which hung high above the water, a reach of the river terminated by
a rustic mill.

There we sat, emptying our little basket of fruit and country cakes,
till Emily was seized with a desire of viewing, from the other side
of the Loddon, the scenery which had so much enchanted her. 'I
must,' said she, 'take a sketch of the ivied boat-house, and of this
sweet room, and this pleasant window;--grandmamma would never be
able to walk from the road to see the place itself, but she must see
its likeness.' So forth we sallied, not forgetting the dear musk
roses.

We had no way of reaching the desired spot but by retracing our
steps a mile, during the heat of the hottest hour of the day, and
then following the course of the river to an equal distance on the
other side; nor had we any materials for sketching, except the
rumpled paper which had contained our repast, and a pencil without a
point which I happened to have about me. But these small
difficulties are pleasures to gay and happy youth. Regardless of
such obstacles, the sweet Emily bounded on like a fawn, and I
followed delighting in her delight. The sun went in, and the walk
was delicious; a reviving coolness seemed to breathe over the water,
wafting the balmy scent of the firs and limes; we found a point of
view presenting the boat-house, the water, the poplars, and the
mill, in a most felicitous combination; the little straw fruit
basket made a capital table; and refreshed and sharpened and pointed
by our trusty lacquey's excellent knife (your country boy is never
without a good knife, it is his prime treasure), the pencil did
double duty;--first in the skilful hands of Emily, whose faithful
and spirited sketch does equal honour to the scene and to the