c 55 : 



June 25, 1852. Methinks roses oftenest display 

 their high colors, colors which invariably attract all 

 eyes and betray them, against a dark ground, as the 

 dark green or the shady recesses of the bushes and 

 copses, where they show to best advantage. Their 

 enemies do not spare the open flower for an hour. 

 Hence, if for no other reason, their buds are most 

 beautiful. Their promise of perfect and dazzling 

 beauty, when their buds are just beginning to ex- 

 pand, — beauty which they can hardly contain, — 

 as in most youths, commonly surpasses the fulfill- 

 ment of their expanded flowers. The color shows 

 fairest and brightest in the bud. 



Journal, iv, 142. 



