THE SIX OF SPADES. 158 



" Did you coine over in the same ship ? "), or to that 

 sheet of roseate silene, blue mountain-anemone, 

 purple pansy, pale yellow primrose, bright yellow 

 cheiranthus, lilac aubrietia, or (yet more appropriate 

 to one who is talking of sheets) to those snow-white 

 masses of candytuft (iberis correaefolia is the fairest 

 of the fair), of alyssum, arabis, saxifrage, daisy, and 

 snowdrop. 



Now glance at the combinations : at that bed of 

 golden feverfew, dotted here and there with the 

 purple crocus; of white candytuft, from which at 

 intervals the bright red hyacinths rise ; or of ceras- 

 tium, with small circular patches of scarlet anemone 

 or Cliveden pansy, or of erica carnea, with the 

 golden arabis intermixed ; or of sedum acre aureum, 

 with white and red tulips inserted a la pincushion. 

 Would you have something more striking and effective 

 even than these ? Copy two beds, which I first saw 

 at Belvoir and shall never forget ; the one of 



" Daffodils, 



Which come before the swallow dares, and take 

 The winds of March with beauty," 



intermixed with purple hyacinths ; and the other of 

 aucuba japonica, which was blended with the many- 

 coloured kale. So impressed was I with the latter 

 combination, that Mr. Ingram, a gardener worthy of 

 that princely place, and one who, like the castle by 

 which he dwells, " hath a pleasant air," and, like a 

 true artist, a kind brotherly sympathy with all who 

 love his art, noticed my interest, and gave me some 

 seed. This was sown at once, came up, was trans- 



