TEMPLE PLACE 23 



as, you know, a party in the country at this season is 

 quite a novelty, and most fervent wishes were made 

 for propitious weather. But alas! for the disappoint- 

 ments of human life — the morning was ushered in by 

 a violent snow storm. However, the most adventurous 

 of the party went undaunted by the difficulties which 

 met them, and by eight o'clock quite a numerous 

 assembly had arrived. The rooms were perfectly 

 crowded with flowers so that the air seemed loaded 

 with the most delicious scents (you know that some- 

 how or other Mr. Cushing's flowers do smell better 

 than any one's else), the music was as beautiful as 

 Boston can offer, the supper was handsome, the host 

 and hostess were most hospitable, and the whole thing 

 went off as well as you can imagine it to, with so many 

 outward circumstances to aid it, and to crown the 

 whole at 11 o'clock the snow storm was over, the 

 clouds had broken away, and we rode in by moonlight. 

 Oh ! but I forgot to tell you that notwithstanding the 

 weather we went out to the green-house, and though 

 the rooms had been so perfectly supplied with flow- 

 ers from it, you would not from the abundance remain- 

 ing have supposed that any had been taken. I never 

 saw so beautiful a display of hot-house plants in my 

 life — but the idea of telling you of the Cushings' 

 flowers, who have been in the " Jardin des Plantes," 

 and yet I think that were I in France a little blue 

 violet that came from Boston would have at least the 

 beauty of association in my eyes, however inferior it 

 might be in appearance to what would surround me 

 there. So perhaps it is the same with you. 



