Sequestered Vales of Life

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“Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure,” said Elizabeth Bennett to Mr. Darcy. These charming sketches, reminiscent in character, describe people and places the author has known or visited, and the events of daily life with his reflections on them. They range from the village barber to the masterful spinster, from mowing the lawn to the misadventures of travel. They present nature and human nature, the former especially in its botanical aspects, the latter as illustrated in different types of character, particularly those which flowered in the tranquillity of country life. The title is a modification of the familiar phrase in Thomas Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.