A few days later little Miss Cherry-blossom appeared at my studio-door with a large bunch of chrysanthemums in her arms and an invitation from her mother to be present at a lesson which the teacher was about to give. I accompanied my little friend, and arriving at her home, was ushered into a room where I found the teacher and pupils deeply absorbed in their interesting study. I watched the proceedings with great interest, and though I failed to comprehend much of what the teacher endeavored to impart to her pupils, it gave me great pleasure to observe the interesting group. These bright-eyed, prettily dressed little Japanese maidens, earnestly engaged in their interesting occupation and surrounded by quantities of flowers, formed such a charming and delightful scene, that I decided on the spot to make it the subject for a picture. Later on I carried out this idea, and the illustration which appears on p. 211, gives an impression of the result. I engaged a famous old professor to arrange the chrysanthemums as they appear in the picture. The old man came to my studio bringing the flowers which he had carefully selected, and spent over an hour in making the arrangement. Several times, when it was almost completed, he pulled it to pieces and began again, exclaiming that it was not good enough. "It would pass," he said, "for ordinary purposes;" but since it was to serve as a model to be copied into the picture, nothing but absolute perfection would satisfy him. This old professor was famous in his art and enjoyed great distinction and consideration—as much so as any famous poet or painter. Aside from his occupation as a teacher, he was frequently engaged by wealthy people and by proprietors of tea-houses to make arrangements of flowers for dinner-parties and other festive occasions. Many methods are known and employed for keeping cut flowers fresh; and some of the famous professors of this art claim to possess the secret of certain ingredients, which, added to the water containing the flowers, have a stimulating effect and greatly prolong their life. The successful application of this process, known as mizuage, requires much experience, certain plants requiring a strong and others a weak solution. [Illustration: Early Plum Blossoms at Sungita.] One enthusiastic exponent of this art declared to me that many years ago, at a flower arrangement competition, given by a famous Daimio, he had received the first prize for an arrangement of bamboo, which, to the surprise of everyone, remained fresh and unfaded for twenty-seven days. This had been accomplished—without the use of water—by injecting a certain tonic into an opening which he had bored at the top of the bamboo stalk.