“Ha! What sort of person is she, pray? Perhaps I did see her.”
We looked at one another doubtfully, the look plainly expressing “How shall we describe her?” when at last the first speaker, with the air of an incipient judge of female beauty, took on himself to reply, “that Moll Miskellagh was a very ugly woman indeed, that she had a pale yellow face, and a great wart near her nose; that she wore a dark blue cloak, an old black bonnet, and that she carried a prodigious, oh! a very big load on her back.”
“Never was description more graphic!” exclaimed the traveller, still laughing. “I did indeed see your market-woman. I passed her about a quarter of a mile from this; and if you have patience, my dears, you will soon see her. You expect some nice things by her, I am sure—Eh?”
“Oh dear, yes, sir”—and thereupon we eagerly enumerated all that Moll was charged to purchase. The kind gentleman seemed to enjoy our delightful anticipations, asked us our names, and various other questions, and charitably kept us employed till poor over-laden Moll actually came in sight, and until he witnessed our clamorous welcomes, and saw us in possession of our treasures. Nay, he lingered to laugh at our expedient to facilitate Mrs Miskellagh’s tardy movements up the very steep avenue—one and all of the four juveniles getting behind her and pushing her up (much in the way the veritable Captain Kearney’s fair but fat cousin was sent up the companion-ladder, as described in “Peter Simple”), the boys shouting “Yo heave ho!” as the good ship Old Moll got into port.
Peace to the poor market-woman! In some lone and humble church-yard she now rests after her life of labour—in the memory of those who knew her, her only epitaph,
“Simple, faithful, honest, much-enduring Moll Miskellagh!”
ANIMAL HEAT.
Second Article.
In the last paper on this subject a few instances were quoted, showing the great extremes of temperature which human beings and the lower animals are capable of enduring without injury, and in many cases without inconvenience. We propose in the present article to notice briefly the means by which it is believed living creatures are enabled to exhibit this power; and although physiologists are not unanimous in their opinions on the subject, yet the views we shall endeavour to explain are those which are held by the majority of scientific men, and which are best supported by experiment, by analogy, and by the authority of illustrious names.
For the purpose of making the subject clear to those who may not be acquainted with the principles of physiology, “the science of life,” as it has been happily termed, it may be useful to explain the rationale of an operation continually being performed by all of us, and yet very little thought of or understood—we mean the process of breathing. It is found that the natural heat of animals depends on the perfection of the apparatus by which respiration is performed; those animals which have a complicated respiratory organization having a high degree of bodily heat, while those which have more simple and less delicately formed organs have a temperature very little raised above the medium in which they live.[3] It is necessary, therefore, to have a clear idea of the process of respiration before we can understand the connection between it and animal heat.