Part I
01 My Early Home
The first place that I can well remember was a large pleasant meadow
with a pond of clear water in it. Some shady trees leaned over it, and
rushes and water-lilies grew at the deep end. Over the hedge on one side
we looked into a plowed field, and on the other we looked over a gate at
our master\'s house, which stood by the roadside; at the top of the meadow
was a grove of fir trees, and at the bottom a running brook overhung by a
steep bank.
While I was young I lived upon my mother\'s milk, as I could not eat
grass. In the daytime I ran by her side, and at night I lay down close by her.
When it was hot we used to stand by the pond in the shade of the trees,
and when it was cold we had a nice warm shed near the grove.