24 Lily and Water-Lily.

 

and it was very fond of going to the mossy bank
beneath the willows and telling its gentle comrade
all the things that it was wont to do and to talk of
with pretty little Pearl.

The lily used not to answer very much, but he
seemed to be very fond of hearing the mouse talk
about Pearl, and whenever he strayed and spoke of
other things, the lily always managed somehow to
lead the conversation back again to the topic that
he loved.

Sometimes the mouse would suggest that he should
bring Pearl to the place where the lily lived, and
make them known to one another, but whenever this
was spoken of, the lily always seemed to shrink up
into himself, and begged that his friend would do no
such thing, for that he was quite content to watch
Pearl at her play, and would prefer to wait until she
found him out for herself.

The lily was a shy flower.

It was in vain that the mouse suggested fiat when
one lived the life of a recluse, as his friend did, it was