24 NEW BROOMS SWEEP CLEAN. 



find a basket of forced flowers ; poor things 

 to be sure, but enough for what I wanted. 

 Christmas time was not kept at the Hall, 

 except by the in-door servants ; all the out- 

 door ones had beef, and things for puddings, 

 for my lady said she thought wives and chil- 

 dren ought to have their share. 



When the Christmas party was all gone, 

 the squire and his lady were walking one 

 day as usual, when they left the terrace and 

 came to the houses, and went through them ; 

 and my master said, " Have you got all you 

 want, gardener?" Now that was the very 

 thing I wanted. When men go to new 

 places, they often frighten their employers 

 by saying they must have this and that and 

 the other, instead of doing their best with 

 what they find. I told him I should be 

 glad of a few things, and he gave me orders 

 to get them. I could tell that he saw the 

 money wouldn't be thrown away, though 

 he said nothing of the kind. My lady said 

 a word or two about the pretty flowers I'd 

 sent in, and noticed what I'd been doing 

 about their garden -room front. But I'd 

 watched, and seen that their eyes were not 

 idle in the houses, and I heard, too, when 



