The Happy Garden 



When you have made the tour of that you can 

 go to sleep again. 



The oak tree in the hedge reaches right over to 

 the pines on the other side of the road, and is used 

 by the squirrels as a bridge. For us, it is most use- 

 ful to create an illusion : it makes it seem as though 

 the woods were immediately on the other side of 

 the hedge, and only the motors that go snorting 

 by bring back the reality. Under the spruce tree, 

 the home and birthplace of many birds, is St. John's 

 wort and blue periwinkle, rampageous trailers that 

 would take possession of all the borders if they 

 were not repressed with a firm hand. 



May and laburnum are lovely in the spring 

 against the dark background of the pines, and the 

 rowans are fully aware of their effective setting, 

 and put forth masses of scarlet berries in the 

 summer, which Cook makes into jelly, of an ex- 

 cellent tartness that makes them a serious rival 

 to red currants. 



Jane is hurt ! . . . Why not think of eating in 

 the presence of beauty ? Why not think of beauty 

 while one is eating ? Why not eat beauty ? Why 



not beautify food ? Why not ? At any rate, 



my dear Jane, it is beautiful to be alive, and one 

 must eat to live, and I will not hear your ridiculous 

 middle-class prejudices in my garden. I will not 



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