ELLEN NEVILLE 
323 
entreaties of Phoebe and the persuasions of her oid nurse, 
she now and then ventured out to walk forth into the 
park; and on one or two occasions had entered the spa- 
cious garden, which was endeared to her by a thousand 
memories that recalled the happy days of her childhood. 
The gardener was a young man who, during the civil 
wars, had belonged to the regiment which the General 
commanded, but had now laid aside his sword and helmet 
to tend to the flowers, and overlook the spacious gardens. 
And never would he allow Phoebe to depart, when in 
attendance on her beautiful young mistress they traversed 
together the ancient pleasance, without persuading her to 
accept a splendid bouquet, in the formation of which he 
displayed considerable taste. 
Phoebe gladly received the gift; for she soon perceived 
that the flowers were treasured all the more by the Lady 
Ellen through having grown in the garden which from 
childhood she had ever considered as her own. And 
thus, while the flowers lasted, they frequently visited the 
grounds of the old manor-house. 
It was one day while Phoebe was gossiping as usual 
with the young gardener, that the Lady Ellen had wan- 
dered alone down one of the long, pleached avenues, at 
the end of which stood the old familiar summer-house, 
where she had passed many a happy hour, when a girl, 
in the society of her mother ; and that, while she sat there 
musing on old times, and bygone scenes, all teeming with 
sweet and sorrowful recollections, she was startled by the 
appearance of a tall, handsome-looking gentleman, who 
approached without observing her, so deeply was he ab- 
sorbed in the contents of the open book which he held in 
his hand. 
Nor was it until the slight rustling made by her heavy 
silk dress arrested his attention, as she arose from her 
seat, that he seemed aware of the beautiful vision which 
thus burst so suddenly upon him. He became mute and 
motionless in a moment as the lady in the enchanted chair 
he was then reading about in the “Mask of Comus,” 
which he had only that very day received, by a special 
messenger, from the hand of Milton himself ; nor was his 
embarrassment a jot removed when she apologised, in 
tones sweet as those of an angel, for having thus uncon- 
sciously intruded upon his retirement. 
