sang and sounded every ray, and the Flowerlifted itself up over the snow into the brighter world. The Sunbeamscaressed and kissed it, so that it opened altogether, white as snow,and ornamented with green stripes. It bent its head in joy andhumility.
  "Beautiful Flower!" said the Sunbeams, "how graceful anddelicate you are! You are the first, you are the only one! You are ourlove! You are the bell that rings out for summer, beautiful summer,over country and town. All the snow will melt; the cold winds willbe driven away; we shall rule; all will become green, and then youwill have companions, syringas, laburnums, and roses; but you arethe first, so graceful, so delicate!"
  That was a great pleasure. It seemed as if the air were singingand sounding, as if rays of light were piercing through the leaves andthe stalks of the Flower. There it stood, so delicate and so easilybroken, and yet so strong in its young beauty; it stood there in itswhite dress with the green stripes, and made a summer. But there was along time yet to the summer-time. Clouds hid the sun, and bleakwinds were blowing.
  "You have come too early," said Wind and Weather. "We have stillthe power, and you shall feel it, and give it up to us. You shouldhave stayed quietly at home and not have run out to make a displayof yourself. Your time is not come yet!"
  It was a cutting cold! The days which now come brought not asingle sunbeam. It was weather that might break such a little Flowerin two with cold. But the Flower had more strength than she herselfknew of. She was strong in joy and in faith in the summer, which wouldbe sure to come, which had been announced by her deep longing andconfirmed by the warm sunlight; and so she remained standing inconfidence in the snow in her white garment, bending her head evenwhile the snow-flakes fell thick and heavy, and the icy winds sweptover her.
  "You'll break!" they said, "and fade, and fade! What did youwant out here? Why did you let yourself be tempted? The Sunbeam onlymade game of you. Now you have what you deserve, you summer gauk."  "Summer gauk!" she repeated in the cold morning hour.
  "O summer gauk!" cried some children rejoicingly; "yonder standsone- how beautiful, how beautiful! The first one, the only one!"
  These words did the Flower so much good, they seemed to her likewarm sunbeams. In her joy the Flower did not even feel when it wasbroken off. It lay in a child's hand, and was kissed by a child'smouth, and carried into a warm room, and looked on by gentle eyes, andput into water. How strengthening, how invigorating! The Flowerthought she had suddenly come upon the summer.
  The daughter of the house, a beautiful little girl, was confirmed,and she had a friend who was confirmed, too. He was studying for anexamination for an appointment. "He shall be my summer gauk," shesaid; and she took the delicate Flower and laid it in a piece ofscented paper, on which verses were written, beginning with summergauk and ending with summer gauk. "My friend, be a winter gauk." Shehad twitted him with the summer. Yes, all this was in the verses,and the paper was folded up like a letter, and the Flower was foldedin the letter, too. It was dark around her, dark as in those days whenshe lay hidden in the bulb. The Flower went forth on her journey,and lay in the post-bag, and was pressed and crushed, which was not atall pleasant; but that soon came to an end.
  The journey was over; the letter was opened, and read by thedear friend. How pleased he was!