Once or twice she thought the handmaidens had found the blossom, but in a little while she knew the scent was not the one she was hoping to find. One morning she said, "I'll go with you to gather the blossoms, my handmaidens. I shall find the flower by its rare odor." Then the maidens told the queen about the meadow outside the royal park, and together they went to the beautiful field, whose blossoms delighted her majesty's heart. Many times while they were all searching for the treasure, they saw the queen stoop over a bright flower and linger for a moment or two. Then she would shake her head and say, "No, that is not the perfume I am searching." "It must be in this meadow somewhere," said one of the maidens, "for many days we have gathered flowers nowhere but here." "We'll search until we find it, then," said the queen. As she spoke a light breeze began to stir the flowers, and a delicate perfume filled the air. "I smell the rare odor now," called out her majesty. "Come, stand near for a moment, and enjoy it. Surely the flower is not far away." The handmaidens gathered round their queen. Suddenly one of them said, "Can it be that this odor comes from the little plant under your majesty's foot?" asked one of the maidens. "Surely not," answered another; "those flowers are so small and colorless." The queen stooped down and took a spray from the humble little plant which had sent forth an exquisite perfume when a careless foot had crushed its blossoms. "It is! It is!" cried the queen in delight. "I have found it at last. It shall be brought into the royal gardens, and shall be my special treasure. What a modest little plant it is, and what rare delight it gives." "Shall you give your treasure a name?" asked the handmaidens. The queen looked for a moment at the spray she held. Then she said, "I shall call it Mignonette, which means 'little darling.'" Accordingly, the mignonette was taken from its wild life in the meadows and brought into the gardens, where it still gives forth the sweetest of all perfumes. FLOWERS Her garden was her pleasure and her care; Morning and evening one could find her there Working and wondering. Every scent and hue Filled her with joy, with beauty pierced her through.