'
'A fine old gentleman!' repeated Jonas, giving the crown of his hat an
angry knock. 'Ah! It's time he was thinking of being drawn out a little
finer too. Why, he's eighty!'
'Is he, indeed?' said the young lady.
'And ecod,' cried Jonas, 'now he's gone so far without giving in, I
don't see much to prevent his being ninety; no, nor even a hundred. Why,
a man with any feeling ought to be ashamed of being eighty, let alone
more. Where's his religion, I should like to know, when he goes flying
in the face of the Bible like that? Threescore-and-ten's the mark, and
no man with a conscience, and a proper sense of what's expected of him,
has any business to live longer.'
Is any one surprised at Mr Jonas making such a reference to such a
book for such a purpose? Does any one doubt the old saw, that the Devil
(being a layman) quotes Scripture for his own ends? If he will take the
trouble to look about him, he may find a greater number of confirmations
of the fact in the occurrences of any single day, than the steam-gun can
discharge balls in a minute.
'But there's enough of my father,' said Jonas; 'it's of no use to go
putting one's self out of the way by talking about HIM.
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