funny road! It looks like a play
road."

The road, where it led through the village, did, indeed, present a very
singular appearance. It was very narrow indeed, being barely wide enough
for one carriage to pass, and leaving scarcely room on the side for a
child to crowd up against the house, and let it go by. On the other side
was a row of trees, with green grass beneath, covering the banks of the
canal.

After Mr. George and Rollo had been standing a few minutes on the bridge
they saw that the carriage was nearly ready. So they went back to the
place and got in. The top of the carriage was turned entirely down, so
that they could see about them in every direction as they rode along.
James mounted on the box outside, with the driver.

"Now," said Rollo, in a tone of great satisfaction, "we will have a very
first rate ride."

The carriage drove along through the little street, which has already
been described. Rollo could reach his hand out and almost touch the
houses as they rode by. There were little shops kept in some of the
houses, and the things that were for sale were put up at the windows.
They looked exactly as if children had arranged them for play.

After leaving the village the road turned and followed the dike of a
branch canal. The views on every side were extremely beautiful. The
canal was carried along between its two banks, high above the rest of
the country, and here and there, at moderate distances from each other,
wind mills were to be seen busy at work pumping up water from the drains
in the fields, and pouring it into the canal. The fields were covered
with herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, and here and there were
parties of men mowing the grass or loading the new-made hay into boats,
that lay floating in the small canals which bordered the fields.

In looking about over the country, there were wind mills to be seen in
all directions, their long arms slowly revolving in the air, and
interspersed among them were the masts and sails of sloops and
schooners, that were sailing to and fro along the canals. As the water
of these canals was often hidden from view by the dikes which bordered
them, it seemed as if the ships and steamers were sailing on the land in
the midst of green fields and trees, and smiling villages.

After going on in this way for an hour or more, the carriage approached
the village which Mr. George and Rollo were going to see. The village
lay on the borders of a canal, which