ABSTRACT
The morning now glittered through the hedges, on whose naked boughs the night had shed her tears, which the keen air had frozen into gems more pure and transparent than ever adorned the tresses of an Indian queen. ousands of larks now gathered near the doors, where the sound of the early ail gave them hopes of a breakfast. Now Goody Maurice swept her cleanly cottage, and heaped her hospitable hearth with kindled peats; the smoke of which rose through her humble thatch, till, meeting with the new-risen sun, it ascended in a golden column to the cloudless skies, and, like the pious o ering of Abel, seemed to be a sacri ce acceptable to heaven. Now had the sweet-breathed cow yielded her treasure of morning’s milk; whilst her new/ companion Blackbird, by the attention of little Johnny, was regaling on some clover hay, collected for her winter’s food. And now had little Johnny himself well greased the parson’s boots, who was still snoring in his rst nap, and then had gone to wash his face and comb his hair against his reverence arose – which probably would not have been for an hour to come, had not the cock, who had been long in vain soliciting the favour of one of his strutting dames, at length succeeded; when mounting on the thatch, exactly over Evan’s head, he clapped his wings and proclaimed his triumph aloud.
