30 THE GARDEN OF A 



mother went away, but one day its counterpart 

 flashed from Evan's, and then I knew that we 

 loved each other without a spoken word. 



From that time on, father, with his increasing 

 practice and the hospital to direct, had little time 

 to give to outdoor details. He saw that the horses 

 were always in good condition, for this was often 

 a matter of life or death to some one. He fed 

 his dogs, and clung to them for their silent friend- 

 ship, as he sat in his study with his books, or, 

 with his gun, strode off up through the stubble 

 fields, of an October morning ; and he always liked 

 to have a posy on his mantel-shelf or writing table. 



Yes, one thing more : he told Aunt Lot to plan 

 and plant as she pleased, but to make no change 

 in the beds that followed the long walk, and spring 

 and fall he watched the thinning out and resetting 

 that insures the long lives of hardy plants, and let- 

 ting only the most perfect blossoms mature their 

 seed until year by year new colours, fanciful hybrids, 

 appeared in the borders, now a thickly matted flower 

 jungle. 



Poor Aunt Lot and the man of all work soon 

 disagreed, however ; he was accustomed to have 

 his day's toil planned for him by one who under- 

 stood, and then do it in a methodical manner. 



