EARLY TIMES. 57 
life is devoted to the cultivation of the earth. It is 
strange that he should find no pleasure in what may 
be considered the most delightful branch of his pur¬ 
suit, especially when that pursuit is voluntary.” 
“ That is because the end of his labor is that 
which occupies his thoughts: he has less joy in 
the pursuit than in the results , and the accumula¬ 
tion of perishable products is the object which ex¬ 
cites and rewards his exertions.” 
“ But Cain has a heart susceptible of the finest 
feelings, of the deepest, purest love. O Abel, 
could you have heard his impassioned appeal to me 
when last we met, and when all I could say to him 
was, that he could never have less from me than a 
sister’s love, — and I had nothing more to offer,— 
could you have heard or seen him then, you would 
have confessed that Cain possessed all that power 
of love which you say is necessary to an enjoy¬ 
ment of nature’s wonders, as they lie stretched out 
before us.” 
“ Susceptibility of strong feelings of love , in¬ 
deed, my dear sister, is not the evidence of that 
quality which makes lovely — the most sordid self¬ 
ishness is quite consistent with the most violent 
passion. True love, pure affection, seeks the good 
j of its object.” 
“ But could Cain have sought only his personal 
gratification in his efforts to bring me to his tent ? 
Might he not have sought my happiness as well as 
his own, and intended to devote himself to the 
(o. 
