therefore remain without risk he had views of his own to be improved by my delay which rendered him rather an interested adviser and in truth we had own so intimate by our late associations that i felt it somewhat difficult to bring myself to the necessary resolution of taking leave but go i must � or inflict upon my good mother and sisters that feminine torture which visits the of this sex when once their apprehensions are excited on any question of health i therefore announced my fixed determination on the subject to the family and met all the arguments which were directed to my resolve with that hardy denial of assent which is the only refuge of a man in such a case my preparations were made and the day of my departure was named for my plan the elements made war against it the very day before my allotted time there came on a soft clouds rain which began soon after breakfast and when we met at dinner hazard came to me rubbing his hands and smiling with a look of triumph to tell me that however obstinate i might be in my purpose here was a flat upon it we generally have said he what we call a long spell in august the rain has begun and you may consider yourself fortunate if you get away in a week i took it as a jest but the next morning when i went to my chamber window i found that ned s exultation was not without some reason it had rained all night not in hard showers but in that gentle noise less of the heavens which showed that they meant to take their own time to themselves of their far as my eye could reach the was clad in one broad heavy gray robe the light was equally over this mass so as entirely to conceal the position of the sun and somewhat nearer to earth small of clouds floated across the sky in swift as if hastening to find their place in the ranks of the sombre army near the horizon i came down to breakfast where the family were assembled at a much later hour than usual a small fire was burning in the hearth the ladies were in and something of the complexion of the sky seemed to have settled upon the countenances of all around me � quiet sober that was not so frequently disturbed as before with of merriment my cousin poured out our coffee with a more and careful attention prudence looked as if she had herself � hung longer over the newspaper than common and permitted us to take our seats at table some time before he gave up reading the news the little girls had a world of care upon their shoulders � and parson his meal with unwonted expedition and then his hands into his pockets went into the ball and walked to and fro thoughtfully clouds hazard was the only one of the party who appeared untouched by the change of the weather and he kept his spirits up by frequent of directed to me on the prospect i had before me after breakfast we went to the door the rain from the down upon the rose bushes the walk was by little rivers that also ran along its borders and the grass plots were filled with lakes the old willow with rain wept tears down every upon the ground the ducks were gathered at the foot of this venerable monument and rested in profound quiet with their heads under their wings beyond the gate an old spent his holiday from labor in undisturbed idleness � his head downcast his tail close to his and his position motion less as some thing only giving signs of life by an occasional slow lifting up of his head � as if to observe the weather � and a short horse like the rain poured on and now and then some one affirmed that it grew brighter and that perhaps at mid day it would clear up but mid day came and the same continual dripping fell from leaf and roof and fence there was neither light nor shade all the picturesque had vanished from the landscape the was full of falling drops and the perspective was mist the dogs crept beneath the porch or with their shaggy and coats into the hall leaving their footsteps marked upon the floor wherever they walked the negro women ran across the yard with their thrown over their heads the working men moved leisurely along like water gods dripping from every point their hats softened into cloth like and their faces beneath them long sober and during the day made frequent excursions out of doors and returned into the house with shoes covered with mud much to the annoyance of clouds mrs who kept up a quick and fire of reproof upon the young as for hazard and myself we ourselves to the library whither had gone before us and there through the thousand by paths of miscellaneous literature changing our topics of study every moment and continually interrupting each other by reading aloud whatever passages occurred to provoke a laugh this grew tedious in turn and then we repaired to the drawing room we found the ladies in a similar mood making the like experiments upon the piano we were all nervous thus came and went the day the next was no better when i again looked out in the morning there stood the weeping willow the same vegetable as before and there the meditative ducks there the same horse � or another like him � looking into the inscrutable recesses of a fence comer and there the dogs and the muddy footed to vary the scene we took and walked holding our way over the wet towards the bridge the like ourselves tired of keeping the house had ranged themselves 