But no more green grass and dandelions now . This was such a snow-storm ! Twenty miles of it might have been visible at once , between the windows of Tanglewood and the dome of Taconic , had it been possible to see so far , among the eddying drifts that whitened all the atmosphere . It seemed as if the hills were giants , and were flinging monstrous handfuls of snow at one another , in their enormous sport . So thick were the fluttering snow-flakes , that even the trees , midway down the valley , were hidden by them the greater part of the time . Sometimes , it is true , the little prisoners of Tanglewood could discern a dim outline of Monument Mountain , and the smooth whiteness of the frozen lake at its base , and the black or gray tracts of woodland in the nearer landscape . But these were merely peeps through the tempest . Nevertheless , the children rejoiced greatly in the snowstorm . They had already made acquaintance with it , by tumbling heels over head into its highest drifts , and flinging snow at one another , as we have just fancied the Berkshire mountains to be doing . And now they had come back to their spacious play-room , which was as big as the great drawing-room , and was lumbered with all sorts of playthings , large and small . The biggest was a rocking-horse , that looked like a real pony ; and there was a whole family of wooden , waxen , plaster , and china dolls , besides rag-babies ; and blocks enough to build Bunker Hill Monument , and nine-pins , and balls , and humming-tops , and battledores , and grace-sticks , and skipping-ropes , and more of such valuable property than I could tell of in a printed page . But the children liked the snow-storm better than them all . It suggested so many brisk enjoyments for to-morrow , and all the remainder of the winter . The sleigh-ride ; the slides down hill into the valley ; the snow-images that were to be shaped out ; the snow-fortresses that were to be built ; and the snow-balling to be carried on ! So the little folks blessed the snow-storm , and were glad to see it come thicker and thicker , and watched hopefully the long drift that was piling itself up in the avenue , and was already higher than any of their heads . `` Why , we shall be blocked up till spring ! '' cried they , with the hugest delight . `` What a pity that the house is too high to be quite covered up ! The little red house , down yonder , will be buried up to its eaves . '' `` You silly children , what do you want of more snow ? ''
asked Eustace , who , tired XXXXX some novel that he was skimming through , had strolled into the play-room .
among at between for like of than till to with