﻿THE BASKET OF CHERRIES. 195 



silvery ringing, interrupted the discourse which Bathilde had com- 

 menced with her goat, and she saw appear before her a poor little 

 girl, of her own age, with dark complexion, great black eyes, clad in 

 parti-colored rags, and bare-footed, holding in her right hand a tam- 

 bourine, ornamented with bells of silvered copper. This child's face 

 was beautiful, but its expression was at once gentle and wild, care- 

 less and sorrowful. She came, without uttering a word, to place 

 herself directly before Bathilde, looking by turns at her, Caprice, and 

 the basket of cherries, without once dropping her long silken eyelids 

 over her large brilliant eyes. This fixedness of look, the strange 

 attention of which she was the object, intimidated Bathilde, who 

 became as red as her cherries ; for a moment, she was about to rise 

 and depart with a little vexation at being thus coolly examined ; but, 

 looking at the little girl by her side, and seeing her poverty, she lis- 

 tened only to the voice of pity which profoundly affected her kind 

 heart. 



" My darling," said she, pointing to the cherries, " would you like 

 some pendants like mine ? ' 



The little girl thought she was offering some of this fine fruit for 

 her to eat ; and, without replying, made a little movement of the 

 head, signifying that she accepted with pleasure and gratitude. 



" Wait, I will myself put them on your ears," said Bathilde ; and 

 approaching the little girl with graceful familiarity, without recoiling 

 before her ragged dress, she put two beautiful cherries to each ear. 

 This was not what the other child wanted ; so she quickly devoured 

 her beautiful pendants. 



"Ah ! " said Bathilde with surprise, " are you hungry, my darling? 

 Hold, I have here, under my cherries, a good cake with fresh but- 

 ter, given me by Madeline ; it is very nice with fruit, as you shall 



see.' 



As she spoke thus, she took from the bottom of her basket n. cake, 

 which she presented to the poor child ; the beautiful white teeth of 

 the latter soon disposed of the cake. 



"Cherries, now; cherries! " cried Bathilde, delighted to see this 

 superb appetite ; she took the basket and held it at a convenient 

 height, that the girl might choose the most inviting fruit. 



Every crumb of the cake being eaten, three dozen cherries served 



