252 THE SOUTH COUNTRY 



not get her to see that her head must be drawn tight and 

 somewhat askew against the oaken pillar. He only suc- 

 ceeded by patting her flanks and saying gently as if to a 

 girl : " Come along, Daisy ! " She lowed soft and bowed 

 her head; the blow fell; she rolled to the ground and the 

 butcher once more let loose the heavy scent of blood. 

 The wholesome pretty beast, the familiar " Come along, 

 Daisy ! " and the blow and the scent came often into 

 Jones' mind. He ate no meat, but made no attempt to 

 proselytize; he simply retreated deeper and deeper into 

 his childlike love of Nature. The birds and the flowers 

 and the creeping and running things he seemed to regard 

 as little happy, charming, undeveloped human beings, 

 looking down on them with infinite tenderness and a little 

 amusement; with them alone was he quite at home. 

 Nature, as she presented herself to his simple senses, was 

 but a fragrant, many-coloured, exuberant, chiefly joyous 

 community, with which most men were not in harmony. 

 Silent for days and thinking only " green thoughts " under 

 the branches of the wood, he came to demand, uncon- 

 sciously, that there should be such a harmony. But he 

 loved Nature also because she had no ambiguity, told no 

 lies, uttered no irony. Sitting among flowers by running 

 water he wore an expression of blessed satisfaction with 

 his company which is not often seen at the friendliest 

 table. He drew no philosophy from Nature, no opinions, 

 ideas, proposals for reform, but only the wisdom to live, 

 happily and healthily and simply, himself. 



I dare say modernity was in his blood, but no man 

 seemed to belong less to our time. Of history and science 

 he knew nothing, of literature nothing; he had to make 

 out the earth with his own eyes and heart. He had not 



