HIGH-STRUNG DAISIES

The Garden of Live Flowers: This time she came upon a large flower-bed, with a border of daisies, and a willow-tree growing in the middle.

`It says “Bough-wough!” cried a Daisy: `that’s why its branches are called boughs!’

`Didn’t you know that?’ cried another Daisy, and here they all began shouting together, till the air seemed quite full of little shrill voices. `Silence, every one of you!’ cried the Tiger-lily, waving itself passionately from side to side, and trembling with excitement. `They know I can’t get at them!’ it panted, bending its quivering head towards Alice, `or they wouldn’t dare to do it!’

`Never mind!’ Alice said in a soothing tone, and stooping down to the daisies, who were just beginning again, she whispered, `If you don’t hold your tongues, I’ll pick you!’

There was silence in a moment, and several of the pink daisies turned white.

`That’s right!’ said the Tiger-lily. `The daisies are worst of all. When one speaks, they all begin together, and it’s enough to make one wither to hear the way they go on!’

`How is it you can all talk so nicely?’ Alice said, hoping to get it into a better temper by a compliment. `I’ve been in many gardens before, but none of the flowers could talk.’

`Put your hand down, and feel the ground,’ said the Tiger-lily. `Then you’ll know why.

Alice did so. `It’s very hard,’ she said, `but I don’t see what that has to do with it.’

`In most gardens,’ the Tiger-lily said, `they make the beds too soft — so that the flowers are always asleep.’

This sounded a very good reason, and Alice was quite pleased to know it. `I never thought of that before!’ she said.

`It’s my opinion that you never think at all,’ the Rose said in a rather severe tone.

Daisy, pink carnation, pink pepper, and sugar.