t
subsided, came again, again subsided; then drowsiness came over me, and
at last I fell asleep, my head supported on the neck of the little horse.
I awoke; it was dark, dark night--not a star was to be seen--but I felt
no fear, the horror had left me. I arose from the side of the little
horse, and went into my tent, lay down, and again went to sleep. . . ."

It may be said that the man who had gone through this, and could describe
it, would find it easy enough to depict other sufferings of the same
kind, though in later or less violent stages. It is certain, however,
that for such a one to acquire the habit of touching was easy. He says
himself, that after the night with the author who had this habit and who
feared ideas more than thunder and lightning, he himself touched things
and wondered if "the long-forgotten influence" had returned. Mr. Walling
says that "he has been informed" that Borrow "suffered in his youth from
the touching mania," and like many other readers probably, I had
concluded the same. But Mr. Watts-Dunton had already told us that "in
walking through Richmond Park," when an old man, Borrow "would step out
of his way constantly to touch a tree and was offended if observed." The
old man diverting himself with Chinese inscriptions on teapots would be
an easy invention for Borrow; he may not have done this very thing, but
he had done similar things. Here again, Mr. Walling says that "he has
been told" the incident was drawn from Borrow's own experience. As to
Peter Williams and the sin against the Holy Ghost, Borrow hinted to him
that his case was not exceptional:

"'Dost thou then imagine,' said Peter, 'the sin against the Holy Ghost to
be so common an occurrence?'

"'As you have described it,' said I, 'of very common occurrence,
especially amongst children, who are, indeed, the only beings likely to
commit it.'

"'Truly,' said Winifred, 'the young man talks wisely.'

"Peter was silent for some moments, and appeared to be reflecting; at
last, suddenly raising his head, he looked me full in the face, and,
grasping my hand with vehemence, he said, 'Tell me, young man, only one
thing, hast thou, too, committed the sin against the Holy Ghost?'

"'I am neither Papist nor Methodist,' said I, 'but of the Church, and,
being so, confess myself to no one, but keep my own counsel; I will tell
thee, however, had I committed at the same age, twenty such sins as that
which you committed, I should feel