'It's a dreadful thing,' said I, 'to
have no other resource, when injured, than to shed tears on the road.'
'It is so,' said the old man, 'but God saw the tears of the old, and sent
a helper.' 'Why did you not help yourself?' said I. 'Instead of getting
off your ass, why did you not punch at the fellow, or at any rate use
dreadful language, call him villain, and shout robbery?' 'Punch!' said
the old man, 'shout! what, with these hands, and this voice--Lord, how,
you run on! I am old, young chap, I am old!' 'Well,' said I, 'it is a
shameful thing to cry even when old.' 'You think so now,' said the old
man, 'because you are young and strong; perhaps, when you are as old as
I, you will not be ashamed to cry.'

Upon the whole I was rather pleased with the old man, and much with all
about him. As evening drew nigh, I told him that I must proceed on my
journey; whereupon he invited me to tarry with him during the night,
telling me that he had a nice room and bed above at my service. I,
however, declined; and bidding him farewell, mounted my horse, and
departed. Regaining the road, I proceeded once more in the direction of
the north; and, after a few hours, coming to a comfortable public-house,
I stopped and put up for the night.

CHAPTER XXII

THE SINGULAR NOISE--SLEEPING IN A MEADOW--THE BOOK--CURE FOR
WAKEFULNESS--LITERARY TEA-PARTY--POOR BYRON

I did not awake till rather late the next morning; and when I did, I felt
considerable drowsiness, with a slight headache, which I was uncharitable
enough to attribute to the mead which I had drank on the preceding day.
After feeding my horse, and breakfasting, I proceeded on my wanderings.
Nothing occurred worthy of relating till mid-day was considerably past,
when I came to a pleasant valley, between two gentle hills. I had
dismounted, in order to ease my horse, and was leading him along by the
bridle, when, on my right, behind a bank in which some umbrageous ashes
were growing, I heard a singular noise. I stopped short and listened,
and presently said to myself, 'Surely this is snoring, perhaps that of a
hedgehog.' On further consideration, however, I was convinced that the
noise which I heard, and which certainly seemed to be snoring, could not
possibly proceed from the nostrils of so small an animal, but must rather
come from those of a giant, so loud and sonorous was it. About two or
three yards further was a gate, partly open, to which I went, and pe