THE SOCIAL SIDE OF GARDENS 



son's hospitality to that brilliant group to whom 

 conversation was an absolute necessity, and who per- 

 fected their phrases with all the fervor of an artist's 

 devotion to his art. There sat Walpole, his bitter wit 

 etching the absent for the laughter of the present; Gay, 

 the dreamer, somehow slipped into the most comfortable 

 chair ; Swift, who has been commending Pope upon the 

 subterranean passage from the house into the garden, 

 berating Gay for laziness, Bolingbroke for levity, and 

 man in general for existing. The long shadows stretch 

 across the lawns that rise gently to the house, and every 

 inch of the garden shows its master's personal care. 

 Pope loved this place with real passion, spending much 

 money and more time upon it; indeed, several of his 

 friends in their letters bewail his becoming " a true coun- 

 try gentleman, and seen no more in town." 



To-day, the use of the garden is far more generally 

 understood abroad than here in America. England is 

 perhaps preeminent in this direction, and it is beyond 

 dispute that there is a charm and simplicity to country- 

 house entertaining there which is attained nowhere else. 

 Its careful carelessness is among the most delightful of 

 modern achievements, the tact with which personal 

 freedom is mingled with the social duty of hostess and 

 guest touching upon perfection. It is the garden, 

 rather than ' the house, that gives the key-note. 

 The most charming part of the day is the tea hour 

 on the terrace, or near the tennis-courts, when every 



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