|Come, Maria, my dear, said her mamma, let us take a walk, and I will
show you some pretty things.
Maria was quite pleased to hear this, and ran to fetch her bonnet and
cloak.
Her mamma then took her by the hand, and led her out at the door, and
then out at the gate, and then they came into the road; and as they
went to the place where her mamma meant to show her little girl the
fine things, they saw a number of sheep and lambs sporting in the open
fields.
They soon came to the place, and there they saw very fine flowers, which
smelled so sweetly that little Maria felt quite happy with the sights
and scents.
"Here, my dear," said the lady to her little girl, "this is a rose; what
a fine pink hue it has got! Smell it my dear, for I am sure that you
will like it;--did you ever smell any thing so sweet?--There is a bud of
the rose: see what fine soft moss grows on it, and how close it is
wrapped round with green leaves to guard it whilst it is young and
tender."
[Illustration: 024]
"That, Maria, is a stalk; it is like a little bush of red flowers, of a
very nice scent. It is so fine a one, it looks like a young tree. There
is a wall flower: some like the smell of them very much, but some think
they are too strong.
"There is a pink; it is very sweet to smell of.
"That is a heart's ease: it is a very pretty little flower. What a fine
purple color on that leaf; it is like velvet; but it has no scent."
[Illustration: 025]
"Neither has the blue-bell, which you see there, though it looks very
pretty."
Maria's mamma shewed her a great many more flowers, and told her the
names of them.
"Oh! what flower is that, mamma," said little Maria, pointing with her
finger to a very tall and large flower.
"That, my dear, is a sun-flower."
"Oh! how large it is," said Maria, "it is like a sun in this fine
Garden."
Her mamma then took her all over the garden, and Maria asked her what
the name of this thing, and what the name of that thing was all the
time they were there.
Her mamma then picked her little girl a very pretty bunch of flowers,
which Maria took home with great care, and then put them in one of the
vases which was in the parlor, and put water to them, to keep them alive
as long as she could.
Her mamma took home a large bunch for herself, to put into the large
China jar, to make the room look lively, and smell sweet with the scent
of it, and a very fine flower-pot it was.