But, reviewing his interior world, and taking a survey of the work before him, he felt that sense of a divided personality which often becomes so vivid in the history of individuals of strong will and passion. It seemed to him that there were two men within him: the one turbulent, passionate, demented; the other vainly endeavoring, by authority, reason, and conscience, to bring the rebel to subjection. The discipline of conventual life, the extraordinary austerities to which he had condemned himself, the monotonous solitude of his existence, all tended to exalt the vivacity of the nervous system, which in the Italian constitution is at all times disproportionately developed; and when those weird harp-strings of the nerves are once thoroughly unstrung, the fury and tempest of the discord sometimes utterly bewilders the most practiced self-government. * * * * * [Sidenote: Power of an honest character.] “Son, it is ever so,” replied the monk. “If there be a man that cares neither for duke nor emperor, but for God alone, then dukes and emperors will give more for his good word than for a whole dozen of common priests.” * * * * * [Sidenote: Relation of age to youth.] “We old folks are twisted and crabbed and full of knots with disappointment and trouble, like the mulberry-trees that they keep for vines to run on.” UNCLE TOM’S CABIN. [Sidenote: Persistence.] “Dis yer matter ’bout persistence, feller-niggers,” said Sam, with the air of one entering into an abstruse subject, “dis yer ’sistency ’s a thing what ain’t seed into very clar by most anybody. Now, yer see, when a feller stands up for a thing one day and night, de contrar’ de next, folks ses (an’ naturally enough dey ses), Why, he ain’t persistent—hand me dat ar’ bit o’ corn-cake, Andy. But let’s look inter it. I hope the gent’lmen and de fair sex will scuse my usin’ an or’nary sort o’ ’parison. Here! I’m a tryin’ to get top o’ der hay. Wal, I puts up my larder dis yer side; ’tain’t no go;—den, ’cause I don’t try dere no more, but puts my larder right de contrar’ side, ain’t I persistent? I’m persistent in wantin’ to get up which ary side my larder is; don’t ye see, all on ye?” * * * * * [Sidenote: The negro love of beauty.] The negro, it must be remembered, is an exotic of the most gorgeous and superb countries of the world, and he has, deep in his heart, a passion for all that is splendid, rich, and fanciful; a passion which, rudely indulged by an untrained taste, draws on him the ridicule of the colder and more correct white race. * * * * * [Sidenote: Effect of harshness.] The ear that has never heard anything but abuse is strangely incredulous of anything so heavenly as kindness. * * * * * [Sidenote: “Blessings brighten as they take their flight.”]