new acquaintance--all at least excepting Louise, who held herself rather
_fiere_, and "the baby," which was quite ungracious towards him.

Above all the pictures which the portfolio contained, were the children
most affected and enchanted by one in sepia, which represented a girl
kneeling before a rose-bush, from which she was gathering roses, whilst
a lyre lay against a gravestone near her.

"Oh, how sweet! how divinely beautiful!" exclaimed they. Petrea seemed
as if she actually could not remove her eyes from the charming picture,
which the Candidate himself also seemed to regard with a fatherly
affection, and which was the crown of his little collection.

It was the custom at the Franks, that every evening, as soon as the
clock had struck eight, the little herd of children, conducted by the
Queen-bee, withdrew to their bed-chamber, which had once occasioned the
wakeful Petrea to say that night was the worst thing God had ever made:
for which remark she received a reproving glance from the Queen-bee,
accompanied by the maxim, "that people should not talk in that way."

In order, however, to celebrate the present day, which was a remarkable
one, the children were permitted to take supper with their parents, and
even to sit up as late as they did. The prospect of this indulgence, the
Candidate, the pictures, all combined to elevate the spirits of the
children in no ordinary degree; so much so indeed that Petrea had the
boldness, whilst they were regaling on roast chicken, to propose to the
Candidate that the picture of the girl and the rose-bush should be put
up for a prize on the breaking of a merrythought between them;
promising, that if she had the good fortune to win it, she would give as
a recompense a picture of her own composition, which should represent
some scene in a temple. The Queen-bee appeared scandalised at her
sister's proposal, and shook her little wise head at her.

The mother also violently opposed Petrea's proposition; and she, poor
girl, became scarlet, and deeply abashed, before the reproving glances
which were cast upon her; yet the Candidate was good-natured enough,
after the first astonishment was over, to yield in the most cheerful
manner to Petrea's proposal, and zealously to declare that the affair
should be managed just as she would. He accordingly set himself, with an
appearance of great accuracy and solemnity, to measure the length of
both limbs of the merrythought, and then counted thr