228 RIVERSIDE LETTERS XXIX 



I went, on my friend's tricycle, to see 

 another old church not very far off, which, 

 though cruelly restored, has a lovely stone 

 spire and a decorated Norman porch of 

 highly elaborated design. It was old 

 Michaelmas Day, and all the country people 

 were, as is the custom, on the move. They 

 call this day here " Flitting Day." I re- 

 member that in Denmark there is also such 

 a day, which is called " Flit Dag." I met 

 in every direction those large picturesque 

 farm wains, which are yellow and red in 

 colour, and beautiful in line and curve ; the 

 farmers goodnaturedly lend these to the 

 moving cottagers, who pile them up with 

 their household goods ; one such wain, with 

 sometimes a two-wheeled cart, holding the 

 whole family possessions comfortably. The 

 goods were of a curiously mixed description : 

 chests of drawers, fire-irons, bundles of bed- 

 ding, faggots, tubs of cabbage plants and 

 flowers ; generally a magpie or a blackbird 

 in a cage, with women and children on the 

 top of all. The entire day is given up to 



