A JOURNAL KEPT IN THE COUNTRY. 8 1 



jump up at, and all right children lay hold of by 

 finger or coat-tail as may serve, divided himself so 

 impartially between the pair that before the first 

 buns were finished the breach was made up, and the 

 wrinkles smoothed out of Alice's forehead. It was a 

 joyous feast. What matter whether the tea-pot would 

 pour when the spout had been decorated with blue- 

 bells, or what the tea was like when cowslips were 

 added liberally to the brew ? What vast delight it 

 was when a great old cuckoo flew just over our 

 heads, vocal and visible ; and what shrill chorus 

 greeted a squirrel which looked at us from the top 

 of the bank, and after rating us for trespassers on 

 his bounds, raced away over trunks and branches ! 

 Too soon there fell a great silent discontent because 

 nursemaids were seen afar ; and earnest assurances 

 that it was quite early, really, and that they hadn't 

 seen all the pigs and only one of the calves, gained 

 twenty minutes' respite ; and with Gervase betwixt 

 they went off to see the menagerie once more. 



I sat in the sunny corner with the ladies, and we 

 talked of gardens and gardening. Mrs. Kitty is " a 

 great gardener ; " one of the sect who are masters of 

 everything in that science except a garden. These 

 soi-disant hortulans are not uncommon ; feminine for 

 the most part ; learned in all the books upon the 



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