AN OCTOBER ABROAD 207 



The native apples are inferior in size and quality, 

 and are sold by the pound. Pears were more abun 

 dant at the fruit stands, and were of superior excel 

 lence and very cheap. 



I hope it will not be set down to any egotism of 

 my own, but rather to the effect upon an ardent 

 pilgrim of the associations of the place and its re 

 nown in literature, that all my experience at Strat 

 ford seems worthy of recording, and to be invested 

 with a sort of poetical interest, even the fact that 

 I walked up from the station with a handsome 

 young countrywoman who had chanced to occupy a 

 seat in the same compartment of the car with me 

 from Warwick, and who, learning the nature of my 

 visit, volunteered to show me the Red Horse Inn, 

 as her course led her that way. We walked mostly 

 in the middle of the street, with our umbrellas 

 hoisted, for it was raining slightly, while a boy 

 whom we found lying in wait for such a chance 

 trudged along in advance of us with my luggage. 



At the Eed Horse the pilgrim is in no danger of 

 having the charm and the poetical atmosphere with 

 which he has surrounded himself dispelled, but 

 rather enhanced and deepened, especially if he has 

 the luck I had, to find few other guests, and to fall 

 into the hands of one of those simple, strawberry- 

 like English housemaids, who gives him a cosy, 

 snug little parlor all to himself, as was the luck of 

 Irving also; who answers his every summons, and 

 looks into his eyes with the simplicity and direct 

 ness of a child; who could step from no page but 



