THE STORY OF A GARDEN 141 



lovers as to the birds. The gardener 

 wishes this, orders that, is rigid in 

 point of rights and etiquette, and looks 

 with scarcely veiled contempt at all 

 wild things, flowers, birds, trees; would 

 scrape away the soft pine needles from 

 the foot-paths and scatter stone dust 

 in their place, or else rough, glaring 

 pebbles. He would drive away the 

 songsters with small shot, his one idea 

 of a proper garden bird being a china 

 peacock. 



It is, of course, sadly true, that 

 cherries, strawberries, grapes, and hun- 

 gry birds cannot meet with safety to 

 the fruit, but we should not therefore 

 emulate the men of Killingworth. We 

 may buy from a neighbouring farmer, 

 for a little money, all the fruit we lack, 

 but who for untold gold can fill the 

 hedge with friendly birds, if once we 

 grieve or frighten them away? 



