rouble at
all. They could be easily transported: easily kept. All they wanted
was a little pot of earth when I was ready to plant them; a little
judicious watering; an unbounded supply of sunshine. And what sorts of
bulbs were there? I asked diplomatically; not myself knowing, to tell
truth, what bulbs were at all. Plenty of sorts, the florist said;
there were hyacinths, all colours; and tulips, striped and plain, and
very gay; and crocuses, those were of nearly all colours too; and
ranunculus, and anemones, and snowdrops. Snowdrops were white; but of
several of the other kinds I could have every tint in the rainbow,
both alone and mixed. The florist stood waiting my pleasure, and
nipped off a dead leaf or two as he spoke, as if there was no hurry
and I could take my time. I went into happy calculation, as to how far
my funds would reach; gave my orders, very slowly and very carefully;
and went away the owner of a nice little stock of tulips, narcissus,
crocuses, and above all, hyacinths. I chose gay tints, and at the same
time inexpensive kinds; so that my stock was quite large enough for my
purposes; it mattered nothing to me whether a sweet double hyacinth
was of a new or an old kind, provided it was of first-rate quality;
and I confess it matters almost as little to me now. At any rate, I
went home a satisfied child; and figuratively speaking, dined and
supped off tulips and hyacinths, instead of mutton and bread and
butter.

That afternoon it fell out that my aunt took me with her to a
milliner's on some business. In the course of it, some talk arose
about feathers and the value of them; and my aunt made a remark which,
like Wat Tyrrell's arrow, glanced from its aim and did execution in a
quarter undreamed of.

"That feather you put in the little riding cap you sent me," she said
to the milliner--"your black feather, Daisy, you know--you charged me
but fifteen dollars for that; why is this so much more?"

I did not hear the milliner's answer. My whole thought went off upon a
track entirely new to me, and never entered before My feather cost
fifteen dollars! Fifteen dollars! Supposing I had that to buy tulips
with? or in case I had already tulips enough, suppose I had it to buy
print gowns for Christmas presents to the women, which I had desired
and could not afford? Or that I had it to lay out in tea and sugar,
that my poor old friends might oftener have the one solace that was
left to them, or that more might