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such being my perpetual wish, yet thwarted by great activity — let it be enough to say that Parson Chowne in my visions came and horribly stood over me.

Therefore, arising betimes, I hired a very fine horse, and manning him bravely, laid his head east and by south, as near as might be, according to our binnacle. But though the wind was abaft the beam, and tide and all in his favour, and a brave com

Ar this moment it became a very nice point to perceive what was really honest and right, and then to carry it out with all that fearless alacrity, which in such cases I find to be, as it were, constitution-mander upon his poop, what did he do but al to me. My high sense of honour would fain persuade me to keep in strictest secrecy that which (so far as I could judge) was not, or might not have been intended for my eyes, or ears or tongue. On the other hand, my still higher sense of duty to my employer (which is a most needful and practical feeling), and that power of loyalty which descends to me, and perhaps will die with me, as well as a strong, and no less ancestral, eagerness to be up to the tricks of all mysterious beings I do not exaggerate when I say that the cutwater of my poor mind knew not which of these two hands pulled the stronger oar.

In short, being tired, and sleepy, and weary, and worn out with want of perceiving my way, although I smoked three pipes all alone (not from the smallest desire for them, but because I have routed the devil thus many and many a night I know - as the priests do with their incense; the reason of which I take to be, that having so much smoke at home, he shuns it when coming for change of air-growing dreamy thus), I said with nobody to answer me, "I will tumble into my berth, as this dirty craft has no room for hammocks; and, between Parson and Captain, I will leave my dreams to guide me."

I played with myself, in saying this. No man ever should play with himself. It shows that he thinks too troublesomely; and soon may come, if he carries it on, almost to forget that other people are nothing, while himself is everything. And if any man comes to that state of mind, there is nothing more to hope of him.

I was not so far gone as that. Nevertheless, it served me right (for thinking such dreadful looseness) to have no broad fiue road of sleep, in the depth whereof to be borne along, and lie wherever wanted; but instead of that to toss and kick, with much self-damage, and worst of all to dream such murder that I now remember it. What it was, belongs to me, who paid for it with a loss of hair, very serious at my time of life. However, not to dwell upon that, or upon myself in any way

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bouse his stem, and run out his spankerdriver, and up with his taffrail, as if I was wearing him in a thundering heavy sea. I resolved to get the upper hand of this uncalled-for mutiny; and the more so because all our crew were gazing, and at the fair I had laid down the law very strictly concerning horses. I slipped my feet out of the chains, for fear of any sudden capsize, and then I rapped him over the catheads, where his anchor ought to hang. He, however, instead of doing at all what I expected, up with his bolt-sprit and down with his quarter, as if struck by a whale under his forefoot. This was so far from true seamanship, and proved him to be so unbuilt for sailing, that I was content to disembark over his stern, and with slight concussions.

"Never say die," has always been my motto, and always will be; nailing my colours to the mast, I embarked upon another horse of less than half the tonnage of that one who would not answer helm. And this craft, being broken-backed, with a strange sound at her portholes, could not under press of sail bowl along more than four knots an hour. And we adjusted matters between us so, that when she was tired I also was sore, and therefore disembarked and towed her until we were both fit for sea again. Therefore it must have been good meridian when I met Parson Chowne near his house.

This man was seldom inside his own house, except at his meal-times, or when asleep, but roving about uncomfortably, seeing to the veriest trifles, everywhere abusing or kicking everybody. And but for the certainty of his witchcraft (ninefold powerful, as they told me, when conferred upon a parson), and the black strength of his eyes, and the doom that had befallen all who dared to go against him, the men about the yards and stables told me when he was miles away that they never could have put up with him; for his wages were also below their deserts.

