Hillside. 137 



such, so far as circumstances will admit, as harmless as 

 possible. 



We step back upon the footpath, which is here narrow, and 

 evidently but little used. The ordinary chalk-loving flowers 

 linger at its side, whilst the purple vetch, with its striking 

 masses of bloom, uprears its slender stems, supporting them 

 by means of the bushes in the copse. A row of trees crosses 

 the field at right angles to the footpath, and under these we 

 see what appears to be a gipsy encampment, but as we 

 draw nearer we see that we are mistaken ; the supposed 

 gipsies are only four powerful-looking men with unkempt 

 hair and unwashed hands, who look as if work disagreed 

 with them, or perhaps, more correctly, as if they disagreed 

 with work. Three of them turn their faces away and appear 

 to be gazing vacantly across the field or into space, but a 

 look of recognition comes into the face of one of them as he 

 says " Good day, sir ! " and through the covering of grime I 

 distinctly recognise an individual whom I knew some few 

 years ago as belonging to the rougher element in the neigh- 

 bouring town. I nod, and return his " Good day," but my 

 acquaintance is not inclined to let me off so easily, and, 

 according to the usual custom of a Britisher of this class, asks 

 me what I am going to stand. I feel as if I should like a 

 drink myself, for it is past mid-day and the sun is high in 

 the heavens, and fierce withal. I point out, however, my 

 inability to stand anything in the sense desired by my 

 interlocutor, but am met with the retort that they can 

 drink my health presently. So I part with a coin of the 

 realm, and have no doubt that they will fulfil their laud- 

 able intention as far as possible, unless indeed, instead of 

 drinking my health, they couple a very different sentiment 



