118 LESSONS OUT OF DOORS.

with the laughing red of the blossoms caused Helen
Newman to break out into admiration. She was in
mourning, for she had lately met with that greatest
less for a child, the loss of a mother. But the sweet
works of creation, it may be observed, do not interfere
with the sacredness of grief. What God has spread
out in the sky and on the earth soothes the ruffled
spirit which would revolt at a gay speech or a boister-
ous jest. The old man pitied the young lady. He
had served her mother many many years, and what was
more, he had been tried with affliction; he knew how
to sympathize with those who suffered. Ile wisely
drew Helen’s attention from one to another beauty of
the garden, till she was entertained and _ refreshed
almost against her will. He showed her how the lady-
slippers flaunted in their parti-coloured coats, and how
the large altheas, from good pruning, were all over
flowers. Tiger-lilies, late roses, and the stately yucca,
were in season. Old Donald pointed out the beauties
of each. But not content with this, he went to a
choice corner of the greenhouse, and brought her a
bouquet of rare and exotic flowers; and his hard,
withered old face softened into a fatherly smile as he
placed it in Helen’s hand. But while she was examin-
ing its colours and enjoying its fragrance, and for a
moment forgetting herself in these flowers of the field,
she was violently interrupted by a rush of the young
gardeners into their place of labour. She could not