SECRET OF THE CHARM OF FLOWERS 149 



it in many instances for the exquisite beauty of 

 its form, and the beauty of the contrast of pure 

 yellow and deep green, as in the yellow flag, mi- 

 mulus, and numerous other plants. But however 

 much we may admire, we do not experience that 

 intimate and tender feeling which the blues and 

 reds inspire in us ; in other words, the yellow 

 flower has not the expression which distinguishes 

 those of other colours. Thus, when Tennyson 

 speaks of the " speedwell's darling blue," we know 

 that he is right — that he expresses a feeling about 

 this flower common to all of us ; but no poet would 

 make so great, so absurd a mistake as to describe 

 the purest and loveliest yellow of the most prized 

 and familiar wild flower — buttercup or kingcup, 

 yellow flag, sea poppy, marsh marigold, or broom, 

 or furze, or rock-rose, let us say — by such a word 

 — the word that denotes an intimate and affection- 

 ate feeling — the feeling one cherishes for the loved 

 ones of our kind. Nor could that word of Tenny- 

 son be properly used of any pure white flower — 

 the stitchwort for instance ; nor of any white and 

 yellow flower like the Marguerite. But no sooner 

 do you get a touch of rose or crimson in the whitest 

 flower, as we see in the daisy and eyebright, than 

 you can say of it that it is a " dear " or a " dar- 



