Had he
nothing else to give, Val would strip the very coat off his own back,
when it was a question of relieving distress. So it is a part of my
duty to see that he is clothed and fed as he ought to be, and a
difficult job it is at times.
I suppose I ought to give some idea of Val's appearance, if this is to
be a proper literary turn-out. When we both were younger, it was
commonly said by aunts, uncles, and such like, that one was the image
of the other. That would be scarcely a fair description now. I am
thin; Val is inclined to become chubby. I have a beard and he is
necessarily shaven; he needs glasses always, and I only for reading.
With these preliminary observations I may say that Val is about five
feet six in his shoes, of dark complexion, and with hair inclining to
gray. He is quiet in manner, yet withal a charming companion when
called upon to talk. The people worship him; that is the best
testimonial of a country priest, and all that I need say about his
interior man.
If I did not know for certain that Longfellow never set eyes on
Ardmuirland, I should maintain that the lines at the head of this
chapter were meant for a description of it. For "the steel-blue rim of
the ocean" is but three miles distant from this heather-clad,
wind-swept height, which rises some seven hundred feet above it.
Moreover, as one gazes down, the eye meets many a miniature forest of
pine and birch, clothing portions of the lower hills, or nestling in
the crevices of the numerous watercourses which divide them.
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