on't know all, but those specially. Wouldn't it be fine?"

Norton was a great gardener.

"I know tulips," said Matilda. "We have a bunch of red tulips in our
garden. I think they are beautiful."

"I do not mean red tulips. Did you never see any but those?"

"No."

"Then you do not know what I mean by tulips. They are everything else
except plain red; I shall not have one of those."

"Yellow?"

"Well perhaps I may have two or three yellow ones. They are
pretty;--clear lemon colour, you know; the colour of evening primroses."

"Are there blue tulips too?"

"Not that ever I heard," said Norton. "No, there are red, and yellow,
and yellow striped with red, and white striped with red, and white
blotched with carmine, and yellow edged with brown or purple, and a
thousand sorts; but never a blue."

"That's odd, isn't it?" said Matilda. "And nobody ever heard of a blue
rose."

"Perhaps they will, though." said Norton. "There are black roses, and
green roses. But I don't believe either there _can_ be a blue rose; it
is against nature."

"But how many tulips will you have, Norton? you said _two or three_
yellow ones; and there are a thousand sorts."

"Well, I will not have all the sorts," said Norton; "but I tell you
what I will do. I will fill all that bank with them and hyacinths, I
shall want a hundred or so."

"Do they cost much?"

"Pretty well," said Norton; "if you get the costly sorts. They are a
dollar a-piece, some of them. But plenty are nice for fifty cents, and
thirty cents."

"Your tulip bed will cost--a great deal, Norton!"

"And that bed over there," Norton went on, pointing, "shall be your
bed; and I will fill it with hyacinths for you. You shall choose what
colours, Pink. They will be beautiful in May. Those shall be yours."

"Oh, thank you! But do _they_ cost much?"

"You always ask that," said Norton, laughing. "Yes, some of them do. I
will tell you what I will do, Pink--and then you will be easy. I will
spend twenty-five dollars on my tulip bed, and you shall spend
twenty-five dollars on your hyacinth bed; and you shall say now what
sorts you will have."

"Twenty-five dollars!" said Matilda. "O Norton, thank you. How nice!
And I never saw a hyacinth in my life. What are they like?"

Norton was endeavouring to tell, when Mrs. Laval came upon the
verandah. She came with business upon her lips, but stopped and her
face changed when she saw Matilda.

"My dear child!" she said.

"Mamm