edge of the terrace thinking that the stiff white
head-dress made her feel more like a nun than her vows.

"Of what am I thinking?" she asked herself, for her thoughts seemed
to go out faintly, like the clouds; she seemed more conscious of the
spring-time than she had ever been before, of a sense of delight
going through her when, before her eyes, the sun came out, lighting
up the distant inter-spaces and the stems of the trees close by. The
ash was coming into leaf, but among the green tufts, every bough
could still be traced. The poplars looked like great brooms, but they
were reddening, and in another week or two would be dark green again.
The season being a little late, the lilacs and laburnums were out
together; pink and white blossoms had begun to light up the close
leafage of the hawthorns, and under the flowering trees grass was
springing up, beautiful silky grass. "There is nothing so beautiful
in the world as grabs," Evelyn thought, "fair spring grass." The
gardener was mowing it between the flower beds, and it lay behind his
hissing scythe along the lawn in irregular lines.

"There is the first swallow, just come in time to see the tulips, the
tall May tulips which the Dutchmen used to paint."

So did Evelyn think, and her eyes followed Sister Mary John's
jackdaw. He seemed to know the hour of the day, and was looking out
for his mistress, who generally came out after dinner with food for
him, and speech--the bird seemed to like being spoken to, and always
put his head on one side so that he might listen more attentively. A
little further on Evelyn met three goslings straying under the
flowering laburnums, and she returned them to their mother in the
orchard. Something was moving among the potato ridges, and wondering
what it could be, she discovered the cat playing with the long-lost
tortoise. How funny her great fluffy tom-cat looked, as he sat in
front of the tortoise, tapping its black head whenever it appeared
beyond the shell. All cats are a beautiful shape, but this one was a
beautiful colour, "grey as a cloud at even"; but to leave him playing
with the tortoise would be cruel to the tortoise, so she decided to
carry the cat to the other end of the garden, where the sparrows were
picking up the green peas.

The pear blossom had disappeared some weeks ago, and now the apple
was in bloom. Some trees were later than others, and there were still
tight pink knots amid the brown boughs. Evelyn sat down a