FEBRUARY 



Feb. QTERCULUS has gone off early this 

 2 - wZ5 morning to pay a visit to his sick sister, 

 who lives a dozen miles or more away across the 

 North Downs. He dislikes holidays so much on 

 principle that it is always a surprise when he con- 

 sents to take one. I have the garden all to myself, 

 and have raided the greenhouse and cast out into 



o 



the void several worthless plants which no appeal 

 could prevail upon him to sacrifice. I shall have a 

 bad ten minutes to-morrow morning, but in the 

 meantime the night's frost will have set a seal 

 upon my decision and made the reinstatement of 

 his favourites impossible. 



It makes one happy even to think of double 

 rockets ! They are among the most valuable of 

 flowers for scent and pleasant association, for they 

 are real old English things, I am convinced, though 

 the horticultural books assign them to Southern 

 Europe and Asia. If Shakespeare did not know 

 and love them I am sorry for him. But I am sure 

 that there was a. large patch of them in the garden 

 at New Place rockets must always be grown in 

 large patches and that he walked among them and 

 enjoyed their fragrance on many a morning of May 



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