g weary of the person of the house--'that
you smell flowers because you DO smell flowers.'

'No I don't,' said the little creature, resting one arm upon the elbow
of her chair, resting her chin upon that hand, and looking vacantly
before her; 'this is not a flowery neighbourhood. It's anything but
that. And yet as I sit at work, I smell miles of flowers. I smell roses,
till I think I see the rose-leaves lying in heaps, bushels, on the
floor. I smell fallen leaves, till I put down my hand--so--and expect to
make them rustle. I smell the white and the pink May in the hedges, and
all sorts of flowers that I never was among. For I have seen very few
flowers indeed, in my life.'

'Pleasant fancies to have, Jenny dear!' said her friend: with a glance
towards Eugene as if she would have asked him whether they were given
the child in compensation for her losses.

'So I think, Lizzie, when they come to me. And the birds I hear! Oh!'
cried the little creature, holding out her hand and looking upward, 'how
they sing!'

There was something in the face and action for the moment, quite
inspired and beautiful. Then the chin dropped musingly upon the hand
again.

'I dare say my birds sing better than other birds, and my flowers smell
better than other flowers. For when I was a little child,' in a tone as
though it were ages ago, 'the children that I used to see early in the
morning were very different from any others that I ever saw. They were
not like me; they were not chilled, anxious, ragged, or beaten; they
were never in pain. They were not like the children of the neighbours;
they never made me tremble all over, by setting up shrill noises, and
they never mocked me. Such numbers of them too! All in white dresses,
and with something shining on the borders, and on their heads, that I
have never been able to imitate with my work, though I know it so
well. They used to come down in long bright slanting rows, and say all
together, "Who is this in pain! Who is this in pain!" When I told them
who it was, they answered, "Come and play with us!" When I said "I never
play! I can't play!" they swept about me and took me up, and made me
light. Then it was all delicious ease and rest till they laid me
down, and said, all together, "Have patience, and we will come again."
Whenever they came back, I used to know they were coming before I saw
the long bright rows, by hearing them ask, all together a long way off,
"Who is this in pain! Who i