e to thee, thou shalt not, at thy soul's peril, attempt to
believe!--Elsewhither for a refuge, or die here. Go to Perdition if thou
must,--but not with a lie in thy mouth; by the Eternal Maker, no!"

Alas, once more! How are poor mortals whirled hither and thither in the
tumultuous chaos of our era; and, under the thick smoke-canopy which
has eclipsed all stars, how do they fly now after this poor meteor, now
after that!--Sterling abandoned his clerical office in February, 1835;
having held it, and ardently followed it, so long as we say,--eight
calendar months in all.

It was on this his February expedition to London that I first saw
Sterling,--at the India House incidentally, one afternoon, where I
found him in company with John Mill, whom I happened like himself to be
visiting for a few minutes. The sight of one whose fine qualities I had
often heard of lately, was interesting enough; and, on the whole, proved
not disappointing, though it was the translation of dream into fact,
that is of poetry into prose, and showed its unrhymed side withal. A
loose, careless-looking, thin figure, in careless dim costume, sat, in
a lounging posture, carelessly and copiously talking. I was struck with
the kindly but restless swift-glancing eyes, which looked as if the
spirits were all out coursing like a pack of merry eager beagles,
beating every bush. The brow, rather sloping in form, was not of
imposing character, though again the head was longish, which is always
the best sign of intellect; the physiognomy in general indicated
animation rather than strength.

We talked rapidly of various unmemorable things: I remember coming on
the Negroes, and noticing that Sterling's notion on the Slavery Question
had not advanced into the stage of mine. In reference to the question
whether an "engagement for life," on just terms, between parties who
are fixed in the character of master and servant, as the Whites and the
Negroes are, is not really better than one from day to day,--he said
with a kindly jeer, "I would have the Negroes themselves consulted as to
that!"--and would not in the least believe that the Negroes were by
no means final or perfect judges of it.--His address, I perceived, was
abrupt, unceremonious; probably not at all disinclined to logic, and
capable of dashing in upon you like a charge of Cossacks, on occasion:
but it was also eminently ingenious, social, guileless. We did all very
well together: and Sterling and I wa