As soon as all the flowers were comfortably settled in their stands and vases, they began to look around, and recognized their neighbors.
"Ha! ha!" laughed Jack-in-the-pulpit; "who expected to see you here?"
"Why not, as well as you, Sir Impudence?" retorted May-apple, sharply.
But by-and-by the visitors came pouring in by the dozens. Beautiful ladies swept by in silks and diamonds and laces; gallant gentlemen came too, with eye-glasses perched on their noses. They did not even look at the wild flowers.
The wild flowers grew troubled, and commenced to murmur; but Jack whispered, "Bide your time."
"I don't envy them," said an Orchid, looking complacently down at her own yellow slippers.
"Nor I," laughed a Daisy, smoothing her satin petticoat.
"If they didn't hold their heads so high, they would see us," murmured a Violet.
But the crowd passed on, drawn by the brilliant beauties of the Cacti, the flames of the Amaryllis Lilies, the purple of the great Pansies.
"They will never come near us," sighed the Violet.