AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND 



competed for six Variegated plants, and he competed 

 for one Single Yariegated with somebody else. He 

 defeated me for six, but got beaten for one single plant, 

 and that exasperated him; he was furious all that 

 day ; he waited until evening to see me, to have my 

 opinion, and when arrived at the Athenaeum building, 

 where was the exhibition, he took me with one arm as 

 a policeman would have taken a pick-pocket caught 

 in flagrante delicto, and told me come ! I will show you 

 what your judges have done! We were in front of 

 the table where the plants stood, and a crowd discussing 

 about the award. He said : Here is a man for whom I 

 care more than all of you, a judge of plants ; if he says 

 you have acted right when you gave me the second 

 premium, I will confess I am wrong. They had taken 

 off the labels so I could not see which was first or 

 second; I did not want it. During all these preliminaries 

 I stood stern and grave as Solomon, when he decided 

 between the two mothers. They asked me which was 

 the best plant ; I put my finger on the Anoechtochilus, 

 I now forget the specific name, it had golden leaves, 

 it was a pretty plant, it had the 2d prize, Caladium. 

 Caladium Chantini the 1st, the 2d prize was his plant. 

 When he heard my decision he said : It is all right now, 

 I know what I wanted to know, so saying, he went 

 out. Here I see that I have made a lapsus, after hearing 

 that C. Chantini had the 1st prize; I asked who were 



