Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1839-03-15
From Bhckwood's Edinbm Oh Magazine.
THE ONYX rim G.
CHATTER X.

should ride in the evening, alter an early
dinner TO a ruined church a few miles
away, from which there was said to be "
very beautiful prospect. They set on'
more than an hour before sunset. and dc
signed to return by moonlight. Mr.. M
gent, who was indolent. and cared nothing
for any prospects but those OF hts W pea
igree, rent-roll. and dinner table. said he
had letters to write and sta'd OF home
Two or three Of his guests also remained.
But the riding party set out in high spirits,
followed by a single servant, and passed
quickly through the green lanes till they
began to reach the higher and more bro.
ken ground Of healthy bulls. Here they
came to a farm house where Mrs. Nugent.
a notable visitor and advisor Of her interior
neighbors, said she must go in to see the
farmers wife, but would soon catch them
5y q shorter road than that which. for the
sake of the view, was to be pursued by
them. The others accordingly rode on
Maria knew that the good lady's habits of
delaying and gossiplng, would probably
detain her longer than she had anticipated;
but she could not change her annts's ar
ranpements, and went forward without
objection.
"Not far, said Maria, from the point we
are approaching, lives the man we have
before spoken of, the hermit Collins. !
have seen him often, and. strange as he is,
I like him very much. There is such thor
ouph honesty about him, as well as so
much queer uncoulh kindness, that he in
,erests me extremely. He is the most
marked and original figure | have ever
heard Of in modern England. Whatever
is usual or common place amoug US seems
to have Influenced him only by contraries,
and called out nothing but opposition"
that, answered Walsinghsm. is very
foolish. or at least very imperfectIv wise
In every age there is good enough. if man
will but put himself in harmony with it, to
enable him to produce much more good out
oft Ifhe does not he fe'rands his time of
what he owes it and above all, he keeps
his own mind in a perpetual aimless fer.
ment % an,ipathy. Kicking out behind
il not the wav To move forward either for
horse or man. And then what an absurd
dream, to fancy that the good in any man
has grown up so independently Of al around
him, as 10 have nothing outward with
which to conncc. itself No, no, we are
not thrown down out Of the sky like me-
teor,c stones, but are formed by the same
laws and sraduai processes a all about Us,
and are so adapted tn it all, and it to u.s.
But, no doubt, Collins will fight his way
through his present angry element to peace
and activity. What employment has he
now
He minds bee hives And to the few
people he ever secs he talks quantity and
vigorously, | sometimes think wildly. But
all he says has a strong stamp upon it, and
never could pass from hand to hand with
out notice. After having heard him, some
Of his phrases keep ringing in ones
ears, rs if he had sent a goblin trumpetel
to haun, one with the sound for days ant
nights after. Bnt | have always felt tina
lie has more in his mind than ever comes
out IN the expression. and so odd as hlt
talk is, | should hardly call it affected Of
dconceitcd.'
'Ah no doubt there must be mucl
genuine nature there. But although these
vehement lava Jumps and burning Goals o
his may be no mere SNOWY frework, an,
do shoot out from hot central furnace,
would rather it were go much cool clea,
water. pouring from an inward lake o
freshness
Il can fancy him saying--thc An i
right. There must be a Fire God rs wei
as Water God. If there were no fir
forces seethlng and blasting, for aught yo'
know, the fountains and food forces woul'
stagnate into slime. | heard him ga
something like that when | last saw him,
AN very true. But | stoop to drink q
the stream, and | hasten away from IN
eruption
In this case replied Maria, laughing
the eruption saves you the trouble. ]
seeks no one and loves solitude
In half an hour after parting with Mrs
Nugent. they had climbed a sort of pas
between two hills, and then turned to on
side so as to gain the ridge. There wa
then nothing between them and the sea bu
a wide and easy descent ending in leve
ground. Hardly a house was in sight 70
many miles, Broad tracts of heath, min
gled with furze and broom, all in full flow
er, and here and there with patches
timber. covered the long and weary fore
ground, which sloped away into fields an
meadows, divided by hedge rows. and dot
ted with sheep and cattle. A small tow
was visible several miles off on the shor'
The sea lay shining under a blood red SUI
which had nearly set amid the heat're
sky. Above the sun a dark cloud hun
distinct and swollen as a black mantle b,
the glaring light blazed around the spectt
tors, and Illuminated one side of the o
chuych which stuOh about n mile fro
them on the same ridge as they. The pc
ton of it toward the east looked cold ar
gloomy, while the hot light poured throug
two or three windows, and defined II
whole dark outline against the sky.
They had hardly gazed for a few Sc
onds before the black cloud spread rapid
with its smoking edges, over one third
the heavens, and some heavy drops of ra
fell. Wnlsingham looked at Maria, al
shc said, Let us make haste 10 the churc