Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-08-01
CHAPTER XXI.

| CdAtlEh AL.
Early on this fair morning the welcome
sunlight is all around us. touching here
and there on the red roofs half bidder
among the willows and elms. making tn.
old-fashioned inn and the ivied bridge
quite picturesque, and striking into ths
clear water 50 that we can see shoals OF
small fish darting this way and that Ovel
the beds of green weed. And here 1:
Miss Peggy herself, as radiant as the
dawn, her eyes shining and without mai
| ice; a placid content upon her Tranquil
| lips.
so this is the last day Of our voy,
age?' she says.
1.-The last full day We shall leave q
| few miles to do tomorrow. 30 as to get
into Reading about noon"
when one looks back" she says, rath.
er pensively, "all those places we have
seen appear to be very far away now.
Doesn't it seem ages since We saw Wind.
sor Castle, with the royal standard high
| up in the pale blue sky? Do you remem-
Der the fearful rain at Oxford, and the
tioods?"
And Mr.. A'Becket? yes. Tell me. did
you ever answer the letter he was sc
kind as to send you about the antiqui-
ties Of Gloucester"
well, l did not" she says, hastily.
Don't you think your wife will do that
for me-? She ought. The information
was for the whole party"
At breakfast there was clearly fore
shadowing of the end; for already these
good people were beginning to talk OF
the chief impressions produced by this
long water-ramble of ours. Miss Peggy's
fixed ideas seemed to be the remotcness
and the silence of those sOlitudes through
which we had passed, md the profusion
Of wild flowers. Mrs. Threepenny- bit, on
the other hand, had some fancy that IN
these rural wanderings you got to under
stand something of the hold that the
Church Of England has on the national
mind, the prominence of It even In the
landscape-the small. venerable. strong
sauare-towered building dominating the
tiniest village, the great cathedral the
principal feature and the proudest pos
session Of the town.
As we clided along through the haw-
thorn-scented air our chief difhculty was
to tell whether we were on a river or
canal. for the Kennel and Avon canal and
the river Kennel intertwist themselves
in remarkable manner and seem tc
have all their chief characteristics In
common.
About midday we came In sight OF
Newbury, the pink houses OF which look
ed very pleasant among the golden mead
ows and the various green's Of poplar and
maple.
We had delightful stroll in the after
noon along the banks of the winding wat
;rwav that is sometimes the canal and
sometimes the Kennel. and sometimes
on board, and yet it cannot be said we
u,ore a narticularly mournful company
To-morrow we should be back In the
Thames again, at Reading. Should we
take her down to Kingston, whence we
had started. and find her quarters theref
Or should we send her up the river 10
HepIey. with q view to the forthcoming
regatta!
~ will settle that matter for you, sald
Col Cameron. as we sat at dinner. 'Or
rather l have settled it for you. 1 am
going to buy this boat.
.Really?" says one Of us, who seems to
think he might have been consulted.
II will explain" says this tall High
lander. with great equanimity. Just De-
low the belt of wood at lnverfask there
is a quiet little bay, very fairly protect
cd by rocks-in fact, close to the shore
il is perfectly sheltered. l propose TO an
cbor n buoy some way out. and have
wire rope connecting it with the iand'
then. YOU perceive, by means OF travel
or Won could run this boat along when-
aver YOU wished, and you would be out
ot sea safe and secure-a small noatihg
home that would be very convenient tor
:. hundred things. You might want u
,;vo vour visitors afternoon tea. or you
ss,;aht have a little dinner party ID 'ne
ms, uns for the fun Of the thing. nave
'aourea Murdoch. he will be cap.Ain.
'eoL and steward. Or you niisn' w
mite mite by yourselves; and if it was Was 10" uU,
lua,J luan;rc 20 and the midges troubling you
N shore. you just step on board, anu aunnos. M~
~ an-solves out to sea. Or. again. suppOs
Mr. Duncombe were COMING , =
-ns .ns+ wav-I hope he will-and "ans 10
:naa "Hv dsv,s work done, wouldn't ina. Se
, secure retreat for him! 1nerT more % ner-
: sIS Ia.tsr isolation, surely. or more -
AZ AZ. silence. That would be p'A'e -
| write" .;,, certainly" young
shakespeare made answer, oi,ts % ISOLATION
m;stfnl visions Of not aoso'''e
seating before his mind. - ak per
noa zoe course you would have 70 ...na a1S not
,;ss;on." Inverfask continues. 7 nropose
rom me. 1t 10 not for ~'ss'