THE CHARM OF GARDENS 



going to the Colonies and parting with a lot of odds and 

 ends. I bought the brass candlesticks off him at the 

 same time a shilling." 



I could see why the little man liked the picture, for 

 the same reason I liked it myself. It was of the Norwich 

 School, a broad open landscape painted with care and 

 finish of detail, and with much of the charming falsity 

 of light common among certain pictures of that time. 

 On the left was a cottage whose garden gave on to the 

 road, a cottage almost buried under two great trees. 

 The road wound past, out of the shadows of the trees, 

 and vanished over a hill. The middle distance showed a 

 great expanse of country dotted with trees with the con- 

 tinuation of the road running through the vale until 

 it was lost in a wood. A sky of banked up clouds hung 

 over all. Right across the middle of the picture was 

 a wonderfully painted gleam of sunlight, flicking trees, 

 meadows, and the road into bright colours ; the rest 

 of the picture being subdued to give this effect. Up the 

 road, coming towards the cottage, was a small man in a 

 three-cornered hat, knee breeches, and long skirted 

 coat. This figure dated the picture a little earlier 

 than I had at first thought it. 



" That's me," said the tailor, pointing to the figure. 

 " That's what Rose said as soon as I brought it home, 

 4 Why that's you, Tom.' " 



"I did, sir, that's just what I said. 'Why Tom, 

 that's you,' I said." 



" And so it is," said the tailor. 



Half a crown ! Few of us are rich enough in taste 

 to have bought it. 



After tea I begged leave to see the garden. " And, 

 Miss Rose," I said, " to hear about the tombstone, 

 please." 



She put her small fat hands to her face and laughed 



48 



