A Little Boy and a Little Girl

           Inalargetown, wheretherearesomanyhouses,andsomanypeople, thatthereisnoroofleftforeverybodytohavealittlegarden; andwhere,onthisaccount,mostpersonsareobligedtocontentthemselveswithflowersinpots; therelivedtwolittlechildren, whohadagardensomewhatlargerthanaflower-pot. Theywerenotbrotherandsister; buttheycaredforeachotherasmuchasiftheywere. Theirparentslivedexactlyopposite. Theyinhabitedtwogarrets; andwheretheroofoftheonehousejoinedthatoftheother, andthegutterranalongtheextremeendofit,therewastoeachhouseasmallwindow: oneneededonlytostepovertheguttertogetfromonewindowtotheother. 

           Thechildren’sparentshadlargewoodenboxesthere, inwhichvegetablesforthekitchenwereplanted, andlittlerosetreesbesides: therewasaroseineachbox, andtheygrewsplendidly. Theynowthoughtofplacingtheboxesacrossthegutter, sothattheynearlyreachedfromonewindowtotheother, andlookedjustliketwowallsofflowers. Thetendrilsofthepeashungdownovertheboxes; andtherose-treesshotuplongbranches,twinedroundthewindows, andthenbenttowardseachother:itwasalmostlikeatriumphantarchoffoliageandflowers. Theboxeswereveryhigh, andthechildrenknewthattheymustnotcreepoverthem; sotheyoftenobtainedpermissiontogetoutofthewindowstoeachother, andtositontheirlittlestoolsamongtheroses,wheretheycouldplaydelightfully. Inwintertherewasanendofthispleasure. Thewindowswereoftenfrozenover; butthentheyheatedcopperfarthingsonthestove, andlaidthehotfarthingonthewindowpane, andthentheyhadacapitalpeep-hole,quitenicelyrounded; andoutofeachpeepedagentlefriendlyeye —itwasthelittleboyandthelittlegirlwhowerelookingout.