This ebook was created in honour of Distributed Proofreaders’ 20th Anniversary. Transcriber’s Note When italics were used in the original book, the corresponding text has been surrounded by _underscores_. Bold text is surrounded by =equal signs=. Some corrections have been made to the printed text. These are listed in a second transcriber’s note at the end of the text. A YELLOW ASTER BY IOTA “And if this fought-for climax _is_ ever reached and science, creeping along the path of experiment, so invades the realm of Nature that a blue chrysanthemum or A Yellow Aster can be produced at will, the question still remains, has Nature been made more beautiful thereby?” _IN THREE VOLUMES_ VOL. II London 1894 HUTCHINSON & CO. 34 PATERNOSTER ROW PRINTED AT NIMEGUEN (HOLLAND) BY H. C. A. THIEME OF NIMEGUEN (HOLLAND) AND TALBOT HOUSE, ARUNDEL STREET LONDON, W.C. CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER XVIII. 1 CHAPTER XIX. 19 CHAPTER XX. 33 CHAPTER XXI. 59 CHAPTER XXII. 75 CHAPTER XXIII. 91 CHAPTER XXIV. 109 CHAPTER XXV. 122 CHAPTER XXVI. 133 CHAPTER XXVII. 161 CHAPTER XXVIII. 174 CHAPTER XXIX. 191 CHAPTER XXX. 203 A YELLOW ASTER. CHAPTER XVIII. “TO look at the fellow one would never give him credit for half the grit he has,” thought Strange as he glanced round for a cab at the street corner. “If I had money I should send him to Paris,” he went on as soon as he had settled himself comfortably, “the Kensington methods are no manner of use to him. It’s the deuce of a shame too, that he has to attempt finished work for a living when he should be swatting over the primaries; and that colour mania—that will get chronic and overgrow him, and then God help him!” As it happened Lady Mary was at home and quite wide-awake. As a rule this was not the case until much later in the day, but just now various things combined to keep off sleep.