132 A SUMMER SHOWER. 



metropolis, a huge rain-drop, spreading to half-crown diameter, 

 suddenly darkened the dust at our feet. The fall from the 

 clouds of the coin itself could scarcely have surprised us more. 

 Down came a second then patter patter a hundred more, 

 from which it was high time to seek escape. But how ! Ours 

 was no high-way, but a bye-way ; there was only one solitary 

 cottage which stood a few yards distant : but that to our com- 

 fort had a porch, within which we were presently ensconced. 

 Yet as the torrents continued to descend, we soon found our 

 place of refuge less secure than we had deemed it. The porch 

 was merely a rough trellis thickly covered with clematis, and 

 as the creeper got gradually soaked, its yielding branches falling 

 inwards, served only as conductors of the dripping deluge. 

 Here we would take occasion to observe how a favourite pur- 

 suit may serve in some sort as a shield against annoyance and 

 impatience ; for even while our sorry shelter was each moment 

 lessening, we could not but admire the gnats that were dancing 

 up and down between the rain-drops. We were not, however, 

 so entirely engrossed by thinking of the midges' wondrous pre- 

 servation as to be quite regardless of our own predicament, and 

 now halted, in our shower-bath, between the two more active 

 measures of running desperately through the torrent before us, 

 or of invading the peace of the cottage in our rear. Our mind 

 was made up to adopt the latter alternative, and a hand was 

 already stretched towards the little black knocker, when the 

 door opened and a tall thin old man, in appearance what has 

 been called the shabby-genteel, invited us to enter, with a 

 courteous expression of regret at not having seen us sooner. 

 Having stood long enough already, we did not stand on 

 ceremony, but stepping over the door-sill, found ourselves, at 

 once, in a snug little front parlour. The charity of our good 

 Samaritan did not stop here, for taking down from a convenient 

 peg a long grey threadbare coat, he insisted on our exchanging 

 for it our own dripping garment which he carried, himself, to 

 dry at his kitchen fire. 



