112 A TOUK aOTJWD MY GARDEN. 



yours likewise, gentlemen^ Permit me to say a word to 

 M. RIault, and to leave you; I am waited for upon an affair 

 of consequence." He took M. R6ault aside, and said — 



" To-morrow some friends mean to do me the honour to 

 come and see my tulips." 



" Your tulips! — What do you mean by your tulips?" 



" Faith ! only the twelve roots I offered to you, and which 

 you refused." 



"Ah! ah!" 



" Will you do me the pleasure of coming?" 



" What, to see your twelve roots?" 



" To see me, and breakfast with me, with three or four 

 other persons; at the same time, you can tell me if my tulips 

 are good for anything; but I can teU you beforehand, you 

 have not one of the twelve." 



"Indeed!" 



" It is true, I assure you.'' 



" I should like to see that. At what hour?" j 



" Eleven." ,[ 



" I will be punctual." 



"To-morrow?" 



" To-morrow." 



The next day Mademoiselle Agla6 and her sister came a 

 little after eleven o'clock, but Arnold was disagreeably sur- 

 prised to find they were accompanied by M. Dulaurier ; M. 

 R6ault entered almost at the same instant. He and 

 M. Dulaurier were acquainted, and made mutual excuses for 

 not having yet been to see each other's tulips. "Ah, Sir!" 

 said the one, "the month of March did me great injury." 

 " Monsieur," said the other, " I must request your indul- 

 gence; the month of April has treated me sadly." Breakfast 

 was announced; the ladies were surprised, declared they could 

 eat npthing, and finished by becoming humanised. During 

 breakfast, Arnold visibly lost his spirits : he could not help fan- 

 cying he saw signs of intelligence pass between Mademoiselle 

 Agla6 and M. Dulaurier, which rendered him a prey to horrible 

 misgivings; but the sister of Mademoiselle Aglae removed all 

 doubts, by taking an early opportunity of announcing to him 

 that her sister and M. Dulaurier were to be married in tJiree 

 weeks. Arnold then became aware that " uncertainty is the 