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He came to me from the kennel of hounds, which he kept not for his own

pleasure so much as for the delight of for- out what his Reverence meant, except that bidding gentlemen, whenever the whim it must be something bad; which at my might take him so, especially if they were time of life should not be put into the nobly accoutred, from earning at his ex- mind, even by a clergyman. But what I pense the glory of jumping hedges and could least put up with was, the want of ditches. Now, as he came towards me, or encouragement I found for all my better rather beckoned for me to come to him, I feelings. These seemed to meet with nothsaw that the other truly eminent parson, ing more than discouragement and disparthe Reverend John Rambone, was with agement whereas I knew them to be him, and giving advice about the string at sound, substantial and solid; and I always the back of a young dog's tongue. Al- felt upon going to bed what happiness they though this man was his greatest friend, afforded me. And if the days of my youth Master Chowne treated him no better had only passed through learned lanthan anybody else would fare; but signed guages, Latin and Greek and Hebrew, I to the mate of the hounds, or whatever doubt whether even Parson Chowne could those fox-hunters call their chief officer, have laid his own will upon me so. to heed every word of what Rambone said. Because these two divines had won faith, throughout all parishes and hundreds; Chowne for the doctrine of horses; and for discipline of dogs, John Rambone.

"Supposing, then, that your Reverence should make it ten," I answered; "with my own four, that would be fourteen."

Every word you say will come back to me; and some of it may amuse me. If you have no sense, you have some cunning, You will know what things to speak of. And be sure that you wait until I come back."

"I can truly believe that it would, my man. And you may come to that, if you go on well. Now go into the house and His Reverence fixed a stern gaze upon enjoy yourself. You Welshmen are always me, because I had not hurried myself a hungry. And you may talk as freely as thing which I never do, except in a glori- you like; which is your next desire. ous naval action-and then he bade me follow him. This I did; and I declare even now I cannot tell whither he took me. For I seemed to have no power, in his presence, of heeding anything but himself: only I know that we passed through trees, and sate down somewhere afterwards. Wherever it was, or may have been, so far as my memory serves, I think that I held him at bay some little. For instance, I took the greatest care not to speak of the fair young lady; innsmuch as she might not have done all she did, if she had chanced to possess the knowledge of my being under the willow-tree. But Parson Chowne, without my telling, knew the whole of what was done: and what he thought of it none might gness in the shadowy shining of his eyes.

This was so wholly below and outside of the thing which I love to reconcile with my own constitution (having so long been respected for them, as well as rewarded by conscience), that I scarcely knew where, or who I was, or what might next come over me. And to complete my uncomfortable sense of being nobody, I heard the sound of a galloping horse down-hill as wild as could be, and found myself left as if all the ideas which I was prepared to suggest were nothing, However, that was not my loss, but his; so I entered the "You have done pretty well on the house, with considerable hope of enjoying whole," he said, after asking many short myself, as commanded. For this purpose questions; "but you must do better next I have always found it in the house of a time, my man. You must not allow all gentleman, the height of luck to get these delicate feelings, chivalry, resolute among three young women and one old honesty, and little things of that sort, to one. The elderly woman attends to the interfere thus with business. These things cooking, which is not understood by the do some credit to you, Llewellyn, and young ones, or at any rate cannot be much please you, and add to your happiness, expected; while, on the other hand, the which consists largely with you (as it does young ones flirt in and out in a pleasant with all men) in conceit. But you must | way, laying the table and showing their not allow yourself thus to coquet with these beauties of human nature. It needs a rich man to do that. Even add my five shillings to your own four, and you cannot thus go to Corinth."

I had been at Corinth twice, and found it not at all desirable; so I could not make

arms (which are of a lovely red, as good as any gravy); and then if you know how to manage them well, with a wholesome deference to the old cook, and yet an understanding — while she is basting, and as one might almost say, behind her back confidential feeling established that you

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In the midst of this truly social joy, and natural commune over victuals, and easing of thought to suit one another in the courtesies of digestion; and just as the slowest among us began to enter into some knowledge of me, in walked that great Parson Rambone, with his hands behind his back, and between them a stout hunting-crop. | The maidens seemed to be taken aback, but the men were not much afraid of him.

