She stood looking out over her garden .sx Two tall thick plantations of fragrant evergreen thujas screened it on both sides the further end was blocked by some big trees just coming into leaf , through which showed a high and forbidding grey wall , stuck with glass at the top , and over it the huge gloomy buildings of the Soviet Embassy .sx Most of the garden was lawn , but now only a few thin spikes of green showed above the brown earth and flattened matted leaves of last year's grass .sx A low stone parapet , on which stood pots of wallflowers , separated the lower garden from the upper one .sx A week ago an avenue of lilacs had sprung up in the night along the path across the lawn dug out from the underground pit where they had spent the winter and sunk , tubs and all , in the turf .sx Their sweetness came in waves now on her face as she walked towards the upper garden , where gnarled ancient trees and bushes of flowering cherry and plum held out on black fantastic branches their annual miracle of pink and rose-red blossom .sx Here there were stone seats , and groups of trees for shade , and a pergola a little mystery and a little secrecy , such as a garden should have .sx The air was full of the scent of the yellow briars round the house , and mixed with it other scents wood-smoke and Chinese cooking and Chinese sanitation and donkey-dung the intimate penetrating Peking smell , which is like the smell of no other city on earth .sx Laura smelt it with positive pleasure its strength , in the warm dusk , meant that spring was fully come , and the baking splendours of a Chinese summer on the way .sx In the snowless winter of cold sunshine and frost and tearing winds the smell of Peking suffers a strange diminution , and dwindles to a mere ghost .sx She wandered over to a group of tamarisks , whose boughs wore a faint bloom of pale green and pale rose , transparent and tenuous as chiffon , and sat down on a bench below the leaning trunks .sx The air was as full of sounds as of smells .sx Even in the quiet Legation garden the confused noise of the city reached her , but it was a different quality of sound from the roar of traffic in a European city , the muffled drumming of soft feet on unpaved earth bare or slippered human feet , the pads of camels , the light tapping of the small unshod feet of donkeys .sx In this low murmur other sounds stood out sharply , like loud notes in soft music the hoot of a distant motor-horn , the ringing of tram-bells , a scream of a steam-whistle and sounds of shunting from the railway-station just outside the city wall .sx She could hear , too , innumerable cries from the streets outside but strange cries , with another note in the voices ; now and then in the distance crackers were let off with a noise like revolver shots .sx There were small noises near at hand as well ; a Peking crow barked now and then from over by the stables ; she could hear the creak of the shadoof as the gardener hauled up water from the well , and a sort of crackling sound as his colleague rolled back the straw lienzas off the conservatory , now that the sun had set .sx The hoopees had just come back , and tripped about the lawn with their little running steps , fluting low isolated notes .sx Suddenly out of the sky came a faint winging of music , as from small harps overhead she looked up and saw a flight of birds wheeling over the house .sx It was that loveliest of Chinese inventions , the small pipes bound to the tail-feathers of pigeons , so that the birds cannot fly without creating this aethereal music .sx Who would not love and honour a race which could devise a thing like that ?sx she thought , as she watched the birds wheeling to and fro , up and down , in the air above her .sx The glare had gone , and one or two .sx faint stars pricked the blue a blue so pale that it was almost grey .sx The light could not lie more tenderly in the upper reaches of the sky above an English garden not even above the garden at Garsover .sx And with the thought she was there .sx Her two worlds met for a moment under the sky that arched over both , and then that distant one invaded the present and blotted it out .sx She was in that garden , muffled so deep in trees , sheltered so by its grey stone walls , watching the wagtails tripping about the green deep turf between the flower-beds outside the old yellow house .sx The lawn stretched up , up , up to the great horse-chestnut , under which daffodils swung in the light air over the place whence the crocuses and aconites had just departed .sx She saw Grandpere going to and fro along the terrace walk , shuffling a little , his silver head bent in meditation , a volume of Kant sticking out of his pocket , a volume of Inge clasped in his hands behind his back .sx She saw Grandmamma come out on to the steps , a stiff spare figure in black , and walk along the flags with a sort of ungainly sprightliness to the door in the wall .sx Jasmine was wreathing in the arch over it , smothering the delicate Italian carving wrought in the pale Oxfordshire stone ; Grandmamma was going up to Evensong , and the sound of the bells came down over the hill .sx A steady stream of rooks flowed over the garden , going home to roost at Chislehampton in the woods above the river ; and from every corner of the smothering shrubberies rang the evening anthem of the blackbirds , carrying the air in a whole symphony of lesser song .sx How deep the peace was , there , after a long English day , empty of people and soaked in books long solid stretches of work or reading , which she herself interrupted as she chose :sx to drive into Oxford to see Rachel or Richard , or to buy another book , to walk over to Stadham to see Arnold or Frances .sx The thought of that quiet English day brought her back to her day now ending .sx There was peace in Peking too , among the sounds of the Tartar City , but what of her day ?sx Looking back she