THE SEARCH AND FINDING. 3 



that was packed close with hemlocks and maples ; 

 while beyond the bluff a rattling stream came down 

 over mill dykes and through swift sluices, and sent its 

 whirling bubbles far out into the bosom of the little 

 bay. West of the bluff lay the level farm lands ; and 

 northward of the green slope which formed the 

 northern shore, it seemed to me that wooded hills 

 would rise steep and ragged, with such wildness in 

 them as would make admirable setting for the sloping 

 grass land below, and the Sunday quiet of the cove. 

 It seemed to me that possibly there might be an 

 oyster bed planted along the shore, which would help 

 out the salads that should be planted above ; and, 

 possibly, a miniature dock might be thrust out into 

 the water, at which some little pinnace might float, 

 with a gay pennant at her truck. 



Possibly it does ; possibly there is such a place ; 

 but for me it was only a picture. 



Again, it seemed to me that the farm house 

 would nestle in some little glen upon the banks of 

 a river, where every day crowded boats passed, surg- 

 ing up against the current ; or gliding down with a 

 meteor-like swiftness. 



In this case, the slopes were many : a slope east- 

 ward from the house door to the banks of a little 

 brook that came sauntering leisurely out from the 

 wood, at the bottom of the glen ; a slope from the 



