Macdonald_Annals_of_a_Quiet_Neighborhood.txt topic ['13', '324', '378', '393']
that sort to get over when began to find that was
thinking a little more about you than was quite convenient un-
der the circumstances ? manners, dear , though
irreproachable, just had not the tone that had been accus-
tomed to. was a diffidence about you also that did
not at first advance- you in my regard."
", yes," answered, a little piqued, " dare say.
have no doubt you thought me a boor."
" !"
" beg your pardon, wifie. know you didn't. it
is quite bad enough to have brought you down to my level,
without sinking you still lower."
" ' there you are wrong, , and that is what
want to show you. found that my love to you would not
be satisfied with making an exception in your favor. must
see what force there really was in the notions had been
bred in."
" !" said, " see. looked for a principle in what
you had thought was an exception."
" ," returned my wife, " and soon found one ; and
the next step was to throw away all false judgment in re-
gard to such things, and so can see more clearly than you
into the right of this matter. you hesitate a mo-
ment between and the dissolute son of an earl,
?"
" know would not."
", just carry out the considerations that suggests,
and you will find that where there is every thing personally
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378
noble, pure, simple, and good, the lowliness of a man's birth
is but an added honor to him, for it shows that his nobility
is altogether from within him, and therefore is his own.
can not, then, have been put on him by education or imita-
tion, as many men's manners are, who wear their good breed-
ing like their fine clothes, or as the his prayers, to
be seen of men."
" his sister?"
" , ! were preaching last about
the way thinks of things, and you said that was the
only true way of thinking about them. the
that poured the ointment on 's head have refused to
marry a good man because he was the brother of that
who poured it on feet ? you thought what
would think of for a husband to ?"
did not answer, for conscience had begun to speak.
lifted my eyes from the ground, thinking
stood beside me, she was gone. felt as if she were dead,
to punish me for my pride. still could not get over
it, though was ashamed to follow and find her. went
and got my hat instead, and strolled out.
was it that drew me toward 's shop ?
think it must have been incipient repentance a feeling
that had wronged the man. just as turned the cor-
ner, and the smell of the wood reached me, the picture so
often associated in my mind with such a scene of human la-
bor rose before me. saw the of bending over
bench, fashioning some lowly utensil for some housewife
of ; and ite would receive payment for it too, for
, at least, could see no disgrace in the order of things that
had appointed. is the vulgar mind that looks
down on the earning and worships the inheriting of money.
infinitely more poetic is the belief that our did
work like any other honest man, than that straining aft-
er glorification in the early centuries of the by
the invention of fables even to the disgrace of his father
say that was a bad carpenter, and our had
to work miracles to set the things right which he had made
wrong ! such a class of mind as invented these fables
do those belong who think they honor our when they
judge any thmg human too common or too unclean for
to have done.
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, . 379
the thought sprung up at once in my mind "
ever see our face to face, how shall feel if says to
me, ' thou do well to murmur that thy sister espoused
a certain man for that in his youth he had earned his bread
as earned mine ? was then thy right to say unto
me, , ?'"
hurried into the workshop.
" told you about it?" said.
", sir. told him to mind what he was about,
for he was not a gentleman, and you was, sir."
" hope am. is as much a gentleman as
have any daim to be."
held out his hand.
" , sir, do believe you mean in my shop what you
say in your pulpit, and there is one in the world
at least. what will your good lady say ? 's higher-
born thanyou no offense, sir."
" , you shame me. am not so good as you
think me. ^as my wife that brought me to reason about
it."
" bless her."
" . going to find ."
the same moment entered the shop, with a very
melancholy face. started when he saw me, and looked
confused.
" , my boy," said, " behaved very badly to you.
am sorry for it. back with me, and have a walk
with my sister. don't think she'll be sorry to see you."
race brightened up at once, and we left the shop to-
gether. with a great effort, was the first to
' know, sir, how many difficulties my presumption must
put you in."
" another word about it, . are blameless.
wish were. we only act as would have us, other
considerations may look after themselves or, rather.
will look after them. world will never be right till the
mind of is the measure of things, and the will of
the law of things. the kingdom of heaven nothing else
is acknowledged. till that kingdom come, the mind
and will of must, with those that look for that king-
dom, override every other way of thinking, feeling, and judg-
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380
ing. see it more plainly than ever did. my sister,
in 's name, , and be good to her."
went to find , and to find .
" is all right," said, " even to the shame feel at hav-
ing needed your reproof."
" 't think of that. gives us all time to come to
our right minds, you know," answered my wife.
" how did you get on so far ahead of me, wifie?"
laughed.
" ," she said, " only told you back again what you
have been telling me for the last seven or eight years."
to me the message had come first, but my wife had an-
swered first with the deed.
now have had my revenge on her.
to her and my children, has been my greatest
comfort for many years. is still my curate, and 1 do not
think we shall part till death part us for a time. sister
is worth twice what she was before, though they have no
children. have many, and they have taught me much.
is now too old to work any longer.
occupies his father's chair in the large room of the old house.
workshop have had turned into a schoolroom, of the
external condition of which his daughter takes good care,
while a great part of her brother 's time is devoted to
the children ; for he and agree that, where it can be done,
the pastoral care ought to be at least equally divided be-
tween the sheep and the lambs ; for the sooner the children
are brought under right influences ^I do not mean a great
deal of religious speech, but the right influences of truth and
honesty, and an evident regard to what wants of us
not only are they the more easily wrought upon, but the
sooner do they recognize those influences as right and good.
while quite agrees with me that there must not
be much talk about religion, he thinks that there must be
just the more acting upon religion ; and that if it be eveiy
where at hand in all things taught and done, it will be ready
to show itself to every one who looks for it. besides
that action is more powerful than speech in the inculcation
of religion, says there is no such corrective of secta-
rianism of every kind as the repression of speech and the
encouragement of action.
being a great help to me and every body else al-
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. 381
most in , has distinguished himself in the
literary world ; and when read his books, am yet prouder
of my brother-in-law. am only afraid that is not
good enough for him. she certainly improves, as have
said already.
was married to young about a
year after we were married. old man is all but con-
fined to the chimney-corner now, and manages the
farm, though not quite to his father's satisfaction, of course.
they are doing well, notwithstanding. old mill
has been superseded by one of new and rare device, built by
; but the old cottage where his wife's parents lived
has slowly mouldered back to the dust, for the old people
have been dead for many years.
, in the summer days, as go to or come from the
vestry, sit down for a moment on the turf that covers my
old friend, and think that every day is mouldering away
this body of mine till it shall fall a heap of dust into its ap-
pointed place. what is that to me ? is to me the
drawing nigh of the fresh morning of life, when shall be
young and strong again, glad in the presence of the wise
and beloved dead, and unspeakably glad in the presence of
my , which have now, but hope to possess far more
hereafter.
will not take a solemn leave of my friends just yet, for
hope to hold a little more communion with them ere go
hence. know that my mental faculty is growing weaker,
but some power yet remains ; and say to myself, "
this is the final trial of your faith to trust in to take
care of your intellect for you, and to believe in weakness the
truths revealed to you in strength. that
depends not upon your seeing it, and believe as you
saw when your sight was at its best ; for then you saw that
the truth was beyond all you could see." try to pre-
pare for dark days that may come, but which can not come
without in them.
meantime hope to be able to communicate some
more of the good things experience and thought have taught
me, and, it may be, some more of the events that have be-
fallen my friends and myself in our pilgrimage. , kind
readers, be with you. is the older and better
form of 'hy.