120 A BOOK ABOUT ROSES. 



again, with the daughter of the gods in his brougham, and 

 on the opposite side, in the lap of its nurse, a new " duck," 

 far dearer to his bride than any rosebud on earth. 



The inner walks should be grass, but there must be an 

 outer promenade of gravel, smooth and dry for the thinnest 

 boots, when the turf is damp with rain or dew, and our 

 Queen wears her diamonds of purest water, as when, in the 

 days of Mary and Anna, 



" The plentiful moisture encumbered the flower, 

 And weighed down its beautiful head." 



I would have the approaches to a Rosary made pur- 

 posely obscure and narrow, that the visitor may come with 

 a sudden gladness and wonder upon the glowing scene, as 

 the traveller by rail emerges from the dark tunnel into the 

 brightness of day and a fair landscape ; or as some dejected 

 whist-player finds, at the extremity of wretched cards, the 

 ace, king, and queen of trumps ! I should like to conduct 

 the visitors to my Rosarium between walls of rock-work, 

 thickly set with those unassuming but exquisite Alpine 

 plants, of which Mr Robinson has just given such a com- 

 plete and charming history,* or through high fern-covered 



* Alpine Floiocrs. London : Murray. 



