THE BREAKING UP OF THE PARTY. 387 



be his landlord ; if it were to gaff my fish 

 or carry my game-bag, there is not a man 

 in the wide world whom T would prefer to 

 poor Pat." 



They soon arrived at the cross-roads, when, 

 with waving of hands and mutual good wishes, 

 the car continued its southern road, while 

 the carriage edged away to the eastward, and 

 the Belleek party finally broke up. 



Little was said by either Squire or Par- 

 son, as the carriage rolled smoothly over the 

 four miles of flat country that intervene be- 

 tween the village and the lake. Both were 

 thinking of the scenes of the past summer, 

 and, perhaps, contrasting them with the life 

 that lay before them ; and there was nothing 

 in the rich but somewhat tame alternations 

 of velvet flax and feathery oats to break the 

 current of their thoughts. 



They had now reached the place where 

 the line of hills, approaching the lake, follow 

 the course of its southern shore in a range 

 of cliffy heights, steep, and in many places 

 almost perpendicular, but feathered from top 

 to bottom with wood wherever a tree could 

 find root. From this point the road is con- 

 tinued on a sort of irregular undercliff, con- 



