CONCERNING LAWNS 341 



green carpet embroidered with heart-shaped golden 

 leaves. Naturally, when I saw the gardener coming 

 on with his broom, I cried out aloud and brought 

 the lady of the house on the scene, and she graciously 

 ordered him off. It was only when I went up to 

 town that he was allowed to work his will. 



I now propose to tell the story of another lawn 

 of which I had the supervision for two or three 

 months ; a small lawn at a cottage surrounded by 

 green fields lent to me by a friend one summer 

 end ; it was mowed and looked after generally by 

 a man who came once a week from the village, 

 and he also had the garden to see after. In July 

 and August, when the sun was low enough to 

 allow one to sit out of doors and of the shade of 

 trees I lounged and read and drank my tea there, 

 and noticed that it was abundantly sprinkled with 

 plantains. Now I don't mind plantains on a lawn 

 because, as I have already said and ingeminated, 

 lawns are nothing to me unless flowers are allowed 

 to blossom and leaves blown from coloured woods 

 to lie on them, but I remembered my friends who 

 had lent me their paradisaical retreat with its 

 green lawn from which, idling in my canvas chair, 

 I looked on a green valley and a swift chalk stream 

 with coots and moorhens disporting themselves on 

 it, and beautiful hanging woods beyond. I remem- 

 bered them, and in my desire to do something to 

 express my gratitude I said I would clear this one 

 lawn of its plantains. 



Going to the tool-house, I found a long, narrow, 



