Francis Parkman 257 



friends with such topics ; and his appearance was 

 always most cheerful. His friend (our common 

 friend), the late Octavius Frothingham, says of 

 him : " Again and again he had to restrain the 

 impulse to say vehement things, or to do violent 

 deeds without the least provocation ; but he main- 

 tained so absolutely his moral self-control that 

 none but the closest observer would notice any 

 deviation from the most perfect calm and se- 

 renity." I can testify that until after Mr. Park- 

 man's death I had never dreamed of the existence 

 of any such deviation. 



Garden and greenhouse formed a very impor- 

 tant part of the home by Jamaica Pond. Mr. 

 Parkman's love for Nature was in no way more 

 conspicuously shown than in his diligence and 

 skill in cultivating flowers. It is often observed 

 that plants will grow for some persons, but not 

 for others ; one man's conservatory will be heavy 

 with verdure, gorgeous in its colours, and redolent 

 of sweet odours, while his neighbour's can show 

 nothing but a forlorn assemblage of pots and sticks. 

 The difference is due to the loving care which 

 learns and humours the idiosyncrasies of each in- 

 dividual thing that grows, the keen observation 

 of the naturalist supplemented by the watchful 

 solicitude of the nurse. Among the indications 



