Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
1
137
The Solitary Summer
·
Elizabeth Von Arnim
13
They
came
in
such
shoals
that
half
the
population
must
have
been
head
gardeners
out
of
situations.
I
took
all
the
likely
ones
round
the
garden,
and
I
do
not
think
I
ever
spent
a
more
chastening
week
than
that
week
of
selection.
Their
remarks
were,
naturally,
of
the
frankest
nature,
as
I
had
told
them
I
had
had
practically
only
gardeners'
assistants
since
I
lived
here,
and
they
had
no
idea,
when
they
were
politely
scoffing
at
some
arrangement,
that
it
happened
to
be
one
of
my
own.
The
hot-beds
in
the
kitchen
garden
with
which
I
had
taken
such
pains
were
objects
of
special
derision.
It
appeared
that
they
were
all
wrong--measurements,
preparation,
soil,
manure,
everything
that
could
be
wrong,
was.
Certainly
the
only
crop
we
had
from
them
was
weeds.
But
I
began
about
half
way
through
the
week
to
grow
sceptical,
because
on
comparing
their
criticisms
I
found
they
seldom
agreed,
and
so
took
courage
again.
Finally
I
chose
a
nice,
trim
young
man,
with
strikingly
intelligent
eyes
and
quick
movements,
who
had
shown
himself
less
concerned
with
the
state
of
chaos
existing
than
with
considerations
of
what
might
eventually
be
made
of
the
place.
He
is
very
deaf,
so
he
wastes
no
time
in
words,
and
is
exceedingly
keen
on
gardening,
and
knows,
as
I
very
soon
discovered,
a
vast
amount
more
than
I
do,
in
spite
of
my
three
years'
application.
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
