both crowned with blue
flowers. He thought they were so good, he could never get tired of them;
perhaps Brassica and Zea were sweeter, and Raphanus was more piquant,
but these two friends of his could never cloy his taste; he should
always love them. As for Cochlearia, he could not abide her: she was so
pert. Several times she came near disturbing the harmony of the little
band by her speeches: she reproached Daucus with his carroty head, and
told Capsicum that his temper was too hot, and called Nasturtium only a
weedy fellow, after all. Hereupon, Solanum, who was a very amiable soul,
told her she was enough to bring tears into anybody's eyes; and at that,
she turned round, and informed him that he was such a mealy-mouthed
fellow, he was no judge at all. At last Rudolph was obliged to tell her
that he had never known a child whose society he relished so little, and
that he would be compelled to complain of her, unless she went away;
accordingly she did so, and then they enjoyed uninterrupted peace. How
happy was that day! how varied the amusements! what joyful shouts! what
heart-felt laughter! Rudolph, long debarred from the company of other
children, was almost out of his wits with excitement.

But the sun now approached the west, and with one accord they hastened
away, notwithstanding all his entreaties. "Why must they go? They could
sleep with him; there was plenty of room in the palace; they should not
leave." "They would return to-morrow, but now they must go; before the
sun set--good-by, good-by." "You shall _not_ go," cried Rudolph, seizing
hold of Solanum and Farinacea, who struggled hard to evade him, while
their companions swiftly passed them, and vanished through a little
postern gate he had never seen before, into the forest beyond. "Why
should you want to go? Do you not love me?" said Rudolph, as the two
struggled yet more earnestly to escape his grasp. "I assure you we
_have_ hearts, but we cannot now stay," was all they could utter, for at
that moment the sun sank below the horizon, and the beautiful children
vanished from his sight: in their place, there fell to the ground--two
potatoes! Scarcely believing his eyes, he quickly opened the little
gate, calling to his friends to return; but no voice replied, and no
children were to be seen. Instead, scattered about upon the ground, were
radishes, carrots, turnips, parsneps, cabbages--all that remained of his
playmates. The disappointed child burst into a fit