At length she approached a bed of violets, which, from the training of the plants, had evidently, been carefully tended, and, observing that they languished under the intense heat of the past day, began to grieve over them.
"Alas! my dear little flowers, why did I neglect to water you yesterday?
You are very thirsty, are you not, my charming pets ?" For a moment or two she was quiet, still gazing at the violets, and then continued, in the same dreamy tone:-- "But then, alas! since yesterday my mind has been so disturbed, so happy, so--" Her eyes fell, and a blush crimsoned her cheeks, as she murmured, softly, "GUSTAVE!" Motionless as a statue, and absorbed in her enchanting dream, she forgot the poor little violets, and, probably, the whole world.
"His image ever, ever before me! his voice ever ringing in my ears! Why try to escape their fascination?
Oh, God! what is this that is passing within me?
My heart trembles; sometimes my blood bounds wildly through my veins, and then again it creeps and freezes; and yet how happy I am! what inexpressible joy fills my very soul!" She was silent; then, seeming suddenly to rouse herself, she raised her head and threw back the thick curls, as if anxious to disembarrass her mind of a haunting thought.
"Wait, my dear flowers," said she, smiling, to the violets; "wait a moment: I will comfort and refresh you." With this she disappeared in the grove, and, in a short time, brought from it a few twigs and leaves, which she arranged in a little trellis over the flower-beds, so as to shadow the violets completely from the sun.

After this she took a small watering-pot and ran across the grass to a basin or tank in the middle of the garden, around which a number of weeping-willows drooped their branches into the water.

On her arrival its surface was perfectly smooth; but hardly had her image been reflected in the tank when it appeared to swarm with living creatures.
Hundreds of gold-fishes, of all colors, swam toward her with their mouths gaping from the water, as if the poor little animals were trying to speak to her.

Holding on by the trunk of the nearest willow, she bent gracefully over the pond and tried to fill her watering-pot without touching the gold-fish.
"Come, come; let me alone just now," said she, as she carefully avoided them; "I haven't time to play with you; I will bring you your dinner after a while." But the fish fluttered around the watering-pot until she withdrew it from the tank; and, even after her departure, continued to crowd toward the bank she had touched with her foot.
The young lady watered her flowers and replaced the pot gently on the ground; then, retiring slowly to the solitary house, she returned after a while at the same slow pace, and, throwing some crumbs to the fish, began to saunter slowly about the garden-paths, inattentive to every thing but her own absorbing thoughts.

At length she reached a spot where a gigantic catalpa-tree overarched the garden and bent its branches almost to the earth.