第1章

TheseasonisendinginthelittlesummersettlementontheDownEastcoastwhereIhavebeenpassingthelastthreemonths，andwitheachloathdaythesenseofitspeculiarcharmgrowsmorepoignant。

AprescienceofthehomesicknessIshallfeelforitwhenIgoalreadybeginstotormentme，andIfindmyselfwishingtoimaginesomeformofwordswhichshallkeepalikenessofitatleastthroughthewinter;someshadowysemblancewhichImayturntohereafterifanychanceorchangeshoulddestroyortransformit，or，whatismorelikely，ifIshouldnevercomebacktoit。Perhapsothersinthedistantfuturemayturntoitforaglimpseofouractuallifeinoneofitsmostcharacteristicphases;Iamsurethatinthedistantpresenttherearemanymillionsofourowninlanderstowhomitwouldbealtogetherstrange。

I。

Inacertainsortfragileiswrittenalloverourcolony;asfarasthevisiblebodyofitisconcerneditisinexpressiblyperishable;afireandahighwindcouldsweepitallaway;andoneofthemostAmericanofallAmericanthingsistheleastfittedamongthemtosurvivefromthepresenttothefuture，andimparttoitthesignificanceofwhatmaysoonbea"portionandparcel"ofourextremelyforgetfulpast。

Itisalsoinasupremelytransitionalmoment:onemightsaythatlastyearitwasnotquitewhatitisnow，andnextyearitmaybealtogetherdifferent。Infact，oursummercolonyisinthathappyhourwhentherudenessofthefirstsummerconditionshasbeenleftfarbehind，andvulgarluxuryhasnotyetcumbrouslysucceededtoasortofsylvandistinction。

Thetypeofitssimpleandsufficinghospitalitiesistheseven—o’clocksupper。Everyone，inhotelorincottage，dinesbetweenoneandtwo，andnolessscrupulouslysupsatseven，unlessitisafewextremistswhosupathalf—pastseven。Atthisfunction，whichisourchiefsocialevent，itis’derigueur’forthemennottodress，andtheycomeinanysortofsackorjacketorcutaway，lettingtheladiesmakeupthepompswhichtheyforego。Fromthisfactmaybeinferredtheinformalityofthemen’sday—timeattire;andthesamenoteissoundedinthewholerangeofthecottagelife，sothatonceavisitorfromtheworldoutside，whohadbeenexasperatedbeyondendurancebytheabsenceofformamongus（ifsuchaneffectcouldbefromacausesonegative），burstoutwiththereproach，"Oh，youmakeafetishofyourinformality！"

"Fetish"is，perhaps，rathertoostrongaword，butIshouldnotmindsayingthatinformalitywasthetutelarygeniusoftheplace。Americanmenareeverywhereimpatientofform。Itburdensandbothersthem，andtheyliketothrowitoffwhenevertheycan。Wemaynotbesoverydemocraticatheartasweseem，butweareimpatientofceremoniesthatseparateuswhenitisourbusinessorourpleasuretogetatoneanother;anditispartofoursplendortoignoretheceremonies，aswedotheexpenses。Wehaveallthedecentgradesofrichesandpovertyinourcolony，butourinformalityisnotmorethetreasureofthehumblethanofthegreat。Inthenatureofthingsitcannotlast，however，andtheonlyquestionishowlongitwilllast。Ithink，myself，untilsomeoneimaginesgivinganeight—o’clockdinner;thenalltheinformalitieswillgo，andthewholetrainofevilswhichsuchadinnerconnoteswillrushin。

II。

Thecottagesthemselvesareofseveralsorts，andsomestillexistintheearlierstagesofmutationfromthefishermen’sandfarmers’houseswhichformedtheirgerm。Butthesearenowmostlyletaslodgingstobachelorsandothersingleorsemi—detachedfolkswhogofortheirmealstotheneighboringhotelsorboarding—houses。Thehotelsareeachthecentreofthissortofcentripetallife，aswellasthehomesoftheirownscoresorhundredsofinmates。Asingleboarding—housegathersaboutithalfadozendependentcottageswhichitcaresfor，andfeedsatitstable;andevenwherethecottageshavekitchensandallthehousekeepingfacilities，theirinmatessometimesprefertodineatthehotels。

Byfarthegreaternumberofcottagers，however，keephouse，bringingtheirservicewiththemfromthecities，andsettlingintheirsummerhomesforthreeorfourorfivemonths。

Thehousesconformmoreorlesstoonetype:apicturesquestructureofcolonialpattern，shingledtotheground，andstainedorlefttotakeaweather—stainofgrayishbrown，withcavernousverandas，anddormer—

windowedroofscoveringtenortwelverooms。Withintheyare，ifnotelaboratelyfinished，elaboratelyfittedup，withaconstantregardtohealthintheplumbinganddrainage。Thewaterisbroughtinasystemofpipesfromalakefivemilesaway，andasitisonlyforsummerusethepipesarenotburiedfromthefrost，butwanderalongthesurface，throughthefernsandbramblesofthetoughlittlesea—sideknollsonwhichthecottagesareperched，andclimbtheoldtumblingstonewallsoftheoriginalpasturesbeforedivingintothecementedbasements。

