NOVEMBER 201 



Amiens : and also of Mary Moser's crayons, 

 and of the once fashionable papier-mache 

 tea-trays, and card-board painted hand- 

 screens, and all the rest of the flower-art of 

 that period when the century was young. 

 But now the brier walk leads into the 

 broad side walk, and here begins the reign 

 of Velvet roses, sweetest of them all, 

 though they last for but one brief day or 

 so. The flower is made of real silk velvet 

 leaves, full of delicious fragrance, wine- 

 dark in colour. The learned dispute about 

 which was the Velvet rose. But the 

 guardian of this old Scotch garden has no 

 such doubts ; * This ' he says * is the Velvet 

 rose.' Just for the pleasure of hearing 

 them, I like to pretend ignorance, and ask 

 him for the name of this or that rose. 

 Quite naturally, and without hesitation he 

 will answer, 'the Velvet rose,' or 'the 

 damask,' or 'the white cabbage,' etc., as 

 if they were the modernest roses ! 



Here and there the finer pink of a care- 

 less, semi-double flower, marks an un- 

 named variety, nearly allied to the crested 

 rose. On the shady side of the garden, 



