text:
The Complete Works of
Little Dorrit
Fellow Travellers In the autumn of the year, Darkness and Night were creeping up to the highest ridges of the Alps. It was vintage time in the valleys on the Swiss side of the Pass of the Great Saint Bernard, and along the banks of the Lake of Geneva. The air there was charged with the scent of gathered grapes. Baskets, troughs, and tubs of grapes stood in the dim village doorways, stopped the steep and narrow village streets, and had been carrying all day along the roads and lanes. Grapes, split and crushed under foot, lay about everywhere. The child carried in a sling by the laden peasant woman toiling home, was quieted with picked-up grapes; the idiot sunning his big goitre under the leaves of the wooden chalet by the way to the Waterfall, sat Munching grapes; the breath of the cows and goats was redolent of leaves and stalks of grapes; the company in every little cabaret were eating, drinking, talking grapes. A pity that no ripe touch of this generous abundance could be given to the thin, hard, stony wine, which after all was made from the grapes! The air had been warm and transparent through the whole of the bright day. Shining metal spires and church-roofs, distant and rarely seen, had sparkled in the view; and the snowy mountain-tops had been so clear that unaccustomed eyes, cancelling the intervening country, and slighting their rugged heights for something fabulous, would have measured them as within a few hours easy reach. Mountain-peaks of great celebrity in the valleys, whence no trace of their existence was visible sometimes for months together, had been since morning plain and near in the blue sky. And now, when it was dark below, though they seemed solemnly to recede, like spectres who were going to vanish, as the red dye of the sunset faded out of them and left them coldly white, they were yet distinctly defined in their loneliness above the mists and shadows. Seen from these solitudes, and from the Pass of the Great Saint Bernard, which was one of them, the ascending Night came up the mountain like a rising water. When it at last rose to the walls of the convent of the Great Saint Bernard, it was as if that weather- beaten structure were another Ark, and floated on the shadowy waves. Darkness, outstripping some visitors on mules, had risen thus to the rough convent walls, when those travellers were yet climbing the mountain. As the heat of the glowing day when they had stopped to drink at the streams of melted ice and snow, was changed to the searching cold of the frosty rarefied night air at a great height, so the fresh beauty of the lower journey had yielded to barrenness and desolation. A craggy track, up which the mules in single file scrambled and turned from block to block, as though they were ascending the broken staircase of a gigantic ruin, was their way now. No trees were to be seen, nor any vegetable growth save a poor brown scrubby moss, freezing in the chinks of rock. Blackened skeleton arms of wood by the wayside pointed upward to the convent as if the ghosts of former travellers overwhelmed by the snow haunted the scene of their distress. Icicle-hung caves and cellars built for refuges from sudden storms, were like so many whispers of the perils of the place; never-resting wreaths and mazes of mist wandered about, hunted by a moaning wind; and snow, the besetting danger of the mountain, against which all its defences were taken, drifted sharply down. The file of mules, jaded by their day's work, turned and wound slowly up the deep ascent; the foremost led by a guide on foot, in his broad-brimmed hat and round jacket, carrying a mountain staff or two upon his shoulder, with whom another guide conversed. There was no speaking among the string of riders. The sharp cold, the fatigue of the journey, and a new sensation of a catching in the breath, partly as if they had just emerged from very clear crisp water, and partly as if they had been sobbing, kept them silent. At length, a light on the summit of the rocky staircase gleamed through the snow and mist. The guides called to the mules, the mules pricked up their drooping heads, the travellers' tongues were loosened, and in a sudden burst of slipping, climbing, jingling, clinking, and talking, they arrived at the convent door. Other mules had arrived not long before, some with peasant riders and some with goods, and had trodden the snow about the door into a pool of mud. Riding-saddles and bridles, pack-saddles and strings of bells, mules and men, lanterns, torches, sacks, provender, barrels, cheeses, kegs of honey and butter, straw bundles and packages of many shapes, were crowded confusedly together in this thawed quagmire and about the steps. Up here in the clouds, everything was seen through cloud, and seemed dissolving into cloud. The breath of the men was cloud, the breath of the mules was cloud, the lights were encircled by cloud, speakers close at hand were not seen for cloud, though their voices and all other sounds were surprisingly clear. Of the cloudy line of mules hastily tied to rings in the wall, one would bite another, or kick another, and then the whole mist would be disturbed: with men diving into it, and cries of men and beasts coming out of it, and no bystander discerning what was wrong. In the midst of this, the great stable of the convent, occupying the basement story and entered by the basement door, outside which all the disorder was, poured forth its contribution of cloud, as if the whole rugged edifice were filled with nothing else, and would collapse as soon as it had emptied itself, leaving the snow to fall upon the bare mountain summit. While all this noise and hurry were rife among the living travellers, there, too, silently assembled in a grated house half- a-dozen paces removed, with the same cloud enfolding them and the same snow flakes drifting in upon them, were the dead travellers found upon the mountain. The mother, storm-belated many winters ago, still standing in the corner with her baby at her breast; the man who had frozen with his arm raised to his mouth in fear or hunger, still pressing it with his dry lips after years and years. An awful company, mysteriously come together! A wild destiny for that mother to have foreseen! 'Surrounded by so many and such companions upon whom I never looked, and never shall look, I and my child will dwell together inseparable, on the Great Saint Bernard, outlasting generations who will come to see us, and will never know our name, or one word of our story but the end.' The living travellers thought little or nothing of the dead just then. They thought much more of alighting at the convent door, and warming themselves at the convent fire. Disengaged from the turmoil, which was already calming down as the crowd of mules began to be bestowed in the stable, they hurried shivering up the steps and into the building. There was a smell within, coming up from the floor, of tethered beasts, like the smell of a menagerie of wild animals. There were strong arched galleries within, huge stone piers, great staircases, and thick walls pierced with small sunken windows--fortifications against the mountain storms, as if they had been human enemies. There were gloomy vaulted sleeping- rooms within, intensely cold, but clean and hospitably prepared for guests. Finally, there was a parlour for guests to sit in and sup in, where a table was already laid, and where a blazing fire shone red and high. In this room, after having had their quarters for the night allotted to them by two young Fathers, the travellers presently drew round the hearth. They were in three parties; of whom the first, as the most numerous and important, was the slowest, and had been overtaken by one of the others on the way up. It consisted of an elderly lady, two grey-haired gentlemen, two young ladies, and their brother. These were attended (not to mention four guides), by a courier, two footmen, and two waiting-maids: which strong body of inconvenience was accommodated elsewhere under the same roof. The party that had overtaken them, and followed in their train, consisted of only three members: one lady and two gentlemen. The third party, which had ascended from the valley on the Italian side of the Pass, and had arrived first, were four in number: a plethoric, hungry, and silent German tutor in spectacles, on a tour with three young men, his pupils, all plethoric, hungry, and silent, and all in spectacles. These three groups sat round the fire eyeing each other drily, and waiting for supper. Only one among them, one of the gentlemen belonging to the party of three, made advances towards conversation. Throwing out his lines for the Chief of the important tribe, while addressing himself to his own companions, he remarked, in a tone of voice which included all the company if they chose to be included, that it had been a long day, and that he felt for the ladies. That he feared one of the young ladies was not a strong or accustomed traveller, and had been over-fatigued two or three hours ago. That he had observed, from his station in the rear, that she sat her mule as if she were exhausted. That he had, twice or thrice afterwards, done himself the honour of inquiring of one of the guides, when he fell behind, how the lady did. That he had been enchanted to learn that she had recovered her spirits, and that it had been but a passing discomfort. That he trusted (by this time he had secured the eyes of the Chief, and addressed him) he might be permitted to express his hope that she was now none the worse, and that she would not regret having made the journey. 