July 29th. Tuesday. [1851]
Got up at six ; — a cool breezy morning, with sun- shine glimpsing through sullen clouds, which seemed to hang low and rest on the edges of the hills that border the valley. I bathed, and then called Julian, who, by the by, was awake and summoning me, sometime before I was ready to receive him. He went with me for the milk, and frisked and capered along the road in a way that proved him to be in a good physical condition. After breakfast, he immediately demanded the jack-knife, and proceeded to manufacture the tooth-picks. When the dew was off, we went out to the barn and thence to the garden ; and, in one way or another, half got through the fore-noon until half -past ten, which is the present time of day.
Afterwards, he betook himself to playing bat and ball with huge racket and uproar about the room, felicitating himself continually on the license of making what noise he pleased, in the absence of baby. He enjoys this freedom so greatly, that I do not mean to restrain him, what- ever noise he makes.
Then we took Bunny out into the open air, and put him down on the grass. Bunny appears to most advantage out of doors. His most interesting trait is the apprehensiveness of his nature ; it is as quick and as continually in movement as an aspen leaf. The least noise startles him, and you may see his emotion in the movement of his ears ; he starts and scrambles into his little house ; but, in a moment, peeps forth again, and begins nibbling the grass and weeds; — again to be startled, and as quickly reassured. Sometimes he sets out on a nimble little run, for no reason, but just as a dry leaf is blown along by a puff of wind. I do not think that these fears are any considerable torment to Bunny; it is his nature to live in the midst of them, and to intermingle them, as a sort of piquant sauce, with every morsel he eats. It is what redeems his life from dullness and stagnation. Bunny appears to be un-easy in broad and open sunshine ; it is his impulse to seek shadow — the shadow of a tuft of bushes, or Julian's shadow, or mine. He seemed to think himself in rather too much peril, so important a personage as he is, in the breadth of the yard, and took various opportunities to creep into Julian's lap. At last, the north-west breeze being cool to- day—too cool for me, especially when one of the thousand watery clouds intercepted the sun — we all three came in. This is a horrible, horrible, most horrible climate; one knows not, for ten minutes together, whether he is too cool or too warm ; but he is always one or the other, and the constant result is a miserable disturbance of the system. I detest it! I detest it! I detest it! ! ! I hate Berkshire with my whole soul, and would joyfully see its mountains laid flat. Luther and old Mr. Barnes speak as if this weather were something unusual. It may be so, but I rather conceive that a variable state of the atmosphere in summer time is incident to a country of hills, and always to be expected. At any rate, be it re- corded that here, where I hoped for perfect health, I have for the first time been made sensible that I cannot with impunity encounter Nature in all her moods.
Since we came in, Julian has again betaken himself to that blessed jack-knife, and is now "chipping and tharpening," as he calls it, and hammering, and talking to himself about his plans and performances, with great content.
After dinner (roast lamb for me, and boiled rice for Julian) we walked down to the lake. On our way we waged war with thistles, which represented many-headed dragons and hydras, and on tall mulleins, which passed for giants. One of these latter offered such steady resistance that my stick was broken in the encounter, and so I cut it off of a length suitable to Julian; there- upon he expressed an odd entanglement of sorrow for my loss and joy at his own gain. Ar- riving at the lake, he dug most persistently for worms, in order to catch a fish; but could find none. - Then we threw innumerable stones into the water, for the pleasure of seeing them splash ; also, I built a boat, with a scrap of newspaper for a sail, and sent it out on a voyage, and we could see the gleam of its sail long afterwards, far away over the lake. It was a most beautiful afternoon— autumnal in its character — with a bright, warm, genial sunshine, but coolness in the air, so that though it was rather beyond com- fort to sit in the sun, I felt compelled to return to it after a brief experience of the shade. The heavy masses of cloud, lumbering about the sky, threw deep black shadows on the sunny hill-sides ; so that the contrast between the heat and coolness of the day was visibly expressed. The atmosphere was particularly transparent, as if all the haze was collected into these dense clouds. Distant objects appeared with great distinctness, and the Taconic range of hills was a dark blue substance, with its protuberances and irregularities apparent — not cloudlike, as it often is. The sun smiled with mellow breadth across the rippling lake — rippling with the north-western breeze.
On our way home, we renewed our warfare with the thistles ; and they suffered terribly in the combat. Julian has a real spirit of battle in him, and puts his soul into his blows. Immediately after our return, he called for the jack-knife, and now keeps pestering me to look at the feats which he performs with it. Blessed be the man who in- vented jack-knives.
Next we went out and gathered some currants. He babbles continually, throughout these various doings, and often says odd things, which I either forget, or cannot possibly grasp them so as to write them down. Among other things, during the current gathering, he speculated about rainbows, and asked why they were not called sun-bows, or sun-rain-bows ; and said that he sup- posed their bowstrings were made of cobwebs; which was the reason why they could not be seen. Some of the time, I hear him repeating poetry, with good emphasis and intonation. He is never out of temper or out of spirits, and is certainly as happy as the day is long. He is happy enough by himself, and when I sympathize or partake in his play, it is almost too much, and he nearly explodes with laughter and delight.
Little Marshall Butler has just been in to in- quire whether "the bird" has come yet. I am afraid we shall be favored with visits every day till it comes. I do wish the original parrot had been given him, whatever its defects, for I have seldom suffered more from the presence of any individual than from that of this odious little urchin. Julian took no more notice of him than if he had not been present, but went on with his talk and occupations, displaying an equanimity which I could not but envy. He absolutely ignores him; no practised man of the world could do it better, or half so well. After prying about the room and examining the playthings, Marshall took himself off. At about eight, Mrs. Tappan came in, bringing thee newspapers and the first volume of "Pendennis." She seemed in very pleasant mood. I read the papers till ten, and then to bed.
