'
"An' I reckon that was 'bout the size o't. Aw, he was an anointed
ould rascal.
"All the same, Lawyer Mennear was reckon'd a powerful wrastler en the
sperrit by the rest o' the Church-Membership; on'y there was wan
thing as went agen 'un, an' that was he hadn' but wan eye; tho' Maria
Chirgwin, as was known to have had experience, an' was brought under
conviction by th' ould man, told me that et made 'n luk the more
terrifyin'--"
"Like Polyphemus," put in Mr. Fogo.
"Polly which?"
"Never mind."
"I disknowledged the surname. But niver mind, as you say, sir;
feelin's es feelin's, an' th' ould Mennear's wan eye went mortal agen
'un. Not but what he wudn' turn et to account now an' then.
'Tummas doubted,' he said wan day, 'an' how was he convenced?
Why, by oracular demonstrashun--'"
"Ocular, Caleb."
"Right you are, sir, an' thankye for the correcshun, as the boy said
to the pupil-teacher; 'by oc-u-lar demonstrashun,' says he.
'P'raps you dunno what ocular demonstrashun es, my brethren.
Well, I'll tell 'ee. That's a wall, ain't et? An' I'm a preacher,
arn't I? An' you be worms, bain't 'ee? Why, I can see that much
tho' I _han't_ but wan eye. An' that's ocular demonstrashun.'
"But, as I was sayin', wan eye _es_ a wisht business, howsomever you
may turn et up'ards an' call et your thorn i' the flesh, an' the
likes; an' more'n a few o' the 'Rig'nal Seceders fell away from th'
ould man's Meetin' House, and became backsliders dro' fear o' being
overlooked an' ill-wished, so they said.
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