登陆注册
4709100000010

第10章

At the end of the street he came to a low-arched gateway in the middle of a poor-looking house. Within it sat a little bowed man, cobbling diligently at a boot. The sun had left behind him in the west a heap of golden refuse, and cuttings of rose and purple, which shone right in at the archway, and let him see to work. Here was the very man for Donal! A respectable shoemaker would have disdained to patch up the shoes he carried--especially as the owner was in so much need of them.

"It's a bonny nicht," he said.

"Ye may weel mak the remark, sir!" replied the cobbler without looking up, for a critical stitch occupied him. "It's a balmy nicht."

"That's raither a bonny word to put til't!" returned Donal. "There's a kin' o' an air aboot the place I wad hardly hae thoucht balmy!

But troth it's no the fau't o' the nicht!"

"Ye're richt there also," returned the cobbler--his use of the conjunction impressing Donal. "Still, the weather has to du wi' the smell--wi' the mair or less o' 't, that is. It comes frae a tanneree nearby. It's no an ill smell to them 'at's used til't; and ye wad hardly believe me, sir, but I smell the clover throuw 't.

Maybe I'm preejudized, seein' but for the tan-pits I couldna weel drive my trade; but sittin' here frae mornin' to nicht, I get a kin' o' a habit o' luikin' oot for my blessin's. To recognize an auld blessin' 's 'maist better nor to get a new ane. A pair o' shune weel cobblet 's whiles full better nor a new pair."

"They are that," said Donal; "but I dinna jist see hoo yer seemile applies."

"Isna gettin' on a pair o' auld weel-kent an' weel men'it shune, 'at winna nip yer feet nor yet shochle, like waukin' up til a blessin' ye hae been haein' for years, only ye didna ken 't for ane?"

As he spoke, the cobbler lifted a little wizened face and a pair of twinkling eyes to those of the student, revealing a soul as original as his own. He was one of the inwardly inseparable, outwardly far divided company of Christian philosophers, among whom individuality as well as patience is free to work its perfect work. In that glance Donal saw a ripe soul looking out of its tent door, ready to rush into the sunshine of the new life.

He stood for a moment lost in eternal regard of the man. He seemed to have known him for ages. The cobbler looked up again.

"Ye'll be wantin' a han' frae me i' my ain line, I'm thinkin'!" he said, with a kindly nod towards Donal's shoeless feet.

"Sma' doobt!" returned Donal. "I had scarce startit, but was ower far to gang back, whan the sole o' ae shue cam aff, an' I had to tramp it wi' baith my ain."

"An' ye thankit the Lord for the auld blessin' o' bein' born an' broucht up wi' soles o' yer ain!"

"To tell the trowth," answered Donal, "I hae sae mony things to be thankfu' for, it's but sma' won'er I forget mony ane o' them. But noo, an' I thank ye for the exhortation, the Lord's name be praist 'at he gae me feet fit for gangin' upo'!"

He took his shoes from his back, and untying the string that bound them, presented the ailing one to the cobbler.

"That's what we may ca' deith!" remarked the cobbler, slowly turning the invalided shoe.

"Ay, deith it is," answered Donal; "it's a sair divorce o' sole an' body."

"It's a some auld-farrand joke," said the cobbler, "but the fun intil a thing doesna weir oot ony mair nor the poetry or the trowth intil't."

"Who will say there was no providence in the loss of my shoe-sole!" remarked Donal to himself. "Here I am with a friend already!"

The cobbler was submitting the shoes, first the sickly one, now the sound one, to a thorough scrutiny.

"Ye dinna think them worth men'in', I doobt!" said Donal, with a touch of anxiety in his tone.

"I never thoucht that whaur the leather wad haud the steik," replied the cobbler. "But whiles, I confess, I'm jist a wheen tribled to ken hoo to chairge for my wark. It's no barely to consider the time it'll tak me to cloot a pair, but what the weirer 's like to git oot o' them. I canna tak mair nor the job 'ill be worth to the weirer.

An' yet the waur the shune, an' the less to be made o' them, the mair time they tak to mak them worth onything ava'!"

"Surely ye oucht to be paid in proportion to your labour."

"I' that case I wad whiles hae to say til a puir body 'at hadna anither pair i' the warl', 'at her ae pair o' shune wasna worth men'in'; an' that wad be a hertbrak, an' sair feet forby, to sic as couldna, like yersel', sir, gang upo' the Lord's ain shune."