Mostofthecottagesareownedbytheiroccupants，andfurnishedbythem;

therest，notlessattractiveandhardlylesstastefullyfurnished，belongtonatives，whohavecaughtontothearchitecturalanddomesticpreferencesofthesummerpeople，andhavebuiltthemtolet。Therugositiesofthestonypasturelandendinawoodedpointseaward，andcurveeastandnorthinasuccessionofbeaches。Itisonthepoint，andmainlyshortofitswoodedextremity，thatthecottagesofoursettlementaredropped，asneartheoceanasmaybe，andwithaslittleorderasbirds’nestsinthegrass，amongthesweet—fern，laurel，bay，wildraspberries，anddog—roses，whichitistheidealtoleaveasuntouchedaspossible。Wheel—wornlanesthattwistaboutamongthehollowsfindthecottagesfromthehighway，butfoot—pathsapproachonecottagefromanother，andpeoplewalkratherthandrivetoeachother’sdoors。

Fromthedeep—bosomed，well—shelteredlittleharborthetidesswiminland，halfascoreofwindingmiles，upthechannelofariverwhichwithoutthemwouldbeatricklingrivulet。Anirregularlineofcottagesfollowstheshorealittleway，andthenleavestherivertotheschoonersandbargeswhichnavigateitasfarastheoldestpile—builtwoodenbridgeinNewEngland，andtheseintheirturnabandonittothefleetsofrow—boatsandcanoesinwhichsummeryouthofbothsexesexploreittoitssourceoverdepthsasclearasglass，pastwoodedheadlandsandlow，rush—borderedmeadows，throughreachesandopeningsofpastoralfields，andundertheshadowofdreaminggroves。

IfthereisanythinglovelierthanthesceneryofthisgentleriverIdonotknowit;andIdoubtiftheskyispurerandbluerinparadise。Thisseemstobetheconsensus，tacitorexplicit，oftheyouthwhovisitit，andemploythelandscapefortheirpicnicsandtheirwaterpartiesfromthebeginningtotheendofsummer。

Theriverisverymuchusedforsunsetsbythecottagerswholiveonit，andwhoclaimasuperioritythroughthemtothecottagersonthepoint。

Animpartialmindobligesmetosaythatthesunsetsareallgoodinourcolony;thereisnoplacefromwhichtheyarebad;andyetforacertaintragicalsunset，wherethedyingdaybleedsslowlyintothechanneltillitisfilledfromshoretoshorewithredasfarastheeyecanreach，theriverisunmatched。

Formyownpurposes，itisnotlessacceptable，however，whenthefoghascomeinfromthesealikeavisiblereverie，andblurredthewholevalleywithitswhiteness。Ifindthatparticularlygoodtolookatfromthetrolley—carwhichvisitsandrevisitstheriverbeforefinallyleavingit，withasortofdesperation，andhidingitspassionwithasuddenplungeintothewoods。

III。

Theoldfishingandseafaringvillage，whichhasnowalmostlosttherecollectionofitsfirstestateinitsabsorptionwiththecareofthesummercolony，wassparselydroppedalongthehighwayborderingtheharbor，andtheshoresoftheriver，wherethepilesofthetime—wornwharvesarestillrotting。Afewhousesofthepastremain，butthetypeofthesummercottagehasimpresseditselfuponallthelaterbuilding，andthenativeispassingarchitecturally，ifnotpersonally，intoabeyance。Hetakesthesituationphilosophically，andintheseasonhecaterstothesummercolonynotonlyasthelandlordoftherentedcottages，andthekeeperofthehotelsandboarding—houses，butaslivery—stableman，grocer，butcher，marketman，apothecary，anddoctor;

thereisnotoneforeignaccentinanyofthesecallings。Ifthenativeisafarmer，hedevoteshimselftovegetables，poultry，eggs，andfruitforthesummerfolks，andbringsthesesuppliestotheirdoors;hischildrenappearwithflowers;andtherearemanyproofsthathehasaccuratelysizedthecottagersupintheirtastesandfanciesaswellastheirneeds。Idoubtifwehavesizedhimupsowell，orifoursomewhatconventionalizedidealofhimisperfectlyrepresentative。Heis，perhaps，morecomplexthanheseems;heiscertainlymuchmoreself—

sufficingthanmighthavebeenexpected。Thesummerfolksarethematerialfromwhichhisprosperityiswrought，butheisnotdependent，andisveryfarfromsubmissive。Asinallrightconditions，itisheretheemployerwhoasksforwork，nottheemployee;andtheworkmustberespectfullyaskedfor。Therearemanyfablestothiseffect，as，forinstance，thatoftheladywhosaidtoasummervisitor，criticaloftheweek’swashshehadbroughthome，"I’llwashyouandI’llironyou，butI

won’ttakenoneofyourjaw。"Aprimitiveindependenceisthekeynoteofthenativecharacter，anditsuffersnoinfringement，butratherboastsitself。"We’reindependenthere，Itellyou，"saidthefriendlypersonwhoconsentedtotakeoffthewiredoor。"IwasdownBangorwaydoin’apieceofwork，andafellowcomealong，andsayshe，’Iwantyoushouldhurryuponthatjob。’’Hello！’saysI，’IguessI’llpullout。’Well，wecalculatetodoourwork，"headded，withanaccentwhichsufficientlyimpliedthattheirconsciencesneedednobossingintheperformance。

