284 THE LAND'S END 



common type found in these parts short, strongly 

 built, somewhat dumpy ; a blonde with grey or bluish- 

 grey eyes, light fluffy hair, and broad colourless face. 

 There was not a good feature in it, yet it did not 

 strike one as homely but was pleasant to look at on 

 account of the lively, intelligent and good-natured 

 expression. Finally, she was not flustered or put out 

 in the least degree at being spoken to and joined in 

 her walk by a stranger, but conversed freely with me 

 in that simple natural frank way which seems to me 

 the usual way in Cornwall. 



Mr. Ford Madox HueflTer, in his book The Heart 

 of the Country, has a good deal to say about the separa- 

 tion of the classes in rural England the great impass- 

 able gulf which exists between gentleman and peasant. 

 As an instance of this he relates that one evening, 

 when walking from a station to the village he was 

 staying at, he overtook a young woman going the 

 same way, and keeping together they conversed quite 

 naturally and pleasantly until they got to the end of 

 the dark lane to where there was a lamp, when it was 

 revealed to the young woman that her companion was 

 not of her own class. " Why," she exclaimed, staring 

 at him in astonishment, " you are a gentleman ! " 

 And with that took to her heels and vanished in the 

 dark. 



Such an incident would read like a fable in Corn- 

 wall in West Cornwall at all events for it could 

 not possibly happen there. The caste feeling so com- 

 mon elsewhere hardly exists, and if a gentleman 

 speaks to a young woman in a quiet lane she does 



