NEWS OF SPRING 



AGAIN, in the little gardens that sur- 

 round the cottages, the bright little 

 houses with their Italian roofs, the good 

 vegetables, unprejudiced, and unpre- 

 tentious, have known no fear. While the 

 old peasant, who has come to resemble 

 the trees he cultivates, digs the earth 

 around the olives, the spinach assumes 

 a lofty bearing, hastens to grow green 

 nor takes the smallest precaution ; the 

 garden bean opens its eyes of jet in 

 its pale leaves and sees the night fall 

 unmoved; the fickle peas shoot and 

 lengthen out, covered with motionless 

 and tenacious butterflies, as though 

 June had entered the farm-gate; the 

 C58 3 



