was in,
began to comfort me, and told me that the house I sought was much
nearer than I was aware of; and if I would forsake that guide, and
follow him, he would soon bring me in sight of the house. "And," quoth
he, "I am one that belongs to that house, and have done so several
years. And whereas," said he, "thou art to bear his charges, and give
him money besides, I will assure thee, it is not the manner of the
guides that belong to this house of God, to take money for guiding
people thither. I myself have been guide to many a one in my time, but
never took one penny of them for it."

[Illustration: I saw my guide sometimes stand still, and look about
him, and sometimes he would pull a little book out of his pocket, and
read a little to himself.]

By this time, you must think within yourselves, how my drooping
spirits were comforted; a new hope sprang up, and a resolution to
forsake my wandering guide, and to follow this new one.

Upon which I awaked my guide, and told him my mind, and paid him what
I had agreed for, and advised him never to serve any poor soul as
he had done me: for I see, said I, thou knowest not the way, but as
thou hast learned about it in some book. If book-learning would have
served my turn, to find this famous house, I needed not thee, nor any
body else to guide me to it; for there are very few who have written
experimentally of it, but I have read them diligently: but now I have
met a man that I judge has more experience of the way than thou hast,
and I am resolved to go with him; and if thou wilt honestly confess
thy ignorance, and go along with us, come and welcome; one guide
will serve two travellers, as well as one in the way. But I could not
persuade him; so I left him to take his own way as he pleased.

[Illustration: And he spake very kindly to me; "Young man," said he,
"whither art thou bound?"]

I now set forward with my new guide pretty cheerfully; and he
entertained me with a good deal of discourse by the way. As he went on
in pretty smooth paths, and without stopping, he told me, in a short
time we should come in sight of the house; which made my travel
easier. He also told me something of the rules and orders of the
house, at which I was not at all discouraged; for I considered God was
a God of order, and I doubted not but there were good orders in
his house, to which I was willing to submit. And as we were thus
travelling along, he of a sudden spake to me, saying, "Yonder is