mirror; the sky was of a deep blue, washed from all impurities,
and the sun smiled down upon the beautiful earth, like a crowned king
upon his bride, decked with sparkling diamonds. It was one of nature's
gala-days, in which she appears to invite all her children to be happy;
one of those scenes which forbid us to call winter a dreary time, and
which outshine in brilliancy all the verdure of the tropics.

At any time we enjoy the clear sky after a sullen rain, or a driving,
impetuous storm, and young people especially feel the truth and beauty
of Solomon's expression, "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing
it is for the eyes to behold the sun;" but when, in addition, such a
spectacle as this is presented to those long pent up within city walls,
how does the heart swell with rapture! No introduction at court, no
coronation, no theatrical exhibition, can for a moment compare with it
in splendor; nature has shows more beautiful by far than any that man
can produce, and all she asks for in exchange is the seeing eye and the
feeling heart. Truly, the best gifts of heaven to man are free and
universal, bestowed without money and without price, and maybe enjoyed
by the penniless as well as by the millionaire, if the spirit be only
opened to the impressions of happiness they were intended to convey--the
Good God is daily blessing and feasting his creatures with impartial
liberality. What exclamations of delight were heard in The Grange when
the fairy scene was first beheld! Every room in the house was visited,
to see which presented the finest prospect, and soon, with feet well
provided with gum-elastics, and with old-fashioned socks, still better
preservatives from falling, all sallied forth to enjoy the spectacle
more fully. The clear sky and the keen air raised their spirits, and an
occasional slip and tumble was only an additional provocative to
laughter; youth and health, and merry hearts, that had never yet tasted
of sorrow, made life appear to them, not a desert, not a valley of
tears, as it is felt by many to be, but a paradise of sweets, a joyful
festival.

To combine duty and pleasure, Mrs. Wyndham proposed that they should
bend their steps to the humble home of Mrs. Norton, the poor widow for
whom their fingers had been so busily plying the preceding day.
Accordingly, laden with bundles, and with a basket of comforts which
would prove very acceptable to a sick person, they walked towards her
little cottage.