CHAPTER XXX 443
" And if I let a gust of wind or a sprinkling of rain turn me aside from these easy tasks , what preparation would such sloth be for the future I propose to myself ?"
Diana and Mary ' s general answer to this question was a sigh , and some minutes of apparently mournful meditation .
But besides his frequent absences , there was another barrier to friendship with him : he seemed of a reserved , an abstracted , and even of a brooding nature . Zealous in his ministerial labours , blameless in his life and habits , he yet did not appear to enjoy that mental serenity , that inward content , which should be the reward of every sincere Christian and practical philanthropist . Often , of an evening , when he sat at the window , his desk and papers before him , he would cease reading or writing , rest his chin on his hand , and deliver himself up to I know not what course of thought ; but that it was perturbed and exciting might be seen in the frequent flash and changeful dilation of his eye .
I think , moreover , that Nature was not to him that treasury of delight it was to his sisters . He expressed once , and but once in my hearing , a strong sense of the rugged charm of the hills , and an inborn affection for the dark roof and hoary walls he called his home ; but there was more of gloom than pleasure in the tone and words in which the sentiment was manifested ; and never did he seem to roam the moors for the sake of their soothing silence -- never seek out or dwell upon the thousand peaceful delights they could yield .
Incommunicative as he was , some time elapsed before I had an opportunity of gauging his mind . I first got an idea of its calibre when I heard him preach in his own church at Morton . I wish I could describe that sermon : but it is past my power . I cannot even render faithfully the effect it produced on me .
It began calm -- and indeed , as far as delivery and pitch of voice went , it was calm to the end : an earnestly felt , yet strictly restrained zeal breathed soon in the distinct accents , and prompted the nervous language . This grew