Year: 1863

4 himself 10th spot and seeing what had been
done exclaimed angrily. My men have been
doing this now without my orders He had
them all brought before him, but each
stcutly denied knowing anything about the
matter. Old Lucas shook his head as he
could net conceive who had presumed to
meddle with his Office of gardener TO the
court determined to be on the look out
himself he watched therefore, the whole
day. but all his watching turned out in
vain er
| The following morning the young prince
went to the spring again at the same time,
and began digging and raking the new beds
even; then taking flower roots from several
parts of the garden where they were too
| thick, he set them in q circle round the
spring. He saw nobody all the time he was
at work, and what was worse, nobody saw
him at least the person by whom he wished
to be seen he therefore resolved to make
the best of his way back to the palace, the
nearest road, however, happened to be q
BY way that led past certain neat little
cottage He cast glance up at the WIN
dow and there discovered the lovely girl
! The window was open, and Flsretta stand
| ing at it binding the long tresses OF her ra
! ven hair round her head. Flowers lay scat
tered on the window before her, which she
had most probably intended for place In
her bonnet, or at her bosom. Henry greet
ed her at the window and she returned the
salutatioD, then mounting on bench that
was before the house, he was nearly as high
| as Floretta, before whom he now stood
quite close to the window.


A beautiful crimson instantly spread
over her face and neck. Shall | assist
YOU in dressing?" said Henry. What are
you up SO early, my young lord ? returned
Floretta. Henry did not consider it at all
early, and she did not consider she needed
any of his assistance. la his opinion she
needed no other ornament to set her off
than hor own charms and in her opinion
was only laughing at her which was not at
all becoming to him. Henry affirmed he
had never spoken more truly in his life and
had never been able to forget her since she
gave him the rose, which he regretted ever
having returned, as he should have preferred
keeping it as token from her; ana she re-
! gretted that the flowers then lying before
her were bad, but she would readily give
him all if he had any wish for them. lie
asserted while putting them in his breast
that the worst flowers received their worth
from the giver, and she began to think they


looked very pretty, now that he had put
! them in his bosom.


Thus were these two thinking, and as
serting, and requesting great many more
things, when old Lucas called Floretta into
the adjoining room. Bowing with u sweet
smile to the young prince, she disappeared.
Henry returned to the palace, but with
steps SO light that be seemed scarcely to
feel the ground upon which he walked. ,..,


When old Lucas went home at mid day.
from the garden to dinner, he exclaimed, u
should like to know who it can be that Is
playing me these tricks that unknown gar
| dener has been there again this morning,
and parted and raked the beds, and actual
| ly begun to set some Of them with tiowers.
went out very early this morning on pur.
pose, but the work was already done, and
no one to be seen. ! have been waiting
! there again the whole morning, but to no
purpose. don't know what to make of
the matter; it may be though, that no works
| bv moonlight


! When Foretta went as usual in the even
ing to fetch water from the spring it first
occurred to her that tho unknown gardener
might be no other than the young prince,
as il was from that direction she had seen
him come 10 her in the morning to the win
dow


In the evening after sunset, when the
.-,,.. J., I ,oturnaJ frorn snma of tho many
festivities that were then daily taking place,
Henry FASTENED into the garden to the
spring, where he found Florettas bonnet
lying on the ground; he picked it up, and
pressing it to his lips, he kissed it. he
then plucked in the tm light the most beau
tiful flowers he could find, and fetching from
the palace handsome sky-blue ribbon,
twiped the flowers in a sortof wreath round
her bonnet. He went to old Lucas's house,
but finding that they were all in bed and
the windows closed he hung it outside on
the shutter.


G The next morning Floretta rose much ear
lier thnn usual, being determined to find
ont the midnight gardener, and discover him
to her father. There might however, have
been little curiosity, as we'll a. little
something else mixed up with this wish
but which, of course she mentioned to no
one.


Having dressed herself as quietly as pos
sible she opened the window, when she
discovered her bonnet hanging outside with
the wreath around it. Now it first occur
red to her that she had left il the previous
evening at the spring. Shesmiled at seeing
the flowers and the ribbon, bat then all at
once making sorrowful face "Ah ~ SIGH
ed she, she must have been up earlier than
was this morning, as be has been here
already"


"'yho it was she meant by he, she did
not say. She looked at the flowers again
and taking them off placed them in jug OF
clean water; and then rolling up the ribbon,
put it along with her other simple hnery:
then going to the window, she got out on
the little bench that was outside and jumped
! % tbo 1roupd Tbaro vvaa q nroner house