100 AN ISLAND GARDEN 



crimson Burgundy Rose, or an opening Jacque- 

 minot bud; the effect is as if the color of the 

 rose ran down and dyed the glass crimson. It 

 is so beautiful an effect one never wearies of it. 

 There is a little jar of Venice glass, the kind 

 which Browning describes in " The Flight of the 

 Duchess," 



" With long white threads distinct inside, 

 Like the lake-flower's fibrous roots that dangle 

 Loose such a length and never tangle." 



This is charming with a few rich Pinks of dif- 

 ferent shades. Another Venice glass is irregu- 

 larly bottle-shaped, bluish white with cool sea- 

 green reflections at the bottom, very delicate, like 

 an aqua-marine. It is lightly sprinkled with gold 

 dust throughout its whole length ; toward the top 

 the slender neck takes on a soft touch of pink 

 which meets and mingles with the Bon Silene or 

 La France Rose I always keep in it. Another 

 Venice glass still is a wonder of iridescent blues, 

 lavenders, gray, and gold, all through, with a faint 

 hint of elusive green. A spray of heaven-blue 

 Larkspur dashed with rose is delicious in this 

 slender shape, with its marvelous tints melting 

 into the blue and pink of the fairy flowers. 



A little glass of crystal girdled with gold holds 

 pale blue Forget-me-nots; sometimes it is rich 

 with orange and yellow Erysimum flowers. In 

 a tall Venetian vase of amber a Lilium auratum 

 is superb. A low jar of opaque rose-pink, lost at 

 the bottom in milky whiteness, is refreshing with 

 an old-fashioned Damask Rose matching its color 



