"Nay, friend," he replied, "you're mistaken there. I'm not a hypocrite. A hypocrite's a man with two faces. Now, you can't say you have ever seen me with two faces. I've seen many a drunkard with two faces--t'one as makes the wife and childer glad, and t'other as makes their hearts ache and jump into their mouths with fear. But you've ne'er seen that in a gradely abstainer."
"You're a self-righteous old sinner," said another.
"I'm a sinner, I know," was Old Crow's reply; "but I'm not self- righteous, I hope. I don't despise a poor drunkard; but I cannot respect him. I want to pull him out of the mire, and place him where he can respect hisself."
But generally he had ready and attentive listeners, and was the means of winning many to the good way; for all who really knew him respected him for his consistency. And Jacob was happy with him, and yet to him there was one thing still wanting. He had never in all his wanderings been able to discover the least trace of those whom he was seeking, and the desire to learn something certain about them increased day by day. At last, one fine July evening, he said to his old companion,--
"Ould Crow, I can't be content as I am. I must try my luck further off. If you've nothing to say against it, I'll just take the cart with me for a month or six weeks, and see if the Lord'll give me success. I'll go right away into Shropshire, and try round there; and through Staffordshire and Derbyshire."
"Well, my son," was the reply, "you'll just do what you know to be right. I won't say a word against it."
"And if," added Jacob, "I can't find them as I'm seeking, nor hear anything gradely about 'em, I'll just come back and settle me down content."
"The Lord go with you," said the old man; "you'll not forget me nor poor Deborah."
"I cannot," replied Jacob; "my heart'll be with you all the time."
"And how shall we know how you're coming on?"
"Oh, I'll send you a letter if I ain't back by the six week end."
So the next morning Jacob started on his distant journey. Many were the roads he traversed, and many the towns and villages he visited, as he slowly made his way through Cheshire into Shropshire; and many were the disappointments he met with, when he thought he had obtained some clue to guide him in his search.