'My daughter, I am obliged to you, sir,' returned the Chief, 'is quite restored, and has been greatly interested.' 'New to mountains, perhaps?' said the insinuating traveller. 'New to--ha--to mountains,' said the Chief. 'But you are familiar with them, sir?' the insinuating traveller assumed. 'I am--hum--tolerably familiar. Not of late years. Not of late years,' replied the Chief, with a flourish of his hand. The insinuating traveller, acknowledging the flourish with an inclination of his head, passed from the Chief to the second young lady, who had not yet been referred to otherwise than as one of the ladies in whose behalf he felt so sensitive an interest. He hoped she was not incommoded by the fatigues of the day. 'Incommoded, certainly,' returned the young lady, 'but not tired.' The insinuating traveller complimented her on the justice of the distinction. It was what he had meant to say. Every lady must doubtless be incommoded by having to do with that proverbially unaccommodating animal, the mule. 'We have had, of course,' said the young lady, who was rather reserved and haughty, 'to leave the carriages and fourgon at Martigny. And the impossibility of bringing anything that one wants to this inaccessible place, and the necessity of leaving every comfort behind, is not convenient.' 'A savage place indeed,' said the insinuating traveller. The elderly lady, who was a model of accurate dressing, and whose manner was perfect, considered as a piece of machinery, here interposed a remark in a low soft voice. 'But, like other inconvenient places,' she observed, 'it must be seen. As a place much spoken of, it is necessary to see it.' 'O! I have not the least objection to seeing it, I assure you, Mrs General,' returned the other, carelessly. 'You, madam,' said the insinuating traveller, 'have visited this spot before?' 'Yes,' returned Mrs General. 'I have been here before. Let me commend you, my dear,' to the former young lady, 'to shade your face from the hot wood, after exposure to the mountain air and snow. You, too, my dear,' to the other and younger lady, who immediately did so; while the former merely said, 'Thank you, Mrs General, I am Perfectly comfortable, and prefer remaining as I am.' The brother, who had left his chair to open a piano that stood in the room, and who had whistled into it and shut it up again, now came strolling back to the fire with his glass in his eye. He was dressed in the very fullest and completest travelling trim. The world seemed hardly large enough to yield him an amount of travel proportionate to his equipment. 'These fellows are an immense time with supper,' he drawled. 'I wonder what they'll give us! Has anybody any idea?' 'Not roast man, I believe,' replied the voice of the second gentleman of the party of three. 'I suppose not. What d'ye mean?' he inquired. 'That, as you are not to be served for the general supper, perhaps you will do us the favour of not cooking yourself at the general fire,' returned the other. The young gentleman who was standing in an easy attitude on the hearth, cocking his glass at the company, with his back to the blaze and his coat tucked under his arms, something as if he were Of the Poultry species and were trussed for roasting, lost countenance at this reply; he seemed about to demand further explanation, when it was discovered--through all eyes turning on the speaker--that the lady with him, who was young and beautiful, had not heard what had passed through having fainted with her head upon his shoulder. 'I think,' said the gentleman in a subdued tone, 'I had best carry her straight to her room. Will you call to some one to bring a light?' addressing his companion, 'and to show the way? In this strange rambling place I don't know that I could find it.' 'Pray, let me call my maid,' cried the taller of the young ladies. 'Pray, let me put this water to her lips,' said the shorter, who had not spoken yet. Each doing what she suggested, there was no want of assistance. Indeed, when the two maids came in (escorted by the courier, lest any one should strike them dumb by addressing a foreign language to them on the road), there was a prospect of too much assistance. Seeing this, and saying as much in a few words to the slighter and younger of the two ladies, the gentleman put his wife's arm over his shoulder, lifted her up, and carried her away. His friend, being left alone with the other visitors, walked slowly up and down the room without coming to the fire again, pulling his black moustache in a contemplative manner, as if he felt himself committed to the late retort. While the subject of it was breathing injury in a corner, the Chief loftily addressed this gentleman. 'Your friend, sir,' said he, 'is--ha--is a little impatient; and, in his impatience, is not perhaps fully sensible of what he owes to--hum--to--but we will waive that, we will waive that. Your friend is a little impatient, sir.' 'It may be so, sir,' returned the other. 'But having had the honour of making that gentleman's acquaintance at the hotel at Geneva, where we and much good company met some time ago, and having had the honour of exchanging company and conversation with that gentleman on several subsequent excursions, I can hear nothing--no, not even from one of your appearance and station, sir--detrimental to that gentleman.' 'You are in no danger, sir, of hearing any such thing from me. In remarking that your friend has shown impatience, I say no such thing. I make that remark, because it is not to be doubted that my son, being by birth and by--ha--by education a--hum--a gentleman, would have readily adapted himself to any obligingly expressed wish on the subject of the fire being equally accessible to the whole of the present circle. Which, in principle, I--ha--for all are--hum-- equal on these occasions--I consider right.' 'Good,' was the reply. 'And there it ends! I am your son's obedient servant. I beg your son to receive the assurance of my profound consideration. And now, sir, I may admit, freely admit, that my friend is sometimes of a sarcastic temper.' 'The lady is your friend's wife, sir?' 'The lady is my friend's wife, sir.' 'She is very handsome.' 'Sir, she is peerless. They are still in the first year of their marriage. They are still partly on a marriage, and partly on an artistic, tour.' 'Your friend is an artist, sir?' The gentleman replied by kissing the fingers of his right hand, and wafting the kiss the length of his arm towards Heaven. As who should say, I devote him to the celestial Powers as an immortal artist! 'But he is a man of family,' he added. 'His connections are of the best. He is more than an artist: he is highly connected. He may, in effect, have repudiated his connections, proudly, impatiently, sarcastically (I make the concession of both words); but he has them. Sparks that have been struck out during our intercourse have shown me this.' 'Well! I hope,' said the lofty gentleman, with the air of finally disposing of the subject, 'that the lady's indisposition may be only temporary.' 'Sir, I hope so.' 'Mere fatigue, I dare say.' 'Not altogether mere fatigue, sir, for her mule stumbled to-day, and she fell from the saddle. She fell lightly, and was up again without assistance, and rode from us laughing; but she complained towards evening of a slight bruise in the side. She spoke of it more than once, as we followed your party up the mountain.' The head of the large retinue, who was gracious but not familiar, appeared by this time to think that he had condescended more than enough. He said no more, and there was silence for some quarter of an hour until supper appeared. With the supper came one of the young Fathers (there seemed to be no old Fathers) to take the head of the table. It was like the supper of an ordinary Swiss hotel, and good red wine grown by the convent in more genial air was not wanting. The artist traveller calmly came and took his place at table when the rest sat down, with no apparent sense upon him of his late skirmish with the completely dressed traveller. 