his is free of the perhaps will say too that last sabbath night i was n t in my sleep to the british bark off the point and dragged by the devil s up and down the sides till i was bruised and aching in every bone of my body and i might have been killed but that daylight drew on and with my own ears i heard say let him go tis almost cock i knew her voice as well as i know my own and that but two days before she died what do ye say to that what do ye say to that parson a dozen voices broke loose into a sudden the and cruel debate which had thus far been carried on by single was all at once taken up by the whole company the first surprise and awe had now worn off enough to let the folk recover the use of their tongues and men and women hurried to deny or to confirm s charges the clergyman tried vainly to make himself heard his words were lost in the growing tumult the crowd became every moment more and more like a mob grew more and the of more furious and his anger the men that were most under his influence the very name of witch roused all the superstitious fears of the simple and all the of their blood was appealed to come cried out at last struck with a sudden idea let us take the to the devil s den and leave her bones to rot there i warrant she has been there times enough before a shudder ran through his hearers the devil s den was a rocky cave on the shore of neck where more than one good boat had perished and where more than one had seen strange lights flitting about to cheat him to his destruction come repeated taking a long stride toward the take hold here some of you but before he could grasp the rude handle his niece sprang forward her eyes flashed her simple hood fell back from her pale face and her whole form quivered with excitement coward she cried oh you coward you coward her voice shrill and high rang upward toward the heavy gray clouds as if it would call help down from heaven the women in the bundle of time shrank back in fear and the men in astonishment while with arms stretched out in an attitude of appeal and with

2Charles Dickens

an energy the more impressive by contrast with her usually calm and almost shy manner mercy poured out her protest what has my mother done she demanded with a sort of sacred fury that for the moment all murmurs and brought to the eyes of more than one tears half of pity and half of excitement what has my mother done that you would treat her dead body worse than that of a dog she has been more than a mother to me and how many times she has helped the sick and the poor oh are you the neighbors i have lived among all my life and that have been kind to me that i must beg for a grave for my mother who was kinder and better than you all and you who saved your hand when it was frozen who little hope when she had the scarlet fever you were glad enough to have her help when she was living but now â her self control gave way she broke off in a burst of hysterical sobs leaning her face upon the shoulder of her trembling old father for a moment giving the of way before his niece s vehemence covered his confusion with a sneer and again attempted to seize the handle of the before he could do more however a vigorous grasp caught his arm and a young fellow drew him roughly back let be the young man said in a deep voice his strong white teeth showing angrily let be or it will be worse for ye like a wild cat turned to strike but before the blow could fall the clergyman sprang to catch the strong wrist of his angry stop priest commanded in a voice of authority i warn you that you are going too far enraged as was he was still sufficiently master of himself to realize that it was not safe openly to defy the clergyman and it is not improbable too that he could not himself wholly shake off the habit of obedience that was almost universal in the scattered parish with any ally less powerful than superstition it would have been idle for him to set himself against the minister on any question but the remote of the wave of mad in the bundle of time ness which shook in were more than a century in dying away and in the belief in was as perfect as the faith in religion even to day the superstition lives in many a remote new england village and the air of the sea laden as it is with mysterious sounds and influences seems especially to these s whole stubborn nature was by this time aroused and all his cunning bent on the carrying of his point he felt instinctively that the tide of general feeling was turning against him and with genuine new england he hit upon precisely the appeal that would most surely win the crowd again to his views well he sneered falling back if jacob takes the matter up of course we must all give way even if he wants an accursed witch wife buried in the same lot with all the christian folk we come of everybody knows that him long ago to make him run after mercy and ye daniel strong have cause to remember the luck she gave him but if he takes sides with the devil the two together may well be too much for the honest men of the of the appeal produced an instant and powerful effect and the angry retort of jacob was drowned in the cries of assent and approval that answered s words that was the lover of mercy was well enough known in a community where a man was hardly able to keep even his thoughts to himself and the reference to this fact at once the sincerity and of his interference by alluding moreover to an old that extended to boats and all interests which the narrow life of permitted and in which was always victor had secured for himself a powerful support not only daniel strong but many of the young men under a secret sense of defeat while the coincidence between the universal success of the and his fondness for the witch s daughter was exactly the sort of argument which appealed most strongly to the superstitious the crowd once more broke into speech which was rather a than a and which became more angry as it swelled the words of priest were lost in the noise jacob placed himself between the and his but even the bundle of time his stout shoulders seemed a slight enough barrier against to the dead it was one of those and critical moments in the progress of a mob when it is broken into innumerable separate groups in angry dispute and when it is idle to attempt to reach it as a whole until some striking incident once more its divided attention it is usually true moreover that upon the first general impression which shall be exerted on a mob at such a crisis depends its action it is at its most stage and will readily take the stamp of whatever idea is strongly presented to it by this time the crowd collected at the churchyard gate included almost every human being in the village and it had assumed the character of a genuine mob the of priest the entreaties of the appeal of mercy and the interference of jacob had all proved of no avail and there seemed small hope but would carry his point and the body of the dead be cast in upon the jagged rocks of the devil s den help at this desperate crisis came from an of source by one of those strange that seem to reach the mind the of through some sense beyond the five and to appeal to some faculty more subtle the excited villagers became aware that something

