rk’s-cap lily on a sofa; that was a court lady.”

“植物園裡的花能去那裡嗎？它們能走那麼遠的路嗎？” 意達問。

“And can the flowers in the botanic garden go out there? can they e such a long way?” asked Ida.

“是的，你可以相信，” 學生說，“因為如果它們願意，它們可以飛。你沒見過那些漂亮的蝴蝶嗎，紅色的、黃色的和白色的，它們看起來幾乎像花 —— 它們曾經就是花；它們長在高高的莖上，長出葉子就像小翅膀一樣，所以它們能飛，當它們能很好地支撐自己的時候，就被允許在白天飛來飛去。你自己肯定見過！但是很有可能植物園裡的花從來沒有進過國王的城堡，也不知道它們在那裡的夜晚有多快樂。現在，因此，我要告訴你一件會讓住在花園旁邊的植物學教授感到困惑的事情。你認識他，不是嗎？”

“Yes, that thou mayst believe,” said the student; “for if they like they can fly. hast thou not seen the pretty butterflies, the red, and yellow, and white ones, they look almost like flowers, — and so they have been; they have grown on stalks high up in the air, and have shot out leaves as if they were small wings, and so they fly, and when they can support them well, then they have leave given them to fly about by day. that thou must have seen thyself! but it is very possible that the flowers in the botanic garden never have been into the king’s castle, nor know how merry they are there at night. And now, therefore, I will tell thee something that will put the professor of botany who lives beside the garden into a perplexity. thou knowest him, dost thou not?

“下次你去他的花園的時候，告訴一朵花說城堡裡將有一場盛大的舞會；這朵花就會告訴它的鄰居，鄰居再告訴下一朵，這樣一個傳一個，直到它們都知道，然後它們就都會飛走。”

“Next time thou goest into his garden, do thou tell one of the flowers that there will be a great ball at the castle; it will tell it to its neighbor, and it to the next, and so on till they all know,