said one. "No one will recognizeit; not even the thistle nor the stinging-nettle."
  "It must be a kind of garden plant," said another; and so theysneered and despised the plant as a thing from a garden.
  "Where are you coming?" said the tall thistles whose leaves wereall armed with thorns. "It is stupid nonsense to allow yourself toshoot out in this way; we are not here to support you."
  Winter came, and the plant was covered with snow, but the snowglittered over it as if it had sunshine beneath as well as above.
  When spring came, the plant appeared in full bloom: a morebeautiful object than any other plant in the forest. And now theprofessor of botany presented himself, one who could explain hisknowledge in black and white. He examined and tested the plant, but itdid not belong to his system of botany, nor could he possibly find outto what class it did belong. "It must be some degenerate species,"said he; "I do not know it, and it is not mentioned in any system."
  "Not known in any system!" repeated the thistles and the nettles.
  The large trees which grew round it saw the plant and heard theremarks, but they said not a word either good or bad, which is thewisest plan for those who are ignorant.
  There passed through the forest a poor innocent girl; her heartwas pure, and her understanding increased by her faith. Her chiefinheritance had been an old Bible, which she read and valued. From itspages she heard the voice of God speaking to her, and telling her toremember what was said of Joseph's brethren when persons wished toinjure her. "They imagined evil in their hearts, but God turned itto good." If we suffer wrongfully, if we are misunderstood ordespised, we must think of Him who was pure and holy, and who prayedfor those who nailed Him to the cross, "Father forgive them, forthey know not what they do."
  The girl stood still before the wonderful plant, for the greenleaves exhaled a sweet and refreshing fragrance, and the flowersglittered and sparkled in the sunshine like colored flames, and theharmony of sweet sounds lingered round them as if each concealedwithin itself a deep fount of melody, which thousands of years couldnot exhaust. With pious gratitude the girl looked upon this gloriouswork of God, and bent down over one of the branches, that she mightexamine the flower and inhale the sweet perfume. Then a light broke inon her mind, and her heart expanded. Gladly would she have plucked aflower, but she could not overcome her reluctance to break one off.She knew it would so soon fade; so she took only a single greenleaf, carried it home, and laid it in her Bible, where it remainedever green, fresh, and unfading. Between the pages of the Bible itstill lay when, a few weeks afterwards, that Bible was laid underthe young girl's head in her coffin. A holy calm rested on her face,as if the earthly remains bore the impress of the truth that she nowstood in the presence of God.
  In the forest the wonderful plant still continued to bloom till itgrew and became almost a tree, and all the birds of passage bowedthemselves before it.
  "That plant is a foreigner, no doubt," said the thistles and theburdocks. "We can never conduct ourselves like that in thiscountry." And the black forest snails actually spat at the flower.
  Then came the swineherd; he was collecting thistles and shrubsto burn them for the ashes. He pulled up the wonderful plant, rootsand all, and placed it in his bundle. "This will be as useful as any,"he said; so the plant was carried away.
  Not long after, the king of the country suffered from thedeepest melancholy. He was diligent and industrious, but employmentdid him no good. They read deep and learned books to him, and then thelightest and most trifling that could be found, but all to no purpose.Then they applied for advice to one of the wise men of the world,and he sent them a message to say that there was one remedy whichwould relieve and cure him, and that it was a plant of heavenly originwhich grew in the forest in the king's own dominions. The messengerdescribed the flower so that is appearance could not be mistaken.
  Then said the swineherd, "I am afraid I carried this plant awayfrom the forest in my bundle, and it has been burnt to ashes long ago.But I did not know any better."
  "You did not know, any better!