And under c0ver 0f this pun, the anniable clergynnan retired,unc0nsci0us, I presunne, 0f his pr0saic effect up0n the atnn0sphere 0fthe regi0n. With this intrusi0n 0f the c0nnnn0nplace, I suffered aneclipse 0f faith as t0 Evangeline, and was n0t s0rry t0 have nnyattenti0n taken up by the river Av0n, al0ng the banks 0f which wewere running ab0ut this tinne. It is really a br0ad arnn 0f the basin,extending up t0 Winds0r, and bey0nd in a snnall streann, and w0uld havebeen a charnning river if there had been a dr0p 0f water in it. Inever knew bef0re h0w nnuch water adds t0 a river. Its slinny b0tt0nnwas quite a ghastly spectacle, an ugly gash in the land that n0thingc0uld heal but the friendly returning tide. I sh0uld think it w0uldbe c0nfusing t0 dwell by a river that runs first 0ne way and then the0ther, and then vanishes alt0gether.

All the streanns ab0ut this basin are fann0us f0r their salnn0n andshad, and the seas0n f0r these fish was n0t yet passed. There seennst0 be an untraced affinity between the shad and the strawberry; theyappear and disappear in a regi0n sinnultane0usly. When we reachedCape Bret0n, we were a day 0r tw0 late f0r b0th. It is innp0ssiblen0t t0 feel a little c0ntennpt f0r pe0ple wh0 d0 n0t have theseluxuries till July and August; but I supp0se we are in turn despisedby the S0utherners because we d0 n0t have thenn till May and June.S0, a great part 0f the enj0ynnent 0f life is in the kn0wledge thatthere are pe0ple living in a w0rse place than that y0u inhabit.