saw it as a protracted little bustle about little things clothes and notes and comings and goings and people and interruptions and more clothes and more notes .sx Clothes and notes that was really the bulk of her life .sx Yes , and cocktails clothes and notes and cocktails !sx Probably Judith was right about its being a silly system .sx Still , she thought a little wearily , she could not alter it , and she switched off on to thinking about Judith .sx The girl had shown something like passion about wasting time on people to whom one was indifferent " One never gets to know anyone well enough !sx " she had said .sx Judith had opened a corner of her mind to her , and Mrs. Leroy was interested in what she found inside .sx She felt that she had probably been a little lazy herself ; or she might have found her way into Judith's mind sooner .sx She had been providing her two nieces with adequate and suitable entertainment , but with half her mind elsewhere , as usual .sx That was how one dealt with everybody and everything in this divided life of hers !sx Incompetent !sx she thought , and rather more conscious of weariness , resolved to do better .sx A movement close by made her focus her eyes on something more immediate than the pale plume of one tamarisk bough against the sky at which , unconsciously , she had been staring with great concentration .sx Glancing towards the sound , she saw Derek Fitzmaurice's figure emerge from the thicket of plum-blossom , now becoming ghostly in the dusk he came and sat down beside her .sx " La Belle Laure all alone !sx " he observed .sx " Has the Minister come ?sx " asked Laura , glancing at her watch .sx " I don't know I came round by the garden , " replied .sx Fitzmaurice .sx " I saw your dress shining up here , so I came along .sx " He had an incurable habit of using any means of ingress to the house rather than the front door .sx " I've been for a walk on the Wall with the Beauty , " he went on .sx " So I heard .sx " " Who told you ?sx " he asked , rather quickly .sx " Niu , of course .sx " " Old brute !sx " grunted Derek .sx " He brought me the wrong girl .sx I asked him for Judith .sx I wish you'd have a boy who speaks English , Laura .sx " " Well , did you have a nice walk ?sx " asked Laura pacifically .sx " As a matter of fact , we did , " said Fitzmaurice .sx " She's rather a character , you know , when you get her going .sx " " Do you mean to say you did get her going ?sx " " Oh , yes , in a way .sx She makes rather supreme remarks about people not many , but rather supreme .sx " He paused .sx " She said you were like a wise lily , " he added , and turned on her to watch the effect .sx " Goodness !sx " said Laura .sx " What an extraordinary thing to say !sx " " Yes , wasn't it ?sx But she was much more extraordinary afterwards , " pursued Derek .sx " I said wise , yes , but that you weren't like a lily , they were white and cold and er , so forth and she said , `Their sweetness draws all the world to them , and they have golden hearts .sx ' " .sx " God bless my soul !sx " exclaimed Laura , and stopped , too startled to say more .sx " Yes , isn't it ?sx " said Derek .sx " It's a golden sentence .sx And true , ma chere .sx I wish I'd thought of it myself .sx Then she was quite supreme , " he went on , " about poor old James .sx " ( This disrespectful allusion was to the Minister .sx ) " She said , `He reminds me of a parson's cob out hunting , I shouldn't think he ever got over any obstacle without at least three people urging him from behind .sx ' That's very good , you know .sx " " It's masterly !sx " said Laura .sx " What a marvel you are , though , Derek , to have opened these flood-gates !sx Poor Sir James !sx The parson's cob !sx It's perfect .sx " " So is the wise lily !sx " he said , smiling at her .sx " Most extraordinary !sx " went on Laura , not paying the smallest attention to him .sx " Who would have believed it ?sx " She was really startled at this sudden manifestation of mental activity on Lilah's part .sx Within the last hour light had been thrown on both her nieces :sx Judith with her passion to know people , and now Lilah's apparent capacity for learning a great deal about them merely by observation .sx And she was touched , inevitably , by the " wise lily .sx " " Come indoors !sx " she said to Derek .sx " Sir James must be there by this time .sx " Derek jibbed .sx " No , you must come .sx There's a telegram , and Henry may not be down yet .sx " Fitzmaurice followed her faintly glimmering gold figure obediently across the lawn .sx They found Sir James in the drawing-room .sx All that thought , care , and the personal attention of himself and an excellent valet could do for Sir James's appearance was done ; but in spite of immaculate suits and shirts and shoes he remained a rather undistinguished presence , rubicund of face , short and stocky of figure a cob , in fact , elderly and well-groomed .sx Henry was not there .sx Laura apologised for him " But here is Mr. Fitzmaurice , Sir James , and Henry will be down in a moment .sx Now have a cocktail .sx Perhaps you and Mr. Fitzmaurice would like to have a look at the telegram together ?sx " Sir James displayed his usual mixture of the affable and the irritable .sx " Oh , don't go , Mrs. Henry , " he said , .sx taking his cocktail .sx " That's a new dress , isn't it ?sx I congratulate you !sx " He raised his glass and drank to her .sx " I don't know where you've been for the last four hours , my boy , " he went on , turning to Fitzmaurice , " but not in your Chancery .sx Not a soul there but the cipher clerks the whole blessed afternoon !sx Bad , you know .sx This telegram arrived no one to deal with it .sx " " I'm extremely sorry , sir , " said Fitzmaurice .sx " I went to the Knudsens' At Home .sx I heard none of the Legation staff were going , and as it was for the Crown .sx Prince I thought one of us at least had better show up .sx