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loud, so as to make all who heard it quake—and then the words should be heard, "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy," what would my friends think of the way they are now spending it? And if they were acquainted with the Scriptures, they would know that these very words had been spoken by God himself from Mount Sinai, while the mountain trembled because the Lord descended upon it in fire-and there was thick darkness-and thunderings, and lightnings, and the voice of a trumpet, (Exodus xix.) Such were the awful accompaniments when God made His will regarding the Sabbath known to man; and how daring are those who conceal this command of God, and teach the people that they may, without sin, disobey it!'

I only witnessed what I have described, during meals; for whenever I could, I withdrew to my own room to endeavour to spend my Sabbath in the manner the Scripture directs. I was, as usual, followed by Richard, who seldom lost sight of me; and on this day we had a great deal of conversation, which ended in his at last consenting to read the Douay New Testament. We were to go next day to a town a few miles off in order to procure one.

We with some difficulty put this plan in execution; for, whenever it was known, so many were ready to accompany us, that we feared we could not make out our purpose without its being

known, and Richard had not yet courage to venture being even suspected of reading the word of God! We, however, succeeded in procuring what we desired, most of our friends having been attracted away from us on reaching the town. I shall not say for what purpose-but my friends will perhaps remember how many broken heads and bruised limbs had to be looked after at Ballinagh, on the day after our visit to the town of

When Richard and I returned in our sober

way, he requested me to lend him my Bible, when I did not want it, that he might see in what it differed from the Douay Testament. This request delighted me; and I felt certain that Richard would not long remain in darkness, if he sought for truth in a manner so sincere, and rational, and sensible.

For the next fortnight Richard spent most of his time in reading the New Testament. He, however, did not speak of what he read to me. He seemed to wish to avoid doing so; and I just watched to do what was most agreeable to him, and was certain that he would learn far better from the Scriptures themselves than from any thing I could say. He was, however, very thoughtful, and sometimes appeared very sad; but every day increased in kindness to me. I may say the same, indeed of all my friends. My aunt watched over my health; and I really think,

from their having few doctors within their reach, that the Irish country people, particularly the women, acquire a good deal of skill in treating illness as it ought to be. I witnessed a good deal of this while I was at Ballinagh-and in my own case, after my aunt and several others, mostly women, had consulted over my health, and asked me many questions, I really must say, that I every day got stronger while following their advice, till at last I felt as active and well as formerly. As to my poor aunt, I never could find out, either from herself or any one else, whether she had changed her religion. I suppose, if she had, she did not wish that her sister should be distressed by knowing it,—and so well did all her friends keep her secret, that even the children seemed on their guard when I asked any question on the subject, and had some evasive answer ready. She never went to church while I remained at Ballinagh. I fear, however, that she is a Catholic, for this reason, that I do not believe my uncle and she would live so happily together as they do if she was not; for, though he is kind to all, still his will must be law to all around him.

There were many things about my uncle Arthur that occupied my attention very much. He was a character quite new to me. At least, in my country, a man with his parts would probably have risen to a far different station,

and consequently have appeared in a different light. I have already said that he spent much of his time in idleness; but the reason of that appeared to me, after the first, to be because he had no object for which he would be at the trouble to exert himself in any way. When there was any thing he thought himself obliged to do, he would fall to it as if it had broken in upon the business of his life, and would dispatch it in half the time any one else would; and then fling away the spade, or whatever it was, that he might just stride about again in idleness. When we talked together, which he liked to do, he never had patience to listen to the end of what I was saying, for he always thought he saw what I meant, before I had uttered half a dozen words. He was often right, for I never met with any one so sharp as he was; but he was sometimes wrong, though he never had patience to be put right. At first he seemed to think me a soft slow fellow, and, I saw, could scarcely refrain from making me look about me,' as he called it, and which he was constantly doing to the others, making the person he spoke to look like a fool, and setting the others in roars of laughter. I have seen him turn his eyes on me with that kind of laughing sparkle in them which was always the forerunner of making some one look about him, and then check himself and turn away,

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just because I was a stranger and depended on his kindness. He soon, however, seemed to regard me with more respect; and as I could not help feeling that, next to Richard, he excited most of my regard, in spite of his many strange ways, I tried to say what I had to say in a few strong words, such as he would listen to, and in this way we had many long conversations. I think I will just put down one or two of them here, as far as I remember; and if he should read them, and perceive that what I say has more sense in it than what I really said at the time, let him remember that he never suffered me to say any thing to an end for the first ten days I was at Ballinagh.

The first time my uncle listened to me with real attention, was one day I began to speak of the education young people received in my country. About twenty boys and girls, between the ages of seven and twelve, were gambling about within sight of us.

"Have you no schools here?" asked I.

"Schools! ay, plenty of schools, but few scholars," replied my uncle.

"But what kind of schools are they?"

"Why, the Protestants set schools a-going, and some of the bigger boys and girls who had a turn for learning like you, Andrew, would not be kept away; for they were taught the Bible, and a great deal that the old ones knew

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