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. III 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 XXXI. 1 CHAPTER XXXII. 11 CHAPTER XXXIII. 29 CHAPTER XXXIV. 45 CHAPTER XXXV. 66 CHAPTER XXXVI. 84 CHAPTER XXXVII. 107 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 124 CHAPTER XXXIX. 140 CHAPTER XL. 152 CHAPTER XLI. 160 CHAPTER XLII. 171 CHAPTER XLIII. 185 CHAPTER XLIV. 192 A YELLOW ASTER. CHAPTER XXXI. GWEN lost no time in conducting her projected series of experiments, she carried them on conscientiously, and with an assumption of spontaneity that gave her husband a high opinion of her powers of self-government. As for the results on Gwen herself, she found them nil, she failed in experiencing one thrill, or the ghost of a tremor. She had an opportunity about this time of judging of the effects on the situation of a sudden danger to her husband. They had driven into the station to meet a parcel of books from London. They were early, and employed their time in watching the goings-on of an imp in human form wrestling with its nurse at one end of the platform. “What an inestimable blessing it would be,” said Humphrey reflectively, “if the Lord would be pleased to remove that creature. Look at it, biting and screaming like a horse!”