thenowalmostexterminatedground-nutwillperhapsreviveandflourishinspiteoffrostsandwildness,proveitselfindigenous,andresumeitsancientimportanceanddignityasthedietofthehuntertribe.SomeIndianCeresorMinervamusthavebeentheinventorandbestowerofitandwhenthereignofpoetrycommenceshere,itsleavesandstringofnutsmayberepresentedonourworksofart.
Already,bythefirstofSeptember,Ihadseentwoorthreesmallmaplesturnedscarletacrossthepond,beneathwherethewhitestemsofthreeaspensdiverged,atthepointofapromontory,nextthewater.Ah,manyataletheircolortold!Andgraduallyfromweektoweekthecharacterofeachtreecameout,anditadmireditselfreflectedinthesmoothmirrorofthelake.Eachmorningthemanagerofthisgallerysubstitutedsomenewpicture,distinguishedbymorebrilliantorharmoniouscoloring,fortheolduponthewalls.
ThewaspscamebythousandstomylodgeinOctober,astowinterquarters,andsettledonmywindowswithinandonthewallsover-head,sometimesdeterringvisitorsfromentering.Eachmorning,whentheywerenumbedwithcold,Isweptsomeofthemout,butIdidnottroublemyselfmuchtogetridofthemIevenfeltcomplimentedbytheirregardingmyhouseasadesirableshelter.Theynevermolestedmeseriously,thoughtheybeddedwithmeandtheygraduallydisappeared,intowhatcrevicesIdonotknow,avoidingwinterandunspeakablecold.
Likethewasps,beforeIfinallywentintowinterquartersinNovember,Iusedtoresorttothenorth-eastsideofWalden,whichthesun,reflectedfromthepitch-pinewoodsandthestonyshore,madethefire-sideoftheponditissomuchpleasanterandwholesomertobewarmedbythesunwhileyoucanbe,thanbyanartificialfire.Ithuswarmedmyselfbythestillglowingemberswhichthesummer,likeadepartedhunter,hadleft.
WhenIcametobuildmychimneyIstudiedmasonry.Mybricksbeingsecond-handonesrequiredtobecleanedwithatrowel,sothatIlearnedmorethanusualofthequalitiesofbricksandtrowels.Themortaronthemwasfiftyyearsold,andwassaidtobestillgrowingharderbutthisisoneofthosesayingswhichmenlovetorepeatwhethertheyaretrueornot.Suchsayingsthemselvesgrowharderandadheremorefirmlywithage,anditwouldtakemanyblowswithatroweltocleananoldwiseacreofthem.ManyofthevillagesofMesopotamiaarebuiltofsecond-handbricksofaverygoodquality,obtainedfromtheruinsofBabylon,andthecementonthemisolderandprobablyharderstill.Howeverthatmaybe,Iwasstruckbythepeculiartoughnessofthesteelwhichboresomanyviolentblowswithoutbeingwornout.Asmybrickshadbeeninachimneybefore,thoughIdidnotreadthenameofNebuchadnezzaronthem,Ipickedoutasmanyfire-placebricksasIcouldfind,tosaveworkandwaste,andIfilledthespacesbetweenthebricksaboutthefire-placewithstonesfromthepondshore,andalsomademymortarwiththewhitesandf