oo pale and anxious for one
so young; and when a sudden gust turned the old umbrella inside out with
a crash, despair fell upon poor Lizzie, and she was so miserable she
could have sat down in the rain and cried.

But there was no time for tears; so, dragging the dilapidated umbrella
along, she spread her shawl over the bonnet-boxes and hurried down the
broad street, eager to hide her misfortunes from a pretty young girl who
stood at a window laughing at her.

She could not find the number of the house where one of the fine hats
was to be left; and after hunting all down one side of the street, she
crossed over, and came at last to the very house where the pretty girl
lived. She was no longer to be seen; and, with a sigh of relief, Lizzie
rang the bell, and was told to wait in the hall while Miss Belle tried
the hat on.

Glad to rest, she warmed her feet, righted her umbrella, and then sat
looking about her with eyes quick to see the beauty and the comfort that
made the place so homelike and delightful. A small waiting-room opened
from the hall, and in it stood many blooming plants, whose fragrance
attracted Lizzie as irresistibly as if she had been a butterfly or bee.

Slipping in, she stood enjoying the lovely colors, sweet odors, and
delicate shapes of these household spirits; for Lizzie loved flowers
passionately; and just then they possessed a peculiar charm for her.

One particularly captivating little rose won her heart, and made her
long for it with a longing that became a temptation too strong to
resist. It was so perfect; so like a rosy face smiling out from the
green leaves, that Lizzie could NOT keep her hands off it, and having
smelt, touched, and kissed it, she suddenly broke the stem and hid it in
her pocket. Then, frightened at what she had done, she crept back to her
place in the hall, and sat there, burdened with remorse.

A servant came just then to lead her upstairs; for Miss Belle wished the
hat altered, and must give directions. With her heart in a flutter, and
pinker roses in her cheeks than the one in her pocket, Lizzie followed
to a handsome room, where a pretty girl stood before a long mirror with
the hat in her hand.

"Tell Madame Tifany that I don't like it at all, for she hasn't put in
the blue plume mamma ordered; and I won't have rose-buds, they are so
common," said the young lady, in a dissatisfied tone, as she twirled the
hat about.

"Yes, miss," was all Lizzie could say; for SH