CORNISH HUMOUR 165 



which we were passing when he remarked on the 

 prettiness of a scene that came before our eyes and 

 I agreed ; but by and by when he used the same ex- 

 pression about another scene I disagreed. " Do you 

 not then see anything to admire in it ? " he asked, 

 and when I said that I admired it he wanted to know 

 why 1 refused to allow that it was pretty after having 

 called something else pretty because I admired it ? 

 He began to harp on this subject and to grow 

 satirical, and wanted to know of every scene we 

 passed whether I called it pretty or not, and if not 

 why not. My replies did not seem to enlighten him 

 much, and at last in a passion he begged me to tell 

 him in plain language, if of two scenes we both 

 admired one was pretty and the other not pretty, 

 why he called them both pretty. I answered that it 

 was because he had a limited vocabulary. 



He threw himself back in his seat and looked at 

 me as if I had struck or insulted him, then ex- 

 claimed, " Oh, that's it I have a limited vocabu- 

 lary ! " and presently he added bitterly, " This is the 

 first time in my life that I have been charged with 

 having a limited vocabulary." Without saying more 

 he got up, and going into the corridor planted his 

 elbows on the sill, and supporting his head with his 

 hands, stared gloomily at the landscape for about a 

 quarter of an hour. Then he came back to his seat 

 and looked at me with a different countenance ; the 

 expression of sullen resentment had changed to a 

 quite friendly one but overcast with something like 

 regret or shame, and speaking in a subdued manner 



