THE TULIPS. Ill 



" Yes, certainly, Sir ; that is a condition without which we 

 never admit a tulip into our flower-beds." 



" Napoleon 1st," said M. Elault, before a white and rose- 

 coloured tulip ; "that is a plant I strongly recommend to your 

 attention." 



" Well, Sir," said Arnold to the^ complaisant amateur, " if 

 it were not for what you have told me, I should venture to 

 say a strange thing. The rose colour of these tulips is pro- 

 bably not the same shade of rose colour; but if I had come 

 here alone, I should have fancied I saw two tulips, each mul- 

 tiplied nine hundred times, the one white and violet, the other 

 white and rose." 



" Zounds ! Sir ; when a person knows nothing " 



The demonstration was here stopt for a moment. The 

 other amateur was seized with admiration, absolutely over- 

 come before the Incomparable Purple. " Ah, Sir," said he 

 to M. Egault, " permit me to stop here ! Friend," cried he 

 to an under-gardener, "please to bring me a chair." The 

 chair being brought, he sat down, with his two hands placed 

 upon the top of his cane, and his chin upon his two hands ; 

 thus he remained without speaking, his eyes fixed and his 

 mouth half open. The other left Arnold, and came to esctacise 

 also behind his companion. As for M. Elault, he stood 

 motionless, with a most ineffable smile playing on his lips. 

 Arnold saw nothing in the Incomparable Purple but a white 

 and red-coloured tulip, the shades of which appeared to him 

 to be exactly repeated in four or five hundred others, before 

 which they had passed in silence, or to which they had only 

 accorded compliments called for by politeness. At length 

 the enthusiast arose, and said — 



" Monsieur E6ault, I do not wish to trespass on the time 

 of these gentlemen; but I shall request you to grant me 

 permission to come alone, and pass an hour seated before 

 your tulip." 



" Sir, you do it too much honour." 



" Sir, I only pay it the honom- it merits." 



" It must be allowed. Sir ; for in such a case I do not pre- 

 tend to any false modesty — it is a plant of great merit I" 



" Sir, it is a jewel !" 



" M. E6ault," said Arnold, "I request your pardon; and 



