23 
while the snow lasts, because it reminds her of her 
happy home, and she fells us wonderful stories 
about the mountains there, whose peaks are covered 
with snow even in summer! She looks really un¬ 
happy when the snow is all melted away, and dies 
very young. Her whole family is called Versicolor, 
which arose, I believe, from the variety of colors in 
which her brothers and sisters clothe themselves. 
I must tell you one thing more about them. The 
mothers in Switzerland tie them about the necks of 
their children, and then believe that nothing can 
harm the little darlings. I do not know why they 
think so, but I know that in very ancient times men 
used to pray that Saffron might grow over their 
graves to protect them. I do not know why they 
should think so much of their bodies after their 
souls had flown out of them, but perhaps they 
thought, if sweet flowers grew upon the graves of 
