ingthatiscalledhumility,thathewas“deficientinintellect.”Thesewerehiswords.TheLordhadmadehimso,yethesupposedtheLordcaredasmuchforhimasforanother.“Ihavealwaysbeenso,”saidhe,“frommychildhoodIneverhadmuchmindIwasnotlikeotherchildrenIamweakinthehead.ItwastheLord’swill,Isuppose.”Andtherehewastoprovethetruthofhiswords.Hewasametaphysicalpuzzletome.Ihaverarelymetafellow-manonsuchpromisingground,—itwassosimpleandsincereandsotrueallthathesaid.And,trueenough,inproportionasheappearedtohumblehimselfwasheexalted.Ididnotknowatfirstbutitwastheresultofawisepolicy.Itseemedthatfromsuchabasisoftruthandfranknessasthepoorweak-headedpauperhadlaid,ourintercoursemightgoforwardtosomethingbetterthantheintercourseofsages.
Ihadsomeguestsfromthosenotreckonedcommonlyamongthetown’spoor,butwhoshouldbewhoareamongtheworld’spoor,atanyrateguestswhoappeal,nottoyourhospitality,buttoyourhospitalalitywhoearnestlywishtobehelped,andprefacetheirappealwiththeinformationthattheyareresolved,foronething,nevertohelpthemselves.Irequireofavisitorthathebenotactuallystarving,thoughhemayhavetheverybestappetiteintheworld,howeverhegotit.Objectsofcharityarenotguests.Menwhodidnotknowwhentheirvisithadterminated,thoughIwentaboutmybusinessagain,answeringthemfromgreaterandgreaterremoteness.Menofalmosteverydegreeofwitcalledonmeinthemigratingseason.Somewhohadmorewitsthantheyknewwhattodowithrunawayslaveswithplantationmanners,wholistenedfromtimetotime,likethefoxinthefable,asiftheyheardthehoundsa-bayingontheirtrack,andlookedatmebeseechingly,asmuchastosay,—
“OChristian,willyousendmeback?”
Onerealrunawayslave,amongtherest,whomIhelpedtoforwardtowardthenorthstar.Menofoneidea,likeahenwithonechicken,andthataducklingmenofathousandideas,andunkemptheads,likethosehenswhicharemadetotakechargeofahundredchickens,allinpursuitofonebug,ascoreofthemlostineverymorning’sdew,—andbecomefrizzledandmangyinconsequencemenofideasinsteadoflegs,asortofintellectualcentipedethatmadeyoucrawlallover.Onemanproposedabookinwhichvisitorsshouldwritetheirnames,asattheWhiteMountainsbut,alas!Ihavetoogoodamemorytomakethatnecessary.
Icouldnotbutnoticesomeofthepeculia