WHAT HE SHOWED ME. 83 



By the time we'd gone over it he was 

 ready for me, and had me into an arm-chair 

 at his table ; and, dear me, what a deal he 

 showed me ! There was a plan for alteration 

 in the pleasure-gardens that was to be made : 

 it was all drawn out and coloured for his 

 lady to approve of ; then there was a lot of 

 drawings of fountains and vases for her to 

 choose from, and rustic seats, arbours, and 

 flower-baskets. Then he showed me a book 

 full of painted apples and pears and other 

 fruits, all to size of nature, as they had been 

 gathered from the standards, espaliers, and 

 off the walls, showing their differences. Then 

 he pulled out a fruit-book, in which he put 

 down every year the quantities of all kinds 

 gathered season after season, with his notes 

 about their keeping. He had got wax speci- 

 mens of potatoes grown in their ground, 

 modelled exactly, shape and eyes, the pink 

 kinds coloured to nature. He showed me, 

 too, dried plants, and wonderful drawings of 

 every kind of fern, all neatly put in books 

 and, indeed, made me wish, for the first time 

 in my life, that I was a young man again, 

 I felt so ignorant, and saw so much to learn. 

 I was at home with most of the fruits and 



