ndship.

The anniversary of Amelia's birthday drew near, and Mary determined to
make her some little present. She had given her so many bunches of
flowers, that she puzzled her brain to think of some new gift. During
the winter her father had been making a beautiful basket, which he
intended to give to Mary herself. It was the most finished piece of
work he had ever done, and he had worked on it a design of the village
in which they lived. Mary's idea now was to fill this basket with
flowers, and to offer it to the young Countess as her birthday present.
Her father readily fell in with the plan, and added a finishing touch
to it by weaving Amelia's name in on one side of the basket and the
Count's coat-of-arms on the other.

The long-expected day arrived, and early in the morning Mary gathered
the freshest and most beautiful roses, the richest pinks, and other
flowers of beautiful colours. She picked out some green branches full
of leaves, and arranged them in the basket, so that all the colours,
though perfectly distinct, were sweetly and delicately blended. A light
garland composed of rosebuds and moss was passed around the basket, and
Amelia's name could be distinctly read enclosed in a coronet of
forget-me-nots. The basket when completed was a thing of uncommon
beauty.

When Mary went to the Castle with her basket-present, the young
Countess Amelia was sitting at her toilet. Her maid was with her busily
engaged on making her young mistress's head-dress for the birthday
feast. Mary shyly offered her present, adding the best wishes of her
heart for the young Countess's happiness. Amelia received the present
with unaffected pleasure, and in an impulsive manner she warmly
expressed her delight, as she viewed first of all the charming flowers
with which the basket was filled, and examined more carefully the
beautiful design of the basket itself.

[Illustration: "Mary shyly offered her present."
_See page 15._]

"Dear Mary," she said, "why, you have robbed your garden to make me
this present. As for the basket, I have never seen anything so
beautiful in all my life. Come, we will go and show it to my mother."
Taking Mary affectionately by the hand, the girls went together to the
apartments of the Countess. "See, mother," cried Amelia, "of all my
birthday presents, surely nothing can equal the one I have received
from Mary. Never have I seen so beautiful a basket, and nowhere can you
find such beautiful flowers." Th