A MORNING IDYLL. 15 



A MORNING IDYLL. 



TTTIGH in the heavens a lark is singing a 

 full-throated Te Deum, and from 

 thicket and copse proceeds a twittering 

 accompaniment. A moment, and the paean of 

 praise breaks off abruptly as the singer drops 

 to earth. A moment more, and it is taken up 

 by a robin. The burden of his song is the 

 same, the joy of living. It is only the setting 

 that is different. 



The spirit of the early morn is upon 

 me also, and I find myself humming a 

 refrain from sheer lightness of heart as I 

 press onward towards the brow of the hill, 

 over furrowed land, with its scent of newly 

 turned earth, and through long grass that at 

 every step discharges a cascade of dew over 

 boot and gaiter. 



Down in the hollow a little stream, where 

 it escapes from the tyranny of bushes to meet 



