22 BHYOND THE BLUE MOUNTAINS.

house. They went into a little parlour which was prettily furnished,
and on the centre table of which a meal was already prepared. It
consisted of dishes of fruit of every kind and description. There
were great piles of fresh strawberries, and dishes full of large raspberries,
other dishes contained gooseberries, peaches, pears, apples, and grapes.
All the fruits, whether in season or out, seemed to be represented on
the little table.

Now Clover and Cowslip, like all children of their age, delighted in
fruit. ‘They were both of them also a little hot and thirsty.

They sat down immediately in front of the table, and when the
girl who called herself Bluebell asked them to eat, Cowslip immediately
held out her hand for a large peach, and Clover helped himself to a
bunch of grapes.

“What a wonderful market gardener your father must be,”
exclaimed Cowslip, as she took a deep bite out of the juicy,
delicious peach; “he seems to grow all the fruits at the same time:
We have fruit in our garden at home, but we do not have straw-
berries and peaches on the table together.”

“ My father never pays any attention to the seasons,” replied the
little girl. ‘He says that if fruit would only become accustomed to
getting ripe altogether, it would be far more profitable. Besides, it is
never cold or frosty in our garden, and it is quite easy to get all the
fruits to ripen at once.”

“ How far is your garden from here ?” asked Cowslip.

“ About half a mile away.”

Bluebell looked very earnestly at Cowslip as she spoke.

“Perhaps,” she said, in a slightly hesitating tone, “‘ perhaps my
father would let me take you to see our garden.”

“Oh, no, Cowslip, there is no time for that,” said Clover, shaking
his head, and speaking in a very decided manner. His dark eyes
glowed with annoyance as he spoke.

Bluebell looked at him, and dropped her pretty lids.

“It must be as you wish, of course,” she said. “ My father would
not think of taking anyone to see his wonderful garden who did not
wish it more than anything else. I don’t know that he would take