We started about eleven o'clock,
full of spirits at the thought that we had all but accomplished the only
part of the undertaking about which we had had any uneasiness. Connie was
quite merry. The air was thoroughly warm. We had an open carriage with
a hood. Wynnie sat opposite her mother, Dora and Eliza the maid in the
rumble, and I by the coachman. The road being very hilly, we had
four horses; and with four horses, sunshine, a gentle wind, hope and
thankfulness, who would not be happy?
There is a strange delight in motion, which I am not sure that I altogether
understand. The hope of the end as bringing fresh enjoyment has something
to do with it, no doubt; the accompaniments of the motion, the change of
scene, the mystery that lies beyond the next hill or the next turn in
the road, the breath of the summer wind, the scent of the pine-trees
especially, and of all the earth, the tinkling jangle of the harness as you
pass the trees on the roadside, the life of the horses, the glitter and the
shadow, the cottages and the roses and the rosy faces, the scent of burning
wood or peat from the chimneys, these and a thousand other things combine
to make such a journey delightful.
Pages:
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166