Chap. V. 
«* YELLOW CAMELLIAS.' 
71 
that the Chinaman was deceiving me, and it seemed 
foolish to pay such a sum for plants which I should in 
all probability have to throw away afterwards ; and yet 
I could not make up my mind to lose the chance, slight 
as it was, of possessing the yellow camellia. And the 
rogue did his business so well ! He had a written label 
stuck in each pot, and apparently the writing and labels 
had been there for some years. I fancied I was as cun- 
ning as he was, and requested him to leave the plants 
and return on the following morning, when he should 
have an answer. In the mean time I asked a respect- 
able Chinese merchant to read the writing upon the 
labels. All was correct ; the writing agreed with what 
the man had told me ; namely, that one of the plants 
produced light yellow blooms, and the other deep yellow. 
" Did you ever see a camellia with yellow flowers V I 
inquired of my friend the merchant. " No," said he, in 
his broken English. " My never have seen he, my 
thinkie no have got" On the following morning the 
owner of the plant presented himself, and asked me if I 
had made up my mind upon the subject. I told him 
that I would take the plants to Hong-kong, where I was 
going at the time ; that they would soon flower there ; 
and that, if they proved yellow, he should have his 
money. This, however, he would not consent to ; and 
at last we compromised the matter, I agreeing to pay 
half the money down, and the other half when the plants 
flowered, providing they were " true." On these con- 
ditions I got the camellias, and took them with me to 
Hong-kong. It is almost needless to say that when 
they flowered there was nothing yellow about them but 
