AUGUST 193 



But the village itself had the greatest charm : ordered and 

 exact in its life day after day, with its home-coming of the 

 fishers at dawn, and the greetings in the little harbour down 

 below; night after night the sailing out of the boats, merry 

 voices down the dim streets at the hour when the stars were 

 born above the foam. Besides a score of fisher-homesteads 

 a shop or two comprised the village. From open doors 

 might be seen hanging from rafters the tangle of nets, or 

 wives at the thresholds mending the rends in them the work 

 of stormy nights. A source of great delight were the gardens, 

 not so much for the sake of the flowers, but because of the 

 quaint names bestowed upon the blossoms. Honesty was a 

 favourite flower, named by the fishers as " Silks-and-satins " ; 

 loved chiefly by most of us for its curious seed vessels, which 

 glimmer like threaded moonstones. (This likeness of mine 

 was verified when I discovered that the meaning of its name 

 Lunaria, referred to the shape and colour of the seed-vessels.) 

 Alyseum Maritimum was known only by the name of " Snow- 

 in-Summer," and the golden toad-flax around the garden 

 gates as " Roving sailor." There the Virginia stock was 

 " Pretty-and-little," the saxifrage was " Meet-me-love," and 

 southernwood was not "Lad's love," nor "Old man," but 

 " Kiss me ! " When the golden day of idleness was past, 

 and the faint mists pierced by the sunset were rising o'er 

 the sea, I watched the twilight fall, and the gulls on their 

 large expanded wings go soaring home in graceful flight. 

 No words could express the charm that filled my soul, the 

 sense of peace and rest as the light died away, and night 

 began to count her aves on her rosary cf stars stars, that 

 some say are golden flowers the angels plant in the fields of 

 night, to be reaped all too soon by the morn's sickle of 

 light. 



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