One would like to follow these people
through their vagrant life, and see them in their social relations, and
overhear their talk with each other. All vagrants are interesting; and
there is a much greater variety of them here than in America,--people who
cast themselves on Fortune, and take whatever she gives without a
certainty of anything. I saw a travelling tinker yesterday,--a man with
a leather apron, and a string of skewers hung at his girdle, and a pack
over his shoulders, in which, no doubt, were his tools and materials of
trade.
It is remarkable what a natural interest everybody feels in fishing. An
angler from the bridge immediately attracts a group to watch his luck.
It is the same with J-----, fishing for minnows, on the platform near
which the steamer lands its passengers. By the by, U---- caught a minnow
last evening, and, immediately after, a good-sized perch,--her first
fish.
July 30th.--We left Newby Bridge, all of us, on Saturday, at twelve
o'clock, and steamed up the lake to Ambleside; a pretty good day as to
weather, but with a little tendency to shower. There was nothing new on
the lake, and no new impressions, as far as I can remember. At
Ambleside, S----- and nurse went shopping, after which we took a carriage
for Grasmere, and established ourselves at Brown's Hotel. I find that my
impressions from our previous sight of all these scenes do not change on
revision. They are very beautiful; but, if I must say it, I am a little
weary of them.
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