mmon, so far from being barren, was a perfect
sheet of greenest, softest turf, sowed with minute and rare flowers.
Often a square foot of ground presented me with enough of beauty and
variety in colour and form to criticise and contemplate for a full hour.

My human interests were not extensive. Sometimes the Enderley
villagers, or the Tod children, who were a grade above these, and
decidedly "respectable," would appear and have a game of play at the
foot of the slope, their laughter rising up to where I lay. Or some
old woman would come with her pails to the spring below, a curious and
very old stone well, to which the cattle from the common often rushed
down past me in bevies, and stood knee-deep, their mouths making
glancing circles in the water as they drank.

Being out of doors almost all day, I saw very little of the inhabitants
of our cottage. Once or twice a lady and gentleman passed, creeping at
the foot of the slope so slowly, that I felt sure it must be Mr. March
and his daughter. He was tall, with grey hair; I was not near enough
to distinguish his features. She walked on the further side,
supporting him with her arm. Her comfortable morning hood was put off,
and she had on her head that ugly, stiff thing which ladies had lately
taken to wearing, and which, Jael said, was called a "bonnet."

Except on these two occasions, I had no opportunity of making any
observations on the manners and customs of our neighbours. Occasionally
Mrs. Tod mentioned them in her social chatter, while laying the cloth;
but it was always in the most cursory and trivial way, such as "Miss
March having begged that the children might be kept quiet--Mrs. Tod
hoped their noise didn't disturb ME? but Mr. March was such a very
fidgety gentleman--so particular in his dress, too--Why, Miss March had
to iron his cravats with her own hands. Besides, if there was a pin
awry in her dress he did make such a fuss--and, really, such an active,
busy young lady couldn't look always as if she came trim out of a
band-box. Mr. March wanted so much waiting on, he seemed to fancy he
still had his big house in Wales, and his seven servants."

Mrs. Tod conversed as if she took it for granted I was fully acquainted
with all the prior history of her inmates, or any others that she
mentioned--a habit peculiar to Enderley folk with strangers. It was
generally rather convenient, and it saved much listening; but in this
case, I would rather have had it