CHAPTER XXIII.
Not many weeks afterwards we went to live at Longfield, which henceforth became the family home for many years.
Longfield! happy Longfield! little nest of love, and joy, and peace--where the children grew up, and we grew old--where season after season brought some new change ripening in us and around us--where summer and winter, day and night, the hand of God's providence was over our roof, blessing our goings out and our comings in, our basket and our store; crowning us with the richest blessing of all, that we were made a household where "brethren dwelt together in unity." Beloved Longfield! my heart, slow pulsing as befits one near the grave, thrills warm and young as I remember thee! Yet how shall I describe it--the familiar spot; so familiar that it seems to need no description at all.
It was but a small place when we first came there.

It led out of the high-road by a field-gate--the White Gate; from which a narrow path wound down to a stream, thence up a green slope to the house; a mere farm-house, nothing more.

It had one parlour, three decent bedrooms, kitchen and out-houses; we built extempore chambers out of the barn and cheese-room.

In one of these the boys, Guy and Edwin, slept, against the low roof of which the father generally knocked his head every morning when he came to call the lads.

Its windows were open all summer round, and birds and bats used oftentimes to fly in, to the great delight of the youthful inmates.
Another infinite pleasure to the little folk was that for the first year, the farm-house kitchen was made our dining-room.