THE MYSTIC A I A. 201 



A I A ; indeed, I was less likely to make out that inscription, 

 as there is one letter more, and I never could find any at all. 

 That, then, is not the flower upon which the names of kings 

 are written; and besides, if there were ia, or a I, or even 

 A I A, it would not be Ajax; since the flower, before him, be- 

 longed to Hyaointhus, and really I don't think there is room 

 for both on one flower. 



Other commentators say, that it was not into a hyacinth 

 that the blood of Ajax was changed; but into a Larkspur, 

 Delphinium, a flower upon which, say they, we may read the 

 letters aia, and which the botanists consequently term Del- 

 phinium Ajacis. 



Now, errors cannot be too soon corrected, or, violated 

 truth too promptly reestablished. It is evident, there are no 

 letters upon the hyacinth. Let us examine then the flowers of 

 the delphinium. I declare again that, being disposed to trans- 

 late aia in any way, by the son of Telamon, if agreeable to the 

 commentators, I have sought anxiously and closely in the 

 flowers of the larkspur of several varieties, and I have never 

 been able to trace a single one of the three letters named, 

 read, and announced by the learned. 



I remember with admiration, that one day a professor 

 dressed in a black robe, from his lofty desk, and with one of 

 those knitted brows upon which Pedant is more plainly 

 written than Ajax upon the delphinium, explained to us 

 these idle stories with his most grave and majestic air ; and 

 that I was severely punished for being caught making little 

 ducks of paper under which I placed flies, and so set them 

 going, which was treated as a childish and futile amusement, 

 in comparison with the important matters which were being 

 taught to the class; that is to say, the enigma of the Well and 

 the Larkspur. Now, I to this day maintain that my little ducks 

 were much more ingenious playthings than the professor's ; 

 and that, as regards futilities, those that amuse have an 

 immense advantage over the others, with whatever seriousness 

 and pretension they may be put forth. 



I can easily pardon the larkspurs this deficiency, out of gra^ 

 titude for the magnificent shade of blue which some varieties 

 of these flowers display. 



The larkspur with simple flowers, but still better that 



