simple utterance of divine messengers, may without offence be misapplied
to his paltry memorizations, his main thought was always whether the said
lady was justly appreciating the eloquence and wisdom with which he meant
to impress her--while in fact he remained incapable of understanding how
deep her natural insight penetrated both him and his pretensions. Her
probing attention, however, he so entirely misunderstood that it gave him
no small encouragement; and thus becoming only the more eager after her
good opinion, he came at length to imagine himself heartily in love with
her--a thing impossible to him with any woman--and at last, emboldened by
the fancied importance of his position, and his own fancied distinction in
it, he ventured an offer of his feeble hand and feebler heart;--but only to
have them, to his surprise, definitely and absolutely refused. He turned
from the lady's door a good deal disappointed, but severely mortified;
and, judging it impossible for any woman to keep silence concerning such a
refusal, and unable to endure the thought of the gossip to ensue, he began
at once to look about him for a refuge, and frankly told his patron the
whole story. It happened to suit his grace's plans, and he came speedily to
his assistance with the offer of his native parish--whence the soutar's
argumentative antagonist had just been removed to a place, probably not a
very distinguished one, in the kingdom of heaven; and it seemed to all but
a natural piety when James Blatherwick exchanged his parish for that where
he was born, and where his father and mother continued to occupy the old
farm.




CHAPTER IV