THE CARNATION. 103 



and shining purple, with her goodly figure and at- 

 tractive graces, won universal admiration ? As for 

 Mason's Eclipse, mind if he does not put the extin- 

 guisher over a good many; and lovely Phoenix, I 

 have no doubt, will prove herself a complete " rara 

 avis" and find admirers in plenty ; to say nothing 

 of Strong's Linnaeus, Pyke's Champion, Thompson's 

 'Squire Cartwright, Hufton's Miss Mundy, Schole's 

 Delight, &c., which are all first-rate flowers.' 



' Well, well, neighbour Blossom, remember the 

 old saying, "the least said the soonest mended:" it 

 will be well if you are not obliged to retract some 

 part of your opinion in this instance, as you have 

 done in others ; for I have heard you say, that you 

 could not credit the evidence even of your own senses 

 in respect to flowers, they present such different ap- 

 pearances at different seasons, and that you have 

 been sadly deceived thereby.' 



' Branch, I admit it, and moreover confess, not- 

 withstanding all you can urge, that I would not part 

 with Pittman's Rising Sun, though I could get in its 

 stead the far-famed " Cravo do Duque" of Portugal, 



