Page:Letter from T.H. Barker to his wife Mary, 27 November 1903.pdf/2

 narrow, upon which men were lying side-ways, with their legs gathered up, like some people I know. A baby was being lifted up and down in a kind of covered scale, and I could not see it, and fortunately did not hear it. I have the youngest boy visible, with a face rather like Harry's some sugared nuts in a canister, and his grandfather was satisfied with 11d. for my breakfast. My driver, an honest fellow said 40 copecks quite enough and he had 2 glasses of tea out of the pot. I was tucked in again in the farmyard, and one of the sons, a handsome young fellow, held open the two leaved gate, to let the "Karata" and pair out -- He was clad in a fur cape, yellow leather boots, and a tunic to his knees of soft magenta colour. The whole surrounding was like a medieval English farm, the costumes like English peasants of the time of Edward 1st, but rather more luxurious. The great grandfather was a patriach with long hair and beard. The Russians are very fond of this type, which is Norse, straight eyebrows, long noses, pointed beard, and foreheads with two creases in them, like mine. I see the Norse type now comes out in myself.

We did the second half of our journey, 27 miles, or 38 versts, without stopping, the horses going well through the soft powdery snow, which they kicked up into my face. The country was lovely, like a great park wrapped in purest snow -- long ridges lay on both sides, wooded to their summits with fir and birch, silver birch, with very delicate lace like twigs and branches -- sometimes there were groves of small firs amongst them, the effect very pretty. Once we had a beautiful view of the valley of the Angara, which reminded me of that of the Seine from Montmorency. Often our way ran along the top of a middle ridge and then dropped into valleys between two long ridges. At last, when I was almost asleep, being charmed by the soft