'Pray,' he inquired of the host, over his soup, 'has your convent many of its famous dogs now?' 'Monsieur, it has three.' 'I saw three in the gallery below. Doubtless the three in question.' The host, a slender, bright-eyed, dark young man of polite manners, whose garment was a black gown with strips of white crossed over it like braces, and who no more resembled the conventional breed of Saint Bernard monks than he resembled the conventional breed of Saint Bernard dogs, replied, doubtless those were the three in question. 'And I think,' said the artist traveller, 'I have seen one of them before.' It was possible. He was a dog sufficiently well known. Monsieur might have easily seen him in the valley or somewhere on the lake, when he (the dog) had gone down with one of the order to solicit aid for the convent. 'Which is done in its regular season of the year, I think?' Monsieur was right. 'And never without a dog. The dog is very important.' Again Monsieur was right. The dog was very important. People were justly interested in the dog. As one of the dogs celebrated everywhere, Ma'amselle would observe. Ma'amselle was a little slow to observe it, as though she were not yet well accustomed to the French tongue. Mrs General, however, observed it for her. 'Ask him if he has saved many lives?' said, in his native English, the young man who had been put out of countenance. The host needed no translation of the question. He promptly replied in French, 'No. Not this one.' 'Why not?' the same gentleman asked. 'Pardon,' returned the host composedly, 'give him the opportunity and he will do it without doubt. For example, I am well convinced,' smiling sedately, as he cut up the dish of veal to be handed round, on the young man who had been put out of countenance, 'that if you, Monsieur, would give him the opportunity, he would hasten with great ardour to fulfil his duty.' The artist traveller laughed. The insinuating traveller (who evinced a provident anxiety to get his full share of the supper), wiping some drops of wine from his moustache with a piece of bread, joined the conversation. 'It is becoming late in the year, my Father,' said he, 'for tourist-travellers, is it not?' 'Yes, it is late. Yet two or three weeks, at most, and we shall be left to the winter snows.' 'And then,' said the insinuating traveller, 'for the scratching dogs and the buried children, according to the pictures!' 'Pardon,' said the host, not quite understanding the allusion. 'How, then the scratching dogs and the buried children according to the pictures?' The artist traveller struck in again before an answer could be given. 'Don't you know,' he coldly inquired across the table of his companion, 'that none but smugglers come this way in the winter or can have any possible business this way?' 'Holy blue! No; never heard of it.' 'So it is, I believe. And as they know the signs of the weather tolerably well, they don't give much employment to the dogs--who have consequently died out rather--though this house of entertainment is conveniently situated for themselves. Their young families, I am told, they usually leave at home. But it's a grand idea!' cried the artist traveller, unexpectedly rising into a tone of enthusiasm. 'It's a sublime idea. It's the finest idea in the world, and brings tears into a man's eyes, by Jupiter!' He then went on eating his veal with great composure. There was enough of mocking inconsistency at the bottom of this speech to make it rather discordant, though the manner was refined and the person well-favoured, and though the depreciatory part of it was so skilfully thrown off as to be very difficult for one not perfectly acquainted with the English language to understand, or , even understanding, to take offence at: so simple and dispassionate was its tone. After finishing his veal in the midst of silence, the speaker again addressed his friend. 'Look,' said he, in his former tone, 'at this gentleman our host, not yet in the prime of life, who in so graceful a way and with such courtly urbanity and modesty presides over us! Manners fit for a crown! Dine with the Lord Mayor of London (if you can get an invitation) and observe the contrast. This dear fellow, with the finest cut face I ever saw, a face in perfect drawing, leaves some laborious life and comes up here I don't know how many feet above the level of the sea, for no other purpose on earth (except enjoying himself, I hope, in a capital refectory) than to keep an hotel for idle poor devils like you and me, and leave the bill to our consciences! Why, isn't it a beautiful sacrifice? What do we want more to touch us? Because rescued people of interesting appearance are not, for eight or nine months out of every twelve, holding on here round the necks of the most sagacious of dogs carrying wooden bottles, shall we disparage the place? No! Bless the place. It's a great place, a glorious place!' The chest of the grey-haired gentleman who was the Chief of the important party, had swelled as if with a protest against his being numbered among poor devils. No sooner had the artist traveller ceased speaking than he himself spoke with great dignity, as having it incumbent on him to take the lead in most places, and having deserted that duty for a little while. He weightily communicated his opinion to their host, that his life must be a very dreary life here in the winter. The host allowed to Monsieur that it was a little monotonous. The air was difficult to breathe for a length of time consecutively. The cold was very severe. One needed youth and strength to bear it. However, having them and the blessing of Heaven-- Yes, that was very good. 'But the confinement,' said the grey- haired gentleman. There were many days, even in bad weather, when it was possible to walk about outside. It was the custom to beat a little track, and take exercise there. 'But the space,' urged the grey-haired gentleman. 'So small. So-- ha--very limited.' Monsieur would recall to himself that there were the refuges to visit, and that tracks had to be made to them also. Monsieur still urged, on the other hand, that the space was so-- ha--hum--so very contracted. More than that, it was always the same, always the same. With a deprecating smile, the host gently raised and gently lowered his shoulders. That was true, he remarked, but permit him to say that almost all objects had their various points of view. Monsieur and he did not see this poor life of his from the same point of view. Monsieur was not used to confinement. 'I--ha--yes, very true,' said the grey-haired gentleman. He seemed to receive quite a shock from the force of the argument. Monsieur, as an English traveller, surrounded by all means of travelling pleasantly; doubtless possessing fortune, carriages, and servants-- 'Perfectly, perfectly. Without doubt,' said the gentleman. Monsieur could not easily place himself in the position of a person who had not the power to choose, I will go here to-morrow, or there next day; I will pass these barriers, I will enlarge those bounds. Monsieur could not realise, perhaps, how the mind accommodated itself in such things to the force of necessity. 'It is true,' said Monsieur. 'We will--ha--not pursue the subject. You are--hum--quite accurate, I have no doubt. We will say no more.' The supper having come to a close, he drew his chair away as he spoke, and moved back to his former place by the fire. As it was very cold at the greater part of the table, the other guests also resumed their former seats by the fire, designing to toast themselves well before going to bed. The host, when they rose from the table, bowed to all present, wished them good night, and withdrew. But first the insinuating traveller had asked him if they could have some wine made hot; and as he had answered Yes, and had presently afterwards sent it in, that traveller, seated in the centre of the group, and in the full heat of the fire, was soon engaged in serving it out to the rest. At this time, the younger of the two young ladies, who had been silently attentive in her dark corner (the fire-light was the chief light in the sombre room, the lamp being smoky and dull) to what had been said of the absent lady, glided out. She was at a loss which way to turn when she had softly closed the door; but, after a little hesitation among the sounding passages and the many ways, came to a room in a corner of the main gallery, where the servants were at their supper. From these she obtained a lamp, and a direction to the lady's room. It was up the great staircase on the story above. Here and there, the bare white walls were broken by an iron grate, and she thought as she went along that the place was something like a prison. The arched door of the lady's room, or cell, was not quite shut. After knocking at it two or three times without receiving an answer, she pushed it gently open, and looked in. The lady lay with closed eyes on the outside of the bed, protected from the cold by the blankets and wrappers with which she had been covered when she revived from her fainting fit. A dull light placed in the deep recess of the window, made little impression on the arched room. The visitor timidly stepped to the bed, and said, in a soft whisper, 'Are you better?' The lady had fallen into a slumber, and the whisper was too low to awake her. Her visitor, standing quite still, looked at her attentively. 