"What a rare royster you are making! Out by the kennel I heard you. However can I write my sermons?"

"Does your Reverence write them in the kennel?" Thus the chief huntsman made inquiry, having a certain privilege.

"Clear out, clear out," said Rambone, fetching his whip toward all of us; "I am left in authority here, and I must have proper discipline. Mrs. Steelyard, I am surprised at you. Girls, you must never go on like this. What will his Reverence say to me? Come along with me, thou villain Welshman, and give me a light for my pipe, if you please."

know how she treats those young ones, | up their noses; it was not for me to think and how harshly she dares to speak, if a much of myself; and yet how could I help coal comes into the dripping-pan, and in doing it? casting it out she burns her face, and abuses the whole of them for her own fault; also a little shy suggestion that they must put up with all this, because the old cook is past sweethearting time, and the parlour-maid scarcely come to it, accompanied by a wink or two, and a hint in the direction of the stables some of the very noblest dinners that ever I made have been thus introduced. But what forgiveness could I expect, or who would listen to me, if I dared to speak in the same dinner-hour of the goodly kitchen at Candleston Court, or even at Court Ysha, and the place that served as a sort of kitchen, so far as they seemed to want one, at this Nympton Rectory? A chill came over every man, directly he went into it; and he knew that his meat would be hocks and bones, and his gravy (if any) would stand cold dead. However, I made the best of it, as my manner is with everything; and though the old stony woman sate, and seemed to make stone of every one, I kept my spirits up, and became (in spite of all her stoppage) what a man of my knowledge of mankind must be among womankind. In a word, though I do not wish to set down exactly how I managed it, in half an hour I could see while carefully concealing it, that there was not a single young woman there without beginning to say to herself, "Should I like to be Mrs. Llewellyn? After that, I can have them always. But "Come, and I'll show thee a strange I know them too well, to be hasty. No sight, Taffy," he said to me very pleasantly, prospects would suit me, at my time of as soon as his pipe was kindled; "only I life, unless they came after some cash in must have my horse, to inspire them with hand. The louts from the stables and ken- respect for me, as well as to keep my disnels poured in, some of them very "de-tance. Where is thy charger, thou valgustin" (as my Bardie used to say), nev-iant Taffy?" ertheless the girls seemed to like them; and who was I, even when consulte d, to pretend to say otherwise? In virtue of what I had seen, among barbarous tribes and everywhere, and all my knowledge of ceremonies, and the way they marry one another, it took me scarcely half an hour (especially among poor victuals) to have all the women watching for every word I was prepared to drop. Although this never fails to happen, yet it always pleases me; and to find it in Parson Chowne's kitchen go thus, and the stony woman herself compelled to be bitten by mustard for fear of smiling, and two or three maids quite unfit to get on without warm pats on their shoulder-blades, and the dogs quite aware that men were laughing, and that this meant luck for them if they put

It was a sad thing to behold a man of this noble nature, having gifts of everything (whether of body or heart, or soul), only wanting gift of mind; and for want of that alone, making wreck of all the rest. I let him lead me; while I felt how I longed to have the lead of him. But that was in stronger hands than mine.

I answered his Reverence that I would rather travel afoot, if it were not too far; neither could he persuade me, after the experience of that morning, to hoist my flag on an unknown horse, the command of which he offered me. So forth we set, the Parson on horseback, and in very high spirits, trolling songs, leaping hedges, frolicking enough to frighten one, and I on foot, rather stiff and weary, and needing a glass of grog, without any visible chance of getting it.

"Here, you despondent Taffy; take this, and brighten up a bit. It is true you are going to the gallows; but there's no room for you there just now."

I saw what he meant, as he handed me his silver hunting-flask, for they have a fashion about there of hanging bad people

"Take hold of the tail of my horse, old Taffy," said his Reverence to me; "and I will see you clear of them. Have no fear, for they all know me."

