At a point equidistant from, and
forming one of the angles of the same square with each of these, the
broader glare from the smith's furnace streamed in bright lines across
the plain between, pouring through the unclayed logs of the hovel, in
which, at his craft, the industrious proprietor was even then busily
employed. Occasionally, the sharp click of his hammer, ringing upon and
resounding from the anvil, and a full blast from the capacious bellows,
indicated the busy animation, if not the sweet concert, the habitual
cheerfulness and charm, of a more civilized and better regulated
society.
Nor was the smith, at the moment of our entrance, the only noisy member
of the little village. The more pretending establishment to which we are
rapidly approaching, threw out its clamors, and the din of many voices
gathered upon the breeze in wild and incoherent confusion. Deep bursts
of laughter, and the broken stanza of an occasional catch roared out at
intervals, promised something of relief to the dull mood; while, as the
sounds grew more distinct, the quick ear of Forrester was enabled to
distinguish the voices of the several revellers.
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