Tales and Novels, vol 2 | Page 8

might be?' I
kept myself quite snug till he was out of sight; nay, long afterwards, I
was content to sit within the waggon, rather than venture out; and I
amused myself with listening to the bells of the team, which jingled
continually.
"On our second day's journey, however, I ventured out of my
hiding-place; I walked with the waggoner up and down the hills,
enjoying the fresh air, the singing of the birds, and the delightful smell
of the honey-suckles and the dog-roses in the hedges. All these wild
flowers, and even the weeds on the banks by the way-side, were to me
matters of wonder and admiration. At every step, almost, I paused to
observe something that was new to me; and I could not help feeling
surprised at the insensibility of my fellow-traveller, who plodded on,
seldom interrupting his whistling, except to cry, 'Gee, Blackbird, aw,
woa;' or, 'How now, Smiler;' and certain other words or sounds of
menace and encouragement, addressed to his horses in a language
which seemed intelligible to them and to him, though utterly
incomprehensible to me.
"Once, as I was in admiration of a plant, whose stem was about two
feet high, and which had a round, shining, pale purple, beautiful flower,
the waggoner, with a look of extreme scorn, exclaimed, 'Help thee, lad,
does not thee know 'tis a common thistle? Didst thee not know that a
thistle would prick thee?' continued he, laughing at the face I made

when I touched the prickly leaves; 'why my horse Dobbin has more
sense by half! he is not like an ass hunting for thistles.'
"After this, the waggoner seemed to look upon me as very nearly an
idiot. Just as we were going into the town of Plymouth, he eyed me
from head to foot, and muttered, 'The lad's beside himself, sure
enough.' In truth, I believe I was a droll figure; for my hat was stuck
full of weeds, and of all sorts of wild flowers; and both my coat and
waistcoat pockets were stuffed out with pebbles and funguses.
"Such an effect, however, had the waggoner's contemptuous look upon
me, that I pulled the weeds out of my hat, and threw down all my
treasure of pebbles before we entered the town. Nay, so much was I
overawed, and in such dread was I of passing for an idiot, that when we
came within view of the sea, in the fine harbour of Plymouth, I did not
utter a single exclamation; although I was struck prodigiously at this,
my first sight of the ocean, as much almost as I had been at the
spectacle of the rising sun. I just ventured, however, to ask my
companion some questions about the vessels which I beheld sailing on
the sea, and the shipping with which the bay was filled. But he
answered coldly, 'They be nothing in life but the boats and ships, man:
them that see them for the first time are often struck all on a heap, as
I've noticed, in passing by here: but I've seen it all a many and a many
times.' So he turned away, went on chewing a straw, and seemed not a
whit more moved with admiration than he had been at the sight of my
thistle.
"I conceived a high opinion of a man who had seen so much that he
could admire nothing; and he preserved and increased my respect for
him by the profound silence which he maintained, during the five
succeeding days of our journey: he seldom or never opened his lips
except to inform me of the names of the towns through which we
passed. I have since reflected that it was fortunate for me that I had
such a supercilious fellow-traveller on my first journey; for he made me
at once thoroughly sensible of my own ignorance, and extremely
anxious to supply my deficiencies, and to find one who would give
some other answer to my questions than a smile of contempt, or, '_I do

na knaw, I say_.'
"We arrived at Exeter at last; and, with much ado, I found my way to
Mr. Y----'s house. It was evening when I got there; and the servant to
whom I gave the letter said he supposed Mr. Y---- would not see me
that night, as he liked to have his evenings to himself; but he took the
letter, and in a few minutes returned, desiring me to follow him up
stairs.
"I found the good old gentleman and some of his friends in his study,
with his grand-children about him; one little chap on his knee, another
climbing on the arm of his chair; and two bigger lads were busy
looking at a glass tube which he was showing them