2Charles Dickens

new had happened a sudden hush spread over the wild company excited paused with open mouths in the midst of their and stretched their necks toward the the angry men broke off their noisy to turn their eyes in the same direction even mercy who had clung to her father in the terror of seeing familiar faces transformed into strangeness before her eyes by superstition and rage turned to look toward the coffin it was only old who had at this critical moment made her tottering way up to the and flung herself down upon it lame and weak and wandering in her wits the poor old creature whose stream of life had been so thin that for almost a century it had on without even the ordinary measure of human existence had only now been able to complete the journey from neck all the long track she had come half tottering half crawling to lay her blessing upon s grave in a wail that had in it the pathos of the sound of the wind in the forest the wretched in the bundle of time cried over and over with heart broken oh but she was my life oh but she was my life oh but she was my life the cry was so intense that it thrilled even the stolid of neck perhaps for the time being rendered more sensitive than usual by unwonted excitement the of their nerves became every moment greater as they stood in groups picturesque and strange the brief november afternoon was darkening to its close long lines of fiery light breaking the cold gray of the western sky a few scant snow were silently stealing through the air falling upon the angry villagers upon the tall form of priest with white locks and black gown upon the strong young figure of jacob standing between his and the dead upon the pathetic group of father and daughter and amid them all that withered century old figure of repeating in shrill oh but she was my life they all understood that cry there was no one there but knew well how long the of had been a on the of they might all remember too if they chose that whom they had left to the tender of a woman they called a witch was the widow of a man who had lost his life carrying help to a vessel on which were the fathers and husbands of people still alive and in this angry crowd had been too proud to go on the parish and her neighbors half a century ago had sworn that she should never come to want now only the charity of this woman from had kept her from actual starvation oh but she was my life the trembling aged voice over and over oh but she was my life pricked to the heart two other women almost young enough to be s came out from the crowd and beside her bowing their heads with sobs upon the coffin there was a rustle and stir among the they knew well enough what cause for gratitude these two had everybody knew all that happened on neck and remembered now how to one of these women had come in the horror in the bundle of time of a saving angel and how beside the bed of the second she had watched when a malignant disease kept every other woman on the neck away oh but she was my life her voice rising in a thrilling strain which made the excited women shiver as if with cold the crowd of wavered then whose stout muscles had out tired those of all the other on the long march from s cottage to the shadow of the square meeting house in which they stood strode forward again to the coffin she set her arms and looked about her and ye she demanded who gave ye that cloak ye re wearing this very hour and ye who brought ye through the fever last fall and ye gates who nursed your wife in time if was a witch well would it be for neck if we had more of them oh but she was my life came in the piercing cry of like a refrain rising still higher and higher oh but she was my life the of take up the priest cried with a gesture at once of dignity and of command bury her wherever these men will the ground will be consecrated wherever her body lies take it to the devil s den he went on the occasion inspiring him with unwonted fire and i tell you the devil s den will be holy if s corpse comes there a wave of sudden feeling swept over the people like a mighty wind as if obeying a common impulse they rushed forward with sobs and broken to raise the but waved them back no she said no man shall touch this the women that have brought it so far in spite of their husbands orders can carry it the rest of the way there was a murmur of mingled assent and remonstrance but it was in the end as said followed by all the men even to who but yielded to the tide of feeling he could not turn back the women of neck bore the body of to her resting place in the consecrated ground of the old in the bundle of time ye have buried a witch muttered under his breath as they left the sacred spot but in solemn rebuke priest answered him we have made the grave of a saint a summer comedy a summer comedy isle au is less known than it deserves to be since there is no other island on the new england coast so lovely except mt desert but that it is the pleasanter for being not yet too much in the fashion none of its admirers will be likely

