Therewasnowadistinctmanifestationofmorningintheair，andpresentlytheblearedwhitevisageofasunlesswinterdayemergedlikeadead-bornchild。Thevillagerseverywherehadalreadybestirredthemselves，risingatthistimeoftheyearatthefarlessdrearyhourofabsolutedarkness。Ithadbeenaboveanhourearlier，beforeasinglebirdhaduntuckedhishead，thattwentylightswerestruckinasmanybedrooms，twentypairsofshuttersopened，andtwentypairsofeyesstretchedtotheskytoforecasttheweatherfortheday。
Owlsthathadbeencatchingmiceintheout-houses，rabbitsthathadbeeneatingthewintergreensinthegardens，andstoatsthathadbeensuckingthebloodoftherabbits，discerningthattheirhumanneighborswereonthemove，discreetlywithdrewfrompublicity，andwereseenandheardnomorethatday。
ThedaylightrevealedthewholeofMr。Melbury’shomestead，ofwhichthewagon-shedshadbeenanoutlyingerection。Itformedthreesidesofanopenquadrangle，andconsistedofallsortsofbuildings，thelargestandcentralonebeingthedwellingitself。
Thefourthsideofthequadranglewasthepublicroad。
Itwasadwelling-houseofrespectable，roomy，almostdignifiedaspect；which，takenwiththefactthatthereweretheremainsofothersuchbuildingsthereabout，indicatedthatLittleHintockhadatsometimeorotherbeenofgreaterimportancethannow，asitsoldnameofHintockSt。Osmondalsotestified。Thehousewasofnomarkedantiquity，yetofwell-advancedage；olderthanastalenovelty，butnocanonizedantique；faded，nothoary；lookingatyoufromthestilldistinctmiddle-distanceoftheearlyGeorgiantime，andawakeningonthataccounttheinstinctsofreminiscencemoredecidedlythantheremoterandfargrandermemorialswhichhavetospeakfromthemistyreachesofmediaevalism。Thefaces，dress，passions，gratitudes，andrevenuesofthegreat-great-