'She is very pretty,' she said to herself. 'I never saw so beautiful a face. O how unlike me!' It was a curious thing to say, but it had some hidden meaning, for it filled her eyes with tears. 'I know I must be right. I know he spoke of her that evening. I could very easily be wrong on any other subject, but not on this, not on this!' With a quiet and tender hand she put aside a straying fold of the sleeper's hair, and then touched the hand that lay outside the covering. 'I like to look at her,' she breathed to herself. 'I like to see what has affected him so much.' She had not withdrawn her hand, when the sleeper opened her eyes and started. 'Pray don't be alarmed. I am only one of the travellers from down- stairs. I came to ask if you were better, and if I could do anything for you.' 'I think you have already been so kind as to send your servants to my assistance?' 'No, not I; that was my sister. Are you better?' 'Much better. It is only a slight bruise, and has been well looked to, and is almost easy now. It made me giddy and faint in a moment. It had hurt me before; but at last it overpowered me all at once.' 'May I stay with you until some one comes? Would you like it?' 'I should like it, for it is lonely here; but I am afraid you will feel the cold too much.' 'I don't mind cold. I am not delicate, if I look so.' She quickly moved one of the two rough chairs to the bedside, and sat down. The other as quickly moved a part of some travelling wrapper from herself, and drew it over her, so that her arm, in keeping it about her, rested on her shoulder. 'You have so much the air of a kind nurse,' said the lady, smiling on her, 'that you seem as if you had come to me from home.' 'I am very glad of it.' 'I was dreaming of home when I woke just now. Of my old home, I mean, before I was married.' 'And before you were so far away from it.' 'I have been much farther away from it than this; but then I took the best part of it with me, and missed nothing. I felt solitary as I dropped asleep here, and, missing it a little, wandered back to it.' There was a sorrowfully affectionate and regretful sound in her voice, which made her visitor refrain from looking at her for the moment. 'It is a curious chance which at last brings us together, under this covering in which you have wrapped me,' said the visitor after a pause;'for do you know, I think I have been looking for you some time.' 'Looking for me?' 'I believe I have a little note here, which I was to give to you whenever I found you. This is it. Unless I greatly mistake, it is addressed to you? Is it not?' The lady took it, and said yes, and read it. Her visitor watched her as she did so. It was very short. She flushed a little as she put her lips to her visitor's cheek, and pressed her hand. 'The dear young friend to whom he presents me, may be a comfort to me at some time, he says. She is truly a comfort to me the first time I see her.' 'Perhaps you don't,' said the visitor, hesitating--'perhaps you don't know my story? Perhaps he never told you my story ?' 'No.' 'Oh no, why should he! I have scarcely the right to tell it myself at present, because I have been entreated not to do so. There is not much in it, but it might account to you for my asking you not to say anything about the letter here. You saw my family with me, perhaps? Some of them--I only say this to you--are a little proud, a little prejudiced.' 'You shall take it back again,' said the other; 'and then my husband is sure not to see it. He might see it and speak of it, otherwise, by some accident. Will you put it in your bosom again, to be certain?' She did so with great care. Her small, slight hand was still upon the letter, when they heard some one in the gallery outside. 'I promised,' said the visitor, rising, 'that I would write to him after seeing you (I could hardly fail to see you sooner or later), and tell him if you were well and happy. I had better say you were well and happy.' 'Yes, yes, yes! Say I was very well and very happy. And that I thanked him affectionately, and would never forget him.' 'I shall see you in the morning. After that we are sure to meet again before very long. Good night!' 'Good night. Thank you, thank you. Good night, my dear!' Both of them were hurried and fluttered as they exchanged this parting, and as the visitor came out of the door. She had expected to meet the lady's husband approaching it; but the person in the gallery was not he: it was the traveller who had wiped the wine- drops from his moustache with the piece of bread. When he heard the step behind him, he turned round--for he was walking away in the dark. His politeness, which was extreme, would not allow of the young lady's lighting herself down-stairs, or going down alone. He took her lamp, held it so as to throw the best light on the stone steps, and followed her all the way to the supper-room. She went down, not easily hiding how much she was inclined to shrink and tremble; for the appearance of this traveller was particularly disagreeable to her. She had sat in her quiet corner before supper imagining what he would have been in the scenes and places within her experience, until he inspired her with an aversion that made him little less than terrific. He followed her down with his smiling politeness, followed her in, and resumed his seat in the best place in the hearth. There with the wood-fire, which was beginning to burn low, rising and falling upon him in the dark room, he sat with his legs thrust out to warm, drinking the hot wine down to the lees, with a monstrous shadow imitating him on the wall and ceiling. The tired company had broken up, and all the rest were gone to bed except the young lady's father, who dozed in his chair by the fire. The traveller had been at the pains of going a long way up-stairs to his sleeping-room to fetch his pocket-flask of brandy. He told them so, as he poured its contents into what was left of the wine, and drank with a new relish. 'May I ask, sir, if you are on your way to Italy?' The grey-haired gentleman had roused himself, and was preparing to withdraw. He answered in the affirmative. 'I also!' said the traveller. 'I shall hope to have the honour of offering my compliments in fairer scenes, and under softer circumstances, than on this dismal mountain.' The gentleman bowed, distantly enough, and said he was obliged to him. 'We poor gentlemen, sir,' said the traveller, pulling his moustache dry with his hand, for he had dipped it in the wine and brandy; 'we poor gentlemen do not travel like princes, but the courtesies and graces of life are precious to us. To your health, sir!' 'Sir, I thank you.' 'To the health of your distinguished family--of the fair ladies, your daughters!' 'Sir, I thank you again, I wish you good night. My dear, are our-- ha--our people in attendance?' 'They are close by, father.' 'Permit me!' said the traveller, rising and holding the door open, as the gentleman crossed the room towards it with his arm drawn through his daughter's. 'Good repose! To the pleasure of seeing you once more! To to-morrow!' As he kissed his hand, with his best manner and his daintiest smile, the young lady drew a little nearer to her father, and passed him with a dread of touching him. 'Humph!' said the insinuating traveller, whose manner shrunk, and whose voice dropped when he was left alone. 'If they all go to bed, why I must go. They are in a devil of a hurry. One would think the night would be long enough, in this freezing silence and solitude, if one went to bed two hours hence.' Throwing back his head in emptying his glass, he cast his eyes upon the travellers' book, which lay on the piano, open, with pens and ink beside it, as if the night's names had been registered when he was absent. Taking it in his hand, he read these entries. William Dorrit, Esquire Frederick Dorrit, Esquire Edward Dorrit, Esquire Miss Dorrit Miss Amy Dorrit Mrs General and Suite. From France to Italy. Mr and Mrs Henry Gowan. From France to Italy. To which he added, in a small complicated hand, ending with a long lean flourish, not unlike a lasso thrown at all the rest of the names: Blandois. Paris. From France to Italy. And then, with his nose coming down over his moustache and his moustache going up and under his nose, repaired to his allotted cell.
