A Traveller in Little Things

A Traveller in Little Things

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Title: A Traveller in Little Things
Author: W. H. Hudson
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TRAVELLER IN LITTLE THINGS ***

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A TRAVELLER IN LITTLE THINGS
BY
W. H. HUDSON

NOTE
Of the sketches contained in this volume, fourteen have appeared in the
following periodicals: The New Statesman, _The Saturday Review, The
Nation, and The Cornhill Magazine_.

CONTENTS
I. HOW I FOUND MY TITLE II. THE OLD MAN'S DELUSION III.
AS A TREE FALLS IV. BLOOD: A STORY OF TWO BROTHERS
V. A STORY OF LONG DESCENT VI. A SECOND STORY OF
TWO BROTHERS VII. A THIRD STORY OF TWO BROTHERS
VIII. THE TWO WHITE HOUSES: A MEMORY IX. DANDY: A
STORY OF A DOG X. THE SAMPHIRE GATHERER XI. A
SURREY VILLAGE XII. A WILTSHIRE VILLAGE XIII. HER OWN

VILLAGE XIV. APPLE BLOSSOMS AND A LOST VILLAGE XV.
THE VANISHING CURTSEY XVI. LITTLE GIRLS I HAVE MET
XVII. MILLICENT AND ANOTHER XVIII. FRECKLES XIX. ON
CROMER BEACH XX. DIMPLES XXI. WILD FLOWERS AND
LITTLE GIRLS XXII. A LITTLE GIRL LOST XXIII. A SPRAY OF
SOUTHERNWOOD XXIV. IN PORCHESTER CHURCHYARD
XXV. HOMELESS XXVI. THE STORY OF A SKULL XXVII. A
STORY OF A WALNUT XXVIII. A STORY OF A JACKDAW
XXIX. A WONDERFUL STORY OF A MACKEREL XXX.
STRANGERS YET XXXI. THE RETURN OF THE CHIFF-CHAFF
XXXII. A WASP AT TABLE XXXIII. WASPS AND MEN XXXIV.
IN CHITTERNE CHURCHYARD XXXV. A HAUNTER OF
CHURCHYARDS XXXVI. THE DEAD AND THE LIVING XXXVII.
A STORY OF THREE POEMS

A TRAVELLER IN LITTLE THINGS
I
HOW I FOUND MY TITLE
It is surely a rare experience for an unclassified man, past middle age,
to hear himself accurately and aptly described for the first time in his
life by a perfect stranger! This thing happened to me at Bristol, some
time ago, in the way I am about to relate. I slept at a Commercial Hotel,
and early next morning was joined in the big empty coffee-room,
smelling of stale tobacco, by an intensely respectable- looking old
gentleman, whose hair was of silvery whiteness, and who wore
gold-rimmed spectacles and a heavy gold watch-chain with many seals
attached thereto; whose linen was of the finest, and whose outer
garments, including the trousers, were of the newest and blackest
broadcloth. A glossier and at the same time a more venerable-looking
"commercial" I had never seen in the west country, nor anywhere in the
three kingdoms. He could not have improved his appearance if he had
been on his way to attend the funeral of a millionaire. But with all his
superior look he was quite affable, and talked fluently and instructively

on a variety of themes, including trade, politics, and religion.
Perceiving that he had taken me for what I was not--one of the army in
which he served, but of inferior rank--I listened respectfully as became
me. Finally he led the talk to the subject of agriculture, and the
condition and prospects of farming in England. Here I perceived that he
was on wholly unfamiliar ground, and in return for the valuable
information he had given me on other and more important subjects, I
proceeded to enlighten him. When I had finished stating my facts and
views, he said: "I perceive that you know a great deal more about the
matter than I do, and I will now tell you why you know more. You are
a traveller in little things--in something very small--which takes you
into the villages and hamlets, where