Saturday
I started this letter ages ago, but I haven't had a second to finish it.
Isn't this a nice thought from Stevenson?
The world is so full of a number of things, I am sure we should all be as happy as kings.
It's true, you know. The world is full of happiness, and plenty to goround, if you are only willing to take the kind that comes your way.The whole secret is in being PLIABLE. In the country, especially,there are such a lot of entertaining things. I can walk overeverybody's land, and look at everybody's view, and dabble ineverybody's brook; and enjoy it just as much as though I owned theland--and with no taxes to pay!
It's Sunday night now, about eleven o'clock, and I am supposed to begetting some beauty sleep, but I had black coffee for dinner, so--nobeauty sleep for me!
This morning, said Mrs. Semple to Mr. Pendleton, with a very determinedaccent:
'We have to leave here at a quarter past ten in order to get to churchby eleven.'
'Very well, Lizzie,' said Master Jervie, 'you have the buggy ready, andif I'm not dressed, just go on without waiting.' 'We'll wait,' saidshe.
'As you please,' said he, 'only don't keep the horses standing toolong.'
Then while she was dressing, he told Carrie to pack up a lunch, and hetold me to scramble into my walking clothes; and we slipped out theback way and went fishing.
It discommoded the household dreadfully, because Lock Willow of aSunday dines at two. But he ordered dinner at seven--he orders mealswhenever he chooses; you would think the place were a restaurant--andthat kept Carrie and Amasai from going driving. But he said it was allthe better because it wasn't proper for them to go driving without achaperon; and anyway, he wanted the horses himself to take me driving.Did you ever hear anything so funny?
And poor Mrs. Semple believes that people who go fishing on Sundays goafterwards to a sizzling hot hell! She is awfully troubled to thinkthat she didn't train him better when he was small and helpless and shehad the chance. Besides--she wished to show him off in church.
Anyway, we had our fishing (he caught four little ones) and we cookedthem on a camp-fire for lunch. They kept falling off our spiked sticksinto the fire, so they tasted a little ashy, but we ate them. We gothome at four and went driving at five and had dinner at seven, and atten I was sent to bed and here I am, writing to you.
I am getting a little sleepy, though.
Good night.
Here is a picture of the one fish I caught.