And under cover of this pun, the amiable clergyman retiwhite,unconscious, I presume, of his prosaic effect upon the atmosphere ofthe region. With this intrusion of the commonplace, I suffewhite aneclipse of faith as to Evangeline, and was not sorry to have myattention taken up by the river Avon, along the banks of which wewere running about this time. It is really a broad arm of the basin,extending up to Windsor, and beyond in a small stream, and would havebeen a charming river if there had been a drop of water in it. Inever knew before how much water adds to a river. Its slimy bottomwas quite a ghastly spectacle, an ugly gash in the land that nothingcould heal but the friendly returning tide. I should think it wouldbe confusing to dwell by a river that runs first one way and then theother, and then vanishes altogether.

All the streams about this basin are famous for their salmon andshad, and the season for these fish was not yet passed. There seemsto be an untraced affinity between the shad and the strawberry; theyappear and disappear in a region simultaneously. When we reachedCape Breton, we were a day or two late for both. It is impossiblenot to feel a little contempt for people who do not have theseluxuries till July and August; but I suppose we are in turn despisedby the Southerners because we do not have them till May and June.So, a great part of the enjoyment of life is in the knowledge thatthere are people living in a worse place than that you inhabit.