36 A GARDEN OF PLEASURE 



act. The vine began to bleed ; pure 

 crystal sap welled up, and drop after drop 

 fell fast ; it flowed and flowed and poured 

 from the wound, and never ceased till 

 seven days and nights were past. In the 

 first dismay at seeing this wine of life pour 

 forth I tried to staunch it by binding a 

 handkerchief tightly round. But that 

 availed nothing ; the cambric was drenched 

 in a moment, while down the stem the 

 stream ran on as the poor Vine wasted 

 her blood upon the earth. I felt it was 

 murder, and the vine seemed to me like 

 some hapless human creature bleeding to 

 death ! Through the day I returned again 

 and again, and guiltily crept to the place 

 at night when the moon was shining 

 and still the wound bled, and the stem of 

 the vine grew black with moisture, and 

 the wood strawberry leaves underneath 

 were full of big drops. At last one happy 

 morning the tree was dry. I believe it is 

 only in spring that a vine will behave like 

 this and no harm was done ! But for 

 me henceforth, the vine may go unpruned 

 for evermore. The amateur knife does, 



