75 
upon the sun, can live pretty contentedly on the mem¬ 
ory of past glory, hoping for better days than these. 
“ One advantage we derived from living in Hol¬ 
land, as well as our cousin Hyacinth ; and I think 
she might have mentioned it instead of making such 
complaints. The fine care they took of us there, 
increased our beauty very much, and gave us 
strength to reflect many varieties of color. She 
has even more cause for gratitude than I have, for 
as I said before, in the vicinity of Bagdad, where 
her country relations live, Hyacinths are only of one 
color, while Tulips have a great many. We were 
carried from Persia to Constantinople by a Sultan, 
who chose us for our beauty, and not for merchan¬ 
dise.” 
The Hyacinth replied, for all this was meant for 
her rather than for Mary, that she willingly owed 
that cause of gratitude to the Dutch gardeners ; for 
