A very cheap country, a comfortable house rent free, and a lovely neighbourhood, were a pleasant change after dear London lodgings: but it is a question whether the change made Elsley a better man.
In the first place, he became a more idle man.

The rich enervating climate began to tell upon his mind, as it did upon Lucia's health.

He missed that perpetual spur of nervous excitement, change of society, influx of ever-fresh objects, which makes London, after all, the best place in the world for hard working; and which makes even a walk along the streets an intellectual tonic.

In the soft and luxurious West Country Nature invited him to look at her, and dream; and dream he did, more and more, day by day.

He was tired, too--as who would not be ?--of the drudgery of writing for his daily bread; and relieved from the importunities of publishers and printers'-devils, he sent up fewer and fewer contributions to the magazines.