Flowers and Gardens 



centre. There is first the little red-fringed 

 cup, yellow within, but green in the deep- 

 est part of it. And see how this continues 

 the tube through the flower, and how its 

 torn edges seem to radiate, and how its 

 concavity opposes the broad convexity of 

 the flower face. Then how beautifully the 

 petals bend back from it, folding upon 

 themselves in those delicious curves, so as 

 to lay marked emphasis upon the central 

 line, and each of them tipped at the ex- 

 tremity with a small point {mucro). 



But wherein lies the special attractive- 

 ness of this Narcissus ? Is it not in the 

 exquisite way in which cold and heat are 

 brought together there, the former of 

 course predominating ; — in the blending 

 of that scarlet fire and rich delicious fra- 

 grance — all fragrance, as I have said, being 

 indicative of warmth — with the snowy cool- 

 ness and purity ? Such union of opposite 

 and apparently incompatible beauties is 

 always intensely pleasurable. We experi- 

 ence this in looking at the snow on Alpine 

 heights, whilst we ourselves lie warm in 

 the summer heat of the valley. And the 

 red of the Narcissus is specially delightful, 

 because it is such a mere streak, and is 

 yet so brilliantly contrasted by the snow 

 around it, and is so well supported on the 

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