oing to give one side of the green house to you," he said,
turning to Matilda. "Now you have got to think and find out what you
will put in it. I shall have the shelves and all ready by the end of
the week; and next week, Pink,--next week!--we must put the plants in;
because the winter is going on, you know."

The conclave broke up, to go upstairs and look at the new greenhouse.
Norton explained his arrangements; the oil-cloth he was going to put on
the floor, the rising banks of green shelves, the watering and
syringing and warming of the little place; till Matilda almost smelt
the geranium leaves before they were there.

"Now, Pink, what will you have on your side?"

"I can't give more than a dollar to it, Norton," said Matilda very
regretfully.

"A dollar! A _dollar_, Pink? A dollar will get you two or three little
geraniums. What's to become of the rest of your shelves?"

"I shall have to give them back to you, I'm afraid."

"You've got money, plenty."

"But I can't spend it for plants."

"Because you are going to throw it into the mud, Pink? O no, you'll not
do that. I'll give you a catalogue of plants, and you shall look it
over; and you will find a dollar won't do much, I can tell you. And
then you will see what you want."

He was as good as his word; and Matilda sipped her glass of water and
eat her sponge cake at tea time between the pages of a fascinating
pamphlet, which with the delights it offered almost took away her
breath, and quite took away the taste of the sponge cake. Norton looked
over her shoulder now and then, well pleased to see his charm working.

"_Yellow_ carnations?" cried Matilda.

"I don't like them best, though," said Norton. "There, _that_--La
purite--that's fine; and the striped ones, Pink; those double heads,
just as full as they can be, and just as sweet as they can be, and
brilliant carmine and white--those are what I like."

Matilda drew a long breath and turned a leaf.

"Violets!" she exclaimed.

"Do you like them?"

"Violets? Why, Norton, I don't like any thing better! I don't think I
do. Dear little sweet things! _they_ do not cost much?"

"No," said Norton, "they do not cost much; and they don't make much
show, neither."

"But they don't take much room."

"No; and you want things that _do_ take room, to fill your shelves. The
greenhouse ought to be all one mass of green and bloom all round."

Matilda heaved another sigh and turned another leaf.

"I don't