A FLOWER CHRISTENING. 243 



florist established for ever. A difficulty was started 

 because those seedlings had not yet been named, and 

 therefore had no distinguishing titles whereby to 

 know them. Sam was requested to retire for a while 

 for this purpose, and particularly charged to fix 

 handsome names to them. He withdrew accord- 

 ingly, not a little perplexed at the task he had to 

 perform. It is true, he had been pondering in his 

 mind for months over the names he should give them, 

 but had not been able to come to any final conclu- 

 sion. He could have no benefit of clergy in this 

 case, because he was a bit of a methodist ; as to the 

 schoolmaster, he said it was of no use to go to him, 

 for he only taught upon the national system, and 

 therefore did not know more than himself; and as 

 to the doctor in his neighbourhood, there was a little 

 bill unpaid on his wife's account, which foreclosed 

 the door of application in that quarter. ' When I 

 get to London,' Sam used to say, ' I shall get over 

 this dilemma about names;' for London, he had 

 heard, was the place where honours, titles, and dis- 

 tinctions, were conferred ; and that if they were once 



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