IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 79 



his victor}^ and grace to improve it to the full. 

 For it is scandalous that a bird of the crow's 

 cloth should be a thief ; and so, although I 

 reckon him among my friends, — in truth, he- 

 cause I do so, — I am always able to take it 

 patiently when I see him chastised for his fault. 

 Imperfect as we all know each other to be, it is 

 a comfort to feel that few of us are so alto- 

 gether bad as not to take more or less pleasure 

 in seeing a neighbor's character improved un- 

 der a course of moderately painful discipline. 



At Bartlett word came that the passenger 

 car would go no further, but that a freight 

 train would soon start, on which, if I chose, I 

 could continue my journey. Accordingly, I 

 rode up through the Notch on a platform car, 

 — a mode of conveyance which I can heartily 

 and in all good conscience recommend. There 

 is no crowd of exclaiming tourists, the train of 

 necessity moves slowly, and the open platform 

 offers no obstruction to the view. For a time 

 I had a seat, which after a little two strangers 

 ventured to occupy with me ; for " it 's an ill 

 wind that blows nobody good," and there hap- 

 pened to be on the car one piece of baggage, — 

 a coffin, inclosed in a pine box. Our sitting 

 upon it could not harm either it or us ; nor did 

 we mean any disrespect to the man, whoever 

 he might be, whose body was to be buried in it. 



