CUT FLOWERS 189 



carried out, is a more fruitful source of in- 

 tense nervous irritation than even a visitor's 

 dirty hobnailed boots on a parquet floor, or 

 coals dropped by an officious hand on one's 

 best new carpet. 



Almost as much of the decorative value of 

 cut flowers depends on what we put them in, 

 as on how they are arranged. Visions arise 

 of variety-show posies in glass vases of evil, 

 crinkled shapes and yet more evil colours 

 crude blues, greens, yellows, and pinks, 

 "ornamented" (save the mark!) by lumps in 

 contrasting tints applied to the surface, like 

 half-melted poisonous lollipops. They swore 

 badly with the many-coloured flowers that 

 were thrust into them to perish for want of 

 sufficient water-space. Indeed their only merit 

 was that they blew over with the first draught, 

 and, let us hope, were broken. Flowers and 

 their receptacle should always form a har- 

 monious whole ; and the vase should never 

 distract the eye from the blossoms it holds. 

 Beautiful glass is now so cheap that it is 

 within the reach of every one. Take, for 