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at cross ways, and leaving them there for] The Reverend John Rambone took no the good of others, and to encourage hon- other notice of these people than to be esty. And truly the place was chosen amused with them. He knew some two well; for in the hollow not far below it, or three of the men, and spoke of them by might be found those savage folk, of whom their nicknames, such as Browny," or I said something a good while ago. Ad "Horse-hair," or Sandy boy;" and the I did not say then what I might have little children came crawling on their said; because I felt scandalized, and un- bellies to him. This seemed to be their willing to press any question of doubtful natural manner of going at an early age: doings upon thoroughly accomplished peo- and only one of all the very little children ple. But now I am bound, like a hospital walked upright. This one came to the surgeon, to display the whole of it. Parson's horse, and being still of a tottery order, laid hold of a fore-leg to fetch up his own; and having such moorage, looked up at the horse. The horse, for his part, looked down upon him, bending his neck, as if highly pleased; yet with his nostrils desiring to snort, and the whole of his springy leg quivering, but trying to keep quiet, lest the baby might be injured. This made me look at the child again, whose little foolish life was hanging upon the behaviour of a horse. The rider perceived that he could do nothing, in spite of all his great strength and skill, to prevent the horse from dashing out the baby's brains with his fore-hoof, if only he should rear or fret. And so he only soothed him. But I, being up to all these things, and full for ever of presence of mind, slipped in under the hold of the horse, as quietly as possible, and in a manner which others might call at the same time daring and dexterous, I fetched the poor little fellow out of his dangerous position.

By this time we were surrounded with fifteen or twenty strange-looking creatures, enough to frighten anybody. Many fine savages have I seen on the shores of the Land of Fire, for instance, or on the coast of Guinea, or of the Gulf of Panama, and in fifty other places- yet none did I ever come across so outrageous as these were. They danced, and capered, and caught up stones, and made pretence to throw at us; and then, with horrible grimaces, showed their teeth and jeered at us. Scarcely any of the men had more than a piece of old sack upon him; and as for the women, the less I say, the more you will believe it. My respect for respectable women is such that I scarcely dare to irritate them, by not saying what these other women were as concerns appearance. And yet I will confine myself, as if of the female gender, to a gentle hint that these women might have looked much nicer, if only they had clothes on.

But the poor little "piccaninies," as the niggers call them, these poor little devils were far worse off than any hatch of negroes, or Maroons, or copper-colours anywhere in the breeding-grounds. Not so much from any want of tendance or clean management, which none of the others ever got; but from difference of climate, and the moisture of their native soil. These little creatures, all stark naked, seemed to be well enough off for food, of some sort or another, but to be very badly off for want of washing and covering up. And their little legs seemed to be growing crooked; the meaning of which was beyond me then; until I was told that it took its rise from the way they were forced to crook them in, to lay hold of one another's legs, for the sake of natural warmth and comfort, as the winter-time came on, when they slept in the straw all together. I believe this was so; but I never saw it.

"Well done, Taffy !” said Parson Jack; "I should never have thought you had sense enough for it. Yon had a narrow shave, my man."

For the horse, being frightened by so much nakedness, made a most sudden spring over my body, before I could rise with the child in my arms; and one of his after-hoofs knocked my hat off, so that I felt truly thankful not to have had a worse business of it. But I would not let any one laugh at my fright.

"A miss is as good as a mile, your Reverence. Many a cannon-ball has passed me nearer than your horse's hoof. Tush, a mere trifle! Will your Reverence give this poor little man a ride?" And with that I offered him the child upon his saddle-bow, naked, and unwashed, and kicking.

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Keep off, or you shall taste my horsewhip. Keep away with your dirty bratand yet-oh, poor little devil! If I only had a cloth with me!"