同类推荐
  • 脉法

    脉法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 松源崇嶽禅师语录

    松源崇嶽禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 赏誉

    赏誉

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • DAVID COPPERFIELD

    DAVID COPPERFIELD

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 毛诗指说

    毛诗指说

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 鬼谷尸踪

    鬼谷尸踪

    恐怖源自真实!荒诞不经的传闻背后,隐藏更深的是匪夷所思的真相。我的出生,就是一个谜,活了将近二十岁村里人却叫我“鬼娃子”!爷爷的死,也是一个谜,为村民守护了二十年大山却被称为奸诈恶徒之辈!山是有灵的,人是有魂的,不管你信不信!史上最真实守山人,为你讲述隐藏在大山深处的那些,乡村恐怖经历!一书一世界,打开这本书,就注定你要同我开始一段凶险莫测,离奇诡异的旅程,八蟒拉棺、百鬼驮船、尸山古道、婴眼血泉、人骨乌发祭祀的神庙,你不知道的还有很多很多……
  • 末世圣冰姬

    末世圣冰姬

    这是一个少女的时代!十年前的生化实验创造了【九神】于此同时在遥远的南方也建立了与之对抗的组织——圣雷纳斯学院。来自世界各地的觉醒出“属性”的少女聚集在此共同抵御丧尸的进攻,保卫整个世界!十年前叶天灵和自己的兄长一起来到学院接受最苛刻的训练可是在一次战争中兄长却离奇失踪,叶天灵则在寻找和战斗中渐渐看清了整个世界。(简介不是全部,点进来看正文吧!只有这样才能知道这是一本关于百合还是后宫的书!)
  • 一不小心出了名

    一不小心出了名

    班上转来了一个贫困地区小姑娘二丫,与她成为朋友后,牛皮皮他们逐渐知道并不是所有人都能无忧无虑,贫困山区的同龄伙伴随时面临失学的危险,快乐小子这下有点快乐不起来了。不过,牛皮皮的“鬼主意”总是一个接一个,他们成立了“一分钱小队”帮助小伙伴,还一不小心成了名人,出门都有人找他签名了,究竟是怎么回事呢?
  • 上海上海

    上海上海

    母亲打来了电话:你什么时候回来?你外公这几天天天都过来找你。是不是又找我替他写信?母亲在电话那头叹了口气:上海那边一直没回音,老头子睡也睡不着,吃也吃不香,这两天都跟掉了魂似的了,想来想去觉得还是再找你给他写写信。你没告诉他,上回写的那封又给退回来了?我一下子有些管不住自己的声音了,跟他说过多少遍了,光是这样写写信根本没用——都什么年代了,谁还用这种笨办法找人办事!母亲又在那边叹了口气:他还能有别的什么法子呢?再去趟上海吧,都八十多岁的人了,又刚接连跌断过两回腿,光是上车下车腿脚就不便。
  • 曼殊室利焰曼德迦万爱秘术如意法

    曼殊室利焰曼德迦万爱秘术如意法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 良田农女

    良田农女

    前一刻电脑前,后一刻八岁时,步萍莫名其妙,忽如其来的重生了,不过和前世不一样的是,老妈爆发了,老爸也觉悟了,至于那谁谁的,都离我远点。眼前这个俊俏听话的帅哥嘛,嗯,是不是可以例外一下嘞!总之,就是女主手握空间,一路发家致富,最后抱得美男归的故事。芒果汁的新书《重回八零当军嫂》已发表,有兴趣的书友可以点开看看手里有推荐票的书友,拜托大家多投投票O(∩_∩)O~
  • 太清玉司左院秘要上法

    太清玉司左院秘要上法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 坠入星河只为你

    坠入星河只为你

    她从小学习大提琴,不爱说话,每天除了学习就是练琴,父母禁止她做任何家务。他被同学叫面瘫,魔术高手,但只要是女生靠近他,他会立刻跟那个女生拉开三米距离。而这样两个不喜说话的人在同一所高中,刚开学时两个人被分到同一个班,还成了同桌,更不为人知的是,林柯就住在余洛家。不爱说话的大提琴小姐vs面瘫的魔术师先生“余洛,我帮你改作业。”“余洛,能不能借我看一下你的作文?”“余洛,你能教我拉大提琴吗?”她依旧不爱说话,他却让人大跌眼镜。什么鬼!更令人吃惊的是,她还同意了他的要求。不正常,不正常
  • 催眠

    催眠

    今年的冬天格外得冷。在北京待过一段时间,知道了暖气的好处,就很难适应家里的清冷了。晚上熬夜,总觉得手脚冰冷,取暖器开到最大档也无济于事。冻得受不了了,正考虑关了电脑上床睡觉,手机突然响了。我的第一反应不是去拿手机,而且跳到了一边——真是被吓到了。自打从北京回来之后,手机就成了可有可无的摆设,它终日沉默,唯一的变化就是垃圾短信一天天增加。当我都快忘了它的存在时,手机又自己蹦了出来。“喂,你知道现在都几点了吗?这个时间打电话不怕我睡了吗?”“现在是北京时间一点半,我知道你肯定没睡!”电话是麦子打来的。
  • 超完美恋爱手册

    超完美恋爱手册

    【已完结】【推荐自己新书《野性少夫人:早安,男神大人》】她为闺蜜打抱不平却不料认错了人,情急之下她说,“我怀了你的孩子。”某男勾唇一笑,“走吧,孩子他妈。”她气恼,“放开我,臭流氓。”“不放。你不是有我的孩子了吗?”“……”哼,文的不行,那么就来武的吧!很好,敢打他的女人这还是第一个。“臭丫头,被我抓到你就死定了!”【1V1双处】【高能爽甜】【日更】【请勿转载与改写】【请放心跳坑\(^o^)/】