THE DAILY LIFE OF OUR FAEM. 237 



" Please, sir, I thought we had plenty of that sort ; " 

 and he tried, but in vain, to brush his sleeve clean. It 

 so happened that he was busy with the mangold ground. 

 Next day I observed that he had undergone a religiously 

 thorough change of raiment. 



The regular growth of the several crops is showing 

 now markedly the divisions of our re-arranged farm — • 

 small fields having been thrown together and hedges 

 stocked up. It is very satisfactory to read so plainly 

 deciphered, the result of one's careful calculations. 

 Most fascinating of all pursuits, after all, is the im- 

 provement and farming of an estate, however limited in 

 extent. 



An event, which I had often longed for, has just come 

 off. We had no house-martins building under our eaves. 

 I used often to remember with what delight one was 

 wont, as a boy at home, to watch the elegant motions of 

 these beautiful birds, as they swept up and down in their 

 twittering flight. Last autumn I was consequently glad 

 to see a pair commence constructing their habitation 

 against our present residence. It was, however, so late in 

 the season, that I concluded they must have made a mis- 

 take in their reckoning. After a while, as if disgusted, 

 they went off, and were soon involved in the annual 

 migration. I gave the pair, I must say, little credit for 

 judgment. I thought it might be probably an ill-con- 

 sidered runaway match, or perhaps that a widow had, 

 after much manoeuvring, managed to entrap a wary old 

 bachelor. Anyhow they had not given due considera- 

 to their housekeeping cares, it was clear ; when, lo and 

 behold ! this spring, what should I see one fine morning, 

 but my fair friend and her partner essaying the security 

 of a tiny mud lodge, which was all they had managed 



