-and he almost felt her chubby arm around his
neck; he remembered old Fritz, and his rides upon Saladin, with his
arched neck and flowing mane. He thought of the ancient hall, in which
he had played such mad pranks with Bruno--even the black cat came in for
a portion of his regret. And never, never more was he to behold these
objects of his love! So feels the Swiss, when in a foreign land, when
breathing the balmy air of Italy, or wandering amid the gayeties of
Paris, he hears the Ranz des Vaches; the simple notes recall the Alpine
home, the mother and the friends: he sickens and dies.

Rudolph's sad countenance soon attracted the notice of his kind
protectress, who eagerly asked what she could do to promote his
happiness. He told his trouble, and especially dwelt upon his
loneliness; he longed to see his papa and mamma, and little Bertha; and
he wanted companions of his own age--human children, with whom he could
laugh and play, whom he could toss in the snow in winter, and with whom
he could rove the fields in summer, picking the flowers and chasing the
butterflies. The Fairy Queen shook her head: "You ask an impossibility,
Rudolph; my very existence was endangered by bringing you here, and how
can I convey other mortals to the crystal palace, the inner temple of
nature? It cannot be--however, now I think of a plan; yes, to-morrow you
shall have your wish, only you must smile and be happy once more,
Rudolph."

On the morrow, with the early dawn, a troop of merry, rosy children
awaited his waking: how soon they were friends! children, and child-like
hearts, are not long in knowing each other. They were all pretty, but
different, both in appearance and disposition; they were crowned with
flowers and green leaves, of various sorts. "What funny names you have!"
said Rudolph, as they introduced themselves. "Yes; but we did not name
ourselves," they replied; "it is not our fault if we have hard
names--you'll soon learn them." And so he did: there was Cochlearia, a
sharp-witted girl, who made rather biting speeches occasionally; there
was Daucus, a red-headed youngster, and Raphanus, a pretty child of
brilliant complexion, crowned with violet-colored flowers; there was
Brassica, and Zea, and Maranta, and Capsicum, a fiery fellow, and
Nasturtium, crowned with bright orange-flowers, and a great many others.
Rudolph liked most of them very much, but his especial favorites were
little Solanum and Farinacea, brother and sister,