The Chrissenmas to Mayday 
February 14. — To-day was the most delicious Spring 
day. February Filldyke is belying its name. Unless 
February is wet, it does not seem satisfactory to farmers 
however, so I am alone in my rejoicing at this delicious 
weather. It is a real St. Valentine’s Day, especially down 
by the little brown river, where the dainty black waterhens 
were haunting the banks and making sly predatory investi- 
gations through the beech-hedge into the kitchen-garden, 
after cabbages, I suppose. The snowdrops are thick 
throughout the u plantin’’ ; they look just like snow, now it is 
all gone. I gathered a boxful to-day and sent them to a 
soldiers’ hospital, where I know they will be appreciated. 
I remember how pleased the sick soldiers used to look if I 
happened to have any button-holes for them, or a posy for 
the Ward-table on visiting-days : 
Children, St. Valentine haste to greet ! 
Let us hurry down the dull muddy street, 
For now we shall find the wayside grass 
Besprent with daisies where’er he pass. 
The Lambs to each other call and say, 
“ Now cometh St. Valentine this way. 
His crozier wreathed with the earliest flowers 
Born of the first two sunny hours.” 
The kind old Bishop ! ’twas said he smiled 
Whenever he met a little child. 
He called them buds of the human race, 
The Bairnwort that glads each poor worn place. 
Around him a train of little Loves 
To keep in order a flock of Doves 
That circle him on silver wing, 
And luck to lovers, who see them, bring. 
On banks behind him the gorse is gold, 
Before him have fled the snow wreaths cold, 
The sky is no longer dark and grey, 
The Loves have swept all the clouds away. 
Then one small Love a sparrow's egg breaks, 
And a catkin brush he then quickly takes 
And paints the sky a beautiful blue, 
Perfumes the air at the same time too, 
St. Valentine smiles and says, “ Well done ! ” 
And goes away thro’ the woods alone. 
That wake and bud as he passes along, 
While the Birds in greeting sing him a song. 
I took a careful detailed inventory of the contents of the 
97 g 
