heavy, heaped upon one another, and irresponsive 

 to the kindly breezes which vainly seek to lure 

 them into a final frolic. The walnut leaves pre- 

 sent a horrible, black, and loathsome spectacle, 

 like death and dissolution in their ugliest form. 



Still, there is, or should be, nothing hopeless 

 in the fall of the leaves, when one reflects that in 

 detaching themselves from the twigs they are 

 only making way for the fresh verdure which is 

 to follow in the spring and the swelling of whose 

 buds really loosens the hold of the old leaves, just 

 as the new generation in the human community 

 forces the older, worn out, and less adaptable 

 members into the background. " Nothing per- 

 ishes in order that it may cease to exist, but so 

 that something else may exist in its stead." 



The mildness of the weather seems to have de- 

 veloped the leaf -buds earlier than usual and these 

 in their turn have forced off the old leaves. In the 

 third week in November there were three nights 

 of frost, up to the time when flowers were still in 

 fair supply in the garden. There were antirrhinum, 

 pinks, dahlias, roses, violets, chrysanthemums, 

 some anemones; and belated pansies and larkspur. 

 200 



