News from Nowhere; Or, An Epoch of Rest / Being Some Chapters from a Utopian Romance

e a stare at this house, which, as I have to

y handsomely built of red brick with a lead roof; and high up above the windows there ran a frieze of figure subjects in baked clay, very well executed, and designe

s, one of which showed a glimpse of a garden beyond, and above them a long space of wall gaily painted (in fresco, I thought) with similar subjects to those of the frieze outside; everything about the place was handsome and generously solid as to ma

t they were clothed like women, not upholstered like armchairs, as most women of our time are. In short, their dress was somewhat between that of the ancient classical costume and the simpler forms of the fourteenth century garments, though it was clearly not an imitation of either: the materials were light and gay to suit the season. As to the women themselves, it was pleasant indeed to see them, they were so kind and happy-looking in expression of face, so shapely an

in size and quality to what Hammersmith had been wont to grow, but very like the produce of an old country garden. She hurried back thence into the buttery, and came back once more with a delicately made glass, into which she put the flowers and set them down in the midst of our table. One of the others, who had run off also, then came back with a big cabbage-leaf filled

set on the table with much daintiness. The bread was particularly good, and was of several different kinds, from the big, rather close, dark

nscription on the panelling, behind what we should have called the High Table in an Ox

all once stood the lecture-room of the Hammersmith

uppose my face showed how much I was moved, for both my friends looke

ely so well mannered a man as the f

call you: is there any indiscr

; so suppose you call me Guest, which is a family n

ce, and he said-"I hope you don't mind my asking, but would you tell me where yo

rly. As for me, I was just going to blurt out "Hammersmith," when I bethought me what an entanglement of cross purp

things seem strange to me now; but I was born and bred on t

y place, now that the trees have had time to grow

Forest some time ago, could you tell me what truth there is in the

ttle twigs of lavender and other sweet-smelling herbs about the floor, came near to listen, and stood behind me with her hand on my shoulder, in which she held some of the plant that I used to call balm: its strong swee

ver about twenty-five years ago, the topping and lopping, which was a part of the old commoners' rights, came to an end, and the trees were let to grow. But I have not seen the place now for many years, except once, when we Leaguers went a pleasuring to High Beech. I

used. The eager weaver didn't notice my confusion, but said hastily, as if he

s if Robert's conduct were excusable on the grounds

to trample down all good manners in the pursuit of utilitarian knowledge. The fact is, I begin to think that you have so muddled your head with mathematics, and with grubbing into those idiotic old

e girl went up to him and patted his cheek and

ke, and partly with pleasure at their unanxious happiness and good temper; and

ask me as many as you please; it's fun for me. I will tell you all about Epping Forest when I was a boy, if yo

and the others were so amused by his na?veté that the merriment flitted all over their faces, though for courtes

you know I want to learn from you

again, for the above-stated reasons. But

wonder in that, since you have been travelling; and clearly from all you have been saying, in unsocial countries. It has often been said, and no doubt truly, that one ages ve

woman is as old as she looks, so without offenc

out for fishing for compliments, since I have to

s ivory, her cheeks full and round, her lips as red as the roses she had brought in; her beautiful arms, which she had bared for her work, firm and well-

ht again, and I ought not to have let you

be rather busy here presently; and I want to clear it off soon, for I began to read a prett

down the hall, taking (as Scott says) at lea

you ask a question or two of our friend here? I

lad to answer them

severe; but since I hear that you are a weaver, I should like to a

e a taste for, and have taken to mathematics; and also I am writing a sort of antiquarian book about the peaceable and private history, so to say, of the end of the nineteenth century,-more for the sake of giving a picture of the country before the fighting began than for anything else. That was why I asked you those questions about Epping Forest. You have rather puzzled me, I confess, though your information was so interesting. But later on, I hope, we

rn mathematics, or go into your new science of ?sthetics, and let me do a little practical ?sthetics with my gold and steel, and the blowpipe

ut, after a pause; "here w

s if he had been clad in golden armour. The man himself was tall, dark-haired, and exceedingly handsome, and though his face was no less kindly in expression than that of the others, he moved with that somewhat haughty mien which great beauty is apt to give to both men and women. He came and sat down at our

ve come from some distant country that does not know of us, or our ways of li

le about him? No, no: I am going to take him where he can ask questions himself, and have them answered; that is, to my great-grandfather in Bloomsbury: and I am sure you can't have anything to say against that. So instead of bothering, you had much better go out to James

the least a senator of these strange people. However, he got up and said, "All right, old oar-wearer, whatever you like; this is not one of my busy days; and though" (with a condescending bow to me) "my pleasure of

rned and swung hims

hat Mr. Boffin is? whose name, by the way, reminds m

e only call him Boffin as a joke, partly because he is a dustman, and partly because he will dress so showily, and get as much gold on him

some time after tha

local colour right, as he calls it; and as he thinks you come from some forgotten corner of the earth, where people are unhappy, and consequently interesting to a sto

aver, doggedly, "I think

ock together; mathematics and antiquarian novels stan

g. It was light and handy, but had none of that sickening vulgarity which I had known as inseparable from the carriages of our time, especially the "elegant" ones, but was as graceful and pleasant in line as a Wessex wa