OF THE FOREST. 59

of their forms, and make a comparison, if it
lie in your power, of the beauty of one with
that of another ; say, if you can, that one is
worthy of admiration, and another of con-
tempt; that one is surpassingly fair, and
another despicably ugly. And such are each
and all of you, my fair daughters; all and
each of you have some beauty, some per-
fection, some lovely quality, external or in-
ternal, which sets you more on a par with
each other than an inconsiderate observer
would at first suppose: thus the rose of this
parterre hag no cause to triumph over the
violet, neither has the tulip any occasion to
envy the whiteness of the lily.”

Having finished my exordium much to my
own satisfaction, though I believe with little
effect upon my audience, I withdrew, and that
very evening met Madame Bulé at the chateau,
when Madame la Baronne happening to men-
tion that she intended to give an enter-
tainment to the young ladies on the day of
her féte, (her birthday,) Madame Bulé thought
it necessary to tell her the state of her family,
as it regarded the jealousies and rivalries which
subsisted among her pupils.