120 AN ISLAND GARDEN 



petals radiate from the centre within, above the 

 larger ones. The foliage whence it gets its old- 

 time name, Love-in-a-mist, is like a soft green 

 vapor, and in the double varieties, the white es- 

 pecially, runs up and mixes itself with the petals. 

 The single varieties are much the finest. They 

 have a faint perfume of anise, and they are among 

 the quaintest and most interesting flowers I know. 

 I love to pore over every blossom that unfolds 

 in the garden, no matter what it may be, to study 

 it and learn it by heart as far as a poor mortal 

 may. If one but gazes closely into a tiny flower 

 of the pale blue Forget-me-not, what a chapter 

 of loveliness is there ! One sees at a glance the 

 sweet color of the starry, compact cluster, and 

 perhaps will notice that the delicate buds in their 

 cherishing calyx are several shades of rose and 

 lilac before they unclose, but unless one studies 

 it closely, how shall one know that in most cases 

 the himmel-blau petals are distinctly heart-shaped, 

 that round its golden centre it wears a necklace 

 of pearls, or so they seem, till on looking closer 

 one discovers that the effect is made by the 

 fluting of the whitened folds of each petal at the 

 base ; it looks precisely as if it wore a string of 

 polished beads. The tiny spot of darkness within 

 its inmost yellow ring holds five stamens, with 

 dusty anthers of paler yellow (also heart-shaped 

 when the flower first unfolds) in a close circle 

 round the pistil of pale green. Unless the eyes 

 are young and keen a microscope only will tell 

 this ; but it is one of the wisest things in the 

 world to carry in one's pocket a little magnifying 



