blers quite close to us in a bush. The mother hovered round about us,
and the little ones opened their beaks, yellow as far as their windpipes.
How frightened we were! Good Lord, we were frightened indeed! Thanks be
to Heaven, a puff of wind carried us off to the mountain side; and now
the vintage is over we must not expect to get out again so soon.'

"On hearing these descriptions of Nature so true, at this worship of day
and light, I could no longer entertain the least doubt on the subject.

"'The blind girl sees,' said I to myself; 'she sees through thousands of
eyes; the apiary is her life, her soul. Every bee carries a part of her
away into space, and then returns drawn to her by thousands of invisible
threads. The blind girl penetrates the flowers and the mosses; she revels
in their perfume; when the sun shines she is everywhere; in the mountain
side, in the valleys, in the forests, as far as her sphere of attraction
extends.'

"I sat confounded at this strange magnetic influence, and felt tempted to
exclaim--

"'Honour, glory, honour to the power, the wisdom, and the infinite
goodness of the Eternal God! For Him nothing is impossible. Every day,
every instant of our lives reveals to us His magnificence.'

"While I was lost in these enthusiastic reflections, Raesel addressed me
with a quiet smile.

"'Sir,' said she.

"'What, my child?'

"'You are very much surprised at me, and you are not the first person who
has been so. The rector Hegel, of Neufchatel, and other travellers have
been here on purpose to see me: they thought I was blind. You thought so
too, did you not?'

"'I did indeed, my dear child, and I thank the Lord that I was mistaken.'

"'Yes,' said she, 'I know you are a good man--I can tell it by your
voice. When the sun shines I shall open my eyes to look at you, and when
you leave here I will accompany you to the foot of the mountain.'

"Then she began to laugh most artlessly.

"'Yes,' said she, 'you shall have music in your ears, and I will seat
myself on your cheek; but you must take care--take care. You must not
touch me, or I should sting you. You must promise not to be angry.'

"'I promise you, Raesel, I promise you I will not,' I said with tears in
my eyes, 'and, moreover, I promise you never to kill a bee or any other
insect except those which do harm.'

"'They are the eyes of the Lord,' she murmured. 'I can only see by my own
poor bees, but He has every hive, every ant's nest, e