Page 25 - Fairbrass

orchard of gnarled but fruitful apple, pear,
plum, and cherry trees (with a solitary re­

presentative from each of the quince, mul­

berry, and medlar families, without which
no orchard is quite complete), the garden was
spared the trouble of winter floods, and had

the full advantage of the summer sun. On the
old, gray stone walls—decorated here and

there with pieces of curious carving — 1 loot ?
from a neighbouring mansion that, in the

stormy days of Cromwell, had been battered
down—currants, red, white and black, plen­

tifully repaid the kindly influences of well-
applied and natural warmth j and in the

carefully kept beds strawberries loved to grow
big and cheerily ripen. The scent of lavender,

rosemary, thyme, and sweetbriar lay gently
on the air—and here, there, and everywhere,

bright flowers blossomed and made glad
the heart and eye. And yet it wTas a trim

garden. The closely mown turf and the
squarely cut yew-trees bore witness to the

fact that abundant nature was kept within
bounds by the care of man, and altogether