48 THE BOUQUET. 



make your headache better to see this flower? Now you won't 

 look so wishful at the gardeners' stands in the market, will you ? 

 We have a Rose handsomer than any of theirs. Why it seems to 

 me, that it is worth as much to us as our whole little garden used 

 to be. See how many more buds there are on it, just count, and 

 only smell the flower ! Where shall we put it ! " and Mary 

 skipped about the room, placing her treasure first in one position, 

 and then in another, and walking off to see the effect, till her 

 mother gently reminded her that the Rose-tree could not preserve 

 its beauty without sunhght. 



" Oh yes, truly ! " said Mary : " well, then, it must stand here 

 on this new stand. How glad I am that we have such a handsome 

 new stand for it, it will look so much better." And Mrs. Stephens 

 laid down her work and folded a piece of newspaper on which the 

 treasure was duly deposited. 



" There," said Mary, watching the arrangement eagerly, " that 

 will do ; no, though it does not show both the buds — turn it farther 

 round — -a little more — there, it's right;" and Mary walked round 

 the room to view the Rose in various positions, after which she in- 

 sisted that her mother should go round with her to the outside to 

 see how it looked there. " How kind it was in Miss Florence to 

 think of giving this to us," said Mary ; " though she has done so 

 much for us, and given us so many things, yet this present seems 

 the best of all, because it seemed as if she thought of us, and knew 

 just how we felt, and so few do that. 



" Yes, indeed," said Mrs. Stephens sighing. 



What a bright afternoon that small gift made in that little room. 

 How much faster Mary's tongue and fingers flew the livelong day, 

 and Mrs. Stephens, in the happiness of her child, almost forgot that 

 she had a headache, and thought as she supped her evening cup of 

 tea, that she felt stronger than she had done for some time. 



That Rose ! its sweet influence died not with that first day 

 Through all the long cold winter that followed, the watching. 



