All distinction between pathway and border had long since been
obliterated, the eyes wandered over a carpet of starred and spangled
greenery. Tall white gladiolas shot up above it, and spires of foxgloves
and rockets, while all about them and among the rose-trees, climbed the
morning glory and the briony vine.

Stretching in front of the ruined arbour was a lawn, and along one edge
of it under the wall, grew a bed of lilies, lilies of the valley, so
sweet in their season, that sometimes the old lady's grand-daughters
would affirm that a waft of their breath had reached them as they sat up
in the gallery at work.

It was towards this spot that Madam Melcombe looked. Here her unquiet
face was frequently turned, from her first early entrance into the
gallery, till sunset, when she would sit in one of the alcoves in hot
weather. She gave no reason for this watch, but a kindly and reverent
reserve protected her from questions. It was felt that the place was
sacred to some recollection of her youth, when her young children were
about her, before the cruel desertion of two, the ceaseless quarrels of
other two, and the tragic death of one of them, had darkened her days.

The one door in the wall being fastened, and the ground-floor at that
end of the house having none but barred windows, it follows that the
only entrance to the garden was now from this gallery. There was,
indeed, a flight of steps leading down from it, but there was a gate at
the top of them, and this gate was locked.

On the day of her eldest son's funeral, his stricken mother had locked
it. Perhaps she scarcely knew at first that the time would never come
when she should find courage again to open it; but she took away the key