new-found David.

I did not "fall upon his neck," like the princely Hebrew, to whom I
have likened myself, but whom, alas! I resembled in nothing save my
loving. But I grasped his hand, for the first time, and looking up
at him, as he stood thoughtfully by me, whispered, "that I was very
glad."

"Thank you--so am I," said he, in a low tone. Then all his old
manner returned; he threw his battered cap high up in the air, and
shouted out, "Hurrah!"--a thorough boy.

And I, in my poor, quavering voice, shouted too.



CHAPTER III

When I was young, and long after then, at intervals, I had the very
useless, sometimes harmful, and invariably foolish habit of keeping a
diary. To me, at least, it has been less foolish and harmful than to
most; and out of it, together with much drawn out of the stores of a
memory, made preternaturally vivid by a long introverted life, which,
colourless itself, had nothing to do but to reflect and retain clear
images of the lives around it--out of these two sources I have
compiled the present history.

Therein, necessarily, many blank epochs occur. These I shall not try
to fill up, but merely resume the thread of narration as recollection
serves.