pping to rest on some bush by the wayside to
cheer her by his musical song. When she returned home laden with
furniture, facts from the warehouse of General Knowledge, or some of
Arithmetic's more heavy productions, the way seemed shorter, the burden
more light when Content was fluttering near. When the four Desleys at
last took up their abode in their four little homes, the presence of
beautiful Content made Nelly's as bright as a palace.

It is time that I should say something about the gardens which lay
behind the cottages of Head, and which were to be cultivated by the
children. These were very curiously laid out, according to the plans
given by Geography, the celebrated gardener. Each garden represented a
map. There were plots of green grass for the sea, dotted with daisies
for tiny islands. There was rich dark mould for the land, and flowers or
small bushes were planted wherever the capitals of countries should be.
Dick, who was very ingenious, contrived to have some characteristic
plant for most of those cities.

"See," he exclaimed, "there is a rose-bush for London, a thistle for
bonny Edinburgh, and a patch of green shamrock for Dublin. I'm getting a
lily for Paris, as that is the capital of France; and as Holland is
famous for tulips, Amsterdam a tulip shall be."

"And what will you give Belgium?" inquired Matty.

"Brussels sprouts, to be sure."

Dick worked early and late at his garden, and it was by far the finest
of the four; even in the season of autumn the difference was very
marked. Lubin was so often sauntering off to Amusement's bazaar, and
spending his hours at one of her counters, that Geography the gardener
grew quite out of patience with him. Lubin quite forgot where to put in
the tiny box hedges which marked the boundaries of various countries, so
that France spread half over Germany, and swallowed up poor little
Belgium altogether. "Italy," as Dick laughingly observed, "was shaped
like a gouty shoe, instead of a long slender boot;" and so much grass
overran the border, that Matty was certain that all Lubin's land would
soon be drowned by the sea. London, Edinburgh, and Paris were dying for
want of watering, and nothing seemed to flourish in Lubin's Europe but
such things as groundsel and chickweed.

Matty at first succeeded far better with her flowers. She had a taste
for gardening, she said, and laid out her map very nicely. Whatever
accorded with her inclination, Matty did quickly and wel