CHAP. X.] LETTERS TO HIS DAUGHTER. 117 



My father laid out our garden at Oxford and stocked it 

 with the choicest kinds of the fruits and outdoor plants which 

 were grown in his own garden, and he always looked upon the 

 former as a miniature Carshalton garden. After my marriage 

 rarely a day passed, if ever, without his writing to me 

 one, and sometimes two letters, in nearly all of which some 

 advice or information is given appertaining to the little garden 

 formed by his skill. These letters, perhaps more than anything 

 else, show the energy and extreme activity of his character, as 

 well as his love for Nature, which was with him a veritable 

 passion. 



I shall not come down till Thursday, and then will stop till Tuesday. 

 Go and hurry on the workmen to-day (Wednesday) to finish the green- 

 house, to get it painted inside, and to have the ends ready that I may 

 plant on Saturday, to save Sunday. To be precise : 



Have the greenhouse painted twice inside and glazed (glazed first). 



Get the end glazed and fixed if not time to paint. 



Get the ventilators up. 



Make B. get the vine borders ready. 



I hope that all the vines will be growing by Saturday. 



In another letter he says : 



There is a cart-load of things waiting to come to you, and cart-load 

 after cart-load will follow. Drive them on. You would make a bad nigger 

 driver. You do not fluster them half enough. 



Got home all right. 



We tumbled into the work yesterday pretty well ; but there is a lot 

 to do. 



Tell your husband he was right about the axis of the croquet lawn ; it 

 was out about 15 inches. I adjusted roughly, but it will require the most 

 minute adjustment at the finish. 



I do not like the south part of the walk near the park. It is like a 

 hedge and looks vulgar. 



Give B. the enclosed drawing, and tell him to get out the earth as in 

 the enclosed drawing, beginning right down at the path, and carrying it 

 back somewhat in the enclosed form to the very verge of the croquet 

 ground, &c. 



Whenever my father came down, he always found the work 

 done wrong. I was only too glad his instructions were not 

 properly carried out in his absence, for by that means I got him 

 down oftener than I otherwise should have done. My father 

 took great interest in our garden, and I was always having 

 letters about it, and I was well lectured if I did not give that 

 amount of attention to it which his enthusiastic spirit wished. 



