TEMPLE PLACE 23 
as, you know, a party in the country at this season is 
quite a novelty, and most fervent wishes were made 
for propitious weather. But alas! for the disappoint- 
‘ments of human life — the morning was ushered in by 
a violent snow storm. However, the most adventurous 
of the party went undaunted by the difficulties which 
met them, and by eight o’clock quite a numerous 
assembly had arrived. The rooms were perfectly 
crowded with flowers so that the air seemed loaded 
with the most delicious scents (you know that some- 
how or other Mr. Cushing’s flowers do smell better 
than any one’s else), the music was as beautiful as 
Boston can offer, the supper was handsome, the host 
and hostess were most hospitable, and the whole thing 
went off as well as you can imagine it to, with so many 
outward circumstances to aid it, and to crown the 
whole at 11 o’clock the snow storm was over, the 
clouds had broken away, and we rode in by moonlight. 
Oh! but I forgot to tell you that notwithstanding the 
weather we went out to the green-house, and though 
the rooms had been so perfectly supplied with flow- 
ers from it, you would not from the abundance remain- 
ing have supposed that any had been taken. I never 
saw so beautiful a display of hot-house plants in my 
life — but the idea of telling you of the Cushings’ 
flowers, who have been in the “Jardin des Plantes,” 
and yet I think that were I in France a little blue 
violet that came from Boston would have at least the 
beauty of association in my eyes, however inferior it 
might be in appearance to what would surround me 
there. So perhaps it is the same with you. 
