Along a hedge of hollies dark and tall,[787][KG]
Whose flexile boughs low bending with a weight[788]
Of leafy spray, concealed the stems and roots
That gave them nourishment. When frosty winds
Howl from the north, what kindly warmth, methought,
Is here—how grateful this impervious screen![789]
—Not shaped by simple wearing of the foot
On rural business passing to and fro
Was the commodious walk: a careful hand
Had marked the line, and strewn its[790] surface o'er