falling 



The last roses which really opened their petals 

 were picked about the i5th, with the exception of 

 a few " Gloire de Dijon" still to be seen on the 

 south wall of the house, on the last day of the 

 month. 



The cherry and walnut shed their leaves before 

 the mulberry, which did not, in its usual way, lead 

 the van. 



The general mild temperature and moisture of 

 the season have brought up the early Gladioluses, 

 the IxiaSj and the Spanish Irises, all of which I am 

 leaving in the ground to face the winter under 

 the protection of a top-dressing of manure and 

 straw. Some of the laurels and rhododendrons 

 have thrown out new leaves, and the leaf -buds of 

 the beech, lilac, and honeysuckle are much more 

 advanced than they ought to be. The hedges 

 about here are sprouting, and I have come across 

 several patches of hawthorn clothed at the end 

 of November with fresh green as in early spring. 

 They surely must have mistaken the season, like 

 one who wakes up soon after he has fallen asleep, 

 thinking the dawn is approaching. 



Among the flowers of the month I was almost 

 201 



