t it
smells!"

"Like its name, dearie," replied the other. "It is called the `meadow-
sweet'; and a delicious perfume can be extracted from it by infusion in
boiling water. The roots of the plant are long tubers, which, when
ground to powder and dried, may be used as a substitute for flour,
should you have any scarcity of that article!"

"I'd rather have the real sort of flour, though, auntie."

"So would I, too, dearie," agreed Mrs Gilmour. "I only told you in
case you may be thrown on a desert island some day, when the information
might be of use in the event of your being without bread."

"But, supposing there was no meadow-sweet there either, auntie?"

"Sure that would be a bad look-out," said Mrs Gilmour, joining in
Nell's laugh. "I think we'd better wait till you get to the desert
island!"

Wandering along, they plucked at their will masses of the wild
convolvulus, or "great bindweed," whose white blossoms, while they
lasted, added much to the general effect of the bouquet Nellie was
making up with her busy fingers from the spoils of coppice and sward.

These, in addition to the flowers they had just picked, now comprised
many other natives of the wood and hedgerow, such as the purple bugloss,
the yellow iris, the star thistle, the common mallow; and, a convolvulus
which was brilliantly pink, in contrast to his white brother before-
mentioned. Besides these, Nellie had also gathered some sprays of the
"toad flax" and "blue succory," a relative of the "endive" tribe, which
produces the chicory-root so much consumed in England, as in France, as
a "substitute" for coffee. A splendid sprig of yellow broom and dear
little bunch of hare-bells, the "blue Bells of Scotland," with two or
three scarlet poppies, a wreath of the aromatic ground ivy and some
fern-leaves for foliage, completed her floral collection.

Stopping beneath a group of trees further on, to listen to the song of a
thrush, which was so full of melody that they approached him quite close
without his noticing them, Nell and her aunt were amused by seeing two
rooks quarrelling over a worm which they had both got hold of at the
same time, one at either end gripping the unfortunate creature; and
gobbling, and tugging, and cawing, at once!

One of these rooks had a white head, which he seemed to cock on one side
in a strangely familiar way to Nell.

"He's just like the Captain!" she exclaimed, tittering at the fancied
resemblance. "Look, aun