56 A BOOK ABOUT THE GARDEN. 



Lair, and fragrant posies for her soft small band. 

 For her sweet sake ("nam fuit ante Helenam," &c.) 

 I commenced such a series of sanguinary raids on the 

 conservatory as must have made poor Evans's heart 

 to " bleed " almost as freely as his plants. Leaders 

 and laterals, hard wood and soft now the top of a 

 pyramidal azalea, to make the centre of a bouquet, 

 now the first fronds of some delicate and costly fern, 

 to form its graceful fringe fine old specimens and 

 "nice young stuff," flowers and foliage, all went down- 

 in terrible excision, until the place looked as though 

 it were one of her Majesty Queen Flora's jails, filled 

 with plants of an abandoned character, and having 

 their hair dressed a la convict. 



Oh, ladies and gentlemen oh, dames and damsels 

 with your pretty gardens and long scissors of shining 

 steel oh, gallant lovers, with your trenchant "Wharn- 

 cliffe blades oh, mothers and daughters, knocking 

 over the flower-pots as you sweep along in your 

 "trailing garments" oh, wide-sleeved dandies, 

 breaking the young shoots as you reach forth reck- 

 lessly to seize your prey oh, belles and beaux, so 

 charming, so amiable, and so profoundly ignorant on 

 the subject of plants ! pause awhile, I beseech you, 

 and stay your ruthless hands, for you know not what 

 fatal mischief you may do. One little snip with those 

 sharp "rose nippers," and you may destroy in a 

 moment the pleasant hopes of a skilful taste, and the 

 just reward of a patient industry. You may ruin the 

 symmetry of a plant for ever ; and behold hereafter 

 an unsightly dwarf, when you might have gazed upon 

 a glorious life-guardsman. "What should you say, 



