96 A BOOK ABOUT THE GABDEtf. 



gave me his " candid opinion," which I pressingly 

 solicited, about my bedding-out (only I did not really 

 want him to be candid, except in the sweetmeat 

 sense), and told me, with other adverse criticisms, that 

 one of my mixtures, of pink and purple, geranium and 

 verbena, was like a leaf from an old blotting-book 

 can I be the man in whose disappointed breast a 

 malignant voice was permitted to whisper something 

 about a " superannuated jackass " ? Alas ! I know 

 myself to be so ; and I make feeble amends by a tardy 

 thanksgiving to my mentor, and by an acknowledg- 

 ment to myself that I deserve flagellatien from a 

 robust lateral of Araucaria imbricata. And here is 

 Mr. Evans, in a like spirit of meek magnanimity, 

 acknowledging that his dahlias were not large enough, 

 whereas when the judges gave them second honours, 

 he designated those functionaries as "three old scare- 

 crows," and expressed a strong belief that they were 

 only competent to grow groundsel for sick canaries. 

 Even Mr. Chiswick is acknowledging a failure with 

 regard to some choice auriculas, and making to his 

 neighbour the Curate a sort of auricular confession ; 

 while wise Mr. Oldacre laughs at us all, well knowing 

 that, when spring and summer come, we shall be just 

 as sensitive, jealous, and contentious as before. 

 " But it's all right," he says, " for you're as honest 

 and earnest in peace as in war ; and whether the 

 hand is open for amity or closed for sparring, the 

 heart goes with it. May the best man win ! " 



Ordinarily, we have no stated subjects for discussion, 

 and we pass from one topic to another as the occasion 

 prompts. We touch promiscuously upon boilers, flues, 



