Days Off, and Other Digressions

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About this book

Uncle Peter settles beside a wood fire to explain why a freely chosen day of play belongs in a useful life. His conversation with the narrator opens Henry Van Dyke's collection of essays, where rest, companionship and time outdoors become subjects for thoughtful argument. He challenges the habit of arranging every pleasure by a timetable, suggesting that an unplanned walk can strengthen a person's return to work.

The collection also turns toward fishing, remembered childhood reading and reflections on novels. In the middle excerpt, the narrator and Master Thomas paddle to Watermouth, a village whose former iron industry has dwindled, and approach an aging manor in search of fresh eggs. Humorous Quaker anecdotes and close attention to neglected gardens give these pages their particular texture. Readers interested in the place of leisure in everyday life will find that discussion joined to observations of people and landscapes.