Up went a Heliotrope to tell them-- “My heart longs for you.” And the answer came back in the shape of a Belladonna, indicating-- “We do not credit the honesty of your intentions.” To this we replied by sending up a White Lily for the purpose of testifying to the purity of our affection, whereupon we received a Violet bidding us-- “Hope!” Up again went a Daffodil, to ask them not to be so cruel as to let us pine away in hopeless misery, and we waited. A consultation seemed to take place among the bees. A great number of small lights were seen to gather around a large blue light in the middle, and a melodious humming was heard. Directly a leaf of a Fern floated down, bringing the answer-- “I will meet you,” and in return we sent up a Geranium to inform them that we were waiting. Soon after that a clear and beautiful accord was heard, and something luminous floated down through the tunnel, which I could not describe otherwise than as being an oval-shaped radiance of an exquisite rose-coloured light, composed of living sound, and emitting harmonious accords, like an Æolian harp. When it issued from the mouth of the tunnel, I perceived within its sphere the ethereal shape of an Oleander blossom, in the midst of which appeared the childlike and smiling face of a most charming fairy. These were then the spirits of flowers. Cravatu presented the fairy with a Jessamine blossom as a token of friendship, and invited her to accompany us to the king. An accord, indicating consent, was the answer, and we returned with the fairy in our midst. “Bring the prisoner!” exclaimed Adalga, assuming an air of scientific arrogance, when she saw us approaching. This rudeness offended me, and I said: “This is not a prisoner, princess, but an ambassador coming to us, upon our invitation, and under the flag of truce. It is a fairy of high descent, and the law of justice demands that she be treated respectfully.” “Prove it!” answered the princess angrily. “Justice,” I said, “is not a thing to be proved, but to be practised.” While I spoke, the Oleander blossom gave forth a sweet melody of harmonious sounds, but Adalga looked at the fairy with a wicked glance in her eye, and said: “A curious specimen, which we must not let escape. It will be quite an ornament to our museum.” “It will be no such thing,” I answered indignantly. “This noble fairy is under my protection, and I shall protect her.” But the princess retorted in a haughty manner: “The interests of science are first of all to be taken into consideration. It may not be strictly correct, in a legal sense, to retain the prisoner, but the end justifies the means.” To this the king added: “I always told you so; the end justifies the means.”