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THE MAN TALKATIVE
77

So Faithful quickened his steps and soon caught up with Talkative.

"Come, what cheer? How are you now?" he asked.

"Very well, I thank you," said Talkative. "I thought we should have had a great deal of talk by this time."

"We will have it now," said Faithful; and so by skillful questions he led the talkative man to say a great many things concerning the duties of life and the right way of living. Then he asked him plainly,

"Do you, yourself, live in this way? And do you do those things which you say all good and true men ought to do?"

Talkative hung his head, and was slow to answer. Then he said, "I see that you are ready to find fault with every man that you meet. I do not care to talk with such people; and so I will bid you good-by."

And with that he leaped over the wall and walked away by himself across the field.

And Christian and Faithful went on together talking of the place to which they were bound, and rejoicing in the hope which filled their hearts.