首頁 春天在心裏歌唱(英文愛藏雙語係列)

第35章 河穀尋幽 (2)

字體:16+-

From the top of the hill I was not a little surprised to see, in every part of the valley that my eye could reach, a due, a large, portion of f?ields of Swedish turnips, all looking extremely well. I had found the turnips of both sorts by no means bad from Salt Hill to Newbury; but from Newbury through Burghclere, Highclere, Uphusband, and Tangley, I had seen but few. At and about Ludgarshall and Everley I had seen hardly any. But when I came this morning to Milton Hill Farm, I saw a very large f?ield of what appeared to me to be f?ine Swedish turnips. In the valley, however, I found them much f?iner, and the f?ields were very beautiful objects, forming, as their color did, so great a contrast with that of the fallows and the stubbles, which latter are, this year, singularly clean and bright.

Having gotten to the bottom of the hill, I proceeded on to the village of Milton, the church of which is, in the map, represented by the f?igure 3, I left Easton away at my right, and I did not go up to Watton Rivers where the river Avon rises, and which lies just close to the south, west corner of Marlborough Forest, and at about 5 or 6 miles from the town of Marlborough. Lower down the river, as I thought, there lived a friend, who was a great farmer, and whom I intended to call on. It being my way, however, always to begin making inquiries soon enough, I asked the pig-driver where this friend lived; and, to my surprise, I found that he lived in the parish of Milton. After tiding up to the church, as being the center of the village, I went on towards the house of my friend, which lay on my road down the valley. I have many, many times witnessed agreeable surprise; but I do not know that I ever in the whole course of my life saw people so much surprised and pleased as this farmer and his family were at seeing me. People often tell you that they are glad to see you; and in general they speak truth. I take pretty good care not to approach any house, with the smallest appearance of a design to eat or drink in it, unless I be quite sure of a cordial reception; but my friend at F?if?ield (it is in Milton parish) and all his family really seemed to be delighted beyond all expression.