"
"What o'clock is it, now?"
"Humph! half-past five. I think the next time we wish to get off at
sunrise, we had better arrange to start at midnight; then, perhaps, we
may succeed."
Turning the corner of the street at this moment the sudden sight of
the river, and the wood on the opposite bank, glimmering and
glistening in the light of the morning sun, elicited a simultaneous
burst of admiration from our travelers. Then the prospective pleasures
of the rural visit were discussed, the family and friendly reunions,
the dinner parties, the fish feasts upon the river's banks, the oyster
excursions and crab expeditions; and in such pleasant anticipations
the cheerful hours of that delightful forenoon slipped away; and when,
at last, the heat of the sun grew oppressive, and our sharpened
appetites reminded us of the dinner-basket, we began to cast around
for a cool, dry and shady spot on which to rest and refresh ourselves.
The road here was wide and passed through a thick forest. A few more
turns of the wheels brought us to a narrow footpath, diverging from
the main road into the forest on the left-hand side.
"Let's get out here, Clive, and follow this path; I know it.
Pages:
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238