by the way, not to be lightly esteemed, for by
it all his other qualities were immeasurably enhanced in value. His
heart had beat in sympathy with the mourners he had just left, and his
manly disposition made him feel ashamed that the lips which could give
advice glibly enough in regard to bandages and physic, and which could
speak in cheery, comforting tones when there was hope for his patient,
were sealed and absolutely incapable of utterance when death approached
or hopeless despair took possession of the sufferer.

Oliver had felt something of this even in his student life, when the
solemnities of sickness and death were new to him; but it was pressed
home upon him with peculiar power, and his manhood was often put to the
blush when he was brought into contact with the Wesleyan Methodism of
West Cornwall, where multitudes of men and women of all grades drew
comfort from the Scriptures as readily and as earnestly as they drew
water from their wells--where religion was mingled with everyday and
household duties--and where many of the miners and fishermen preached
and prayed, and comforted one another with God's Word, as vigorously, as
simply, and as naturally as they hewed a livelihood from the rocks or
drew sustenance from the sea.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

TREATS OF SPIRITS AND OF SUNDRY SPIRITED MATTERS AND INCIDENTS.

One sunny afternoon Mrs Maggot found herself in the happy position of
having so thoroughly completed her round of household work that she felt
at leisure to sit down and sew, while little Grace sat beside her, near
the open door, rocking the cradle.

Baby, in blissful unconsciousness of its own existence, lay sound asleep
with a thumb in its mouth; the resolute sucking of that thumb having
been its most recent act of disobedience.

Little Grace was flushed, and rather dishevelled, for it had cost her
half an hour's hard wrestling to get baby placed in recumbent
somnolence. She now sought to soothe her feelings by tickling the chin
of the black kitten--a process to which that active creature submitted
with purring satisfaction.

"Faither's long of coming hum, mother," said little Grace, looking up.

"Iss," replied Mrs Maggot.

"D'ee knaw where he is?" inquired Grace.

"No, I doan't," replied her mother.

It was evident that Mrs Maggot was not in the humour for conversation,
so Grace relapsed into silence, and devoted herself to the kitten.

"Is that faither?" said Grace, after a few minu