JUNE 137 



basket. Stir occasionally, and every day add 

 to them the leaves dried to the proper texture. 

 When all are dried, prepare a bowl of sweet 

 spices, which shall contain small bits of dried 

 orange and lemon peeling, sticks of cinnamon 

 and buds of allspice, cloves and cassia, bruised. 

 Add a tonka bean, cut into fine shreds, and 

 much violet-smelling orrisroot, grated. A 

 grain of musk is liked by some, and amid so 

 many divine perfumes is not obtrusive. Of 

 handsful of lavender be not sparing, nor of the 

 sweet leaves of the rose geranium, and of dried 

 sprigs of citronella as much as you may. Now 

 into your jars place rose leaves and spices 

 alternately until they are lightly full. Put on 

 the covers, which are to be removed when the 

 room needs refreshing." 



Can you not see the pot-pourri makers, 

 with their smoothly ordered hair and fair calm 

 brows, and their delicate hands busy with their 

 task? What gracious dames, what gentle 

 spinsters, thinking no evil, remembering no 

 wrong, hopeful, wrapping the sorrows the 

 years have brought them in a reticence that 

 was itself fragrant with the hoarded scent of 

 many roses, sharing the joys of their uneventful 