Index Index
Other Authors Other Authors


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The Chief Operating Officer of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange, Mr Ahadu Woushet, has lauded Ghana�s initiative to establish a Ghanaian Commodity Exchange, elaborating the numerous benefits that the exchange platform presents.
He said the commodity exchange platform would connect the various sellers and buyers in the value chain, thereby giving them access to the right market.
According to him, all the actors in the value chain, which include the producer, farmer, trader, processor and the international buyer, are given the opportunity to buy in a competitive market.
Speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic at the end of a two-week practical training session for key stakeholders at a Commodity Exchange Forum in Accra, Mr Woushet said establishing a Commodity Exchange in Ghana would yield better prices for farmers as they would be positioned strategically to benefit from price yields.
He said Ghana had better infrastructure and as such was in a better position to practise this form of exchange, noting that close to 80 per cent of the country�s Gross Domestic Product was derived from agriculture.
The Chairman of the Technical Commodity for the Ghana Commodity Exchange, Mr Joe Tackie, in his address, said the ministry had undertaken initiatives to assess the effectiveness of establishing a commodity exchange platform in Ghana and was optimistic that it
would take off in due course.
He said the committee would undertake sensitisation and educational programmes to educate all stakeholders on commodity exchange and capitalise on the expertise of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange.
The exchange, according to him, will help develop the overall effectives of agriculture in the country. He was hopeful that the needed legal and regulatory framework will be granted soon to enable them start the process and its operations.
Mr Tackie also tasked participants to focus on the knowledge they had acquired and utilise it to the fullest to ensure that it would benefit everyone. He said implementing the knowledge acquired would help deliver jobs to people as well as improve the livelihood of farmers.
He also urged everyone to take advantage of the opportunities that establishing the Ghana Commodity Exchange would bring to Ghanaians. The two-week forum brought together 28 key stakeholders of the Ghana Commodity Exchange Institute in Accra. It was organised by the Ministry of Trade and Industry in collaboration with the UNDP.
The purpose of establishing the Ghana Commodity Exchange is to create an orderly, transparent and efficient marketing system for Ghana�s key agricultural commodities to promote agricultural investment, enhance productivity, encourage market access and fair returns for smallholder farms as well as facilitate the formalisation of informal agricultural trading.
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subset: commoncrawl


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How To Save On Your Mortgage Costs!
As with most homeowners, your mortgage payment is probably your largest monthly expense. Wouldn't it be nice to trim this huge cost and perhaps shorten the life of your loan? We have listed seven tips below to help save you money on your mortgage. The tips below are based on this hypothetical mortgage example (savings will vary based on your actual loan facts and timing of the change): $200,000 mortgage 30-year fixed rate mortgage 6 percent interest rate $1,199 monthly principal and interest payment 1. Add One Extra Payment Each Year Perhaps the easiest way to save money on your mortgage is to make an extra mortgage payment each year. These extra payments are automatically applied on your principal, not interest. Not only does your remaining balance drop, but you will not have to pay interest each month on that principal for the remainder of the loan term. Savings: $47,000. By making one extra payment of $1,199 each year and applying it to your principal, you could save over $47,000 in interest and cut 5 years off the life of the loan. 2. Set up Bi-Weekly Payments Another trick to pay off your loan early is by creating a bi-weekly payment plan. Put half of your monthly mortgage payment in a savings account every other Friday (or, on your pay day). Each month, pay your mortgage from the account. At the end of the year, you will have made 26 half payments, which is 13 full payments. This will leave with you an extra payment that you can put toward your principal. Most people manage the separate accounts themselves, but there are companies that you can hire to act as an escrow service and manage the payments for you. Beware that they could charge you for this service. Savings: $47,000. Same as extra payment. 3. Get Rid of Your PMI If your down payment was less than 20 percent, you were probably required to pay private mortgage insurance (PMI). However, you can petition your lender to cancel the insurance as soon as your mortgage balance falls below 80 percent of the home's appraised value. This can happen if your home's value has gone up or you have repaid some of the principal. This may require a new appraisal but could shave hundreds of dollars off your monthly payment. Savings: $130 per month. If you only put down 5 percent and had a PMI rate of .78 percent, you could save $130 per month. 4. Reduce Your Assessment Property taxes can cost thousands of dollars a year. If you think your home's value has decreased in the last year and it was not properly accounted for in your tax assessment, you can petition your assessor and fight your assessment. Lowering your tax assessment will lower your yearly taxes. Savings: Varies. Depends on your local tax rate and home adjustment, but could be hundreds of dollars a year. 5. Reset Your Mortgage This is not commonly known, but some lenders will reset (recast) your monthly payment if you make a large payment towards the principal of your mortgage. Your monthly payment stays the same, but the term of your loan shortens. When the loan is recast, your monthly principal and interest is recalculated so you end up with a lower monthly payment over the existing term of the loan. Savings: $120 per month. Putting $20,000 into the loan would reset the payment to $1,079, saving you $120 per month. 6. Modify Your Loan If you are late on your payments and are going through a financial hardship, you may be eligible to modify terms of your loan (such as rate, term, or principal balance) to make it more affordable. The goal of these programs is to allow borrowers to stay in their homes and continue making their monthly payments. Not everyone qualifies for these types of programs, but if you do, they can save you a lot of money. To find out if you qualify, contact the servicer of your mortgage or visit the Making Home Affordable eligibility site. Savings: Varies. It can reduce your interest rate to as low as 2 percent, extend your term to 40 years, or reduce your principal. 7. Refinance Lastly, the most common way to save money on your mortgage is by refinancing to a lower interest rate. Reducing your rate can lower your monthly payment and help you save on interest payments. However, there are costs associated with refinancing so you want to be sure you are going to save enough to cover the refinancing fees. With rates at historic lows, if you can refinance, and you haven't already, you should consider it. Savings: $126 per month. By lowering your interest rate to 5 percent, you would have a payment of $1,073 which would save you $126 per month. If the refinance costs $5,000, you would recoup the fees after 40 months. Iveth Caruso Providing the most professional, dedicated, informative and loyal service you can find in Real Estate! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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The information on this site is intended to be a free resource to provide general information to the public. The information is intended to supplement instruction from your legal, financial or real estate adviser. The information contained on this site should never be taken as a substitute for legal or financial advice from a licensed professional.
