are the treasures and joys of paradise, or the damages and torments in hell, more jesting matters?

" Many laughed, in spite of their weird impressions, on seeing the jesting coolness of the American, while Ben-Zayb retired, quite abashed, to his seat, muttering, "It can't be.

Shocked and disgusted I turned and walked down the hill to town, to be followed soon after by a laughing, jesting crowd, who dispersed to their different "places of business" to lie in wait for the unwary sucker, the miner.

" "Poor jesting fool," said his victim, "little he knows that even now Heaven has prepared a punishment fitted even to his crimes.

The jesting lines at the head of this chapter advert to these.

His ill-humour was particularly excited by hearing her, in a jesting manner, enumerate the good or bad qualities of some favourite, and after having shown much good sense in pointing out his blemishes, neglect her friend, and prefer his company that very evening.

No, no, I'm the one who behaves reasonablyI, who have but one child, and, like a prudent, sensible man, desire no others!" He often made such jesting remarks as these, through which filtered his genuine indignation; for he deemed the young couple to be over-careless of their interests, and declared that the prolificness of his cousin Marianne was quite scandalous.

Why did you ever leave that quiet corner?Why did I?with its complement of four poor elms, from whose smoke-dyed barks, the theme of jesting ruralists, I picked my first lady-birds!

He was telling a jesting story, at which even her mother was heartily laughing.

Experience and the responsibilities had made her self-reliant, and her jesting boast that she was a dependable young woman was the simple truth.

A jesting writer may be quite as much in earnest when he professes to be so, as a pleasant companion who feels for his own or for other people's misfortunes, and who is perhaps obliged to affect or resort to his very pleasantry sometimes, because he feels more acutely than the gravest.