124 LETTERS TO MARCO xix 



a malt-house, which grew large, and coloured 

 on the one side of the loveliest rosy orange, 

 whilst the side against the wall never ripened 

 at all, the sunny sides going rotten long first. 

 I made a little jam and some puddings from 

 them, and that was all. On the other hand, 

 we have never been without the most delicious 

 peas all through the summer, and still have 

 nice dishes of them every other day ; the 

 rainy weather having kept them growing and 

 bearing, and they have all the richness and 

 softness imaginable. 



One or two sharp frosts have already 

 taken place. The rooks have begun to carry 

 off the walnuts (by the bye a rook with a 

 bright new walnut in his beak against a blue 

 sky is a thing to be painted, the walnut in the 

 sun looking like gold). The song of the tom- 

 tits and robins, and the chatter and conversa- 

 tion of the starlings, remind one of the 

 approach of winter. 



It has been a terribly hard time for our poor 

 farmers, much corn and oats being still unripe. 



