A Difficult Subtlety 



" But will these holy engines, remaining in contact with 

 him for so long a time, effect no salutary influence on his 

 destiny ? " 



" Doubtless they would, if the cross of the good thief 

 were to happen to come uppermost ; but it is to be 

 presumed that Michael, who owes him an old grudge, will 

 send down some trustworthy angel along with Satan in his 

 fall, to turn him in case of accidents, and leave him with 

 the bad cross uppermost. But the devil, who never neglects 

 a chance, and is desperately persevering, will spend all his 

 time in attempting to wriggle himself round ; and who 

 knows what time may bring to pass ? " 



"I thank your reverence much for this most valuable 

 disquisition, which I shall take care to make known to the 

 world at large. I kiss your hand, Sefior cura." 

 *' I kiss yours," said he. " Adieu." 



Next day we set off early for Valladolid, not by Olmedo 

 as we had intended, but by Mojados, a road which does not 

 appear on the map, and does not appear very clearly on the 

 face of the country, being often lost in the sand ; however, 

 they told us that it was a shorter way. 



We rode the greater part of the day through vast and 

 sombre pine-forests. The conversation, partly apropos of 

 the crazy old cur^^s theories, and partly, perhaps, influenced 

 by the gloomy scenery of the forest, turned on the future 

 punishment of sin. Harry advocated rather universalist 

 doctrines : but I said I could not conceive that sin should 

 not leave some indelible mark ; seared and furrowed traces 

 of the soul's disease, which even eternity could never wear 

 away. 



" Here, where we can exist only in the shifting, momen- 

 tary Present, life's distractions cloud over the memory alike 

 of good and evil. If it were not for oblivion, experience 



