know anything about tuberoses," she said. "Primroses? what are
they like? 'A thousand flowers often from one plant!' what are they
like, Norton?"

"Like?" said Norton. "I don't know what they are like."

"I'll tell you," said Judy, who as usual was pleasing herself with a
cup of strong coffee; "they are like buttercups come to town and grown
polished."

"They are not in the least like buttercups!" said Norton.

"That's what I said," replied Judy coolly; "they have left off their
country ways, and don't wear yellow dresses."

Matilda thought it was best to take no notice, so with another crumb of
sponge cake she turned over to the next flower in the catalogue.

"What are Bouvardias? I don't know anything about them."

"Of course," said Judy. "Not to be expected."

"Do you want to take care of your own flowers yourself, Pink?" inquired
Norton; "or do you mean to have me do it?"

"Why, I will do it, I suppose."

"Then you had better leave the Bouvardias to me. They are a little
particular about some things."

"Are they handsome?"

"Wait till you see. Splendid! You'll see, when I get them a going.
We'll have just a blaze of them."

"A blaze?" said Matilda. "What colour?"

"Flame colour, and scarlet, and white, and splendid crimson."

"Heliotrope. O I like heliotrope," Matilda went on.

"You can have those," said Norton. "They're sweet and easy. And we
must have them, of course, on one side or the other. Begonias--those
you might have, too."

"Hyacinths I have got," said Matilda.

"Yes, but you will want more, now that you have room for them."

"Azaleas--O azaleas are lovely," said Matilda. "They are showy too; and
you want a show, Norton."

"So do you, Pink."

"Well, I like azaleas," said Matilda. "Do they cost much?"

"Not so very. I guess you can have some."

"O what a geranium!" Matilda exclaimed. "'Lady James
Vick'--'seventy-five cents each'--but what a lovely colour, Norton! O I
like geraniums next best to roses, I believe."

"You must go to another catalogue for your roses," said Norton.

"That is beautiful! I never saw such a colour. These roses are better
yet."

"You can't have roses enough in bloom at once. We want other things to
help make up the blaze of colour there ought to be. But that's easy."

Matilda turned the catalogue over and over with a disturbed mind. It
seemed to her that to have such a little greenhouse as Norton proposed,
full of beauties, would be one of the mos