The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story — page 99: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

88 THE EVIL GENIUS. This was an objection, new in Randal’s experience of travelers in general. ‘‘Our Highlanders have noble qualities,” he said. ‘‘If you knew them as well as I do you would find a true sense of relig- ion among them; not presenting itself, however, to strangers as strongly—I had almost said, as agressively—as the devotional feeling of the Lowland Scotch. Different races, different tem- peraments.” ‘* And all,” the captain added, gravely and gently, ‘‘ with souls to be saved. If I sent to these poor people some copies of the New Testament, translated into their own language, would my giit be accepted ?” Strongly interested, by this time, in studying Captain Benny- deck’s character on the side of it which was new to him, Randal owned that he observed with surprise the interest which his friend felt in perfect strangers. The captain seemed to wonder why this impression should have been produced by what he had just said. ; ‘‘T only try,” he answered, ‘‘ to do what good I can, wherever go.” ‘¢ Your life must be a happy one,” Randal said. Captain Bennydeck’s head drooped. The shadows that attend on the gloom of melancholy remembrance showed their darken- ing presence on his face. Briefly, almost sternly, he set Randal right. ‘¢No, sir.” ‘‘Forgive me,” the younger man pleaded, ‘‘if I have spoken thoughtlessly.” ‘You have mistaken me,” the captain explained; ‘‘ and it is my fault. My life is an atonement for the sins of my youth. I have reached my fortieth year-—and that one purpose is before me for the rest of my days. Sufferings and dangers which but few men undergo awakened my conscience. My last exercise of the duties of my profession associated me with an expedition to the Polar Seas. Our ship was crushed in the ice. Our march to the nearest regions inhabited by humanity was a hopeless struggle of starving men, rotten with scurvy, against the merci- less forces of Nature. One by one my comrades dropped and died. Out of twenty men there were three left with a last flicker in them of the vital flame, when the party of rescue found us. One of the three died on the homeward voyage. One lived to reach his native place, and to sink to rest with his wife and children round his bed. The last man left, out of that band of heroes, lives to be worthier of God’s mercy—and tries to make God’s creatures better and happier in this world, and worthier of the world that is to come.” Randal’s generous nature felt the appeal that had been made to it. ‘* Will you let me take your hand, captain?” he said. They clasped hands in silence. Captain Bennydeck was the first to speak again. That modest distrust of himself, which a man essentially noble and brave is generally the readiest of men to teel, seemed to be troubling him CORNICLOOOKS. CO