Occupied exclusively in his own contemplations, he appeared wholly
insensible to any ordinary outward appeal.
In age and appearance this individual was in the decline of life; for he
had numbered sixty years, his hair was completely grey, and his face was
covered with deep wrinkles. Yet, in spite of these disadvantages, he
was in the highest sense of the word a handsome man. Though worn and
thin, his features were still bold and regular; and there was an
elevation about the habitual mournfulness of his expression, and an
intelligence about his somewhat severe and earnest eyes, that bore
eloquent testimony to the superiority of his intellectual powers. As he
now stood gazing fixedly out into the glowing sky, his tall, meagre
figure half supported upon his staff, his lips firmly compressed, his
brow slightly frowning, and his attitude firm and motionless, the most
superficial observer must have felt immediately that he looked on no
ordinary being. The history of a life of deep thought--perhaps of long
sorrow--seemed written in every lineament of his meditative countenance;
and there was a natural dignity in his manner, which evidently
restrained his restless companion from offering any determined
interruption to the course of his reflections.
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