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A FLOWER BOOK
EDEN COYBEE & NELLIE BENSON
London: GRANT RICHARDS, 9 Henrietta Street, W.C.
The Dumpy Books for Children
No. 7. A FLOWER BOOK
* * * * *
THE DUMPY BOOKS FOR CHILDREN.
_Cloth, Royal 32mo, 1/6 each._
1. THE FLAMP, THE AMELIORATOR, AND THE SCHOOLBOY'S APPRENTICE. By E. V. LUCAS. (_Seventh Thousand._)
2. MRS. TURNER'S CAUTIONARY STORIES. (_Fifth Thousand._)
3. THE BAD FAMILY. By MRS. FENWICK. (_Third Thousand._)
4. THE STORY OF LITTLE BLACK SAMBO. Illustrated in Colours by HELEN BANNERMAN. (_Twenty-seventh Thousand._)
5. THE BOUNTIFUL LADY. By THOMAS COBB. (_Fourth Thousand._)
6. A CAT BOOK. Portraits by H. OFFICER SMITH. Characteristics by E. V. LUCAS. (_Eighth Thousand._)
7. A FLOWER BOOK. Illustrated in Colours by NELLIE BENSON. Story by EDEN COYBEE.
* * * * *
A Flower Book
THE STORY BY
EDEN COYBEE
THE PICTURES BY
NELLIE BENSON
LONDON: GRANT RICHARDS 1901
London
Engraved & Printed
at the
_Racquet Court Press_
by
_Edmund Evans_
* * * * *
_In the history of men's love for God or for God's creatures there comes one hour of divine uplifting when a symbol must stand for the unspoken word._
_That symbol is ever a flower._
_There is a path of flowers through all science_.
_In order that each flower of my little story book should not masquerade in vain meaningless garments or sing to empty words, I have sought the help of many wiser than I in this knowledge born of sympathy with nature. So this little book is not entirely a fairy-tale._
_To those who would follow me along the same by-ways, I wish to say that I owe a great deal to the Reverend Hilderic Friend for his ever delightful look on "Flowers and Flower Lore."_
_E. C._
* * * * *
CHRISTMAS ROSE]
A FLOWER BOOK.
When the snow lies thick on the ground and all the streams that babblein summer lie still in their houses of ice, you think, I daresay, thatthe flowers are asleep, and that nothing can wake them before thespring?
But I know of a wood where the little elves and sprites and the delicatefairies dance in a ring in the moonlight, and I will tell you of whathappens there at twelve o'clock on the first night of every year.
The clock in the cathedral tower booms out twelve solemn strokes, andall the church bells peal a welcome to the New Year. That is the signalfor the fairies to come down on a moonbeam--with their white dressesshining and their long yellow hair streaming.
IVY]
WINTER JASMINE]
Most beautiful of them all is Rusialka, the queen of fairies and elves.She wears a necklet of dewdrops, and dew-drops sparkle in her dressand in her hair. She glides softly over the snow, and all the fairiesfollow her to a great elder bush that grows in the middle of the littlewood. She knocks once and calls:
"Lady Elder! are you within?"
And the tree shoots out its green buds and the tender leaves unfoldthemselves.
Then again the fairy Rusialka knocks and calls:
"Lady Elder! Lady Elder! are you within?"
And the sweet white blossoms open overhead, and a gentle rain of flowersfalls upon the fairies.
For the third time Rusialka calls:
"Lady Elder! Lady Elder! Lady Elder! are you within?"
And then the tree opens slowly, and the Lady Elder appears. She is veryold, for she is the Mother of all the fairies and elves.
MICHAELMAS DAISY]
SNOWDROP]
"What is it you want of me, my children?" she asks, in a voice like asilver bell.
And all the fairies curtsey very long and low, and they answer her:
"The New Year is come, Lady Elder; and we want you to grant us leave towake the little flowers that sleep under the snow!"
"The World is yet cold for the flowers, my children," answers theLady Elder. "They are all asleep, each to be awakened in her time. Butthis you may do. You may call them up for to-night, and when you leavethis wood in the morning, they will all go back to their beds again."
"Our glad thanks to you, Ma'am," the fairies sing back joyfully.
VIOLET]
DOG ROSE]
Then they all join hands and frolic away, singing as they go:
"Little flowerets gay and sweet Hear the patter of our feet; Little flowerets sweet and gay Come and dance a roundelay!"
Then slower and slower fades the dance.
* * * * *
"O Christmas Rose! O Christmas Rose!" called Rusialka, on the particularnight I am telling you of.
A little voice answered under the snow:
"I am here, good ladies!"
And the Christmas Rose, holding her blossom-standard in one hand, peepedout.
"Will you join our dance?" asked Rusialka.
The Christmas Rose held out her hands, and the merry party danced onsinging a song the fairies love, till they came to a spot where the Ivyslept on a little brown bed of earth under a bright white coverlet ofsnow--with all her clusters of berries resting on her leaves.
HAWTHORN]
HONEYSUCKLE]
"Wake up! Wake up! little Ivy!" cried Rusialka.
"O, is it spring come again?" called out Ivy in a sleepy voice. "Or areyou two sad friends who at parting want to give each other a token oftrue friendship?"
"We are not sad friends at all," answered Rusialka. "We are the LittleLadies come to frolic on earth, and we want you, Ivy, to join in ourfrolic."
"Isn't it cold out in the world now?" asked the little voice again.
"The dance will warm you," answered the fairy. "And in the morningbefore we go, we will lay you back in your warm bed."
