PAGE
A day in the heart of winter—I lie in bed—My books, my dogs—My daughter Bess—Flowers from Mentone—Cromwell’s cabinet—My dog Mouse—The feeding of the birds—The recollection of the beautiful garden at La Mortola—The violets there—The Wenlock chimes—My curtain, its strange devices—Colouring borrowed from the macaws—All flowers not only have different shades but many colours—Mouse runs downstairs—Visitors call—The children get wet—The German governess’s indignation—Bess offers to pay—Hals is carried off in Henry’s dressing-gown—The next day—My friend Constance comes down and embroiders with me—Billy Buttons the robin—Bess and I visit the gardens—A word about canaries in an aviary—Discussion with Bess on saints—Auguste has cleaned Hals’ suit—Burbidge walks with us—A talk about gardening—An old gardener’s view of dogs—Constance has a chat with me—We talk on matters relating to the kitchen garden—Vegetables, and how to cook them—Constance’s future quilt, designs from Gerard’s flowers to be worked on old Shropshire hand-made linen—The servant problem—Bess’s request—Nana on dogs—Alone in the chapel hall—Thomas À Kempis’s book—The stone altar—The next day—The seed list—My future borders—Bess and I go sledging—Bess tries to understand what real poverty is—How to be happy a hard matter—Bess’s offer of toys
FEBRUARY
The beginning of spring—The spring of the North—The story of St. Milburgha—Legends of her sanctity—Belief in the efficacy of the saint’s water—Wishing Well at Wenlock—First spring flowers in the red-walled garden—I see starlings—The cock chaffinch—Hals’ visit—“Sister Helen” in the mouth of babes—Bess’s remorse—Constance’s quilt from “Gerard’s Herbal”—The peace of Wenlock—Bess and her future—The difficulties of education—An interview with Burbidge—How his brother was “overlooked”—I go to Homer—Beautiful view—The story of Banister’s Coppice—The arrest of the Duke of Buckingham—The Duke’s curse—Its effect upon the Banister family—A visit to an old cottager—A noble life, and unclouded faith—Nanny Morgan the witch—Her life and death—Bess returns—The first snowdrops of the year—A walk home in the gloaming
MARCH
The first signs of spring—Birds sing and call—Life everywhere—Throstle and blackbird—Nature everywhere hard at work—The monastic snails—Their use now—Only used for thrushes’ breakfasts—Terror of village folks at the thought that they might be put in “ragouts”—Crocuses—Cloth of Gold—Rizzio—Sir W. Scott—White Daphne—Hellebores—Arabis—Jenny Wren—Legends about the bird—The pet robin’s nest in the kettle—Stories and folklore about the robin—Lambs at play—The gentle science of angling—Dame Berners’ book—The Abbot’s walk—Peter “on ounts”—A talk about rooks and their ways—The carrion crow and his eËrie cry—I return late for breakfast—Prince Charming—Talk about the pug-pup—Nana hostile—Bess’s suggestions of how and where to keep the pup—A talk with a child about letters—Hours in the garden—Pear tree in sheets of snow—Two hedges of roses—A bed of ranunculi—Burbidge takes me aside—“The boys” are sent to garden in the distance, and I hear about his brother and Sal—How the cure was effected—We go to Wenlock station—Arrival of the pug—Mouse jealous—Mouse appeased—Even Nana is kind to Prince Charming—An hour with Montaigne—A word about the sword flower or Gladiolus—The arrival of the swans—Bess believes them to be fairy princes—We feed them—Bess carried off by Nana—Bess will not walk with me—Bess tells me that FrÄulein has met with an accident—A long walk alone over the fields with Mouse, after a bunch of white violets—Favourite flowers—Rapture of the birds—The lark a speck in the sky—Wood-sorrel—St. Patrick’s plant—How Bess spent the afternoon—Bess’s purchase—The next morning—Nana’s indignation—Bess’s full confession, and how she paid her debt
APRIL
