OF THE FOREST. 65

« And what will you wear yourself?” said
Susette ; “ you shall, if you please, adopt the
rose I have relinquished.”

“ T beg your pardon, Susette,” said Fanchon ;
“ there is no one who can come before me but
yourself; you have given up the rose, and
T claim it. I here give notice, that to-morrow
I shall wear a garland of roses ; and as we are
all to be different, no one else is to dare to
assume even a rosebud.”

So violent an altercation then ensued between
the rivals, that Madame Bulé thought it ne-
cessary to interfere ; and requiring each of the
rival ladies to declare the uame of the flower
she meant to adopt, she desired that no change
of plans might henceforth be resorted to. She
did not, however, insist upon the blue wreath
being relinquished to Aimée, as I should have
thought but just; it was evident that she was
under some dread of Susette and Fanchon, and
was afraid of provoking them too far; and it
certainly was not my business to interfere,
neither did I think the matter of sufficient
consequence to induce me so to do.

Susette accordingly declared again for her
wreath of roses, whilst Fanchon adopted that

B83