October 2021


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NEW YORK (AP) — About 2.2 million bean bag chairs are being recalled after two children opened them, crawled inside and suffocated to death.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Friday that the zippers on the chairs, which are made by Ace Bayou Corp., can open.
A 13-year-old boy from McKinney, Texas, and a 3-year-old girl from Lexington, Kentucky, were found dead inside the chairs after they suffocated from a lack of air and inhaled the chair's foam beads.
The chairs were sold at Bon-Ton, Meijer, Pamida, School Specialty, Wayfair and Walmart stores and online at Amazon.com, Meijer.com and Walmart.com. They cost between $30 and $100 and were sold before July 2013. They come in all different colors, shapes, fabrics and sizes.
Owners of the bean bag chairs should check if the zippers open and take them away from children if they do, the CPSC said.
Ace Bayou, which is based in New Orleans, is offering customers a free repair kit that will stop the zippers from opening. Customers can order one at acebayou.com.


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If you're here, thanks for your interest in contributing! There are many ways you can contribute, and you don't need any technical background for most of them, so don't feel shy! Any help, even if small, is very much appreciated.
If you have some fresh ideas or insight into how to make the extension better, or you've found a bug (sorry!), you can create a new issue at the Monorail Issue Tracker:
Old issues are still hosted in GitHub, while new ones are hosted in Monorail. You can view the old ones here:
) for the page where the issue occurred.
If you speak a language other than English, you can help translate the UI to your language! Just go to the following website and select your language to start translating:
Releasing an update to the stable channel isn't always an easy task, because bugs might make its way. As new release candidates are tested in the beta channel before being promoted to the stable channel, this gives us a last chance to catch any bugs before the release. This is why it's essential that some people volunteer to beta test the extension.
While using the beta version comes with the risk of coming across bugs, those are usually minor, and you have the opportunity of using newer features before everyone else!
You can install the beta channel here:
If you're a developer and you'd like to contribute code changes, please feel free to do so!
You can get started by reading the following docs:
documentation when it is created.If you need any help, mentoring or anything else, send me an email at me [at] avm99963.com
or create a thread in the GitHub discussions tab. I will be more than happy to help you :)
You can get a list of open issues which are recommended for first-time contributors here:
These issues will let you get familiar with the codebase and are not too difficult to implement.
You can also assign yourself any of the open issues which haven't been assigned:
For your information, the following doc contains a description of the release cycle for this extension, and how it is performed by its maintainers:


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Step 2: Validate the Catalog File
After you create your catalog file, you must ensure that it is well formed XML and validates against the CDF schema. An incorrectly formatted or invalid catalog file will be rejected by the catalog ingestion service. Validating your file locally can help catch errors that would prevent the file from being successfully ingested.
- Tools to Validate Your Catalog File
- The Scope of What Validation Tools Can Check
- Use xmllint to Validate Your Catalog File
- Validation FAQ
- Next Steps
Tools to Validate Your Catalog File
You can validate your catalog against the CDF schema in a number of different ways. For example, on Mac or Linux systems, you can use xmllint to validate your file (xmllint is pre-installed on Mac and Linux). On Windows, a number of free XML validation tools are available for download.
If you created or edited your catalog file using an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), such as Eclipse or Intellij, your IDE might have a built-in XML validation tool to validate your catalog against the schema. For more information, see:
- Eclipse XML Validation
- Intellij XML Validation
- Visual Studio XML Validation
- Notepad++ XML Tools Plug-In
The Scope of What Validation Tools Can Check
XML validation tools can only check that your XML is well-formed (for example, no broken or missing tags) and valid against the CDF schema (for example, no incorrectly nested elements). While XML validation should catch the most common errors in your catalog file, your catalog file could still contain errors that are not caught until the file is uploaded to AWS.
Use xmllint to Validate Your Catalog File
To use xmllint to validate your catalog file:
- Download the CDF XSD file and copy or move this file to the same directory as your catalog file (which you created in Step 1: Create Your Catalog File).
- Open a terminal window (or a command window in Windows) to access your computer's command line interface. Browse to the same directory that contains the
schema and your catalog file. -
At the shell prompt, type the following command:
xmllint --schema catalog.xsd --noout <cdf_file_name>.xml
with the actual name of your catalog file. The--noout
option suppresses extra output as xmllint traverses your XML file. When finished, xmllint will report any errors that it found in your file or will report that your XML file is valid against the specified schema.Note: If you copy-and-paste any of the commands from these examples, make sure that the double hyphens ("--
") are not being auto-corrected to n-dashes by your browser or terminal editor.
Validation FAQ
- Q: How do I validate my XML? Do you provide any utility that I can use to check my file before uploading?
- A: Amazon does not provide a utility for validating catalog files; however, many of these utilities are easily available. If you are on a Mac or Linux, use xmllint to validate your catalog file. This utility should be pre-installed with your OS. (If you are on a Windows machine, you can use the Google project version of xmllint.) See Use xmllint to Validate Your Catalog File for more details.
Next Steps
After you create your catalog file, move on to Step 3: Set Up Your AWS Account.


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The NYPD said Tuesday it is investigating yet another potential hate crime against the AAPI community after an assailant attacked a 48-year-old Asian man on Tuesday.
According to the NYPD's hate crimes division, the Asian man was punched and bitten by the assailant just before 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday in New York's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood.
According to the NYPD, the suspect told the victim to "go back to your country" while he "repeatedly" punched the man in the face. Police also say the suspect bit the man's hand, severing the tip of one of his fingers.
According to WABC-TV in New York, the victim was transported to a local hospital following the attack, where he is stable.
⚠INFO NEEDED-May18th, 09:50 AM, at W. 43rd St. and 11th Ave, a male Asian, 48, was repeatedly punched in the face by a male who said "go back to your country" and also bit two of the victim's fingers causing the tip of one to be severed.☎1-800-577-8477 @NYPDDetectives @NYPDMTN pic.twitter.com/oPDAMYRiPu
— NYPD Hate Crimes (@NYPDHateCrimes) May 19, 2021
"In what has now become an alarming, disgusting pattern, we have learned that yet another Asian American was attacked violently in Manhattan," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement on Tuesday. "This needs to end. I want the Asian American community to remember that we stand with them against hate. As New Yorkers we are forever proud of our diversity and we reject any cowardly attempts to divide us. Justice needs to be done and I am directing the New York State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to offer their assistance in the investigation of this attack."
Tuesday's attack is just the latest in a disturbing trend of attacks against Asian people in New York City and across the country.
In late March, surveillance camera footage from a midtown Manhattan apartment complex captured a brutal, violent attack against an Asian woman. The video showed that security personnel in the building failed to render aid to the victim and instead closed the door to the building as she lay on the ground.
A suspect in that case, 38-year-old Brandon Elliot, was arrested a few days later. Elliot was reportedly released from prison in 2019 and on lifetime parole after he was convicted of fatally stabbing his mother in 2002.
The building owners later fired some of the security employees who failed to render aid during the incident.
