II 



FEBRUARY, 1884 



' Gloomy winter's now awaV 



SUDDENLY, without any warning as it were, 

 winter is away. There's a new sound 

 in the air, *a new face at the door/ 

 This is Sunday and the sound is the 

 rooks' consultation in the tops of the 

 great Elms (they always arrange matters 

 on a Sunday), while in the garden, the 

 air seems full of the voices of birds. 

 Through the budding branches and the 

 thickness of the winter greens is woven 

 a network of melody, where a thousand 

 little finches twitter, and blackbirds and 

 thrushes just lightly touch their long silent 

 notes. And there's a vision of the sweetest 

 face in all the world the first pale glimpse 

 of Spring with her snowdrop crown. It 

 was but yesterday the Snowdrops had 



