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Show H2 RICHARD JJURD!d. CIIAPTER XIX. MAT WEBBEH. "Old Giuffnr snL in his dinul Dct'p tltou![ht. wns in l1is ;1gC<l eye; And though li1e fnec of mu~sulmnn Not, (JfL bctrnys to gtnudet·s-by The mind within- well skilled to hide All but unconqu<'l'fllllc ]Wi~lc- I lis pensive cheek nnd pondcl'irw IH·ow Did more thnn he wns wont r\\'O~v."-Bn'de of Ab,IJdos. o_urt host had in no respect cxnggcratcd t.lrc tcdiousnc~s of ~ur J_ourn?Y· Pcrh::tps i~ bccam~ doubly so to us from t!Jc pleas~ .mt_ conse~ousncss, fresh m our rnmds, of tltc few prcccclinrr homs winch had bcCJI so unqunlificdly delightful. The ]1ills 1~050 before us, nnd 1vc felt it to be indeed toilsome to ascend them '\~hen we knew tlwt by such ascent we only threw them ns bar~ nc~:s _betwc~n us and tl_1c spot to which we both felt every dis· po~J~JoJ_1 to 1cturn. It IS strange how susceptible to j)assing nml c:1sn:d mflucnces nrc the strongest [Jmong us. I .. et our pride not rJs~ Ill our pnth ns a dogged opponent, nnd whnt flexibility is oms-w_hnt may we not bccomc-wlwt not acl1ieve! How lovely will seem place and person, if', when they commend tl1em· Is eh·es to om· n ffc cfl·o ns, t 11 cy forbear to nssai l or offend our pride! could tenr myself from the dwell in..,. of my cllildhood-from the eJ_nbracc o~· the fondest of mot!Jcrs~ from all the sympnthics n;~l ties to winch I had been ac<:ustomed-ycn, from t11c sin·ht 0 10.r to '~hom n!l my hopes had been addressed- in obedie~cc to tills. a~·lJlt~·ary mflncncc; and, failing to dcri,·e m·cn the coJJ. est sat l sfac~JOn from friends, aml family, nnd birthplace, could yet be sensible of pleasure derived from the contcmplntion of a strange home, and a 1>assi11g intercourse with str<~ngcrs. P01·· ?~tAT WEBBEU. 143 haps it may be safe to nssert thnt the greatest enemy to our affections is om mind. The understanding, even nmong the wenkest- as if conscious of its superior destiny- will assert its swny, :mel sacrifice the heart which depends on it for life, in deference to thn.t miserable vanity which lives only on its dis· cases. I ll::wc nlways been conscious of this sort of warfmc going on with Inc. 1 ha\'C Slloken the sarcnsm to the loved one, even wl1cn my own bosom felt the injustice, and when my heart, with the keenest sympnthy, quivcrednlso with the pang. 'Ve had ridden, perhaps. an hour, :llld were winding our way down from gorge to gorge :unong a. pile of hills of which there seemed to be no end, when we came suddenly upon three men sitting among the bushes at a little distance from the road-side. rrwo of them we knew at the first glance to be our chamber compn.nions nt 'l'uscn.loosn. Tile tbinl we had neithc1· of us seen before. H e wns a s!Jort, thick-set person of bl:lck hair nnd unimposing features, presenting in his dress, a singular contrast to the trim and gaudy Cll!Ktrison of his comrades. 'l'hcy were sitting around a. log, and Hl:l)' have been eating for aught we knew. They had s01ncthing between them which cnllecl for their close scrutiny, and seemed so well to recei\'C it that we completely surprised them. " ' lien they heard us, there was a v isiL\e start, and one of the two gnmhlcrs started to his foot. I rode on without giving them the least notice; Lnt, thoughtless as ever, \Villiam half advanced to them, and in a good-humored, dare-devil style of expression, cried out to them aloud:- " Ihlloo, my good fellows, do you feel like another game to-day." \Vhat their answer was, and whetl1cr they suflicicnt1y hem·d to understand his words or not, I cnn not say-they stood motionless and watched our progress; and I conceived it fortunate that I was able to persuade my companion to ride 0 11 without farther notice. lie did not relish tile iHdiffcrence with whicl1 they Heemed to regard us, and a little pause and provocation might have brought us into a regular fight. Perhaps-the issue of our journey considered- such would have Lcf'n a fortunate event. ' .Yo might not have suffered lwlf so much as in the end we did. "Now could I take either or both of those fellows by the |