For this parson was of tender nature, although so wild and reckless; and in his light way he was moved at the wretched

plight of this small creature, and the signs | back, neither were maids to be got at for of heavy stripes upon him. Not all over talking, only that stony Steelyard and him, as the Parson said, being prone to ex- there I found three or four shirt-leeved felaggerate; but only extending over his lows, hissing at horses, and rubbing away, back, and his hams, and other convenient to put their sleeping polish on them, before places. And perhaps my jacket made the master should return. Also three or them smart, for he roared every time I four more were labouring in the stalls lifted him. And every time I set him very briskly, one at a sort of holy-stoning, down, he stared with a wistful kind of making patterns with brick and sand, and wonder at our clothes, and at the noble the others setting up the hammocks for horse, as if Le were trying to remember the nags to lie in, with a lashing of twisted something. "Where can they have picked straw aft of their after-heels and taffrails, up this poor little beggar?" said Parson as the wake of a ship might be. And all Jack, more to himself than to me: "he of it done most ship-shape. This amused looks of a different breed altogether. Ime mightily; for I never had seen such a wonder if this is one of Stoyle's damned tricks." And all the way back he spoke never a word, but seemed to be worrying with himself. But I having set the child down on his feet, and dusted my clothes, and cleaned myself, followed the poor little creature's toddle, and examined him carefully. The rest of the children seemed to hate him, and he, to shrink out of their way almost; and yet he was the only fine and handsome child among them. For in spite of all the dirt upon it, his face was honest, and fair, and open, with large soft eyes of a dainty blue, and short thick curls of yellow hair that wanted combing sadly. And though he had rolled in muddy places, as little wild children always do, for the sake of keeping the cold out, his skin was white, where the mud had peeled, and his form lacked nothing but washing.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

IN A STATE OF NATUre.

Now all these things contributed, coming as they did so rapidly, to arouse inside me a burning and almost desperate curiosity. It was in vain that I said to myself "these are no concerns of mine: let them manage their own affairs: the less I meddle, the better for me: I seem to be in a barbarous land, and I must expect things barbarous. And after all, what does it come to, compared with the great things I have seen, ay, and played my part in?" To reason thus, and regard it thus, and seek only to be quit of it, was a proof of the highest wisdom any man could manifest: if he could only stick to it. And this I perceived, and thus I felt, and praised myself for enforcing it so; until it became not only safe, but a bounden duty to reward my conscience by a little talk

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thing before, even among wild horses, who have power to manage their own concerns. But to see them all go in so snugly, and with such a sweet, clean savour, each to his own oats or mashings, with the golden straw at foot, made me think, and forced me to it, of those wretched white barbarians (white, at least, just here and there), whom good Parson Jack as one might almost try to call him— had led me to visit that same afternoon.

Perceiving how the wind sate, I even held back, and smoked a pipe, exactly as if I were overseer, and understood the whole of it, yet did not mean to make rash reproach. This had a fine effect upon them, especially as I chewed a straw, by no means so as to stop my pipe, but to exhibit mastery. And when I put my leg over a rail, as if I found it difficult to keep myself from horseback, the head-man came to me straightforward, and asked me when I had hunted last.

I told him that I was always hunting week-days, and Sundays, and all the year round, because it was our fashion; and that we hunted creatures such as he never had the luck to set eyes on. And when I had told him a few more things (such as flow from experience, when mixed with imagination), a duller man than myself might see that he longed for me to sup with him. And he spoke of things that made me ready, such as tripe and onions.

However, this would never do. I felt myself strongly under orders, and but for this paramount sense of duty, never could I have done the things modestly mentioned as of yore; and those of hereafter tenfold as fine, such as no modesty dare suppress. So when I had explained to him exactly how I stood about it, he did not refuse to fill his pipe with a bit of my choice tobacco, and to come away from all idle folk, to a place in the shelter of a rick, where he was sure to hear the hoofs of his master's horse returning. I sate

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