But when the happy morning came for it to open, and M.Benest knelt beside his prize, he drew back a hand.
"'Is it quite open ?' he asked.

'Better wait, since all is safe, for the sun to warm it a little longer.' "And he waited, until a trout, to remind him, perhaps, took a fly with a splash beneath his nose.

Then, with a start, M.Benest's fingers closed and snapped off the yellow blossom.
"'She has forgiven me,' said he.

Now I can forgive myself.'" For a moment or two, though his story was ended, the General continued to toy with the stem of his wine glass.

One or two of the guests cried "Bravo!" But Lady Bateson's eyes were wet, and Dorothea gazed hard for a while into the polished surface of the mahogany before she recalled herself, and, with a nod, swept the ladies away to the drawing-room.
Later, in a pause between two songs, the General dropped into a seat beside her.
"Can you guess who sent me that story ?" he asked.