NOVEMBER. 257 



pain and annoyance. At first I looked upon her as a mere visitor, 

 attracted hither by the warmth and comfort of my dwelling, and 

 though it was irritating enough to have her stalking over the still 

 delicate membrane of my leaf, this I might have borne on account of 

 good nature. But, alas, I soon found that not only had she made 

 up her mind to dwell on my leaves, but also to live on my juices ! 

 Puncture after puncture was made with rapid succession, and soon 

 a host of young ones rose to join in the attack. A few days only 

 had elapsed since the appearance of the first of this numerous race ; 

 but their voracity was so great that my roots could not meet the 

 demand thus made on them : in vain I twisted my leaves ; the more 

 languid the supply the more violently did they suck my juices, and 

 my health began to decline, when one day the door opened, and John, 

 whom 1 had not seen for some time, came hobbling in with a stick. 

 With a single glance of the eye he saw how the case stood, and for- 

 getting his rheumatism, he dropped his crutch and hopped out of the 

 house, shouting, "Jacob — green-fly — tobacco!" 



Dire was the commotion ; for when John spoke he was heeded, 

 and soon a young man entered the house with a pair of bellows and 

 a flower-pot, filled with something from which ascended a great 

 smoke, and as it curled and twisted around my leaves, these marau- 

 ders gradually relaxed their grasp, and tumbled into the abyss 

 below. Oh, what a relief to me ! The next morning I was syringed 

 more freely than before, and the sensation I experienced was more 

 than ever delightful. I cannot say that I liked the tobacco-smoke of 

 the preceding evening, though I heard the young man who was 

 puffing it with the bellows say it would do me good ; I believe, 

 however, that it did me no harm, and it was a cheap riddance of so 

 dangerous an enemy. All now went on well for a time, when I was 

 subjected to a fresh annoyance. Owing to the damp, cold weather, 

 John could not give me enough of fresh air, and the atmosphere of 

 the house became rather humid. As a consequence, a parasitical 

 plant called mildew fastened on one or two of my young leaves ; but 

 he was soon put hors de combat by being smothered in sulphur. 

 Again and again did fresh generations of green-fly attempt to gain 

 a footing; but John, who was now well again, and ever on the watch, 

 quickly dispersed them with a few whiffs from his tobacco-pipe. 

 Thus I passed safely through the trying season, and grew and 

 flourished. March had now arrived ; my spring was merging into 

 summer, and I was a pyramidal plant covered with flower-buds, the 

 sepals just parting and showing the brilliant tint between the seg- 

 ments of green. I had before only excited John's praise, but now 

 the house resounded with exclamations of delight ; and to speak the 

 truth, I believed every good word that I heard said of me. 



I became a great favourite with the young ladies of the establish- 

 ment, and they one day brought their drawing- master to see me. 

 My oeauty and symmetry so delighted him, that he obtained per- 

 mission to take my portrait, which he said he would send to the 

 Editor of the Florist ; and so thoroughly was I impressed with my- 

 self at this epoch of my .duration, that it is a small effort of the 



NEW SERIES, VOL. III. NO. XXXV. Z 



