MOORLAND IDYLLS. 



with its vast curve the entire Big Drawing- 

 room. No finer throne-hall has any earthly 

 king ; it is quite good enough for ourselves 

 and our visitors. 



But as we leaned back in our easy-chairs 

 spring seats of brake, backed with a bole 

 of red pine-bark we gazed upward over- 

 head through the gaps in the boughs, and 

 saw our winged house-fellows, the black- 

 and-white martins, sweeping round in long 

 curves after flies in the sunshine. It was 

 immensely picturesque for the martins and 

 ourselves ; how the flies regard the question 

 I forbear to inquire at the present juncture. 

 We had lamb chops for lunch ; let him that 

 is without sin amongst us for example, the 

 editor of the Vegetarian Times cast the 

 first stone at the house-martins. For my- 

 self, I am too conscious of carnivorous and 

 other sinful tastes to cast stones at anybody. 

 We are all human, say I, or at any rate 

 vertebrate ; let us agree to take things with 

 vertebrate toleration. 



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