390 THE DAY OF DEPARTURE. 



across our path, all bordered with, violets and wood-anemones 

 and blue-bells, and, above all, the little celandine, he noted 

 not even the first advent of the working bees as they came 

 from their waxen cells to 



" Settle on her brilliant features." 



Though my poor uncle's affairs wore an irretrievable aspect, 

 he had been urgently advised to pay a business visit to the 

 metropolis by friends there resident. Amongst them was my 

 father (his younger brother), who had sunk in mercantile 

 adventure a younger brother's fortune, and was now, with the 

 burden of a large motherless family, only toiling to acquire 

 another. To his abode in the City my uncle had for above 

 three months been promising to repair ; but in a procrastina- 

 ting spirit, half-nervous, half-supine, he had from day to day 

 deferred his journey till the arrival of the second week in 

 May, when he actually made up his mind to leave his home 

 for the first time for many years. 



The morning came on which he was to take the coach from 

 the neighbouring post-town. Its distance of three miles was 

 beyond that of his usual walking, and he was glad, therefore, 

 to accept for the occasion a loan of the pony once his own. 

 Caleb was despatched beforehand to bring it back, and carry 

 his master's portmanteau, with a basket of provision for the 

 journey, provided by Mistress Dove. About eight o'clock the 

 traveller himself started. Dolly stood on the steps, looking 



