1 84 JOHN DUNCAN, WEAVER AND BOTANIST. 



Edenic felicity, from early morn till dewy eve. Sometimes 

 he did not even take time to go home with Charles for his 

 food, bringing with him his old bag of oatmeal, which, 

 in more primitive simplicity than the oldest gardener and 

 his wife no doubt indulged, he ate with relish, moistened 

 with water and sweetened with appetite. If the reader 

 should imagine that John Duncan had no pride of appear- 

 ance, judging from his odd, old-fashioned dress, he would be 

 mistaken, for he was most particular regarding his personal 

 looks and tidiness in clothes. Thinking his own home-made 

 attire not fine enough for such an important occasion, he 

 donned Charles's long-tailed surtout and vest, to look more, 

 as he deemed it, like the time and place. In this change 

 of apparel, he was, no doubt, quietly backed by Charles 

 himself, for he wished the ancient-looking weaver, as became 

 a friend of his, to appear as like other people as possible. 



Saturday was the only free time for the public, but 

 Charles obtained leave for John to enter every day, under 

 his care. He showed him round the whole garden, with no 

 small pride and with mutual pleasure. John's surprise and 

 delight were expressed in child-like phrase, as each new 

 point of beauty and interest met his view. He was taken 

 into the various hothouses, where he saw plants he had 

 never seen before, though he had visited every gardener he 

 knew in the north. He entered the great palm houses, 

 where he first gained a practical realisation of the gigantic 

 and luxuriant vegetation of the tropics. The sensitive 

 plant (Mimosa sensitivd), seen for the first time, specially 

 drew his notice and fixed itself in his memory. He was 

 also greatly surprised at the remarkable size of the leaves 

 of some of the palm trees. Seeing a leaf of special expan- 



