A garden rosary . modesty^ the ineffablemodesty of the lily of the valleyas it hides among the leaves!As one slips one*s fingers down its slenderstem and pulls it up and out from itssmooth sheath, it hangs its head — notlimply hut shyly, in exquisite have you ever noticed, when it ispicked and placed, perhaps with scatter-ing violets and appropriate greenery in acrystal vase, how instantly that aura ofvirginity vanishes? It is just as dainty inits little frilled skirts, hut there is a sophis-tication in its laciness, an elahorate fanci-ness hoth in its spreading network of green
A garden rosary . modesty^ the ineffablemodesty of the lily of the valleyas it hides among the leaves!As one slips one*s fingers down its slenderstem and pulls it up and out from itssmooth sheath, it hangs its head — notlimply hut shyly, in exquisite have you ever noticed, when it ispicked and placed, perhaps with scatter-ing violets and appropriate greenery in acrystal vase, how instantly that aura ofvirginity vanishes? It is just as dainty inits little frilled skirts, hut there is a sophis-tication in its laciness, an elahorate fanci-ness hoth in its spreading network of greenand white and in its perfume, which,so delicate in the sweet out of doors, emitsan artificial piquancy in the warmth ofthe house. Charming, hut no longer in theleast timid, it ceases to he the Lucy of aWordsworth idyll, and is the consciouslychaste Madame de Mortsauf, that Lys A GARDEN ROSARY 19 dans la Vallee too virtuous to he pure,consummately and eternally embalmedfor the perusal of fervid and 20 A GARDEN ROSARY June 20 have been arranging flowersthrough the house: in shallowglass howls; in thin vases; inwide-mouthed pitchers; in rustic brownwillow baskets. Is it a waste of time to spend severalhours in such a fleeting task which willhave to be done over again to-morrow?That isy perhaps, the idea of those peoplewho drape artificial roses from theirpiano scarfs and set Japanese cherry-blossoms — cunningly made out of linen•— on their dining-room tables. Theythink if the touch of color which only aflower can give has been obtained in aroom, that the effect might as well be pre-served. But the signiflcance of cut flowersis not merely that they brighten a darkcorner or fill a void, but that they bearmute and eloquent evidence of fond andconstant care. It is this sense of tendersolicitude which pervades the room asmuch as the fragrance and grace of the A GARDEN ROSARY 21 flower itself. An enameled face may hemore perfect than a natural complexion,but to a
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublishe, booksubjectflowers