A spring day—The Abbey fool—An old country rhyme—The old custom of All Fools’ Day revived—Old Adam full of splendour—A visit to the Abbey pool—Clematises “opened out” to the light—The borders full of spring flowers—Rose pruning—How roses should be pruned differently—Something about bees—The tool-house—Bright colours for the beehives—Scotch bees and their favourite colour—The old Shropshire bee—Bess and I attend the removal of the bees—Masks and bee-veils worn by gardeners—Burbidge whispers the charm—Bee folklore—Bess and I help to paint the bee-houses—The bees are freed—Thady Malone—His message—Mrs. Harley has sent for me—I go off to Homer—The last scene—A death of brilliant hope and happiness—Mouse and I return—The cuckoo—The joy of life, and the beauty of spring—The Sunday before Easter, or Palm Sunday—The old rite of the blessing of the boughs—All the young people in church wear the golden willow—The walk in the churchyard—After luncheon I read extracts from Sir Thomas Botelar’s “Church Registers”—Wenlock history in Tudor times—A word about Constance’s quilt—The revival of the May dance at Wenlock—A village fÊte—Bess to be May Queen—Marsh marigold the special flower—Bess’s delight at the thought of the fÊte—Burbidge gives his consent—Virtuous indignation of old Hester his wife—Easter Sunday—The Sacrament in the old church—In the afternoon we visit Thady, who is down with a bad leg—Bess takes him an Easter Egg—The mead of daffodils—“A bunch of daffs” for luck—How Burbidge had planted them—Our visit to old Timothy Theobalds—His tales of the old ways—Bull-baiting—Rejoicings at Loppington—The Madeley bull-baitings—Courage of the Vicar of Madeley and his eloquence—Stories of old May Day—Stories and old accounts locally—Puritan dislike of the festival—A beautiful spring morning—The summer flowers growing in strength—Beauty of the cloister-garth—Division of the violet roots—The great daffodils and their splendour—The gooseberry and currant cages—Burbidge’s dislike to bullfinches—The double primroses, their beauty and charm—Preparations for the May dance—All the old servants are occupied in making the May dance a success—A talk with Thady through the window—A day in the woods—Birds’ nests—Luncheon under the greenwood tree—Fairy-stories—We wander home—Quotations about sleep—The delights of a long day in the woods
MAY
The May-pole—The dances—Bess’s dress—Burbidge’s fears for his garden—Old Master Theobalds is taken ill—He revives, thanks to Auguste’s broth—A talk of old days—Wakes and Wishing Wells—Grinning through a horse-collar, a rustic accomplishment in the past—A walk to the Wrekin to drink out of the bird-bowls—Susie Langford—Cock-fighting at Wenlock and elsewhere—Old customs and sinful practices—Traditions about winners of the ring—Tom Moody—His pet horse “Old Soul”—Tom’s wild drives and leaps—How Tom was once found in a bog—Tom and the Squire—Tom’s funeral—View-holloa over the grave—An afternoon in the ruined church—The story of St. Milburgha as told by William of Malmesbury—Words about the monasteries from many sources—The pity of the wreckage and destruction of so much that was beautiful in the Reformation—Thady brings me a “Jack Squealer”—I am taken off bird-nesting—I am shown the nest of a redstart, that of a black ouzel, and one of a Jack Smut (black cap) on a bramble—A beautiful night in the ruins—Narcissi in blossom like a mist of stars at my feet—I think of all who have passed through the cloisters—The end of the Abbey Church, a quarry for road-mending and for the building of pigsties and cottages—My late tulips—A long walk in the early morning—Beauty of the early hours of the day—The country in full splendour—Oak Apple Day—Little boys going to school with the badge of Stuart loyalty in their caps—The chevy—I pluck a bunch of anemones—Poor Bess in disgrace—High words between CÉlestine and Mrs. Langdale—How pleasant life would be without its worries—Silence in dogs one of their chief charms and merits
JUNE
Peace again in the household—Bedding-out the east garden—“Cherry-pie” geraniums—Scarlet verbenas—Clematis up the pillars, a future glory—Planting the tubs—Sweet-smelling plants for the evening—The hedgehog—Mouse and it are reconciled—A talk about hedgehogs—Auguste and “les escargots”—What Auguste will do with them—The growing demand in London—Bess and I enjoy the summer—The forsaken thrush’s nest—Old Timothy and the yellow water wagtail’s nest—A youthful memory—Old customs in Shropshire—Apple howlers—The old belief in the devil—Modern thought has blotted him out—The old Pagan Belief and how apple howling was but the last act of a Pagan rite—Domestic service and old Timothy’s views—Servants old and new—How man and maid were engaged in the old days—A talk about stocks, and pillory—The old punishments at Wenlock—Judy Cookson in the scold’s bridle—The sale