THE TWO ELSIES.

CHAPTER I.

"Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave."

LONGFELLOW.


It was a lovely summer morning, glorious with sunlight, sweet with the
fragrance of flowers and the songs of birds.

The view from the bay-window of the library of Crag Cottage, the
residence of Mr. George Leland, architect and artist, was very fine,
embracing, as it did, some of the most magnificent scenery on the banks
of the Hudson.

The house stood very high, and from that window one might look north and
south over wooded mountain, hill and valley, or east upon the majestic
river and its farther shore.

The nearer view was of well-kept, though not extensive, grounds; a
flower-garden and lawn with a winding carriage-way leading up the hill by
a gradual ascent.

It was a pleasant place to sit even on a sunny summer morning, for a tall
tree partially shaded the window without greatly obstructing the view,