'Mist clogs the sunshine,

Smoky dwarf houses

Have we round on every side.'

MATTHEW ARNOLD.

The next afternoon, about twenty miles from Milton-Northern, they

entered on the little branch railway that led to Heston. Heston

itself was one long straggling street, running parallel to the

seashore. It had a character of its own, as different from the

little bathing-places in the south of England as they again from

those of the continent. To use a Scotch word, every thing looked

more 'purposelike.' The country carts had more iron, and less

wood and leather about the horse-gear; the people in the streets,

although on pleasure bent, had yet a busy mind. The colours

looked grayer--more enduring, not so gay and pretty. There were

no smock-frocks, even among the country folk; they retarded

motion, and were apt to catch on machinery, and so the habit of

wearing them had died out.

In such towns in the south of England,

Margaret had seen the shopmen, when not employed in their

business, lounging a little at their doors, enjoying the fresh

air, and the look up and down the street. Here, if they had any

leisure from customers, they made themselves business in the

shop--even, Margaret fancied, to the unnecessary unrolling and

rerolling of ribbons. All these differences struck upon her mind,

as she and her mother went out next morning to look for lodgings.

Their two nights at hotels had cost more than Mr. Hale had

anticipated, and they were glad to take the first clean, cheerful

for the first time for many days, did Margaret feel at rest.

There rooms they met with that were at liberty to receive them.

There, was a dreaminess in the rest, too, which made it still

more perfect and luxurious to repose in. The distant sea, lapping

the sandy shore with measured sound; the nearer cries of the

donkey-boys; the unusual scenes moving before her like pictures,

which she cared not in her laziness to have fully explained

before they passed away; the stroll down to the beach to breathe

the sea-air, soft and warm on that sandy shore even to the end of

November; the great long misty sea-line touching the

tender-coloured sky; the white sail of a distant boat turning

silver in some pale sunbeam:--it seemed as if she could dream her

life away in such luxury of pensiveness, in which she made her

present all in all, from not daring to think of the past, or

wishing to contemplate the future.

But the future must be met, however stern and iron it be. One

evening it was arranged that Margaret and her father should go

the next day to Milton-Northern, and look out for a house. Mr.

Hale had received several letters from Mr. Bell, and one or two

from Mr. Thornton, and he was anxious to ascertain at once a good

many particulars respecting his position and chances of success

there, which he could only do by an interview with the latter

gentleman. Margaret knew that they ought to be removing; but she

had a repugnance to the idea of a manufacturing town, and

believed that her mother was receiving benefit from Heston air,

so she would willingly have deferred the expedition to Milton.




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