. Our village. und merr\ faces; and the low cottage in thebackground, peeping out of its vine leaves and chinaroses, with Martha at the door, tidy, and comely, andsmiling, preparing the potatoes for the pot, and watchingthe progress of dipping and filling that useful utensil,completes the picture. But we must go on. No time for more sketches inthese short days. It is getting cold too. We mustproceed in our \\alk. Dash is showing us the way andbeating the thick double liedgerow that runs along theside of the meadows, at a rate that indicates game astir,and causes the leaves to fly as fast as an
. Our village. und merr\ faces; and the low cottage in thebackground, peeping out of its vine leaves and chinaroses, with Martha at the door, tidy, and comely, andsmiling, preparing the potatoes for the pot, and watchingthe progress of dipping and filling that useful utensil,completes the picture. But we must go on. No time for more sketches inthese short days. It is getting cold too. We mustproceed in our \\alk. Dash is showing us the way andbeating the thick double liedgerow that runs along theside of the meadows, at a rate that indicates game astir,and causes the leaves to fly as fast as an east-wind aftera hard frost. Ah ! a pheasant ! a superb cock pheasant !Nothing is more certain than Dashs questing, whetherin a hedgerow or covert, for a better spaniel neverwent into the field ; but I fancied that it was a hareafoot, and was almost as much startled to hear the THE FALL OF THE LEAF 253 whirring of those splendid wings, as the princely birdhimself would have been at the report of a gun. Indeed,. ,//// it phctuiuit! a superb cock pheasant ! I believe that the way in which a pheasant gc)cs off,does sometimes make ycnuig sportsmen a little- nervous, 254 OUR VILLAGE (they dont own it very rcadih-, but the observation maybe rehed on nevertheless), until they get as it werebroken in to the sound ; and then that grand andsudden burst of wing becomes as pleasant to them as itseems to be to Dash, who is beating the hedgerow withmight and main, and giving tongue louder, and sendingthe leaves about faster than ever—very proud of findingthe pheasant, and perhaps a little angry with me fornot shooting it; at least looking as if he would be angryif I were a man ; for Dash is a dog of great sagacity, andhas doubtless not lived four }-ears in the sporting worldwithout making the discovery, that although gentlemendo shoot, ladies do not. The Loddon at last ! the beautiful Loddon ! and thebridge, where every one stops, as by instinct, to leanover the rails, and gaze a moment o
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Keywords: ., bookauthorritchieannethackeray1, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890
