ELLEN NEVILLE. 
167 
belonged to the regiment which the general com¬ 
manded, but had now laid aside his sword and helmet 
to tend the flowers and overlook the spacious gardens. 
And never would he allow Phoebe to depart, when in 
attendance on her beautiful young mistress they trav¬ 
ersed together the ancient pleasance, without persuad¬ 
ing 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 dowers 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 
wandered alone down one of the long, pleached ave¬ 
nues, at the end of which stood the old familiar sum¬ 
mer-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 old by¬ 
gone scenes, all teeming with sweet and sorrowful rec¬ 
ollections, she was startled by the appearance of a tall, 
handsome-looking gentleman, who approached without 
