AUGUST 137 



ing as a thirsty land.' Yet here and there, 

 made bold by the idleness of scythe and 

 mowers, suddenly arose these green and 

 white points of orchis. One of them, as 

 it seemed in one night, shot up 4 inches, 

 and this one I took home with me. It is 

 set in water by my window, and now I can 

 watch the untwisting of the plaited tress, 

 as day by day its smoothness roughens 

 with twin - petalled moonlight - coloured 

 flowers. It was a pretty notion to liken 

 the little flower-spike to tresses of the 

 Virgin's hair, though one may perhaps 

 just fancifully trace in it a mingling of 

 pagan fairyism ; for mermaidens combed 

 their sea-green locks, and I myself once 

 knew the traditional fairy lady of a well, 

 all in green, with long green hair. Her 

 well-spring bubbled up by the side of a 

 deep West Country lane, and many chil- 

 dren and old people have seen the green 

 fairy rise at twilight from the water ! 



The House,* whose high windows and 

 turrets look down over these brown lawns 



* Highcliff, Hampshire. Belonged at that time to 

 Louisa, Lady Waterford. 



