THE NORTHRCOFT tILIES.

 while here and there a few clustering trees, with a few
 houses, marked the whereabouts of some village, and
 two or three churches stood out like landmarks half
 way up the hills, where two or three white roads looked
 like winding ribbons against the grey background.
 "Are those the North Wolds ?"
 "Yes; and brave old hills they are," said Mr.
 Layton. Look, there is Northcroft Hall-Sir Charles
 Northcroft's place-that white house with the trees
 round it."
 Nearer home the view was nothing remarkable--
 grazing land, and fields with the corn just springing.
 There were not many trees, but the church, with its
 neat little spire, and quiet, well-kept graveyard, looked
 fair and peaceful. Altogether it was better than Ger-
 trude had anticipated.
 It might be worse," she said, as she came in.
 "Worse, indeed !" replied her father. Think of
 those woods; James tells me they are full of lilies of
 the valley in the spring."
 "Lilies of the valley! oh, papa !" and thence-
 forward Gertrude felt nearly contented. This was
 delightful indeed!
 The novelty was a great help to the children in
 wearing off their grief at losing old friends, and, as
 Nancy had said, the wide sky for chimneys was a
 pleasant exchange. Then the rambles through the fir
 woods between home and Westcroft, where they could
 run and shout to their hearts' content, were much
 pleasanter than the studied walks in London; and even
 Betsy, the nursemaid, ceased to regret her much ad-
 mired Kennington Park. These woods were carpeted
 with soft, dry fir-needles, and were always fit for
 walking in, and Effie said the sound of the wind, as it
swayed the pine boughs, was like the distant sea.