CHAPTER VIII 



THE WHITE ROCKERY (concluded) 



IN many respects I have much in common with half- 

 hardy bulbs. The affinity becomes more marked as 

 I grow older. As with them it is necessary that they 

 shall be thoroughly ripened if bloom is to be achieved, 

 so with me the same thing should be done. When 

 my foliage is down, which invariably happens after 

 paying the Christmas bills, the correct treatment is to 

 take me south to the sun, or failing that, to keep me 

 under glass. From eight to twelve weeks of this 

 scorching is all that appears to be necessary. Then 

 I can be brought back, started in gentle heat, har- 

 dened off briskly, and trusted to put forth my usual 

 humble inflorescence. The most perfect winter treat- 

 ment I ever received was long ago in the West Indies, 

 where I used to tramp the sandy margins of Tobago 

 and Grenada in direct sunshine, while other men sat 

 feebly under awnings in clubs, or on deck, and 

 drank fortified milk from the green cocoanut. What 

 vigour resulted what a superabundance of sub- 

 tropical bloom burst from me ! I remember that I 

 had six Christmas stories in Christmas numbers ; 

 I published a novel also, and, as if that was not 



enough, wrote poems, articles of foreign travel, and 



105 



