THE FEAUDULBNT GAKDENEK. 251 



" Come, put them down at two louis." 



" I cannot. I must have something for the pleasure of 

 irhich I deprive myself in not offering it to M. OUbruch, who 

 is a very good customer, and never takes his dahlias of 

 Vaulin." 



" Ah ! apropos, I bespeak twenty-five dahlias, six of which 

 must be white-tipped." 



" Very well ; but listen, M. B,6mond : only take one Buddlea. 

 I know that three louis is too dear, and I would rather gain 

 only one louis by the two, and please at the same 'time both 

 you and M. OUbruok." 



" Well, if it must be so, here are the three louis." 



" No ; truly, Sir, I would rather you would only take one ; 

 M. Ollbruck will be angry." 



" The bargain is made, I will take the plants with me, and 

 here are the three louis." 



M. RSmond plants one of his Buddleas, breaks the other to 

 pieces, and bums it. 



He was scarcely gone when the gardener replaced the two 

 Buddleas by two others, and went to seek M. OUbruck, upon 

 whom he played off exactly the same trick. He reserved the 

 second for M. Esmond. 



Ollbruck acted in just the same manner that Esmond had , 

 done, and each counted the days to the period at which he 

 hoped to humble his rival by the sight of the famous 

 Buddlea. 



The Buddlea in their eyes is no longer good for anything 

 but firewood. Ollbruck pulled up his, and trampled it under 

 his feet. I saved Esmond's, which was about to share the 

 same fate, and planted it in my garden, where it forms some 

 apology for the vulgar and common plants to which I give an 

 asylum. 



