"I think," said Adèle, "that people will not know, till that time, all that they might and should know of what God has made for them."
"They will certainly not know all the happiness that God has made for them, till they share as equally as possible what He has given to each; whether it be that which belongs to sea, air or earth, or the produce of man's skill. Whatever any country produces best, that let it exchange for what other countries produce best. Thus will all be best served, and in the best humour with each other."
"If you might choose what you would have from the finest country in the world, what should it be?" asked Lucy of Mademoiselle.
"I should like a great number of things to make our museum more complete. Here are only a few stray treasures."
"But M. Carillon is going to send you something very strange and very valuable," observed Adèle. "Something from Egypt, is not it?"
"Yes; and I shall be very glad of whatever he may send me; but he cannot give me what I should like best."
"I know what you mean. You want some plants. Well, perhaps this may be a dried lotus, or the flowering reed of the Nile. His son has been in Egypt; and how do you know that he may not be sending you plants?"
"I should like them alive," replied Mademoiselle. "The potato was brought alive, and it grew and flourished; and I should like to try whether some of the American shrubs could not be made to grow here. There are some of the Madeira mountain plants which I would rather have than wine and oranges."
"But what would you do with them? There is no room here for such a garden as we had by the river-side at Lyons; and even in a conservatory the plants would get smoked."
"Why, that is true," replied Mademoiselle, sighing. "We must be content with our little museum."