at you, hugs you, gets every blessed thing he can out of you.  “Favourable specimen,” you will say.  That is true; but, as regards the independence and primitive state of mind, what I say applies to almost all.  You see, you must get down beneath the gentleman or would-be gentleman-farmer, down to the man who never conceived the idea of ruffling it with gentlefolk.  Also, you must not go down to the mere labourer.  But they are desperate gossips—­gossips not so much in matters local and insular, as in matters universal.  The gossiping tone does proceed into the universal, does it not?  The hilarity with which they will range the far horizons of thought is so childlike (you know how children are about that); a chatter that sparkles on the surface like their own divers, and then, with an “Aw bless me sowl,” or “Aye, man, aye,” down into the deepest soundings of the spirit....

* * * * *

A charming Hibernian called on me the other day.  Portentous! alarming!  He had been sent from Douglas by some evil-disposed friends of mine there, to consult me as the supreme authority on matters Manx.  Now of this language I am, if not wholly, yet at least grammatically ignorant.  He was a tall, stalwart fellow; black-bearded, not handsome, but with a tremendously Irish face, eyes of fire, nose of peremptory interrogation.  Flourishing a wretched grammar in one hand, he proceeded rapidly to demonstrate its ineptness, and sternly to demand my explanation.  As my weak-kneedness grew more painfully evident—­

  So scented the grim feature, and upturned
  His nostril wide into the murky air,
  Sagacious of his quarry—­

he almost shouted with exultation.  All the Manx scholars had completely failed—­here was another.  “Glory be to God!  I’ll smite him hip and thigh.”  He was a splendid Irishman, and, of course, kind and generous.  He didn’t spare me, destructed me utterly; but speedily constructed me upon new lines, and told me a lot about Celtic difficulties and how to overcome them.  He spoke Irish like a bird, and, after about three-quarters of an hour, he rushed forth to catch the train, hairy, immense, with some wild wirrasthru of farewell.  Imagine a very learned and linguistic Mulligan of Ballymulligan!...

* * * * *

O Wallaston, the delight of this leisure!  I read, I write, I play.  Good gracious!  I shouldn’t wonder if my music came to something yet.  I have actually gone back to singing, a vice of my youth.  Don’t mention it at Clifton!  I always think the sea the great challenger and promoter of song.  Even the mountain is not the same thing.  There may always be some d——­d fool or another behind a rock.  But the sea is open, and you can tell when you are alone, and the dear old chap is so confidential:  I will trust him with my secret.

How about Devon! was it good?  Did you all bathe and “rux” yourselves well about in the brine?  I have not done much in that way:  the storms have been so furious—­unkind of them, eh?  Well, I fancy it is like the boisterous welcome of some great dog—­at least I take it in that sense.  And the old boy is so strong, and he doesn’t know, he thinks I am what I used to be.  But I’m not:  and every now and then he remembers that, and creeps to my feet so fawningly....