Got up at six ; — a cool breezy morning, with sun- shine glimpsing through sullen clouds, which seemed to hang low and rest on the edges of the hills that border the valley. I bathed, and then called Julian, who, by the by, was awake and summoning me, sometime before I was ready to receive him. He went with me for the milk, and frisked and capered along the road in a way that proved him to be in a good physical condition. After breakfast, he immediately demanded the jack-knife, and proceeded to manufacture the tooth-picks. When the dew was off, we went out to the barn and thence to the garden ; and, in one way or another, half got through the fore-noon until half -past ten, which is the present time of day.
Afterwards, he betook himself to playing bat and ball with huge racket and uproar about the room, felicitating himself continually on the license of making what noise he pleased, in the absence of baby. He enjoys this freedom so greatly, that I do not mean to restrain him, what- ever noise he makes.
Then we took Bunny out into the open air, and put him down on the grass. Bunny appears to most advantage out of doors. His most interesting trait is the apprehensiveness of his nature ; it is as quick and as continually in movement as an aspen leaf. The least noise startles him, and you may see his emotion in the movement of his ears ; he starts and scrambles into his little house ; but, in a moment, peeps forth again, and begins nibbling the grass and weeds; — again to be startled, and as quickly reassured. Sometimes he sets out on a nimble little run, for no reason, but just as a dry leaf is blown along by a puff of wind. I do not think that these fears are any considerable torment to Bunny; it is his nature to live in the midst of them, and to intermingle them, as a sort of piquant sauce, with every morsel he eats. It is what redeems his life from dullness and stagnation. Bunny appears to be un-easy in broad and open sunshine ; it is his impulse to seek shadow — the shadow of a tuft of bushes, or Julian's shadow, or mine. He seemed to think himself in rather too much peril, so important a personage as he is, in the breadth of the yard, and took various opportunities to creep into Julian's lap. At last, the north-west breeze being cool to- day—too cool for me, especially when one of the thousand watery clouds intercepted the sun — we all three came in. This is a horrible, horrible, most horrible climate; one knows not, for ten minutes together, whether he is too cool or too warm ; but he is always one or the other, and the constant result is a miserable disturbance of the system. I detest it! I detest it! I detest it! ! ! I hate Berkshire with my whole soul, and would joyfully see its mountains laid flat. Luther and old Mr. Barnes speak as if this weather were something unusual. It may be so, but I rather conceive that a variable state of the atmosphere in summer time is incident to a country of hills, and always to be expected. At any rate, be it re- corded that here, where I hoped for perfect health, I have for the first time been made sensible that I cannot with impunity encounter Nature in all her moods.
Since we came in, Julian has again betaken himself to that blessed jack-knife, and is now "chipping and tharpening," as he calls it, and hammering, and talking to himself about his plans and performances, with great content.
After dinner (roast lamb for me, and boiled rice for Julian) we walked down to the lake. On our way we waged war with thistles, which represented many-headed dragons and hydras, and on tall mulleins, which passed for giants. One of these latter offered such steady resistance that my stick was broken in the encounter, and so I cut it off of a length suitable to Julian; there- upon he expressed an odd entanglement of sorrow for my loss and joy at his own gain. Ar- riving at the lake, he dug most persistently for worms, in order to catch a fish; but could find none. - Then we threw innumerable stones into the water, for the pleasure of seeing them splash ; also, I built a boat, with a scrap of newspaper for a sail, and sent it out on a voyage, and we could see the gleam of its sail long afterwards, far away over the lake. It was a most beautiful afternoon— autumnal in its character — with a bright, warm, genial sunshine, but coolness in the air, so that though it was rather beyond com- fort to sit in the sun, I felt compelled to return to it after a brief experience of the shade. The heavy masses of cloud, lumbering about the sky, threw deep black shadows on the sunny hill-sides ; so that the contrast between the heat and coolness of the day was visibly expressed. The atmosphere was particularly transparent, as if all the haze was collected into these dense clouds. Distant objects appeared with great distinctness, and the Taconic range of hills was a dark blue substance, with its protuberances and irregularities apparent — not cloudlike, as it often is. The sun smiled with mellow breadth across the rippling lake — rippling with the north-western breeze.
On our way home, we renewed our warfare with the thistles ; and they suffered terribly in the combat. Julian has a real spirit of battle in him, and puts his soul into his blows. Immediately after our return, he called for the jack-knife, and now keeps pestering me to look at the feats which he performs with it. Blessed be the man who in- vented jack-knives.
Next we went out and gathered some currants. He babbles continually, throughout these various doings, and often says odd things, which I either forget, or cannot possibly grasp them so as to write them down. Among other things, during the current gathering, he speculated about rainbows, and asked why they were not called sun-bows, or sun-rain-bows ; and said that he sup- posed their bowstrings were made of cobwebs; which was the reason why they could not be seen. Some of the time, I hear him repeating poetry, with good emphasis and intonation. He is never out of temper or out of spirits, and is certainly as happy as the day is long. He is happy enough by himself, and when I sympathize or partake in his play, it is almost too much, and he nearly explodes with laughter and delight.
Little Marshall Butler has just been in to in- quire whether "the bird" has come yet. I am afraid we shall be favored with visits every day till it comes. I do wish the original parrot had been given him, whatever its defects, for I have seldom suffered more from the presence of any individual than from that of this odious little urchin. Julian took no more notice of him than if he had not been present, but went on with his talk and occupations, displaying an equanimity which I could not but envy. He absolutely ignores him; no practised man of the world could do it better, or half so well. After prying about the room and examining the playthings, Marshall took himself off. At about eight, Mrs. Tappan came in, bringing thee newspapers and the first volume of "Pendennis." She seemed in very pleasant mood. I read the papers till ten, and then to bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment