148 GOLDEN DAYS 



to the proud mustard-bottle that appraised 

 the mill. Then from his breast-pocket 

 Monsieur Boniface took a vast cigar. 

 This, I feel sure, would have given the 

 size of the trout approximately had not 

 fate, hi the shape of a farmer, intervened. 

 A heated controversy on the current price 

 of butter then ensued, and at its height 1 

 softly slipped away. 



The fourth kilometre stone was passed 

 before the ash copse hove in sight. But 

 what did distance matter at a time like 

 this ? I had the whole long day before 

 me. 



The green lights of the woodland v/ere 

 more glad and complete for the glare of 

 the high-road left behind. There was 

 fragrance everywhere, warm succulent 

 scents of growing things, damp verdant 

 mosses, wild raspberry, sorrel, musk, and 

 eglantine. The foliage overhead grew 

 denser, set here and there with spruce- 

 trees, which gradually merged into stunted 

 pine woods. There were deep green 

 glades where great lichen-covered rocks 

 lay clustered, where gold and copper- 

 coloured butterflies hovered, pitching now 



