Intrigued by their own intriguingness, they sit pleasantly in gardens dandling theories on their knees. If a bit of vegetation has the impudence to poke out at an unsettling angle they are quick to prune -- self-persuaded of their appreciation of twists and turns, unseemlies and rogues, they chide precious, turn away from the woods, underbrush, and bramble, and seek comfort amid achingly well-tended bonsai and singularly ungraceful topiary.