m 
A CHILD OF NATURE \ 
quiet waters in summer and the 
stars moving with them in winter. 
As time went on the early reserve 
deepened and the early silence was 
more rarely hroken. It was not 
the life of a recluse who wished 
to escape from his fellows ; it was 
rather the life of a man who was 
denied the gift of speech. The 
gentleness of the face, the kindli- 
ness of the eyes, the habitual care 
for others, showed the fellowship 
of this reticent soul with those to 
whom he was bound by ties of 
kinship or of neighbourhood. The 
work on the farm was never inter- 
mitted ; there were no journeys be- 
yond the mountains ; for while the 
man's thoughts wandered far, his 
