below, meadows, and streams, and homesteads, with all their lazy old-
world life, open for an instant, and then flee away; while awe-
struck, silent, choked with the mingled sense of pride and
helplessness, we are swept on by that great pulse of England's life-
blood, rushing down her iron veins; and dimly out of the future looms
the fulfilment of our primaeval mission, to conquer and subdue the
earth, and space too, and time, and all things,--even, hardest of all
tasks, yourselves, my cunning brothers ever learning some fresh
lesson, except that hardest one of all, that it is the Spirit of God
which giveth you understanding.

Yes, great railroads, and great railroad age, who would exchange you,
with all your sins, for any other time? For swiftly as rushes
matter, more swiftly rushes mind; more swiftly still rushes the
heavenly dawn up the eastern sky. 'The night is far spent, the day
is at hand.' 'Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when He cometh,
shall find watching!'

But come, my poor Claude, I see you are too sick for such deep
subjects; so let us while away the time by picking the brains of this
tall handsome boy at the helm, who is humming a love-song to himself
sotto voce, lest it should be overheard by the grey-headed father,
who is forward, poring over his Wesleyan hymn-book. He will have
something to tell you; he has a soul in him looking out of those wild
dark eyes, and delicate aquiline features of his. He is no spade-
drudge or bullet-headed Saxon clod: he has in his veins the blood of
Danish rovers and passionate southern Milesians, who came hither from
Teffrobani, the Isle of Summer, as the old Fenic myths inform us.
Come and chat with him. You dare not stir? Perhaps you are in the
right. I shall go and fraternize, and bring you reports.