et "into the quiet." As the speakers followed each
other in rapid succession, he asked me if I had a bit of paper and a
pencil with me. Then he appeared to be taking notes of the proceedings.
I fancied some of the speakers noticed his pencil, and were spurred by
it to an enlargement of utterance. When we were at home, I asked what
he had written. He smiled and handed me his "notes," which are before
me as I write. "Man spoke," "Woman sang," "Man prayed," and so on for
no less than fourteen items. Being slightly deaf, he had heard scarcely
anything, and had been noting the number and variety of the
performances. It was his protest against much speaking. At dinner the
same day, his cousin, Joseph Cartland, commented upon the inarticulate
sounds that accompanied the remarks of one or two of the speakers. "Let
us shame them out of it," he said, "let's call it grunting." "Oh, no,
Joseph," said Whittier, "don't thee do that--take away the grunt, and
nothing is left!"

[Illustration: INTERIOR OF FRIENDS' MEETING-HOUSE

Whittier's usual seat marked, on left side, near "facing seats."]

Mr. Whittier had many wonderful stories illustrating the guidance of
the spirit to which members of the Society of Friends submitted in the
daily intercourse of life. One was of an aged Friend, who never failed
to attend meeting on First Day. But one morning he told his wife that
he was impelled to take a walk instead of going to meeting, and he knew
not whither he should go. He went into the country some distance and
came to a lane which led to a house. He was impressed to take this
lane, and soon reached a house where a funeral service was in progress.
At the close of the service he arose, and said that he knew nothing of
the circumstances connected with the death of the young woman lying in
the casket, but he was impelled to say that she had been accused of
something of which she was not guilty, and the false accusation had
hastened her death. Then he added that there was a person in the room
who knew she was not guilty, and called upon this person, whoever it
might be, to vindicate the character of the deceased. After a solemn
pause, a woman arose and confessed she had slandered the dead girl. In
telling such stories as this, Mr. Whittier did not usually express full
and unreserved belief in their truth, but he maintained the attitude of
readiness to believe anything of this kind which was well
authenticated, and he approved of the methods