Thenativecompliancewithanysummer—visitingrequestiscommonlyinsomesuchformas，"Well，Idon’tknowbutwhatIcan，"or，"Iguessthereain’tanythingtohinderme。"Thiscomplianceissorarely，ifever，carriedtothepointofdomesticservicethatitmayfairlybesaidthatallthedomesticservice，atleastofthecottagers，isimported。

Thenativeswillwaitatthehoteltables;theywillcomein"toaccommodate";buttheywillnot"liveout。"Iwasonedaywitnessoftheextremefailureofafriendwhosecitycookhadsuddenlyabandonedhim，andwhoappliedtoafriendlyfarmer’swifeinthevainhopethatshemighthelphimtosomeonewhowouldhelphisfamilyoutintheirstrait。

"Why，thereain’tagirlintheHollowthatlivesout！Why，ifyouwassickabed，Idon’tknowasIknowanybody’tyoucouldgittosetupwithyou。"Thenativeswillnotliveoutbecausetheycannotkeeptheirself—

respectintheconditionsofdomesticservice。Somepeoplelaughatthisself—respect，butmostsummerfolkslikeit，asIownIdo。

Inourpartlymythicalestimateofthenativeandhisrelationtous，heisimaginedasholdingakindofcarnivalwhenweleavehimattheendoftheseason，anditisbelievedthathelikesustogoearly。Wehavehadhisgoodofficesatafairpriceallsummer，butasitdrawstoaclosetheyarerenderedmoreandmorefitfully。Fromsome，perhapsflattered，reportsofthehappinessofthenativesatthedepartureofthesojourners，Ihavepicturedthemdancingasortoffarandole，andstretchingwithlinkedhandsfromthefarthestsummercottageuptherivertothelastonthewoodedpoint。Itiscertainthattheygettired，andIcouldnotblamethemiftheyweregladtoberidoftheirguests，andtogobacktotheirownsociallife。Thisincludeschurchfestivalsofdiverskinds，lecturesandshows，sleigh—rides，theatricals，andreading—clubs，andaplentifuluseofbooksfromtheexcellentlychosenfreevillagelibrary。Theysayfranklythatthesummerfolkshavenoideahowpleasantitiswhentheyaregone，andIamsurethatthegayetiestowhichweleavethemmustbemoretolerablethanthosewhichwegobacktointhecity。Itmaybe，however，thatIamtooconfident，andthattheirgayetiesareonlydifferent。Ishouldreallyliketoknowjustwhattheentertainmentsarewhicharegiveninabuildingdevotedtotheminacountryneighborhoodthreeorfourmilesfromthevillage。Itwasonceachurch，butisnowusedsolelyforsocialamusements。

IV

TheamusementsofthesummercolonyIhavealreadyhintedat。Besidessuppers，therearealsoteas，oflargerscope，bothafternoonandevening。Therearehopseveryweekatthetwolargesthotels，whicharepracticallyfreetoall;andthebathing—beachis，ofcourse，asupremeattraction。Thebath—houses，whichareverycleanandwellequipped，arenotverycheap，eitherfortheseasonorforasinglebath，andthereisaprettypavilionattheedgeofthesands。ThisisalwaysfullofgossipingspectatorsofthehardyadventurerswhobravetidestooremotefromtheGulfStreamtobeevermuchwarmerthansixtyorsixty—fivedegrees。Thebathersaremostlyyoungpeople，whohavethecourageoftheirprettybathing—costumesortheinextinguishableardoroftheiryears。Ifitisnotratherseriousbusinesswiththemall，stillI

admirethefortitudewithwhichsomeofthemremaininfifteenminutes。

Beyondourcolony，whichcallsitselfthePort，thereisafarmorepopulouswatering—place，eastofthePoint，knownastheBeach，whichistheresortofpeopleseveralgradesofgentilitylowerthanours:somany，infact，thatwenevercanspeakoftheBeachwithoutavertingourfaces，or，atthebest，withatolerantsmile。Itisreallyasuccessionofbeaches，allmuchlongerand，Iamboundtosay，morebeautifulthanours，linedwithrowsofthehumblersortofsummercottagesknownasshells，andwithmanyhotelsofcorrespondingdegree。Thecottagesmaybehiredbytheweekormonthatabouttwodollarsaday，andtheyaresupposedtobetakenbyinlandpeopleoflittlesocialimportance。Verylikelythisistrue;buttheyseemedtobeverynice，quietpeople，andI

commonlysawtheladiesreading，ontheirverandas，booksandmagazines，whilethegentlemensprayedthedustyroadbeforethemwiththegardenhose。Theplacehadalsoformeanagreeablealiensuggestion，andinpassingthelongrowofcottagesIwasslightlyremindedofScheveningen。