THE RETURN HOME 
233 
had done nothing towards their welfare. We have 
one neighbour, however, whose name I will not 
mention, who always spies out and praises the 
plants he has given us. One day he said to Joseph : 
“That pansy I gave you is the best-looking flower 
in the garden.” 
This somehow made Joseph wish he had never 
given him the pansy. 
Besides the hydrangeas, the clematis paniculata 
leaning on our wall has opened many of its cream- 
white flowers for September. They scent the air 
with their fragrance, and are soft and fleecy to look 
upon. Although our vine Is young and just begin- 
ning to show what It can do, its growth has been 
remarkable for this one year. At Nestly Heights 
the clematis vines form arbours, climb over trellises, 
and appear like heavy clouds of bloom. Beside 
many humble cottages In Nestly this vine is now 
turning everything to beauty and fragrance. It 
seems to be the bride of September, as the spirea 
was the bride of June. 
“How fortunate It Is,” I said to Joseph one day, 
“that all flowers do not open in the same month, 
last in bloom the same length of time, and then 
perish together. Nature has arranged her flowers 
so that they are never monotonous. They give 
pleasure, give surprises and cause deep regret when 
they are no more.” 
In early spring came the little shy blossoms, bare- 
ly daring to open for fear of the cold. Then with 
