whilst their pride in him increased, fell off to a more respectful
distance; and his deportment, so far from being that of a good-humored
Bobadil of polemics and pedantry upon all known and unknown subjects,
became silent and solemn, chequered only during the moments of
family conviviality by an excessive flow of that pleasant and still
incomprehensible learning for the possession of which he had so honestly
earned himself a character. Much of his pedantry was now lopped off, it
is true, because the pride of his station prevented him from entering
into discussions with the people. It cost him, however, some trouble to
overcome his early tendencies; nor, after all, can it be affirmed that
he altogether succeeded in eradicating them. Many a grave shrug, and
solemn wink, and formal nod, had he to answer for, when his foot touched
the debatable land of controversy. Though contrary to the keeping
and dignity of his position in life, yet did honest Denny then get
desperately significant, and his face amazingly argumentative. Many a
pretender has he fairly annihilated by a single smile of contempt that
contained more logic than a long argument from another man. In fact, the
whole host of rhetorical figures seemed breaking out of his face. By
a solitary glance of his eye he could look a man into a dilemma, and
practise a _sorites_, or a homemade syllogism, by the various shiftings
of his countenance, as clearly as if he had risen to the full flight
of his former bombast. He had, in short, a _prima facie_ disposition to
controversy; his nose was set upon his face in a kind of firm defiance
against infidels, heretics, and excommunicated persons; and when
it curled with contempt of another, or with pride in the power that
slumbered in itself, it seemed to give the face from which it projected,
and the world at large, the assurance of a controversialist. Nor did his
negative talents rest here: a twist of his mouth to the right or left
ear, was nicely shaded away into a negative or affirmative, according
as he intended it should be taken; and when he used his