time.

"You see, Mr Green, Miss Elliott has an eye for the beautiful. I knew
we should find her here, with her friends."

The rest was as usual.

"Observe how entirely different this is, from all the other views about
the place. There is not a glimpse of the river, or of the mountains,
except that blue line of hills, very distant indeed. The scene is quite
a pastoral one, you see. Can you imagine anything more tranquil? It
seems the very domain of silence and repose."

The last remark was not so effective as usual, because of the noise made
by Charlie Millar and Will, and the young Groves, as they ran along the
broad walk full in sight.

"It is a bonny, quiet place," said Mrs Snow.

"The garden is not seen at its best now," continued Mrs Grove. "The
beauty of the spring flowers is over, and except the roses, we have not
many summer flowers; we make a better show later in the season."

"It looks first-rate," said Mr Snow.

"It costs a great deal of trouble and expense to keep it up as it ought
to be kept," continued Mrs Grove. "I sometimes think it is not right
to spend so much time and money for what is a mere gratification to the
eye."

Mrs Grove was bent on being agreeable, to all present, and she thought
"the economical dodge" was as good as any, considering her audience.

"There is something in that," said Mr Snow, meditatively; "but a place
like this ought to be a great deal more than that, I think."

"Oh! I expect it pays," said Mr Green. "To people who are fond of
such things, I expect there is more pleasure to be got for the same
money from a garden than from 'most any other thing."

"To say nothing of the pleasure given to other folk--to one's friends,"
suggested Mrs Snow.

"I was calculating that, too," said Mr Green. "The pleasure one's
friends get tells on one's own comfort; you feel better yourself, if the
folks about you feel well, especially if you have the doing of it.
_That_ pays."

"If we are travelling in the right road, the more we see of the
beautiful things God has made, the better and the happier we will be,"
said Mr Snow. "It will pay in that way, I guess."

He turned an inquiring look on Mr Green, as he spoke, but that
gentleman, probably not being prepared to speak advisedly on the
subject, neither agreed nor dissented, and his eyes travelled on till
they rested on the face of his wife.

"Yes," said, she, softly, "the more we see of God's love and wisdom in
the