hollow and draped its grassy sides. Great glossy fronds of Hartstongue hung down against the wall of rock which rose above me, whilst, peeping from the spreading moss, and jutting from every shady corner, angle, or coign of vantage, were pretty plants of Wall-rue and Maidenhair Spleenwort. Almost hiding from view the course of the stream which ran down the dell were Lady Ferns, graceful in habit and luxuriant in growth, whilst, in the hollower ground, upon the sloping banks, and far up and away into the woods, grew stately fronds of the beautiful Bracken. But higher even than these were the flowering spikes of Foxgloves, the hue of whose blossoms richly empurpled the surrounding greenery, and lent an especial beauty and dignity to the scene. Amongst the grass were ten thousand stars of the everpresent Daisy, with Birdsfoot Trefoil and heads of Clover bloom, with Tormentil and Creeping Cinquefoil; whilst, upon the upper sides of the grassy slopes, the ground was blue, in places, by the presence of the Germander Speedwell. Sweet gusts of perfume were now borne to me from the Honeysuckle which, in full blossom, was displayed from the tangled bushes of Briar, Dog Rose, and Hawthorn through which it had climbed; and, in the shrubbery beneath the creamcoloured corollas of this exquisite woodland flower, were displayed blossoms of Wild Rose and Bindweed,

the small star-heads of the Stitchwort, and the rich bloom of the Red Robin; and, lower still, hiding amongst the grass, were the slender and beautiful forms of Bell-flowers, revelling in the depth of their delicious blue.

The rays of the sun, falling almost perpendicularly upon the clear pool which occupied the centre of the dell, brought into prominence the great leaves upon which rested the magnificent blossoms of the White Water Lily; whilst, on the pool borders, were masses of pink bloom upon the tall stems of flowering Rush and Greater Willow Herb, and below them a delightful undergrowth of Bog Pimpernel and Forget-me-not.

I now became sensible of a great increase in the heat of the sun, which was shining with such resplendency upon the little forest dell. Bird-songs, which had been filling the woods all around with delicious harmony, ceased almost suddenly, and the sultry air got still-not even a twig or blade of grass showing sign of motion. An odour of new-mown hay rose from the ground near my feet; the only movement was that of a magnificent Purple Emperor butterfly which suddenly, coming from whence I knew not, settled upon some stunted Sallow leaves that grew in the marshy margin of the stream. Even sounds seemed hushed, the busy murmur of insects changing to a gentle hum, and the

noise of the flowing water settling into a dreamy gurgle.

But soon the heat became so intense as to be oppressive, and I awoke and found that, in the interval of my sleep, the shady position in which I had placed myself had been altered, and that my head, from which my hat had fallen, was exposed to the direct and scorching rays of the sun.

IV.

A REALITY.

My dream made a very deep impression upon me, and I determined to turn it to practical account. I had often wished to have a wild garden, or a garden of wildings a garden devoted to wild flowers and fernsone from which all florists' flowers' should be rigidly excluded. How delightful it would be, I thought, to have close by one's dwelling a little bit of the field, the lane, or the wood; to extemporise a little forest dell, or dingle, by one's very door; to see, in one's garden, the flora of riverside or brookside; to bring, in short, within the region of the town a fragment of the country'-the real country'-a reality so dear, so prized, so loved and longed for, in these days of hard toil, exhausting brain-work, and never-ceasing worry!

And how easy would be the carrying out of such an idea! No costly accessories would be required. Nature gives all that she has with a free and bountiful hand. Gardening,' in the ordinary sense, is more or less