the brook but it was not the hum of the insects or the of a bird or the snapping of a rotten that filled joseph with awe but something that he could neither see nor hear nor smell nor touch the life of the trees � is that it he ex asked himself a remote and mysterious life was certainly breathing about him and he regretted he was without a sense to apprehend this life again and again it seemed that the forest was about to whisper its secret but something always happened to t � interrupt once it was certainly s fault for just as the trees were about to speak he picked up a leaf and began to explain how the shape of an oak leaf differed from that of the leaf of the chestnut and the ash a was heard among the leaves there she goes � a hare joseph said and a moment afterwards a white thing ap a white said shall we follow him joseph asked and answered that it would � be useless to follow we should soon miss them in the and he continued his discourse upon trees hop n ing that joseph would never again mistake a for s a chestnut and what is that tree so dark and gloomy rising up through all the other trees joseph asked so much higher than any of them that is a said do build in did not know and the tree did not inspire a climb it seemed to forbid any attempt on its privacy do trees talk when they are alone joseph asked and his gave the very sensible answer that the life of trees is unknown to us but that trees v had always awakened religious emotions in men the earliest tribes were tree which was very foolish for we can fell trees and put them to our usage they had come to a part of the forest in which there seemed to be neither birds nor beasts and joseph had begun to feel the forest a little wearisome and to wish for a change when the trees suddenly stopped and before the brook them lay a sunny full of tall grass with here and there a fallen tree and on these trees prone great themselves nodding their heads in a motion ever the same something had died in that beautiful for a rose sullenly and went away over the top of the trees and begged joseph not to pursue his search but to hasten out of the smell of the that a little breeze had just carried towards them besides this thick grass is full of he said and the words were no sooner out of his mouth than a snake issued from a thick stopped and feed on and rats joseph asked and come out of their holes to catch them isn t that so sir everything is out this sunny morning seeking its food answered after after this way joseph � yonder we may rest awhile but we must be careful not to sit upon a snake that yonder is free from for the trees that grow about it are fir trees and do not like any place where they can easily be detected and they sat on the ground and looked up into the darkness of the withered pines � withered everywhere except in the branches that alone caught the light a sad place to sit in joseph said don t you feel the sadness sir answered that he did but it is to snake he added at that moment slowly flapping wings were heard overhead it is the returning whispered to joseph and he is bringing a comrade back to dinner to a dinner joseph rejoined the breeze had suddenly and they found themselves again in the smell of we must go on farther said and after passing into many quiet hollows and ascending many the path to which they had remained faithful at last on broken ground with the tail end of the forest straggling up the opposite in groups and single trees i n s v x v v i v the brook � � s know where we are now joseph cried do you not remember sir joseph s explanation was cut short by the sight of some sitting at their midday meal and hunger falling suddenly upon and joseph both began to regret they had not brought food with them but had some tied in his garment and for one of these pieces of silver the were glad to share their bread and with them and to draw milk for them from one of the she from which shall i draw milk the shepherd asked his mate and the mate answered white nose looks as if her is her she lost her kid yesterday he mentioned two others and long ears whichever would like her milk drawn off will answer to thy call the shepherd answered and the goat came running to him as if glad to hear her name white nose isn t it joseph asked and he gathered a branch for her and while she he watched the milk drawn off and drank it foaming and warm from the believing it to be the sweetest he had ever drunk though he had often drunk goat s milk before too vowed that he had never drunk better milk and persuaded the into discourse of their trade learning much thereby for these men knew everything that men may know about flocks having been engaged in leading them from pasture to pasture all their lives and their fathers before them after telling of many famous they related the courage and fidelity of their dogs none of which feared a wolf and they mentioned that two had been lost in an encounter with a � but the flock had been saved as much as wolves the feared the there are a dozen nests in yon 