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water when I heard a step, and looking through a small chink, I beheld `
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a young creature, with a pail on her head, passing before my hovel. The `
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girl was young and of gentle demeanour, unlike what I have since found `
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cottagers and farmhouse servants to be. Yet she was meanly dressed, a `
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coarse blue petticoat and a linen jacket being her only garb; her fair `
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hair was plaited but not adorned: she looked patient yet sad. I lost `
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sight of her, and in about a quarter of an hour she returned bearing `
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the pail, which was now partly filled with milk. As she walked along, `
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seemingly incommoded by the burden, a young man met her, whose `
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countenance expressed a deeper despondence. Uttering a few sounds with `
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an air of melancholy, he took the pail from her head and bore it to the `
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cottage himself. She followed, and they disappeared. Presently I saw `
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the young man again, with some tools in his hand, cross the field `
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behind the cottage; and the girl was also busied, sometimes in the `
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house and sometimes in the yard. `
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`
`
"On examining my dwelling, I found that one of the windows of the `
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cottage had formerly occupied a part of it, but the panes had been `
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filled up with wood. In one of these was a small and almost `
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imperceptible chink through which the eye could just penetrate. `
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Through this crevice a small room was visible, whitewashed and clean `
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but very bare of furniture. In one corner, near a small fire, sat an `
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old man, leaning his head on his hands in a disconsolate attitude. The `
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young girl was occupied in arranging the cottage; but presently she `
`
took something out of a drawer, which employed her hands, and she sat `
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down beside the old man, who, taking up an instrument, began to play `
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and to produce sounds sweeter than the voice of the thrush or the `
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nightingale. It was a lovely sight, even to me, poor wretch who had `
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never beheld aught beautiful before. The silver hair and benevolent `
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countenance of the aged cottager won my reverence, while the gentle `
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manners of the girl enticed my love. He played a sweet mournful air `
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which I perceived drew tears from the eyes of his amiable companion, `
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of which the old man took no notice, until she sobbed audibly; he then `
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pronounced a few sounds, and the fair creature, leaving her work, `
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knelt at his feet. He raised her and smiled with such kindness and `
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affection that I felt sensations of a peculiar and overpowering `
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nature; they were a mixture of pain and pleasure, such as I had never `
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before experienced, either from hunger or cold, warmth or food; and I `
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withdrew from the window, unable to bear these emotions. `
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`
`
"Soon after this the young man returned, bearing on his shoulders a `
`
load of wood. The girl met him at the door, helped to relieve him of `
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his burden, and taking some of the fuel into the cottage, placed it on `
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the fire; then she and the youth went apart into a nook of the cottage, `
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and he showed her a large loaf and a piece of cheese. She seemed `
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pleased and went into the garden for some roots and plants, which she `
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placed in water, and then upon the fire. She afterwards continued her `
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work, whilst the young man went into the garden and appeared busily `
`
employed in digging and pulling up roots. After he had been employed `
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thus about an hour, the young woman joined him and they entered the `
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cottage together. `
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`
`
"The old man had, in the meantime, been pensive, but on the appearance `
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of his companions he assumed a more cheerful air, and they sat down to `
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eat. The meal was quickly dispatched. The young woman was again `
`
occupied in arranging the cottage, the old man walked before the `
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cottage in the sun for a few minutes, leaning on the arm of the youth. `
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Nothing could exceed in beauty the contrast between these two excellent `
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creatures. One was old, with silver hairs and a countenance beaming `
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with benevolence and love; the younger was slight and graceful in his `
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figure, and his features were moulded with the finest symmetry, yet his `
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eyes and attitude expressed the utmost sadness and despondency. The `
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old man returned to the cottage, and the youth, with tools different `
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from those he had used in the morning, directed his steps across the `
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fields. `
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`
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"Night quickly shut in, but to my extreme wonder, I found that the `
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cottagers had a means of prolonging light by the use of tapers, and was `
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delighted to find that the setting of the sun did not put an end to the `
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pleasure I experienced in watching my human neighbours. In the evening `
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the young girl and her companion were employed in various occupations `
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which I did not understand; and the old man again took up the `
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instrument which produced the divine sounds that had enchanted me in `
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the morning. So soon as he had finished, the youth began, not to play, `
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but to utter sounds that were monotonous, and neither resembling the `
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harmony of the old man's instrument nor the songs of the birds; I since `
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found that he read aloud, but at that time I knew nothing of the `
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science of words or letters. `
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`
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"The family, after having been thus occupied for a short time, `
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extinguished their lights and retired, as I conjectured, to rest." `
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Chapter 12 `
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`
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"I lay on my straw, but I could not sleep. I thought of the `
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occurrences of the day. What chiefly struck me was the gentle manners `
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of these people, and I longed to join them, but dared not. I `
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remembered too well the treatment I had suffered the night before from `
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the barbarous villagers, and resolved, whatever course of conduct I `
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might hereafter think it right to pursue, that for the present I would `
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remain quietly in my hovel, watching and endeavouring to discover the `
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motives which influenced their actions. `
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`
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"The cottagers arose the next morning before the sun. The young woman `
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arranged the cottage and prepared the food, and the youth departed `
