A LuxuEY IN Laziness. 203 



sustenance from the crevices in tlie rocks. The wild 

 violet, along the banks of the lake ; the balm that 

 grew in the moist places; and the ladj^-slipper, that 

 sprung from the decayed leaves beside the fallen trunk 

 of some great tree. All these, with many others, that 

 as yet are nameless, while they could not rival the 

 productions of modern gardens, yet possessed a modest 

 and simple beauty, well worthy of a place in the 

 arcana of the florist. We spent the day in paddling 

 from island to island, and floating along under the 

 shade of the tall trees that grew along by the water's 

 edge. It has been said by somebody, I cannot now 

 say who, — the sentiment, while I endorse it, is not my 

 own, — that there is a luxury in laziness, superior to 

 almost every other luxury. To enjoy it, one must be 

 away from the disturbing elements of civilization, be- 

 yond the sights and sounds, and the conventional pro- 

 prieties of artificial life ; where he can lounge in list- 

 less dreaminess, build his castles in the air, and not 

 have them knocked to pieces by some stern reality, or 

 toppled down by some practical thought, forced upon 

 him through his eye or his ear. He must be haunted 

 by no care, fretted by no business, disturbed by no 

 necessity, nor hurried by the calls of duty. This lux- 



