Then they went through many large rooms, with walls and ceilings of the same dark oak, beautifully carved in squares and other forms, to represent flowers and fruit, birds, and angels with wings; and these rooms had immense fire-places without grates, meant to burnt logs of wood. Kate and Edward went under the richly ornamented mantel-pieces and looked up the wide chimneys. Then the windows—they liked them better than all; for the walls were so thick that each window seemed to be at the end of a little room of its own; and others were bay windows, and these seemed to be in still larger rooms; and the frames were richly carved; and they looked over the wide park with its green slopes and spreading trees, sweeping the grass with their long branches, and towering up towards the bright blue sky, and casting deep shadows on the sunny grass; and a clear river went winding among them; and all looked so lovely, that every time the children passed one of these windows, it seemed to them that they saw a new picture set in a dark frame.
At last, when they had gone through so many rooms, that they began to keep very close to Laura, lest they should be lost, and had been up the wide staircase and through other rooms above, they heard, with joy, that they were next to go into the park. They followed Mrs. Hollis through a court and an old gateway, and here she bid them good-bye; and, after thanking her with all their hearts for her kindness, they turned round, and lost not a moment, but away they ran over the grass to the banks of the river.
It was delightful to stand in the shade and watch the running water rippling and tinkling over rocky stones that had the brightest green moss on them; and to see the taper points of the weeping willows, that dipped in the stream, and were always waving and trembling as it carried them with it. Sometimes a trout or perch would dart through the deep parts and disappear in an instant. They threw leaves and little sticks in, and watched them sailing away, and wished they had brought some of John's boats with them; then they dipped in their hands to feel the cool refreshing water glide through their fingers. Suddenly their appeared round a point two lovely white swans. On they came, arching their necks and ruffling their wings. Kate took out her bread again, and threw piece after piece to them, till all was gone, while they swam about catching them in their black beaks.
Now Laura called to the children to look at the trees. What great trees they were! Those round the church, which they had thought so large, would only make one arm of these. They crept under the branches of the beeches and limes, and there they were in a green little world,—green leaves above and all round, and green grass under foot, and the flickering sunlight peeping through upon them. Then they crept out again, and clambered up steep knolls, and ran down sloping banks, and every now and then stopped in wonder before some giant tree, with an enormous trunk, that when they took hold of each other's hands, and then Laura's, and all three stretched out their arms to the utmost, they had still not grasped half of. They could not decide which kind of tree was the most beautiful,—the oak, with its rough bark, strong arms, and deep rich green; the beech, with smooth, shining stem and graceful sweeping branches; the tufted elms; or the limes, so light and feathery. Then there were Spanish chesnuts, and horse-chesnuts, and dark firs, and birches with bark as white as silver. It was impossible to know which was most beautiful.
Now they wound round a woody hill, into a beautiful glade, and came upon the whole herd of deer, pretty spotted creatures, some with branching horns, some grazing, some lying in the shade. Quietly as the children tried to get near them, they were startled, and bounded off like lightning, but did not go very far, and continued in sight for some time.
The walk through the park had taken a good while, and the children began to feel tired; so Laura persuaded them to sit down and rest on a pleasant bank, all overgrown with wreaths of periwinkle, with its pretty blue flowers. While they sat, there came past, like a stately lady in a court dress, a splendid peacock, his gorgeous tail sweeping the ground, his crested head erect, and his lovely neck glancing purple, green, and gold. Then came another, and another, and then several pea-hens, not so showy, but very graceful in form. Kate wished she had kept some bread for them; but they seemed to be satisfied with admiration; and one of them spread his tail up like a fan, as if to please them, and displayed all its brilliant eyes, that shone like gold and gems in the sun.
When the peacocks had passed on, Kate began to wish she had kept a little bread for herself and Edward, for the walk had been long, and she felt hungry. Edward declared he was more thirsty than hungry, but consoled himself with the thoughts of the nice drive home in the donkey-chaise. They had made the circuit of the park, and were close to the garden wall, and the gardener's house, which stood at one corner of it; so Laura, who was always kind, went to the door and asked if she could buy a little milk. The gardener's wife said she would sell her some, and also let her buy a few home-baked cakes, and lent her a bowl, and spoon, and plate, and said, if the young lady and gentleman would like to sit down in the pavilion above the garden and take their refreshment there, they might leave all these things on the marble table, and she could easily fetch them away by and bye.
This was a very pleasant idea, and away they went merrily up the gravel walk to enjoy their feast. They took off their straw hats when they reached the shady pavilion, that they might feel the cool air, and poured out their milk; but before tasting it, they went to the door to see if the donkey-chaise had come.
It was not there yet; but, looking round, they saw lying by the path an old man, who seemed to be asleep, and who rested his head on the lap of a young girl sitting by his side. She was leaning her head on her hand, and had not heard the children come to the door; for she seemed filled with sad thoughts, and tears kept dropping through her fingers.
Kate and Edward stood with pitying looks on the steps, when the old man raised his head, but seemed too weary to open his eyes, and said in a feeble voice,