So Ivy joined the dance, and right merrily they went round and round,till they all had to sit down to take breath.
POPPY]
WILLOW]
Highest of all, on a tuft of soft earth, sat Rusialka. All the littlewhite fairies sat in a circle round her. And Ivy and Christmas Rosetook one another by the hand and curtsied to Rusialka.
"White Lady," said the Ivy, "if you like we will go and wake up ourlittle sisters, and when we are all here we will dance to your company adance that the breezes taught us last spring."
"Go then," said Rusialka, "and bring your sisters to me."
So Christmas Rose and Ivy went away, and returned presently withanother little sister-flower, the Yellow Jasmine.
"Jasmine," said Rusialka, "you are slight and slender, and winsome! Ican see that your blossoms will bring a pang to tender hearts, for youmean 'separation,' but of all the messengers of woe you are thegentlest, sweet Jasmine."
Then the Michaelmas Daisy came forward too.
ROSE]
CHRYSANTHEMUM]
"And you, Daisy," added Rusialka, "you soften the bitter partingwith a fond farewell."
The Jasmine gave a sigh and curtsied.
"If I bring a sad message," she said, "my sister the S
nowdrop is everclose at hand--and her meaning is 'hope.'"
The Snowdrop came forward and curtsied to the fairy.
"I am the herald in all our flower pageants," she said. "And some callme the 'Fair Maid of February.'"
Rusialka waved her crystal wand three times and said: "I can see awalled-in garden in a distant land. A bell is ringing for vespers, andall the nuns with downcast eyes hasten across a cloister to the chapeldoor. The youngest of them all sees a bed of snowdrops lift their whiteheads and she smiles, because they are an emblem of hope, and a symbolof her life."
The Snowdrop curtsied, and stepped aside to make room for the Violet.
PERIWINKLE]
CARNATION]
She peeped out shyly from under a bunch of leaves and a sweet perfumefilled the air.
"Violets for faithfulness," she said, turning to the Yellow Jasmine, "Icomfort friends who are parted. What pictures do you see for me, LadyRusialka?"
Rusialka waved her crystal wand and said:
"Call up your bright sisters who bring both joy and hope, and standbefore me."
The Snowdrop turned to obey the fairy's command, and presently returnedholding the Hawthorn and the Poppy by the hands.
"I bring security and hope," the Hawthorn said, "and I protect the goodcountry people from harm, if they do but hang a spray of my blossomsover their houses in May. For then the wicked fairies and elves who areyour enemies, White Ladies, as well as the enemies of men, can do noharm."
WOOD ANEMONE]
WIND FLOWER]
"I, too," said Honeysuckle, "I, too, fight the wicked little sprites andkeep from harm the good milch cows and the beasts that feed and clothepoor children in cold northern lands."
Then the Poppy spoke out. She did not appear to be in the least bit shy,and waved the scarlet folds of her mantle about her head, and all theblack fringe of seed trembled and stood out like a halo.
"And I am consolation," she said. "The hope that springs up againafter doubt."
"If all were faithful and true," whispered the Violet, "there would beless need of you, proud Poppy."
"Or," suggested the Willow, "if people would but listen to my warningand not bind their hearts with chains. I am the emblem of freedom."
But the Rose and the Chrysanthemum came forward at these words andcurtsied to Rusialka.
CORNFLOWER]
COWSLIP]
"They do not speak wisely and truly, O dear White Ladies," they said."We both mean 'love,' and we know that smiles and joy attend us. Ask oursisters who best know."
"I am early friendship," said the Periwinkle, pensively, as she came andstood before Rusialka. "Even the very old on earth find comfort in me."
Then Clematis appeared. She lifted her banner like a wreath round herhead. "I mean poverty," she said: "but even poverty is sweet withlove, for love can make all things beautiful."
But two flowers came forward sadly, and sighed as they curtsied toRusialka. They were Carnation and Anemone.
"Alas! for my poor heart," said the first. "To me love brings butsadness."
"And when the dewdrops fall," said the second, "I think they are thetears of all who are like me, forsaken."
BLACKBERRY]
SPINDLE BERRY]
The Windflower stepped forward boldly, and a breath of breeze ranthrough her hair and raised her banner.
"I know that tears dry and give place to smiles," she said.
"Oh, do not weep then, sweet little sisters," said the Cornflower,gently. "See, Cowslip and I will take you by the hand and lead you to abright, clear patch by the tree of the Lady Elder, where we will playtogether till morning."
As they disappeared they heard the voice of Rusialka:
"O, hasten, Blackberry," she said. "Hasten, Spindle, and Holly andMisletoe, for before the coldest hour that precedes the dawn has passedover the earth your little sisters must all be back in their little warmbeds."
HOLLY]
Then forward came the four linked hand in hand and curtsied. Then theHolly kissed the Mistletoe, and the Blackberry and the Spindleberryraised their banners on high, while all the flowers marched through handin hand.
MISTLETOE]
They marched up to the tree of the Lady Elder, and Rusialka knockedonce, twice, thrice, with her crystal wand.
The Lady Elder came out of her tree and smiled upon the flowers.
"Good night, my children," she said. "Good night, and farewell until theSpring."
And then the flowers frolicked and danced merrily; and at the dawn ofday they drooped their heads and fell asleep, and the fairies broughtthem back to their little warm beds and covered them up with theirsparkling white coverlets.
And then all the White Ladies climbed on their moonbeam and glidedsoftly up, up, up, into Fairyland.
CLEMATIS]