But the
first day every year when Perdita's border put forth its earliest
blossom was a delicious anniversary, and the news of it spread like
wild-fire through Mrs Lucas's kingdom, and her subjects were very
joyful, and came to salute the violet or daffodil, or whatever it was.
The three cottages dexterously transformed into The Hurst, presented a
charmingly irregular and picturesque front. Two were of the grey stone
of the district and the middle one, to the door of which led the paved
path, of brick and timber; latticed windows with stone mullions gave
little light to the room within, and certain new windows had been
added; these could be detected by the observant eye for they had a
markedly older appearance than the rest. The front-door, similarly,
seemed as if it must have been made years before the house, the fact
being that the one which Mrs Lucas had found there was too dilapidated
to be of the slightest service in keeping out wind or wet or undesired
callers. She had therefore caused to be constructed an even older one
made from the oak-planks of a dismantled barn, and had it studded with
large iron nails of antique pattern made by the village blacksmith. He
had arranged some of them to look as if they spelled A.D. 1603. Over
the door hung an inn-sign, and into the space where once the sign had
swung was now inserted a lantern, in which was ensconced, well hidden
from view by its patinated glass sides, an electric light.
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