FAMILIAR ENGLISH LANDSCAPE. 99 



CHAPTER XI. 



THE BREAK OF DAY. A FULL HEART. FAMILIAR THINGS. THE VILLAGE AT 



SUNRISE. FLOWERS. BIRDS. DOG KENNELS. &quot;THE SQUIRE&quot; AND &quot;THE 



HALL.&quot; ROOKS. VISIT TO A SMALL FARM. THE COWS. THE MILKING. 



THE DAIRY-MAIDS. THE STABLES. MANURE. BONES. PASTURE. WHITE 



CLOVER. IMPLEMENTS. CARTS. THE ENGLISH PLOUGH AND HARROW. 



Slst May. 



TT was very early this morning when I became gradually 

 J- aware of the twittering of house-sparrows, and was soon 

 after brought to more distinct consciousness of time and place 

 b;y the long clear note of some other stranger bird. I stepped 

 from bed and kneeled at a little, low, latticed window, cur 

 tained without by a woodbine. Parting the foliage with ray 

 hands, I looked out upon a cluster of low-thatched cottages, 

 half overgrown with ivy ; a bloQming hawthorn hedge, enclo 

 sing a field of heavy grass and clover glistening with dew ; a 

 few haystacks ; another field beyond, spotted with sheep ; 

 a group of trees ; and then some low hills, over which the 

 dawn was kindling, with a faint blush, the quiet, smoky 

 clouds in a grey sky. It may seem an uninteresting land 

 scape, but I gazed upon it with great emotion, so great that 

 I wondered at it. Such a scene I had never looked upon be 

 fore, and yet it was in all its parts as familiar to me as my 

 native valley. Land of our poets ! Home of our fathers ! 

 Dear old mother England ! It would be strange if I were 

 not affected at meeting thee at last face to face. 



