“The last verse is the best in that little poem. Have you forgotten it?” he said, pleased and surprised to find the new-comer singing Herrick’s lines “To Violets.” “Almost; my father used to say that when we went looking for early violets, and these lovely ones reminded me of it,” explained Christie, rather abashed.
DAVID AND CHRISTIE IN THE GREENHOUSE.
As if to put her at ease David added, as he laid another handful of double-violets on the table:
“‘Y’ are the maiden posies,
And so graced,
To be placed
Fore damask roses.
Yet, though thus respected,
By and by
Ye do lie,
Poor girls, neglected.’
“I always think of them as pretty, modest maids after that, and can’t bear to throw them away, even when faded.”
Christie hoped he did not think her sentimental, and changed the conversation by pointing to her work, and saying, in a business-like way:
“Will these do? I have varied the posies as much as possible, so that they may suit all sorts of tastes and whims. I never went to a ‘German’ myself; but I have looked on, and remember hearing the young people say the little bouquets didn’t mean any thing, so I tried to make these expressive.”
“Well, I should think you had succeeded excellently, and it is a very pretty fancy. Tell me what some of them mean: will you?”