186 THE HYACINTH. 



are pre-eminent in elegance of structure, casting 

 many others into comparative shade ; and if I pre- 

 fer, on a very uncongenial day in Febnary, to re- 

 main within doors, and solace myself with the 

 small garden that my stand exhibits, and what I 

 have forced into bloom before they could have 

 reared their heads above the surface of the frozen 

 ground, I have a proof before me, that, among the 

 native productions of our soil (and I deal with no 

 other in these pages,) there are some that, for 

 beauty of form and colouring, and richness of per- 

 fume, may vie with the proudest offspring of war- 

 mer latitudes. Behold the glass that adorns my 

 mantle-piece, and tell me where to look for a love- 

 lier flovvrct than the tall, rich, double hyacinth that 

 shoots from it in a living plume? I have watched 

 its progress, from the first putting forth of those 

 delicate suckers, whereby the watery nutriment is 

 drawn up to the roots, until every white petal had 

 unfolded, streaked with a warmer tint of rose-col- 

 our; and the whole flower stood arrayed in the 

 majestic grace which now clothes it. 



There are few positions more favourable to a 

 prolonged reverie than that which I rarely indulge 

 in — a seat just opposite the fire, when a cloudy day 

 is about to close, and prudence recommends a short 

 season of perfect idleness, aflcr an early dinner, to 

 avoid the head-ache, that might, by too sudden a 

 return to study, be induced : verifying the homely 



