154 IDLEHURST: 



on without no proper cookin'." To-night the table 

 groans with a whole week's arrears of Lucy's pent-up 

 energy, and the kitchen is no more defrauded of its 

 master. 

 So to bed 



" Desideratoque incumbere lecto " 



the home-bed, sweeter in the lavendered whiteness 

 of Lucy's press for experience of dubious cribs in 

 strange hostels ; to sleep, well content, though I 

 cannot bid the house rejoice in its lord, nor say, for 

 grave lack of the wherewithal 



" Ridere quicquid est domi cachinnorum." 



July 2nd. There fell to-day that hour wherein the 

 year is clearly at the height, when it has reached the 

 fulness of change, and has no greater beauty to un- 

 fold. After to-day it will be all downhill ; here 

 beyond question Summer turns her face from us. 

 The morning was fresh and sweet ; the garden was 

 never so gay. Queen lilies swayed in ranks and com- 

 panies, smutched with gold dust on their lower petals ; 

 under them the roses glowed, in pointed bud or open 

 to the yellow heart. Lower still bloomed masses 

 of campanula, Sweet William, pentstemon, with the 

 earlier of the annuals, lavatera, linaria, clarkia, great 



