verv sorry ; for I think I love flowers as much as you do. 

 Ah, Jessy ! thank you, darling ;" and she held out her hand 

 for me, as if she had suggested to Jessy the raising me up 

 from my perilous position. 



The Professor thanked Lady Jones with marked courtesy ; 

 but I noticed he intercei>ted her hand, so that he received ray 

 poor bruised remains from Jessy herself, and as he did so he 

 gave lier the one frond of fern, saying, " This is from Corn- 

 wall, I found it myself." 



I saw a bright blush on Jessy's face, and I heard the Pro- 

 fessor say in a voice audible only to me, " I wonder — oh, I 

 wonder !" Then they passed out ; and, oh ! how I longed to 

 tell my master all I hail heard, for he soon returned and 

 placed me in a home much better and prettier than my last ; 

 and as he doctored my liroken limbs, I heard a soft murmur 

 of — " She touched you, little fern, she touched you, and I love 

 her; but, oh ! 1 wonder— I wonder." 



I knew what was jiassing in his mind, so I rang out my 

 bells, and made them say as distinctly as ever they could, 

 " Fair and pure — fair and luire."' " Yes, yes, I think so," said 

 the Professor ; " but who can tell — who can tell ?" 



After this morning I found myself the special object of the 

 Professor's care. 1 was shaded from the sun ; put out of 

 doors to inhale the sweet showers ; and every day I learned 

 more and more of my dear master's heart. Can no one 

 amongst men answer the question, thought I. 



"No, no," said the Professor, "I must wait ; I must be 

 patient, little fern ; but 1 love her." 



AVcll, not many days after this there came on a sudden soft 

 shower, and the Professor came out so hurriedly to give me a 

 taste of it, that I saw he had actually forgotten to change his 

 sli]i])crs, he who was always so extremely neat. 



Just as he h.ad set me down by the side of a bed of choice 

 pansics I heard the joyous laugh. My master hurried behind 

 an arbour close by, for not even to see Jes.sy would he con- 

 sent to be found in deshabille. 



Lady Jones came up and caught sight of the pansies. 



"Oh, how beautiful!" said she, in real admiration. 

 " Hold my parasol, Jessy; I must have some cuttings, and 

 the old raiser never offers me roots, only his trumpery 

 flowers." 



" Oh don't. Carry, don't," said Jessy's sweet voice. " Oh, 

 it is really sinful ; indeed, indeed it is." 



" Preaching ? " said my lady, in a sneering voice ; " preach 

 to your dear Professor if you like, you are always praising 

 and quoting him, but I '11 trouble you not to interfere with 

 me. There ! " she said triuraiihantly ; " now I'll just pop 'em 

 in my parasol, and who '11 be the wiser ? Ha ! ha ! " 



" Carry, you are too wrong," said the low earnest voice ; 

 " I cannot bear it." 



" Stuff and rubbish," said my lady ; " don't be a goose, 

 but come on." 



So they passed into the house, and after a time they 

 returned, accompanied liy the Professor. I noticed that he 

 was very pale, and that he walked close to Jessy, but his step 

 was firm and determined, and though pale there was a look 

 in his face I had never seen before ; a look of bright intense 

 hapiiincss. When they came near me I saw Lady Jones 

 look aside, but the Professor would not let her escape. 



"Oh, do look at my pansies," he said ; "I am sure your 

 ladyship must admire them," 



Jessy turned deadly pale, but my lady only laughed, 

 saying, " Yes, indeed they are pretty." 



" You must allow me to give you some," said the Pro- 

 fessor. " I will take you some slips in a moment, or would 

 your ladyship do me the great favour of heljiing yourself." 



He would take no denial, so my lady stooped to gather, 

 and in so doing her parasol flew open. 



" Bless me," said the Professor, " why I am only adding to 

 a collection." I saw Jessy look pleadingly at the Professor; 

 he turned aside to allow Lady Jones to recover herself, and I 

 heard in the faintest whisper, " Jessy, Jessy give me hearts- 

 ease." 



Did she understand him ? I heard no more, but I missed 

 my master all that day, and the next mommg when he came 

 to the greenhouse, all he said was, "I never doubted her, 

 little fern ; never, never." 



" Fair and pure, fair and pure," said I, as fast as ever my 

 bells could ring. 



" Little fern," said the Professor, while a tear fell upon 

 me, " she will be like God's blessed sunshine to us all. Yes, 

 yes, like sunshine." 



When these words fell from my dear master's lips, I felt 

 that my mission was accoinplished ; that the love of the 

 " cheery little feni" would be perfected in the pure true love 

 of woman ; and as my master turned to leave the green- 

 house, some idea of the same kind must have crossed his 

 mind, for he whispered tenderly, " Poor little fern ; poor 

 maiden-hair." 



I looked up as brightly as I could ; still brightly, though I 

 had learned so much as to know that from the inevitable 

 there is no escape. Nor did I wish it, for there was shining 

 in my master's face a light too bright for my feeble life to 

 havcplaced there. He touched my hair as caressingly as in 

 olden days, but all he said was, " My very own, my Jessy." 



From that day I saw but little of the Professor, and after a 