of a wife—With a happy ending—A turn in the bee garden—White Martagon lilies, English peonies, briars, columbines, lupins, Oriental poppies, all about to open—A letter from Mrs. Stanley—Bess’s views on London—A walk in the garden after a night’s rain—The beauty of the rose—Old and new all are always welcome—A bush of rosemary—Old saws and customs—Evelyn’s enjoyment of sweet plants—The old Hampshire garden—The burning bush—Laon Cathedral—Pinks, their delicious scent—Many sorts, but all delightful—The herb garden—A word about herbs—The single peony—Old beliefs about it—A drink of “peonina tea” from the Witch—Mustard as a manure for tulips—Woodruff, its sweet scent—Wormwood—Hester Burbidge a culler of herbs—Burbidge’s despotic rule—Camomile, clove-basil, and mallow, all grown for medicinal purposes—Bess’s views “on cherubims”—Bess’s dream—A talk about a butterfly collection—Mrs. Eccles and her request—The sprig of bay—The old Roman belief—We meet Hals—Delight of the children—Bess wishes to buy a brother—A week of holidays—Charles Kingsley’s Water-Babies—Long summer days—Walks and rides in the twilight—The wonderful glory of June—Thady Malone—The field on the Edge—The leveret—Mouse retrieves it, but does it no harm—Heaven—Bess declares there must be dogs there—Thady’s tale
JULY
A perfect summer’s day—Wild birds strong on the wing—They can mock at the terriers—My roses in full glory—My collection of Moss roses—Chinese larkspurs or delphiniums—Larkspurs of many strange colours—Chinese peonies—The glory of the tree peony—A hedge of Austrian briar—The hybrid teas—The charm and excellence—The gorgeous hybrid perpetuals—Irises and their beauty—Crimson ramblers and Penzance briars—The bower garden—The charm of annuals—The border beneath the old greengages—Marigolds—Stocks—Love-in-the-Mist—Sweet sultan and cockscomb—Sweet peas in lines for picking—Bess’s treasure—Great excitement—A great twittering in the great yew hedge—A cat the suspected cause—Greenfinches hover round us—I see a nest—We fetch the garden steps—A moment of glory—Alas! I fall, and heavily, in securing the prize—The treasure proves to be a young cuckoo—Terror of the children—Help at last arrives—I cannot spend the week, as I had intended, seeing friends framed in their gardens—The children flit off to Constance, and I am left alone—An afternoon of happy daydreams, past and present—The old Hampshire garden—The great gardens of England—Shipton and its charms—James I. of Scotland and his Quhair—The garden at Westminster where Chaucer wrote—Lord Bacon’s stately conception of what a garden should be—The charms of wild gardening—A talk about Bacon—His greatness and his baseness—Nonsuch—John Evelyn and his love of a garden—His ride along the Mediterranean coast—Elizabeth of York’s bower—Sir Thomas More’s garden—The gardens at Hampton Court—Moor Park and its beauties in Hereford—Sheen—Sir William Temple’s Moor Park in Surrey—His sundial—The gardens of the ancients—The garden where Epicurus walked—Where Solomon wrote—The Hesperides—The garden of Alcinous—Chaucer’s earthly paradise—Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia—The wreaths of other centuries—The extent of Theobalds—Kenilworth and its garden—The old delight of sweet scents—Bacon’s suggestion to surround the house with pleasant perfumes—Markham’s nosegay garden—Lawson’s delight in a garden—A word about the gardeners of the Middle Ages—Many of the gardens of the past are gone—The old home of the Newports—The old gazebo at Eyton—The garden in which the Masque of Flowers was given in 1613—The children return to me—How they spent the afternoon—Shropshire games—Kiss-in-the-ring—Dog Bingo—Bell-horses—Green Gravel—Wallflowers—Nuts in May—Three Dukes a-riding—Ring of roses—A-walking up the green grass—I lie awake—A volume of Milton—The charm of “Comus”—The beauty of the masque—The stately ruins of Ludlow Castle—Princes who have visited it in its days of splendour—The little murdered Princes—Prince Arthur—The Lady Alice—John Milton—His learning—Musician and poet, and a fine swordsman—Auguste’s gift—Burbidge’s roses—A word about roses—Stories about ladies who have disliked them in the past—Hals’ visit draws to a close—Bess broken-hearted—We leave for the seaside
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
SPRING IN A SHROPSHIRE ABBEY
