1 6 THE SMUGGLER. 



have done all that, then calculate the causes that produce rain 

 to-day and wind to-morrow, or sunshine one day and clouds 

 the next. Men say the same cause acting under the same 

 circumstances will always produce the same effect, good; I 

 grant that, merely for the sake of argument. But I contend 

 that the same effect may be produced by a thousand causes or 

 more. A man knocks you down ; you fall : that's the effect 

 produced by one cause ; but a fit of apoplexy may make you 

 fall exactly in the same way. Then apply the cause at the 

 other end if you like, and trip your foot over a stone, or over 

 some bunches of long grass that mischievous boys have tied 

 across the path: down you come, just as if a quarrelsome 

 companion had tapped you on the head. No, no, sir; the 

 only way of ascertaining what the weather will be from one 

 hour to another is by a barometer. That's not very sure, and 

 the best I know of is a cow's tail, or a piece of dried sea- weed. 

 But these men of science, they do nothing but go out mare's- 

 nesting from morning till night, and a precious number of 

 horses' eggs they have found!" 



Thus commenced a conversation which lasted for some time, 

 and in which the younger traveller seemed to find some amuse- 

 ment, plainly perceiving, what the reader has already disco- 

 vered, that his elderly companion was an oddity. The other 

 tenant of the coach made no observation, but remained with 

 his arms folded on his chest, sometimes looking out of the 

 window, sometimes gazing down at his own knee in deep 

 thought. About ten miles from town, the coach passe.d some 

 led horses, with the grooms who were conducting them ; and, 

 as is natural for young men, both the old gentleman's fellow- 

 travellers put their heads to the window, and examined the 

 animals with a scrutinizing eye. 



" Fine creatures, fine creatures, horses!" said the gentleman 

 in black. 



"Those are very fine ones," answered the graver of the 

 two young men; " I think I never saw better points about 

 any beast than that black charger." 



" Ay, sir; you are a judge of horse- flesh, I suppose?" re- 

 joined the old gentleman; "but I was speaking of horses in 

 the abstract. They are noble creatures indeed ; and as matters 

 have fallen out in this world, I can't help thinking that there 

 is a very bad arrangement, and that those at the top of the 



