EASY-CHAIR MEMORIES 13 



sight of the house itself, which did not look 

 one bit like a house afire. On the contrary, 

 there it was, placidly sitting in front of its 

 fine old lawns and flower-beds as if nothing 

 was the matter. The smoke and peculiar 

 smell, however, were stifling as I walked on. 

 At length I discovered what was burning. 

 It was a French barn full of new hay, about 

 200 yards farther on, alternately smouldering 

 and blazing away. I at length got round to 

 the windward of it, for a keen westerly wind 

 was fanning and blowing against it. It was 

 a really magnificent sight. It was a very 

 large pile divided into five separate sections, 

 part hay, part clover, and covered by the 

 corrugated iron roof, which fortunately had 

 fallen flat on the burning, smouldering mass, 

 and to some extent protected and prevented 

 the burning bits being blown over on to the 

 adjoining farm buildings, which were in im- 

 minent danger. The scene was so picturesque 

 that I found a lady photographer, and sent 

 her to make a photograph of it. 



The whole of the woodwork being newly 

 coal-tarred (as if on purpose), quickly dis- 

 appeared, and what remained was these five 



