20 THE FAT OF THE LAND 



placed. They were not worth the expense of 

 moving, so I decided to let them stand as they 

 were until we could build better ones, and then 

 tear them down. 



We drove in through a clump of trees behind 

 the farm-house, and pushed on about three hun- 

 dred yards to the crest of the knoll. Here we 

 got out of the carriage and looked about, with 

 keen interest, in every direction. The views 

 were wide toward three points of the compass. 

 North and northwest we could see pleasant lands 

 for at least two miles ; directly west, our eyes 

 could not reach beyond our own forest ; to the 

 south and southwest, fruitful valleys stretched 

 away to a range of wooded hills four miles dis- 

 tant ; but on the east our view was limited by 

 the fringe of woods which lay between us and 

 the north-and-south road. 



" This is the exact spot for the house," said 

 Polly. " It must face to the south, with a broad 

 piazza, and the chief entrance must be on the 

 east. The kitchens and fussy things will be out 

 of sight on the northwest corner ; two Tories, a 

 high attic with rooms, and covered all over with 

 yellow-brown shingles." She had it all settled 

 in a minute. 



" What will the paper on your bedroom wall 

 be like ? " I asked. 



I know perfectly well, but I shan't tell 

 you." 



Seating myself on an out-cropping boulder, I 