2Charles Dickens

to deny the club house at the corner of the island commands so a view of sea and land and sky so that one who has once looked from its is never after content to let the summer slip by without visiting the spot again in the old days when the steam was not and the means of communication with the was by means of sail boats two ladies sat one saturday afternoon in august waiting the arrival of a from green s landing mrs of new york and miss of boston chanced for the time being to be the only at the club house a party having gone on to mt desert in the morning i wish i knew who is coming with mr miss straining her gaze toward the beautiful outline of the hills blue and on the horizon if i ever have a husband aunt margaret the first thing i shall teach him is that he is not to send me word in the bundle of time he bringing a gentleman with him he shall say mr smith or mr jones so that i shall know what is before me when you get a husband the elder lady replies smiling you will learn to be so thankful if he to send you any word at all when he is bringing company that you forget to be about small details i don t believe it is the girl s reply there s the boat give me the glass and let me see if i can make out how many are in it the conversation for the next few moments is of a confused and nature beginning with speculations and but gradually as miss by moving about the is able to make out the approaching boat more clearly coming down to the definite statement that there are four men in the then tom has brought only one man mrs comments captain had the boy with him well her niece her place in the wide rocking chair i hope it is somebody nice since i ve got to entertain him over sunday you will be absorbed in uncle tom and the burden of the unknown will fall on my shoulders her aunt laughs and with unimportant chat they watch the white sailed slide along over the water to drop anchor off the rocks below point upon which the club a summer comedy house stands a small boat puts off for the shore two gentlemen are set upon land and while captain goes back to his craft to assist the boy in making all tight and fast the pair of new come briskly up the path toward the house i m sure i don t know who the young man is mrs remarks waving her handkerchief in answer to a signal from her husband why what is the matter oh aunt margaret i know who it is the other with tragic intensity it s that disagreeable george i d rather die than meet him oh dear what shall do i m going into the house stop her aunt commands catching her dr ss it s no use to run away now they ve seen us who s george why aunt margaret you know who george is he s the man â what not the one that â yes the very one oh i wish i d gone to mt desert with what â she breaks off abruptly because the two gentlemen are by this time on the steps and consequently within hearing that command of the feelings which is at once characteristic of savages and highly civilized ladies miss instantly an unconscious air and goes forward with her aunt to greet mr in the bundle of time my dear that gentleman says half a minute later with the truly virtuous â air which is never wanting to a man who has done a awkward thing let me present mr do you know mr miss george i had a fight to bring him so you must help me prove to him that isle au is the most delightful place in the world it has been miss is pleased to observe with and perhaps she moves back to her chair as she speaks mrs her husband and draws him aside to explain the situation mr glances from the pair to miss and then after a second of hesitation goes over to sit down near the young lady it is a beautiful view he letting his gaze rest the many islands the and twinkling sea the distant hills and the rocky shore below them very she replies briefly mr is an about isle au he continues but if it is all as pretty as this i don t blame him the young lady makes no reply and wonders why her aunt does not join them happily unconscious of the fact that her uncle hearing the state of affairs has with characteristic decision dragged his wife away until the young people shall have established pleasant relations a summer comedy i ve only two days here anyway margaret he declares leading his unwilling a captive to her room and i won t have the time spoiled by leave them alone half an hour and they at least agree to an for over sunday i won t have any i ve seen that tried before there is silence on the for a few minutes miss studies her rings with close attention while the young man seems absorbed in the view i don t as it s necessary for me to explain he says stiffly when it seems impossible to support the unnatural stillness any longer that i should not have consented to come to isle au if i had had any idea you were here hardly she returns with needless vehemence i am sufficiently convinced that you would have avoided me if you could he that is not what i meant of course but it is like

