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    go directly—directly—now ! ' said I to begin with . 'What has happened ? ' he inquired , in astonishment . ' Nothing ; that is , every thing : come , are you ready ? ' After a few more words in debate , we agreed to start in the morning at three o ' clock ; and

    join each other on a bridge two miles from the town . I returned home , packed up a few articles from my scanty wardrobe , with a book or two , in a bundle , then lay down , to wait through the long interval till three o ' clock . Now reflection came upon me , and for a time it was bitter ; yet , I will frankly own , that bitter was not drawn from remorse of conscience in the dishonest act of deserting

    my duty , or betraying a trust . I declare to you , reader , I really believed my uncle would be glad to get rid of me ; I had no other thought in reference to him , than that my absconding would be a pleasure to him , for it would release him from all further trouble on my account . Angry he , perhaps , would be that I had deceived him ; but for the anger I had no compunctious visitings . I thought

    also , that every individual in his own family would be rejoiced when they were told in the morning , that ' Pel had run away . ' One or two of them , at least , I am now sure I wronged by such opinions of them ; I did not know , I could not think so , at that time . But I suffered acutely in reflecting how severe an affliction this course of conduct would bring to my father : how utterly his

    hopes would be crushed : but , on the other hand , I knew he was not a man of such wisdom as to mew a boy up in prison and show him freedom , and expanse , and verdure , and hills and waters , through the grated window , in order to extinguish his love for them ; he knew that a log and chain to a colt ' s heels , though they may check his ability to frisk awhile , are little likely to subdue his inclination for a caper when the log is taken off : he knew me

    better than they did ; and I thought he thought I should never do any good there , and he was right . Oh ! the wisdom and prudential caution of grey beards , ( or wigs , ) which smother up the fire of youth , while they constantly pour oil upon it , and think they are quenching it . Will not a recollection of their own youth teach them ? Have they not seen , daily , that the dammed up waters overrun their bounds and run to waste of themselves and

    destruction to others ? Do they not , each day of their guidance , see the collected and accumulated desires outbursting from the barriers and chains in which they have foolishly compressed them , breaking out because the victims were chained , and felt the gulling ? But the old channel is fairly digged and deeply , the way well beaten ; it is the road on which our fathers , grandfathers , and great-grandfathers have travelled before us . It is of venerable

    age , a sacred institution of our ancestors . And so many able books of direction have been written by so many able men ! should we presume to question their worth , their inestimable value , should we dare to innovate , to deviate , to change } What arrogance I Do these arguers forget , yes they do , that able men may have had no

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    532 Autobiography of Pel . Verjuice .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), Aug. 2, 1833, page 532, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2620/page/20/