34 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



ness to him nevertheless. In some weeks he was able, 

 though weak, to set out on his journey. Clifford con- 

 veyed him in his carriage as far as the Hague, cross- 

 ing the Rhine, the narrow but still pleasant river that 

 it is here, by way of Voorschoten. He tried to amuse 

 and interest the convalescent by the sight of the country, 

 the carriage driving on the smooth brick-paved road so 

 close to the hedges and the drawbridges to the houses 

 that they could read the quaint or pious inscriptions 

 over the doors. One cannot fail to be pleased at the 

 Dutch picture-like landscape all around the sight of 

 the cows in Cuyp-like groups at milking-time, the webs 

 of linen outspread to bleach, and sprinkled with an 

 oar ; and the women in deep-brimmed straw hats over 

 their burnished gold or silver helmet-like head-tires ; 

 the whole structure crowned with artificial flowers and 

 adorned with white lace. 



One can travel easily nowadays through much of this 

 retired part of Holland, avoiding the train by taking 

 the local steam-tram and keeping to the parish roads, 

 which are paved with small hard bricks the whole w T ay. 

 These country trams do not seem a very paying concern, 

 but they serve the villages conveniently. It is very 

 pleasant thus cruising about among the villages and 

 winding through the parish roads ; one sees the life of 

 the people their farming, and their beds of lilies and 

 various bulbs and tubers, hurdled in and roofed with 

 matting, that is rolled back when the plants do not need 

 the shelter. 