I am disgusted by the violent attack of an Asian American man in Manhattan.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) May 18, 2021
I am directing the New York State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to offer their assistance in the investigation.
NY stands with the Asian community against hate—it must stop. pic.twitter.com/LodsTmDkVX
A day after that incident, the NYPD said a suspect yelled anti-Asian slurs at a 44-year-old woman and her three children, spat at her and kicked her cellphone off a subway train.
In late April, a 61-year-old Chinese immigrant was knocked down from behind and kicked in the head during an attack in Harlem. Days later, 49-year-old Jarrod Powell was arrested in connection with the attack and charged with two felony counts of assault. At the time of the arrest, the victim was still in a coma.
Earlier this month, two Asian women in the city were attacked by a woman brandishing a hammer who yelled at them to remove their masks. One of those victims was struck and suffered a gash in her head.
The rise in hate incidents has caused the NYPD to take drastic measures, including stationing undercover police officers in Asian American neighborhoods. One of those undercover officers made an arrest in April when a suspect yelled a slur at him.
WNBC-TV in New York reports that through May 2, hate crimes against Asian people in New York are up 400% in 2021 compared to the same period in 2020.
Across the country, hate instances against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community have been on the rise since last year.
Stop AAPI Hate, an advocacy group, reported nearly 4,000 instances of hate instances against Asian Americans in the U.S. between March 2020 and February 2021 — more than 10 a day.
The rise in hate instances mirrors the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as Asian Americans unjustly face blame for spreading the virus. That sentiment was further spread by former President Donald Trump, who often used racially charged terms to describe the virus.


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the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Bible Commentaries
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible Commentary Critical
Verse 1
1-3. Herod the king—grandson of Herod the Great, and son of Aristobulus. He at this time ruled over all his father's dominions. PALEY has remarked the accuracy of the historian here. For thirty years before this there was no king at Jerusalem exercising supreme authority over Judea, nor was there ever afterwards, save during the three last years of Herod's life, within which the transactions occurred.
Verse 2
2. killed James . . . with the sword—beheaded him; a most ignominious mode of punishment, according to the Jews. Blessed martyr! Thou hast indeed "drunk of thy Lord's cup, and hast been baptized with his baptism." (See on :-.) A grievous loss this would be to the Church; for though nothing is known of him beyond what we read in the Gospels, the place which he had as one of the three whom the Lord admitted to His closest intimacy would lead the Church to look up to him with a reverence and affection which even their enemies would come to hear of. They could spring only upon one more prized victim; and flushed with their first success, they prevail upon Herod to seize him also.
Verse 3
3. because he saw it pleased the Jews—Popularity was the ruling passion of this Herod, not naturally so cruel as some of the family [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 19.7.3].
to take Peter also—whose loss, at this stage of the Church, would have been, so far as we can see, irreparable.
Then were the days of unleavened bread—seven in number, during which, after killing and eating the Passover, no leaven was allowed in Jewish houses (Exodus 12:15; Exodus 12:19).
Verse 4
4. delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers—that is, to four parties of four each, corresponding to the four Roman watches; two watching in prison and two at the gates, and each party being on duty for the space of one watch.
intending after Easter—rather, "after the Passover"; that is, after the whole festival was over. (The word in our King James Version is an ecclesiastical term of later date, and ought not to have been employed here).
to bring him forth to the people—for execution; for during "the days of unleavened bread," or the currency of any religious festival, the Jews had a prejudice against trying or putting anyone to death.
Verse 5
5, 6. prayer was made without ceasing—rather, "instant," "earnest," "urgent" (Margin); as in Luke 22:44; Acts 26:7; 1 Peter 4:8 (see Greek).
of the church unto God for him—not in public assembly, for it was evidently not safe to meet thus; but in little groups in private houses, one of which was Mary's (Acts 12:12). And this was kept up during all the days of unleavened bread.
Verse 6
6. And when Herod would have brought him forth—"was going to bring him forth."
the same night—but a few hours before the intended execution. Thus long were the disciples kept waiting; their prayers apparently unavailing, and their faith, as would seem from the sequel, waxing feeble. Such, however, is the "law" of God's procedure ( :- and see on :-).
Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains—Roman prisoners had a chain fastened at one end to the wrist of their fight hand, and at the other to the wrist of a soldier's left hand, leaving the right arm of the keeper free in case of any attempt to escape. For greater security the prisoner was sometimes, as here, chained to two soldiers, one on each side. (See :-.) Ye think your prey secure, bloodthirsty priests and thou obsequious tyrant who, to "please the Jews," hast shut in this most eminent of the servants of Christ within double gates, guarded by double sentinels, while double keepers and double chains seem to defy all rescue! So thought the chief priests, who "made the sepulchre of the Lord sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch." But "He that sitteth in heaven shall laugh at you." Meanwhile, "Peter is sleeping!" In a few hours he expects a stingless death; "neither counts he his life dear unto him, so that he may finish his course with joy and the ministry which he has received of the Lord Jesus." In this frame of spirit he has dropped asleep, and lies the picture of peace.
Verse 7
7-11. the angel of the Lord—rather, "an angel."
came upon him —so in Luke 2:9, expressive of the unexpected nature of the visit.
smote Peter on the side . . . Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off . . . Gird thyself . . . And so he did . . . Cast thy garment—tunic, which he had thrown off for the night.
Verse 8
8. about thee . . . follow me—In such graphic minuteness of detail we have a charming mark of reality: while the rapidity and curtness of the orders, and the promptitude with which they were obeyed, betoken the despatch which, in the circumstances, was necessary.
Verse 9
9. wist not that it was true; but thought he saw a vision—So little did the apostle look for deliverance!
Verse 10
10. first and the second ward . . . the iron gate that leadeth unto the city—We can only conjecture the precise meaning of all this, not knowing the position of the prison.
passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him—when he had placed him beyond pursuit. Thus "He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their heads cannot perform their enterprise" (Job 5:12).
Verse 11
11. when Peter was come to himself—recovered from his bewilderment, and had time to look back upon all the steps that had followed each other in such rapid succession.
Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me, &c.—another evidence that Peter expected nothing but to seal his testimony with his blood on this occasion.
Verse 12
12-17. he came to the house of Mary, c.—who "must have had a house of some pretensions to receive a large number and, accordingly, we read that her brother Barnabas ( :-) was a person of substance ( :-). She must also have been distinguished for faith and courage to allow such a meeting in the face of persecution" [WEBSTER and WILKINSON]. To such a house it was natural that Peter should come.
mother of John . . . Mark—so called to distinguish him from the apostle of that name, and to distinguish her from the other Marys.
where many were gathered together praying—doubtless for Peter's deliverance, and continuing, no doubt, on this the last of the days of unleavened bread, which was their last hope, all night in prayer to God.
Verse 13
13. came to hearken—not to open; for neither was it a time nor an hour of night for that, but to listen who was there.
Verse 14
14. opened not for gladness, but ran in and told, &c.—How exquisite is this touch of nature!
