458 FREAKS OF PLANT LIFE. 



generally understood that he said that he would 

 return again in the violet season. During his absence, 

 in the villages about Paris, as well as on the banks 

 of the Lake of Geneva, the violet was the secret 

 symbol by v.'hich the people denoted their favourite 

 chief and recognised each other. They also wore 

 rings of a violet colour, with the device — " It will 

 appear again \n spring" (Elle reparoitra au printemps). 

 When asked, " Do you like the violet .-* " If the 

 answer was " Oui " (yes), the inference was that the 

 answerer was not a confederate ; but if the answer 

 was " Eh bien ! " (well), they recognised a brother 

 conspirator, and completed his sentence, ■' It Avill 

 appear again in spring." 



The friends of Bonaparte generally wore watch- 

 ribbons, &c., of a violet colour, and he was toasted 

 by the name of General or Corporal Violet among 

 his adherents from the time of his quitting France 

 until his return. When Napoleon I. re-entered the 

 Tuileries on March 20, 181 5, after his escape from 

 Elba, his friends saluted his return with the flower of 

 the season — violets — in token of welcome. From 

 that time it continued the Napoleonic flower, so 

 much so that after Waterloo, and the replacement 

 of Louis XVIII. on the throne, violets became sedi- 

 tious wear — dangerous to sport in your button-hole. 

 The white terror waged implacable war against the 

 purple violet. The later Empire could hardly avoid 



