84 THE FERN PARADISE. 
with waving fern-fronds, rises up against the tall 
and matted shrubs from the hedges which run to 
meet it, and mingling its own wealth of green 
twigs with the branches of a small oak on the 
opposite side of the way, forms a delightful 
canopy of quivering leaves, through which the 
blue of the sky, and the fleecy white of the 
passing clouds, can just be seen. 
Who could resist the temptation to wander into 
such a bower as this ? — for bower it seems. When, . 
however, you reach the hedge-bank that appears 
to bar the way, your astonishment is great to 
find that it is not a cul-de-sac which you have 
entered ; for a turning to the left, so sharp as 
to be unseen until you approach it closely, reveals 
the most beautiful green and ferny lane which 
it is possible for the imagination to conceive. Oh ! 
the glorious wealth of waving green, wild flowers, 
and fern-fronds, which the eye surveys, as it 
delightedly wanders along the charming vista 
which bursts upon you ! On your right and on 
your left, just where the lane bends round, two 
stately Brakes stand, as if placed there to guard 
