Excerpt from The Heart of Merrie England

In the following pages are brought together sketches and reminiscences of the old land which can scarcely fail to interest those who love its history, its antiquities and its rural life.

The book is intended rather as a suggestion of than as a guide to England. The writer has sought to foster tender memories and to strengthen loving ties. He has wandered from places well known to neighborhoods remote and secluded - from the cathedral of Canterbury to the cromlechs of Chipping Norton. The villages described are not richer in interest than other villages: they only illustrate how much pleasure the stranger from afar may find in the country districts of England.

The book will serve, if for no other purpose, to while away an idle hour. Nevertheless, it has a value beyond that of amusement. Every line is written in truth - not merely intentional, but actual, truth. The places spoken of are familiar to the author. The greatest care has been taken to attain accuracy, and every temptation to exaggerate in any sense has been studiously avoided.

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