A DAY IN THE ELYSIAN FIELDS. 95 



laugh but he knew he was right, and if they wanted 

 further proof, he could tell them that his American 

 brother the R. rubifolia said it was not a bubble, and his 

 veracity was unimpeachable. (Cries of " Brother Jonathan.") 

 It was true the Manetti threw up numbers of underground 

 shoots, but what of that ; the Moss Rose often wouldn't 

 grow at all. If the Manetti was the first at work and the last 

 at work, was not that a recommendation in a commercial 

 country like England ? Every Rose for herself, said he, 

 and the gods for them all. Every Rose was at liberty to 

 enrich herself, and he had no sympathy with the lethargic 

 band who slept away so many precious hours on the plea 

 that they couldn't stand the cold. He thought (pause) 

 he thought (another pause) he did not know what he 

 thought, his memory seemed to fail him in the august 

 presence of the gods, but he knew what the King of Roses 

 thought. (Cries of Down, down.) 



The Rosa Canina (Dog Rose) would like to know 

 what the opinion of Rosa Spinosa was worth, as he had 

 never been budded or grafted on the Manetti, and was 

 never likely to be. The writer who condemned the 

 Manetti had grown Roses on some stock or no stock 

 in a manner that distanced all competitors. (Hear, hear.) 

 He did not wish to appear dcg-matic, but he differed in 

 toto from Rosa Spinosa who reminded him of the adage, 

 that " little people always thought a good deal of them- 

 selves." 



The Damask Rose thought it but natural that Rosa 

 Spinosa should try to make light of the propensity of 

 throwing up underground shoots, as he was strongly 

 addicted to this habit, and might regard it in himself 

 as a virtue. With regard to two I's in Manetti ; he 

 overhead the printer's devil say (no doubt under the 

 impression that the character of the establishment was 

 concerned in it) that his master had met Signor Manetti 

 in Italy some years ago, and that he had two eyes then, 

 and if he had but one now he strongly suspected that some 



