34 
Earth’s snowy mantle had vanished. The 
weather had been quite mild for a few days, and 
a warm rain had fallen in the night, and swept it 
all away. Mary could no longer see where the 
pretty brook tumbled merrily over the rocks in 
summer time, singing as it went. She could not 
even see the meadow through which it used to run. 
In the place of it, stood a large lake studded with 
trees. The river that had its source in the moun¬ 
tain, had been so swollen by the rain and melted 
snows, that it had overflowed its banks, and cov¬ 
ered all the fields in the valley. The tall, graceful 
elms could alone be seen above the waters. Fences, 
bridges, hedges and shrubbery had all disappeared. 
Yesterday, the brook and the river were chained 
last by the ice. Yesterday, every thing in the coun- 
' / 
try was cold and dead, except the Snow-drops, Cro¬ 
cuses, and the song of the South-wind in the pines. 
