“The next time you tell your experience to the great Christian meetin’ to Goose Creek, jist up and tell ‘em, from beginnin’ to eend, the story of the—‘Elder and the Grave-digger.’”
CHAPTER XIII. LOOKING BACK.
In the course of the evening, Mr. Hopewell adverted to his return as a matter of professional duty, and spoke of it in such a feeling and earnest manner, as to leave no doubt upon my mind, that we should not be able to detain him long in this country, unless his attention should be kept fully occupied by a constant change of scene.
Mr. Slick expressed to me the same fear, and, knowing that I had been talking of going to Scotland, entreated me not to be long absent, for he felt convinced that as soon as he should be left alone, his thoughts and wishes would at once revert to America.
“I will try to keep him up,” said he, “as well as I can, but I can’t do it alone. If you do go, don’t leave us long. Whenever I find him dull, and can’t cheer him up no how I can fix it, by talk, or fun, or sight seein’ or nothin’, I make him vexed, and that excites him, stirs him up with a pot stick, and is of great sarvice to him. I don’t mean actilly makin’ him wrathy in airnest, but jist rilin of him for his own good, by pokin’ a mistake at him. I’ll shew you, presently, how I do it.”
As soon as Mr. Hopewell rejoined us, he began to inquire into the probable duration of our visit to this country, and expressed a wish to return, as soon as possible, to Slickville.
“Come, Minister,” said Mr. Slick, tapping him on the shoulder, “as father used to say, we must ‘right about face’ now. When we are at home let us think of home, when we are here, let us think of this place. Let us look a-head, don’t let’s look back, for we can’t see nothin’ there.”
“Indeed, Sam,” said he, with a sad and melancholy air, “it would be better for us all if we looked back oftener than we do. From the errors of the past, we might rectify our course for the future. Prospective sin is often clothed in very alluring garments; past sin appears in all its naked deformity. Looking back, therefore—”
“Is very well,” said Mr. Slick, “in the way of preachin’; but lookin’ back when you can’t see nothin’, as you are now, is only a hurtin’ of your eyes. I never hear that word, ‘lookin’ back,’ that I don’t think of that funny story of Lot’s wife.”