ar; the lower eyelid was
missing; the eye itself was evidently sightless, and a constant trickle
of tears ran down into the hideous scar below.

I thought of this man wandering over the earth, abhorred of all
beholders; I thought of the music he managed to make with the remnant of
his mutilated face; I thought also of the rigour of Destiny and the
kindliness of Death. I remember the words running in my head, "He hath
no form nor comeliness. Yet he was wounded for our transgressions, and
the chastisement of our peace was upon him."

I averted my glance, but not before Banquo had discovered that I was
looking at him. "Ha," he said; "you're lookin' at my face. It's a
beauty, isn't it? They ought to put it on the board outside the
recruitin' stations, as a sort of inducement to good-lookin' young men.
Help to make the Army popular wi' the young women, don't you see?
'George, why don't you join the Army and get a face like that? You'd be
worth lookin' at then.' Can't you hear 'em saying it? Oh, yes, I'm proud
o' my face, _that_ I am! So's my old gal. That's why she left me and the
kids the day I come home--never seen her since. Every time I draws my
pension I says to myself, 'Bill, my lad, that face o' yours is cheap at
the price. Keep up your pecker, my hearty; you'll make yer fortune when
Mr. Barnum sees yer! It's a bloomin' good investment, that's what I
calls it. Give yer a sort o' start in life. Makes folks glad to see yer
when you drops in to tea. And then I'm always feelin' as though I wanted
to have my photograph taken--and that's nice, too. So you see takin' it
all round, it's quite a blessin' to have a face like mine."

I was silent, not knowing what to say. Banquo went on:

"I thought when I come out o' the 'orspital as it were all up wi'
playin' the cornet. But I made up my mind as I'd try. So I kep' up
practice all the way home from the Cape, and when we got to Southampton
I could just manage to blow into the mouthpiece. It hurt a bit, too, I
can tell you. You see, I can only play on one side o' my mouth--like
this. But I got used to it after a time; and now I can play a'most as
well wi' half a mouth as I used to do wi' a whole un."

Again I was silent, for there was a tangle of thoughts in my mind, and
behind it all a vague, uncomfortable sense that I was come to judgment.
From this sprang a sudden resolve to change the subject, which was
unpleasant to me in more senses than one. So I said, after the pause,