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