WITH THE H. H. 



" See winter comes to rule tlie varied year^ sullen and 

 sad, with all Ms rising train — vapours and clouds and 

 storms/' making the ''country'' terribly deep for 

 ridino*, filling the furrows, damming up the ditches, 

 causing the brooks to run " bumpers/' whilst " the 

 rivers swell, of bonds impatient/' flooding the pleasant 

 valleys of the Ouse and the Nene ; compelling '' welter 

 weights" to seek fresh fields and pastures new for 

 a while, until the waters subside and the Oakley and 

 ritzwilliam countries once more afford good going for 

 those who ride some sixteen or seventeen stone. 

 Yapours and clouds and storms are no doubt 

 thoroughly seasonable at this time of the year, and 

 highly beneficial from an agricultural point of view. 

 And this we were glad to learn, whilst returning from 

 hunting, from a venerable husbandman, bent double 

 with toil or rheumatism, or both, weather-beaten and 

 soiled with earth — who, regardless of the pelting of 

 the pitiless storm, yet cheerily " passed the time of 

 day," observing that it was '' foin weather for the 

 turmuts." 



Up to this time we, who had been on pleasure bent, 

 had taken a different view of the atmospheric arrange- 

 ments, and were naturally greatly pleased to find that 

 agricultural labourers could be so *' deep contem- 

 plative " as to find '' books in the running brooks. 



