ched. The sunflower, for instance, is distinctly
greedy and would take the whole garden if it could get it.

If a general principle of omission and selection for a London garden
could be formulated, it would probably run as follows--choose
cottage-garden things and avoid villa-garden things. In this way you
will get all that is simple and sweet-scented and easy of cultivation,
and nothing which is formal and perky. There are men who at present do
earn large salaries by making gardens perky. The pity of it!

I have myself seen a long bed covered with things of different coloured
foliage in geometrical patterns. "You may see as good Sights, many
times, in Tarts." Thank you, my Lord Verulam, for those words. Looking
at such a bed one did not see the flowers only. The eye of imagination
lingered on all that must have conduced to its preparation--all the
pegs, and string, and perspiration, and misplaced cleverness. A garden
may easily be over-educated, and that which is good in itself may suffer
from improvement.

And that reminds me. You do not, perhaps, know the story of

THE GIRL WHO WENT BACK

There was once a girl whose name was Rose, and she was rather pretty and
rather clever. She was not very pretty or very clever, but everybody
said she was very sweet. She had great advantages. Her papa was a wise
man. Her mamma--well, her mamma had the best intentions and was troubled
with ambition. But they both loved Rose.

The ambitious mamma said to the wise papa: "Rose is now seventeen years
old. She has faults which must be eradicated. She has good qualities
which must be enhanced. The last year of her education must be
peculiarly strenuous."

"As how?" said the wise papa.

"Well, I do not quite like the way she speaks. Her voice is pleasant in
quality, and you can generally understand her; but she slurs her words
and she is just a little weak on the letter 'r'. She must be made to pay
far more attention to her personal appearance. Her waist is not as small
as it might be; and her complexion--but these are not things which you
will require to understand. She must learn German thoroughly. A
smattering is no use. She must not be allowed to have her own way about
the violin. Arithmetic is a very weak point with her. Are you
attending?"

The wise papa opened his eyes, and said that he had heard every word,
and that she was quite certain to be right, and that he would leave it
to her.

Rose had no ambition and no wi