He prides himself on his knowledge of cheese,
and will tell you in the twinkling of an eye which is the best in
point of flavour or richness. Still he is not proud--he visits the
poor when there is no gentlemen in the neighbourhood, and can
accommodate himself to coarse fare and poor cookery. To see him in one
of these hovels, you would think he never knew anything better, for he
has a capital appetite, and can content himself with mere bread and
water. He is a wise traveller, too. He is up to the ways of the world,
and is aware of the disposition there is everywhere to entrap
strangers. He knows now to take care of himself. If he is ever
deceived, it is by treachery. He is seized sometimes at the hospitable
board, and assassinated, or perhaps cruelly poisoned. But what skill
can ensure safety, where confidence is so shamefully abused? He is a
capital sailor, even bilge-water don't make him squeamish, and he is
so good a judge of the sea-worthiness of a ship, that he leaves her at
the first port if he finds she is leaky or weak. Few architects, on
the other hand, have such a knowledge of the stability of a house as
he has. He examines its foundations thoroughly, and if he perceives
any, the slightest chance of its falling, he retreats in season, and
leaves it to its fate. In short, he is a model traveller, and much may
be learned from him.
But, then, who is perfect? He has some serious faults, from which we
may also take instructive lessons, so as to avoid them.
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