68 LINES IN PLEASANT PLACES 



minnows ; of tench, and carp, and bream. The moment 

 for my departure, however, has come. The little mare 

 is ready, the notebook must be closed. There are 

 fifteen miles to be disposed of before dark, and dark- 

 ness will be upon us in a couple of hours. I can con- 

 tinue my soliloquising as I canter through the bush ; 

 there will be no one to disturb me or ridicule me, unless, 

 indeed, the bird named the laughing jackass should 

 make the woods echo with his idiotic chuckle, or the 

 parrots should scream their harsh derision. 



