ter week went by, each with its fulness of business and
cares; and no one in the little family knew exactly what forces were
silently busy. So a year rolled round, and another year began its
course, and ran it; and June came for the second time since Diana had
returned from the seaside. Elmfield in all this time had not been
revisited by its owners.

June had come again. Windows were open, and the breath of roses filled
the minister's study; for Diana had developed lately a passion for
flowers and for gardening, and her husband had given her with full
hands all she wanted, and much more. Mrs. Starling had grumbled and
been very sarcastic about it. However, Basil had ordered in plants and
seeds and tools and books of instruction; he had become instructor
himself; and the result was, the parsonage, as people began to call it,
was encompassed with a little wilderness of floral beauty which was
growing to be the wonder of Pleasant Valley. "It will do them good!"
the minister said, when Diana called his attention to the fact that the
country farmers passing by were falling into the habit of reining in
their horses and stopping for a good long look. For instead of the
patch of marigolds and hollyhocks in front of the house, all the wing
inhabited by the minister and his family was surrounded with flowers.
Roses bloomed in the beds and out of the grass, and climbed up on the
walls of the house; white Annunciation lilies shone like stars here and
there; whole beds of heliotrope were preparing their perfume; geraniums
held up their elegant heads of every colour; verbenas and mignonette
and honeysuckle and red lilies and yellow lilies and hardy gladiolus
were either just beginning or in full beauty; with many more, too many
to tell; and the old-fashioned guelder rose had shaken out its white
balls of snow, and one or two laburnums were hung thick with their
clusters of "dropping gold." The garden was growing large, and, as I
said, become a wilderness of beauty. Nevertheless the roses kept their
own, and this afternoon the breath of them, rising above all the other
sweet breaths that were abroad, came in and filled the minister's
study. Diana was there alone sitting by one of the open windows, busy
with some work; not so busy but that she smelt the roses, and felt the
glory of light and colour that was outside, and heard the hum of bees
and the twitter of birds and the soft indistinguishable chirrup of
insects, which filled the ai