86 AN AMERICAN FARMER IN ENGLAND. 



CHAPTER XH. 



Breakfast at the Inn A Tale of High Life The Garden of the Inn 

 An Old Farm-House Timber Houses Laborers' Cottages Wattles 

 and Noggin Walls A " Ferme Ornee " A Lawn Pasture Copper- 

 leaved Beeches Tame Black Cattle Approach to Chester. 



T RETURNED to my room in the inn, and had written a page 

 *- or two of this before any one was stirring. Then I heard the 

 mistress waking the servants, and soon after " John the Boots " 

 came to ray door to call me, as I had requested. 



After prevailing with difficulty upon' the landlady and her 

 daughter to breakfast with us, we had a very sociable time with 

 them over the tea and eggs which they had prepared for us. 

 They were interested to hear of the hard coal we burned (an- 

 thracite), that made no smoke, and of wood fires, and of our 

 peculiar breakfast dishes, griddle-cakes, and Indian bread. They 

 told of other members of their family two or three in Australia 

 and of the clergy and gentry of the neighborhood. They spoke 

 kindly and respectfully of the vicar " a sporting man, sir, and 

 fond of good living," the old lady added, after mentioning his 

 charity and benevolence. In speaking of the gentry, it was diffi- 

 cult for her to believe that we did not know the general history of 

 all the families. We asked about a park we had passed. It was 