Verse 15
15. Thou art mad—one of those exclamations which one can hardly resist on hearing what seems far "too good to be true."
she constantly affirmed—"kept steadfastly affirming."
that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel—his disembodied spirit, his ghost; anything, in fact, rather than himself. Though this had been the burden of their fervent prayers during all the days of unleavened bread, they dispute themselves out of it as a thing incredible. Still, it is but the unbelief of the disciples who "believed not for joy and wondered" at the tidings of their Lord's resurrection. How often do we pray for what we can hardly credit the bestowment of, when it comes in answer to our prayers! This, however, argues not so much hard unbelief as that kind of it incident to the best in this land of shadows, which perceives not so clearly as it might how very near heaven and earth, the Lord and His praying people, are to each other.
Verse 17
17. But he, beckoning . . . with his hand to hold their peace—a lively touch this. In the hubbub of joyful and wondering interrogatories there might mingle reflections, thrown out by one against another, for holding out so long against the testimony of Rhoda; while the emotion of the apostle's own spirit would be too deep and solemn to take part in such demonstrations or utter a word till, with his hand, he had signified his wish for perfect silence.
Go show these things unto James and to the brethren—Whether James the son of Alpheus, one of the Twelve, usually known as "James the Less," and "James the Lord's brother" ( :-), were the same person; and if not, whether the James here referred to was the former or the latter, critics are singularly divided, and the whole question is one of the most difficult. To us, it appears that there are strong reasons for thinking that they were not the same person, and that the one here meant, and throughout the Acts, is the apostle James. (But on this more hereafter). James is singled out, because he had probably begun to take the oversight of the Church in Jerusalem, which we afterwards find him exercising ( :-).
And he departed, and went into another place—according to his Lord's express command ( :-). When told, on a former miraculous liberation from prison, to go and speak unto the people ( :-), he did it; but in this case to present himself in public would have been to tempt God by rushing upon certain destruction.
Verse 18
18, 19. as soon as it was day, c.—His deliverance must have been during the fourth watch (three to six A.M.) else he must have been missed by the keepers at the change of the watch [WIES].
Verse 19
19. examined the keepers—who, either like the keepers of our Lord's sepulchre, had "shaken and become as dead men" (Matthew 28:4), or had slept on their watch and been divinely kept from awaking.
commanded that they should be put to death—Impotent vengeance!
Matthew 28:4- :. HEROD'S MISERABLE END—GROWING SUCCESS OF THE GOSPEL—BARNABAS AND SAUL RETURN TO ANTIOCH.
Verse 20
20. Herod was . . . displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon—for some reason unknown; but the effect on their commercial relations made the latter glad to sue for peace.
their country was nourished by the king's country—See 1 Kings 5:11; Ezra 3:7; Ezekiel 27:17. Perhaps the famine (Acts 11:28) made them the more urgent for reconciliation.
Verse 21
21. And upon a set day Herod . . . made an oration unto them—to the Tyrians and Sidonians especially.
Verse 22
22, 23. the people gave a shout, &c.—JOSEPHUS' account of his death is remarkably similar to this [Antiquities, 19.8.2]. Several cases of such deaths occur in history. Thus was this wretched man nearer his end than he of whom he had thought to make a public spectacle.
Verse 24
24. But the word grew, &c.—that is, Not only was the royal representative ignominiously swept from the stage, while his intended victim was spared to the Church, but the cause which he and his Jewish instigators sought to crush was only furthered and glorified. How full of encouragement and consolation is all this to the Christian Church in every age!
Verse 25
25. Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem—where, it thus appears, they had remained during all this persecution.
when they had fulfilled their ministry—or service; that mentioned on Acts 11:29; Acts 11:30.
took with them John . . . Mark—(See on Acts 12:1), not to be confounded with the second Evangelist, as is often done. As his uncle was Barnabas, so his spiritual father was Peter (Acts 12:1- :).
These files are a derivative of an electronic edition prepared from text scanned by Woodside Bible Fellowship.
This expanded edition of the Jameison-Faussett-Brown Commentary is in the public domain and may be freely used and distributed.
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on Acts 12". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible". https://www.studylight.org/


text:
1. Google's immortal cookie:
Google was the first search engine to use a cookie that expires in 2038. This was at a time when federal websites were prohibited from using persistent cookies altogether. Now it's years later, and immortal cookies are commonplace among search engines; Google set the standard because no one bothered to challenge them. This cookie places a unique ID number on your hard disk. Anytime you land on a Google page, you get a Google cookie if you don't already have one. If you have one, they read and record your unique ID number.
2. Google records everything they can:
For all searches they record the cookie ID, your Internet IP address, the time and date, your search terms, and your browser configuration. Increasingly, Google is customizing results based on your IP number. This is referred to in the industry as "IP delivery based on geolocation."
3. Google retains all data indefinitely:
Google has no data retention policies. There is evidence that they are able to easily access all the user information they collect and save.
4. Google won't say why they need this data:
Inquiries to Google about their privacy policies are ignored. When the New York Times (2002-11-28) asked Sergey Brin about whether Google ever gets subpoenaed for this information, he had no comment.
5. Google hires spooks:
Keyhole, Inc. was supported with funds from the CIA. They developed a database of spy-in-the-sky images from all over the world. Google acquired Keyhole in 2004, and would like to hire more people with security clearances, so that they can peddle their corporate assets to the spooks in Washington.
6. Google's toolbar is spyware:
With the advanced features enabled, Google's free toolbar for Explorer phones home with every page you surf, and yes, it reads your cookie too. Their privacy policy confesses this, but that's only because Alexa lost a class-action lawsuit when their toolbar did the same thing, and their privacy policy failed to explain this. Worse yet, Google's toolbar updates to new versions quietly, and without asking. This means that if you have the toolbar installed, Google essentially has complete access to your hard disk every time you connect to Google (which is many times a day). Most software vendors, and even Microsoft, ask if you'd like an updated version. But not Google. Any software that updates automatically presents a massive security risk.
7. Google's cache copy is illegal:
Judging from Ninth Circuit precedent on the application of U.S. copyright laws to the Internet, Google's cache copy appears to be illegal. The only way a webmaster can avoid having his site cached on Google is to put a "noarchive" meta in the header of every page on his site. Surfers like the cache, but webmasters don't. Many webmasters have deleted questionable material from their sites, only to discover later that the problem pages live merrily on in Google's cache. The cache copy should be "opt-in" for webmasters, not "opt-out."
8. Google is not your friend:
By now Google enjoys a 75 percent monopoly for all external referrals to most websites. Webmasters cannot avoid seeking Google's approval these days, assuming they want to increase traffic to their site. If they try to take advantage of some of the known weaknesses in Google's semi-secret algorithms, they may find themselves penalized by Google, and their traffic disappears. There are no detailed, published standards issued by Google, and there is no appeal process for penalized sites. Google is completely unaccountable. Most of the time Google doesn't even answer email from webmasters.
9. Google is a privacy time bomb:
With 200 million searches per day, most from outside the U.S., Google amounts to a privacy disaster waiting to happen. Those newly-commissioned data-mining bureaucrats in Washington can only dream about the sort of slick efficiency that Google has already achieved.