THE POPPIES 165 



"How did you know?" asked Mary, surprised. 



"Urn well, the poppy buds looked as if they were 

 thinking of coming out ; the little heads were begin- 

 ning to straighten upright. The poppy does not 

 hang her head when she blossoms. No, no ! " 



"There ! " exclaimed Mary, as they stood in front of 

 the dainty poppies that were swaying on slender stems. 



Herr Trommel looked down on them in silence for 

 a moment. "They are lovely," he said reverently ; 

 "they are fairy things ; they are color made alive ! " 



"Were the petals all inside of those green buds? " 

 asked the under-gardener. 



Herr Trommel nodded. "The poppy is not at all 

 careful of her clothes, although she has such pretty 

 ones. The roses curl their petals very carefully, but 

 the poppy's petals are just crushed tight together 

 inside the hard green bud. She is not afraid of 

 wrinkles no. If you are out very early, Liebchen, 

 you might see the poppy open ; but you must have 

 the sharp eyes. You see the bud ; then, if you look 

 away but a moment, there is the flower ! The green 

 case the calyx has split and dropped to the 

 ground, and the petals that were crushed so tight are 

 lovely, as you see them now. It is a wonderful 

 thing." 