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after the first meal. `
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`
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"This day was passed in the same routine as that which preceded it. `
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The young man was constantly employed out of doors, and the girl in `
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various laborious occupations within. The old man, whom I soon `
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perceived to be blind, employed his leisure hours on his instrument or `
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in contemplation. Nothing could exceed the love and respect which the `
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younger cottagers exhibited towards their venerable companion. They `
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performed towards him every little office of affection and duty with `
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gentleness, and he rewarded them by his benevolent smiles. `
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`
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"They were not entirely happy. The young man and his companion often `
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went apart and appeared to weep. I saw no cause for their unhappiness, `
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but I was deeply affected by it. If such lovely creatures were `
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miserable, it was less strange that I, an imperfect and solitary being, `
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should be wretched. Yet why were these gentle beings unhappy? They `
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possessed a delightful house (for such it was in my eyes) and every `
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luxury; they had a fire to warm them when chill and delicious viands `
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when hungry; they were dressed in excellent clothes; and, still more, `
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they enjoyed one another's company and speech, interchanging each day `
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looks of affection and kindness. What did their tears imply? Did they `
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really express pain? I was at first unable to solve these questions, `
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but perpetual attention and time explained to me many appearances which `
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were at first enigmatic. `
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`
`
"A considerable period elapsed before I discovered one of the causes of `
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the uneasiness of this amiable family: it was poverty, and they `
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suffered that evil in a very distressing degree. Their nourishment `
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consisted entirely of the vegetables of their garden and the milk of `
`
one cow, which gave very little during the winter, when its masters `
`
could scarcely procure food to support it. They often, I believe, `
`
suffered the pangs of hunger very poignantly, especially the two `
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younger cottagers, for several times they placed food before the old `
`
man when they reserved none for themselves. `
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`
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"This trait of kindness moved me sensibly. I had been accustomed, `
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during the night, to steal a part of their store for my own `
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consumption, but when I found that in doing this I inflicted pain on `
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the cottagers, I abstained and satisfied myself with berries, nuts, and `
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roots which I gathered from a neighbouring wood. `
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`
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"I discovered also another means through which I was enabled to assist `
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their labours. I found that the youth spent a great part of each day `
`
in collecting wood for the family fire, and during the night I often `
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took his tools, the use of which I quickly discovered, and brought home `
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firing sufficient for the consumption of several days. `
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`
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"I remember, the first time that I did this, the young woman, when she `
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opened the door in the morning, appeared greatly astonished on seeing a `
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great pile of wood on the outside. She uttered some words in a loud `
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voice, and the youth joined her, who also expressed surprise. I `
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observed, with pleasure, that he did not go to the forest that day, but `
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spent it in repairing the cottage and cultivating the garden. `
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`
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"By degrees I made a discovery of still greater moment. I found that `
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these people possessed a method of communicating their experience and `
`
feelings to one another by articulate sounds. I perceived that the `
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words they spoke sometimes produced pleasure or pain, smiles or `
`
sadness, in the minds and countenances of the hearers. This was indeed `
`
a godlike science, and I ardently desired to become acquainted with `
`
it. But I was baffled in every attempt I made for this purpose. Their `
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pronunciation was quick, and the words they uttered, not having any `
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apparent connection with visible objects, I was unable to discover any `
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clue by which I could unravel the mystery of their reference. By great `
`
application, however, and after having remained during the space of `
`
several revolutions of the moon in my hovel, I discovered the names `
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that were given to some of the most familiar objects of discourse; I `
`
learned and applied the words, `fire,' `milk,' `bread,' and `wood.' I `
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learned also the names of the cottagers themselves. The youth and his `
`
companion had each of them several names, but the old man had only one, `
`
which was `father.' The girl was called `sister' or `Agatha,' and the `
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youth `Felix,' `brother,' or `son.' I cannot describe the delight I `
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felt when I learned the ideas appropriated to each of these sounds and `
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was able to pronounce them. I distinguished several other words `
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without being able as yet to understand or apply them, such as `good,' `
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`dearest,' `unhappy.' `
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`
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"I spent the winter in this manner. The gentle manners and beauty of `
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the cottagers greatly endeared them to me; when they were unhappy, I `
`
felt depressed; when they rejoiced, I sympathized in their joys. I saw `
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few human beings besides them, and if any other happened to enter the `
`
cottage, their harsh manners and rude gait only enhanced to me the `
`
superior accomplishments of my friends. The old man, I could perceive, `
`
often endeavoured to encourage his children, as sometimes I found that `
`
he called them, to cast off their melancholy. He would talk in a `
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cheerful accent, with an expression of goodness that bestowed pleasure `
`
even upon me. Agatha listened with respect, her eyes sometimes filled `
`
with tears, which she endeavoured to wipe away unperceived; but I `
`
generally found that her countenance and tone were more cheerful after `
`
having listened to the exhortations of her father. It was not thus `
`
with Felix. He was always the saddest of the group, and even to my `
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unpractised senses, he appeared to have suffered more deeply than his `
`
friends. But if his countenance was more sorrowful, his voice was more `
`
cheerful than that of his sister, especially when he addressed the old `
`
man. `
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`
`
"I could mention innumerable instances which, although slight, marked `
`
the dispositions of these amiable cottagers. In the midst of poverty `
`
and want, Felix carried with pleasure to his sister the first little `
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white flower that peeped out from beneath the snowy ground. Early in `
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the morning, before she had risen, he cleared away the snow that `
`
obstructed her path to the milk-house, drew water from the well, and `
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brought the wood from the outhouse, where, to his perpetual `
`
astonishment, he found his store always replenished by an invisible `
`
hand. In the day, I believe, he worked sometimes for a neighbouring `
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