102 ENIGMA 



in the field, combined with that dignity of sentiment and 

 strong natural eloquence so essential in the pulpit. 



In addition to this, though his tastes were decidedly of 

 a nature not in accordance with the spirit of the present 

 day, he was a gentleman of sound erudition, of kind feel- 

 ings, and urbane manners, and possessed a fund of useful 

 and amusing knowledge, so that his conversation was not 

 always confined to the animating subject of field sports. 

 In our frequent and, to me, very pleasing intercourse, he 

 had always some fresh anecdote to relate ; and occasion- 

 ally amused me Avith a happy solution of an enigma — a 

 kind of inoenious triflino; then much in fashion. 



On one occasion, I remember, he asked me if I knew 

 what two words in the English language (and there were 

 but two) contained all the vowels consecutively, as they 

 appear in the alphabet. I replied in the negative, and 

 ventured, as an excuse for my ignorance, to say that it 

 would require a regular and continuous j^erusal of the 

 dictionary to discover the words, and for that I had not 

 sufficient application. 



" Well," he said, " I do not agree with you. Do we 

 not take refreshment at the next change ? " 



On my answering in the affirmative, he added, — 



" Then if you and I dine together ahstemioudy, and talk 

 a \\tt\Q facetiously over our wine, I think we shall be able 

 to make it out." 



This, and similar peculiarities both in reading and 

 arithmetic, the reverend gentleman made me acquainted 

 with ; and I very much regretted the loss of his company 

 when he exchanged his living for another in Somerset- 

 shire. 



