s. At times
she was gay, at times sad. At length she approached a bed of violets,
which, from the training of the plants, had evidently, been carefully
tended, and, observing that they languished under the intense heat of
the past day, began to grieve over them.

"Alas! my dear little flowers, why did I neglect to water you yesterday?
You are very thirsty, are you not, my charming pets?"

For a moment or two she was quiet, still gazing at the violets, and
then continued, in the same dreamy tone:--

"But then, alas! since yesterday my mind has been so disturbed, so
happy, so--" Her eyes fell, and a blush crimsoned her cheeks, as she
murmured, softly, "GUSTAVE!"

Motionless as a statue, and absorbed in her enchanting dream, she forgot
the poor little violets, and, probably, the whole world.

"His image ever, ever before me! his voice ever ringing in my ears! Why
try to escape their fascination? Oh, God! what is this that is passing
within me? My heart trembles; sometimes my blood bounds wildly through
my veins, and then again it creeps and freezes; and yet how happy I am!
what inexpressible joy fills my very soul!"

She was silent; then, seeming suddenly to rouse herself, she raised her
head and threw back the thick curls, as if anxious to disembarrass her
mind of a haunting thought.

"Wait, my dear flowers," said she, smiling, to the violets; "wait a
moment: I will comfort and refresh you."

With this she disappeared in the grove, and, in a short time, brought
from it a few twigs and leaves, which she arranged in a little trellis
over the flower-beds, so as to shadow the violets completely from the
sun. After this she took a small watering-pot and ran across the grass
to a basin or tank in the middle of the garden, around which a number
of weeping-willows drooped their branches into the water. On her arrival
its surface was perfectly smooth; but hardly had her image been
reflected in the tank when it appeared to swarm with living creatures.
Hundreds of gold-fishes, of all colors, swam toward her with their
mouths gaping from the water, as if the poor little animals were trying
to speak to her. Holding on by the trunk of the nearest willow, she bent
gracefully over the pond and tried to fill her watering-pot without
touching the gold-fish.

"Come, come; let me alone just now," said she, as she carefully avoided
them; "I haven't time to play with you; I will bring you your dinner
after a while."

But the fish