possible to give active heed to the overtures of 

 its lowly inhabitants. It was, to be frank, with a 

 view to the cultivation of a closer acquaintance 

 that I acquired the place which is in a most pecul- 

 iar sense at once my workshop and my haven of 

 rest. 



And what strange and manifold friendships has 

 not this humble sanctuary seen me form! Little 

 did I surmise when first I selected this retreat the 

 wealth of memorable meetings the ancient dwell- 

 ing and its prehistoric precincts eventually would 

 have in store. I use the adjective "prehistoric" in 

 relation to the present, without special reference 

 to the past : for it is not easy to conceive the marsh- 

 land as other than a present-day primitive world. 

 Except for its constantly changing contours, such 

 as is its general character to-day, so it was in ages 

 past, and so it seems likely to remain, undisturbed 

 by man, for ages hence. Indeed, the fossil vegeta- 

 tion buried in the bosom of the surrounding hills 

 is not of an older order than that which thrives 

 luxuriantly on the hummocks of the marsh. 



This salt marsh, reaching in shortest dimension, 

 from my house to the hills across the cove, on the 

 north, and, in longest dimension, extending to the 



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