our road from Somersby to Boston ran on the crest of
a hill, from which we had a far-reaching view over the lovely
Lincolnshire country. Shortly after, we left the hills and found
ourselves again in the fen country. Many miles before we reached Boston
we saw the great tower of St. Botolph's Church, in some respects the
most remarkable in England. They give it the inartistic and
inappropriate appellation of "The Stump," due to the fact that it rises
throughout its height of more than three hundred feet without much
diminution in size. So greatly does this tower dominate the
old-fashioned city that one is in danger of forgetting that there is
anything else in Boston, and though it is a place little frequented by
Americans, there are few quainter towns in England. Several hundred
years ago it was one of the important seaports, but it lost its position
because the river on which it is situated is navigable only by small
vessels at high tide.

Boston is of especial interest to Americans on account of its great
namesake in this country and because it was the point from which the
Pilgrim Fathers made their first attempt to reach America. Owing to
pestilence and shipwreck, they were compelled to return, and later they
sailed in the Mayflower on a more successful voyage from Plymouth. We
can get a pretty good idea of the reasons which led the Pilgrim Fathers
to brave everything to get away from their home land. One may still see
in the old town hall of Boston the small, windowless stone cells where
the Fathers were confined during the period of persecution against the
Puritans. Evidently they did not lay their sufferings against the town
itself, or they would hardly have given the name to the one they
founded in the New World. Boston is full of ancient structures, among
them Shodfriars Hall, one of the most elaborate half-timbered buildings
in the Kingdom. The hotels are quite in keeping with the dilapidation
and unprogressiveness of the town and there is no temptation to linger
longer than necessary to get an idea of the old Boston and its
traditions.

The country through which we traveled next day is level and apparently
productive fanning land. The season had been unusually dry and favorable
to the fen land, as this section is called. The whole country between
Boston and Norwich has scarcely a hill and the numerous drains showed
that it is really a reclaimed marsh. In this section English farming
appeared at its best. The