A JOURNAL KEPT IN THE COUNTRY. 133 



chance of callers breaking in on one's solitude ; and 

 so a solid morning may be spent on despatching the 

 accumulated arrears of small things, in improving the 

 mind, or in that medicinal idling which is for some 

 of us at times such an admirable thing. Mrs. Kitty 

 always keeps one novel uncut for such a day. Mrs. 

 Lydia devotes the time to the mystery called, I think, 

 " picking and turning," or to sorting the Rector's old 

 sermons. As I have no such employment kept for 

 the occasion, I went into my study about nine o'clock 

 with an indefinite plan which comprised letter-writing, 

 a little reading, re-arrangement of certain book- 

 shelves ; and left a liberal margin for contemplative 

 moments, if they should arrive. 



At the outset I was disturbed by Lucy Sayers, 

 who required me to fill up some lacunae in the day's 

 bill of fare. I told her we would have something out 

 of the old book ; and took down " The London Art 

 of Cookery," a ragged leather volume of the last 

 century, containing in its text and the MS. comment 

 many delightful kitchen fantasies, conceived on a 

 scale of baronial liberality. I passed over the recipe 

 for " Bombarded Veal," which requires a penny loaf, 

 half a pound of fat bacon, an anchovy, marjoram, 

 lemon-peel, chyan pepper, chopped oysters, ketchup, 

 artichoke bottoms, and truffles : and suggested that 



