THE SIX OF SPADES. 185 



you that there was another special prize of five 

 pounds for six stove and greenhouse, and a third of 

 two pounds for a single specimen, and that we both 

 of us showed in the three classes. Well, as soon as 

 we had " staged," I went to have a squint at the 

 enemy, and I was rejoiced to find that though he 

 knew as much as I did about growing, he seemed to 

 know precious little about showing, plants. He put 

 up a very good single specimen, but not the best he 

 had ; he showed four first-rate plants in his six, with 

 two altogether inferior ; and in his twelve there were 

 some seven grand specimens, with three coinmon- 

 place, and two bad enough to condemn the lot. In 

 consequence of this, I made some changes, setting 

 my best plant against his single specimen, and 

 distributing my others so as to secure the first prize 

 throughout. I was to win in all. There could be no 

 doubt about it, and all my brother gardeners said so. 

 I remembered afterwards that just as we were 

 leaving the big tent for the judges to come in, my 

 opponent sent back his assistant to find a syringe 

 which he had left among the plants. Perhaps you 

 guess what that gentleman, not finding the squirt, 

 amused himself in doing? At all events, when we 

 exhibitors were readmitted into the show, I found 

 that he had transferred his single specimen (substi- 

 tuting a rubbishy old Caladium, worth about three 

 shillings, and having the oudacious impudence to 

 place it side by side with my best Ixora), together 

 with the best four out of his six, to his twelve, of 

 course removing the invalids, and so (succeeding 

 in his little game, which was to make me divide 



