Page:Walks in the Black Country and its green border-land.pdf/315

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and its Green Border-Land.
301

that it is a wonder he can accomplish as much as he does. After a short talk with the driver of these splendid grays, in which he looked surprised at certain questions I put to him, we resumed our walk to Enville. The road passed for a considerable distance under the shadow of a kind of primeval forest of lofty Scotch firs, which spread a thick roofage, by their trunk columns full sixty feet in height. Like the eternal song of the shell, the ceaseless murmur of their solemn music fills these fir temples of Nature day and night, summer and winter. The sun had poured out its parting flood upon the wooded hills, and the evening twilight had set in, before we reached the Earl of Stamford's seat, so we were obliged to postpone our visit to the gardens till the next day. We found very comfortable quarters at the only inn of the village, and, what made them all the more enjoyable, a very intelligent and affable landlord, who could not only answer all the questions we put to him but also volunteer interesting information without asking. He had resided there for more than thirty years, and could tell us of changes in the habits of the people of the village and neighbourhood which will be referred to hereafter.

The next morning we found the beautiful weather of the preceding day had changed, and it was now