THE floral telegraph. 129 
interpretation of indelible black and 
white ! How often has a fond mai¬ 
den been locked up in her room be¬ 
cause a billet-doux has been inter¬ 
cepted !—unjustifiable cruelty !—has 
even been hurried down into the 
country and buried there, during the 
height of the season, with a ticket for 
Devonshire House lying on the table 
at the very moment she is forced 
weeping into the carriage ! How 
many happy runaway matches have 
been prevented ! How many sweet 
little liaisons have been nipped in 
the bud by the frost of propriety, 
which would have blossomed unseen 
and sheltered by the dewy wings 
