THE DAILY LIFE OF OUE FAEM. 241 



August, 1869. 



Never was implement so kindly treated. Housed in 

 full readiness for action so long before, and oiled and 

 sharpened, and finally conveyed tenderly to the field, 

 before even a villager was stirring, and while the dew 

 hung heavy upon the serried trifolium stems ; if it did 

 not cut satisfactorily then, why all I have to say is, 

 that I don't know when a machine could choose to cut 

 at all. 



" Did ye not hear it ? Ko ; 'twas but the wind, 

 Or the car rattling o'er the stony street ; " 



It did make a startling row, too, down the sleep- 

 opprest village, sending a spirited old blind carriage 

 mare, that was one of the pair attached, almost wild 

 at the jingle behind her. Nor was it long before 

 my neighbour's shepherd came, looking scared enough, 

 along the path behind us, with his boot-laces undone, 

 and his wits scarcely awake, having been aroused 

 before his time by the unearthly sound. Once at 

 ■ work, however, it was delightful to ourselves to find 

 it do its duty effectively ; so that by the time the 

 sun was fairly hot, there were some half-dozen acres 

 laid low. By changing the horses and knife every 

 three hours, we got twelve acres cut before night. 

 It was delightful to be independent of the itinerant 

 gangs of mowers, who are more extortionate, more 

 thirsty, and more sleepy than ever this season. We 

 soon got half our meadow grass down in addition to the 

 clover, and had the Swede fallow being rapidly prepared 

 at the same time, and that without an extra hand 

 above our regular complement. Unhappily our success 

 made us saucy, and by sauntering a day too long, when 