2Charles Dickens

you to things it did n t occur to me that mr s niece was yourself she and i did n t know you knew mr he i have the honor to be making plans for his new york house and he insisted that i should come here and talk with mrs she i am sorry to be you from your errand he oh it is no matter since circumstances in the bundle of time seem to give me opportunity for a word or two i ve long wanted to say to yourself she moves uneasily in her chair and is evidently divided between a mind to run away and a determination not to retreat he smiles somewhat he the letter which i wrote you explaining certain things was returned to me and while it is perhaps not worth while i cannot deny myself the pleasure â not to speak of the justice â of telling you what was in it she you are certainly right in saying that it is not worth while he still time here cannot be so valuable but that we can afford to do things that are not worth while how wonderfully still it is she with deliberate yes it is that which i have particularly enjoyed we have been so undisturbed would it be impertinent to ask you if you mind telling me just why you broke off our engagement and sent back my letters and the ring without a word she it would be extremely impertinent nevertheless i venture to do it she with much the air of a society â if such a being exists â who at length a guilty victim you why i sent them back he you will at least allow that you have never given me any reason fi a summer comedy she i was too considerate to wish to occupy with useless explanations time which might otherwise be devoted to the society of the mrs wood well he then i am to infer that hasty and cruel â for i was in love with you then â action was in some way connected with mrs she blazing out with sudden indignation i must say mr i like your cool way of sitting there and assuming that this is a mere trifle and that i am in the wrong perhaps you have forgotten that we were to lead mrs s german together and that after waiting an hour for the carriage with my gloves on i got a note from you i was unaware of the circumstance that you had your gloves on that of course adds an to my offence i had n t dreamed of she oh you may sneer but that helps nothing what did your note say i am going to new york on the midnight train with mrs simply that and not even an excuse pardon me miss your account is in some important particulars in the first place the note said must go to new york in the second it began my darling and ended your very own she what has that to do with it nothing except to show that i was still fond of you she and the mortification of it that n the bundle of time able and that dr of hers had to be to lead at the last minute and everybody wanted to know where you were and why you did n t send mrs word sooner it was detestable he it must have been she coldly since i cannot get away from you at isle au mr you might at least have the kindness to spare me your he i will spare you everything except my explanation and that shall be brief mrs â or mrs as she is now â she why is she married then he certainly it was then that she was married that s what she went to new york for she she might have taken the man she meant to marry with her he she could n t he was there already harry is a very old friend of mine and he d been engaged to for almost a year the thing was kept quiet because her first husband s people made such a fuss about her marrying again they did n t want her money to go out of their tribe i was almost the only person in boston who knew it she when we were engaged you said you told me all your secrets he yes but i never pretended to tell you the secrets of my friends she it would have saved some trouble if you h id a summer comedy he easily oh i ve learned to think that things after all arrange themselves very well in this world if one does the square thing he generally comes out right in the end miss who is becoming more and more agitated rises and goes to the edge of the she seats herself upon the railing beginning to break bits off the boughs of a fir tree within reach she i wish aunt margaret would come back he i don t want her to come until i m done harry got orders to start on twelve hours notice for china and he would n t go without marrying he me to bring her on and as he was perfectly wild over the matter i knew you d want me to go and i sent you the only word i had time to send i wrote an explanation on the train but you did not do me the honor to read it i was obstinate enough to promise myself that sometime you should hear it the chance came sooner than i had ventured to hope now i will not trouble you further he rises with an air of conscious and virtue which strikes miss as decidedly even while she that the young has some right to lord it for

2Charles Dickens