The Waverley novels, by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 vol., printed from the latest English ed., embracing the author's last corrections, prefaces & notes.

THE HEART OF MID-LOTHIAN. 389
sigh, or twinkle of the eyelid, that he was labouring under the yoke of such
bitter affliction.
The hour of noon came on, and the father and child sat down to their
homely repast. In his petition for a blessing on the meal, the poor old man
added to his supplication, a prayer that the bread eaten in sadness of heart,
and the bitter waters of Marah, might be made as nourishing as those
which had been poured forth from a full cup and a plentiful basket and
store; and having concluded his benediction, and resumed the bonnet which
he had laid " reverently aside," he proceeded to exhort his daughter to eat,
niot by example indeed, but at least by precept.
"The man after God's own heart," he said, "washed and anointed himself, and did eat bread, in order to express his submission under a dispensation of suffering, and it did not become a Christian man or woman so to
cling to creature-comforts of wife or bairns," —(here the words became too
great, as it were, for his utterance,)-" as to forget the first duty,-submission to the Divine will."
To add force to his precept, he took a morsel on his plate, but nature
proved too strong even for the powerful feelings with which he endeavoured
to bridle it. Ashamed of his weakness, he started up, and ran out of the
house, with haste very unlike the deliberation of his usual movements. In
less than five minutes he returned, having successfully struggled to recover
his ordinary composure of mind and countenance, and affected to colour
over his late retreat, by muttering that he thought he heard the " young
staig loose in the byre."
He did not again trust himself with the subject of his former conversation, and his daughter was glad to see that he seemed to avoid farther discourse on that agitating topic. The hours glided on, as on they must and
do pass, whether winged with joy or laden with affliction. The sun set
beyond the. dusky eminence of the Castle, and the screen of western hills,
and the close of evening summoned David Deans and his daughter to the
family duty of the night. It came bitterly upon Jeanie's recollection, how
often, when the hour of worship approached, she used to watch the lengthening shadows, and look out from the door of the house, to see if she could
spy her sister's return homeward. Alas! this idle and thoughtless waste
of time, to what evils had it not finally led? and was she altogether guiltless, who, noticing Effie's turn to idle and light society, had not called in
her father's authority to restrain her? - But I acted for the best, she again
reflected, and who could have.expected such a growth of evil, from one
grain of human leaven, in a disposition so kind, and candid, and generous?
As they sate down to the " exercise," as it is called, a chair happened accidentally to stand in the place which Effie usually occupied. David Deans
saw his daughter's eyes swim in tears as they were directed towards this
object, and pushed it aside, with a gesture of some impatience, as if desirous
to destroy every memorial of earthly interest when about to address the
Deity. The portion of Scripture was read, the psalm was sung, the prayer
was made; and it was remarkable that, in discharging these duties, the old
man avoided all passages and expressions, of which Scripture affords so
many, that might be considered as applicable to his own domestic misfortune. In doing so it was perhaps his intention to spare the feelings of his
daughter, as well as to maintain, in outward show at least, that stoical appearance of patient endurance of all the evil which earth could bring, which
was, in his opinion, essential to the character of one who rated all earthly
things at their just estimate of nothingness. When he had finished the
duty of the evening, he came up to his daughter, wished her good-night,
and, having done so, continued to hold her by the hands for half a minute;
then drawing her towards him, kissed her forehead, and ejaculated, "The
God of Israel bless you, even with the blessings of the promise, my dear
bailn!"
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