THE MAN WITH TIIK 417 



" Behold !" exclaimed the canvas man ; " behold how delicately 

 the light shines upon the tearful face of nature, as if to impart a 

 portion of its own gladness to her. Ah ! now she is gay again, and 

 every hill is sheen, and every tree bears a myriad of illuminated 

 drops. Oh ! I would not be an atheist for the world, to be deprived 

 of the rapturous enjoyment of sending up my heart to the Almighty 

 on these occasions !" 



This touch of enthusiasm at the tail of oil of tar, number one 

 canvas and tanned leather, came forth so singularly that I hardly 

 knew whether to laugh or to admire. I resolved, however, to fathom 

 my friend's eccentricities ; but became more foiled and puzzled every 

 minute at the broad humour, poetical ideas, vulgarity, and refinement 

 which alternately characterized him ; and during our converse lie 

 took a cigar from his pocket, and having lighted it by means of a 

 phosphorus box, he applied it to his lips, and puffed away with 

 symptoms of strong satisfaction. 



" I beg you will not blow your smoke so much this way, it both 

 blinds and chokes me, sir," said the gentleman in black, rather surli- 

 ly ; for he seemed to look upon the other as a very graceless sort of 

 being. " Sir, I will reply to you by asking you to solve me a riddle," 

 said the smoker ; " Why is the north-east wind like a recruit in the 

 47th foot ?" " I cannot tell, sir, indeed/' said he in black, excessively 

 piqued , " because, sir, it goeth where it listeth" returned the man of 

 canvas. The gentleman in black was still more annoyed by the 

 mirth which this sally occasioned. "A filthy practice," said he; 

 " neither beneficial to yourself nor useful to others." " Aha ! say 

 you so, my man of sable," returned he of canvas ; " doth it not teach 

 a moral ? While watching the fickle vapour as it struggles with 

 the breeze, are we not forcibly reminded of life and its changes call 

 the humid matter man, and we see him now depressed, then elevated. 

 Sometimes strong, at others weak, and when at last he gains some- 

 thing like an altitude, fate a puff of wind shews us how transient 

 a nature he is. Look at the remains of this cigar, it is now worn and 

 torn, useless, and near its end ; like the thankless world we drop it 

 from our lips, and then what is it, less than the noblest frame that 

 ever trod the earth, when laid low ? A little heap of ashes !" 



There was something beautiful in the solemnity of the speaker's 

 tone; he was fighting a battle with but small weapons, but he silenced 

 the parson. The gentleman in sable looked as black as his own coat 

 upon the matter, not having a single sentence to reply. We now 

 stopped to change horses, and gladly embraced the opportunity of 

 descending to warm our chilled irisides with a tooth-full of brandy. 

 Suffering the others to precede me, I went up to the coachman in 

 order to learn, if possible, who the odd personage was that had so 

 excited my curiosity. 



" Ha ! ha ! he's a rum un, sir, e'nt he ?" said the handler of whips, 

 by way of answer to my inquiry. 



" Yes, yes ; but who is he ?" said I impatiently. 



" Who is he ?" reiterated the coachman ; " blow me tight if I 

 knows. Why, Lord blesh you, sir, we none of us knows nothing 



M. M. No. 94. 3 H 



