SOME HUMBLE ORCHIDS 143 



broadly in the landscape, we must go down toward 

 the Sea Gardens, where Cat -tail Flags and the 

 coarse leaves of the half -grown Rose Mallow mark 

 the tide channels. 



One hazy day in the first week of July, Flower 

 Hat and I went to the Sea Gardens together, 

 I for the annual festival of Calopogon, she skep- 

 tically, in order to be convinced that within half 

 a mile of the village Orchids could be found in 

 such quantities as to give their purplish color to 

 an acre of wild growth. Because Nell always 

 objects to standing in the middle of a sandy road 

 with nothing to investigate or nibble, and as the 

 meadow footing was too treacherous for her to 

 cross, we went a-wheel. I prefer walking on a 

 flower hunt, but Flower Hat considered it too 

 slow. That day, however, she learned that it is 

 quicker to walk all the way than to ride part way 

 and carry your bicycle "'cross lots" the other half; 

 for no real flower- hunter, by any chance, ever 

 comes out of a meadow or bit of wood by the way 

 he or she enters, or goes and returns on the same 

 side of a stream, if it be crossable. 



The meadow, or, rather, the open common, for 

 nothing is fenced there, on each side of the road 

 was white with the flat flower -clusters of Purple- 



