And as he came back at the work-day's close,
He paused, astonished, before a rose.
"'He will smash it in pieces,' the keeper said,
But the lines on his face grew soft instead.
Next morning he watered his plant with care,
And went to his work with a cheerful air;
And, day by day, as the rose-bush grew,
Ugly Greg began changing, too.
"The soft, green leaves unfolded their tips,
And the foul word died on the prisoner's lips;