'Why, what a wonderful piece of luck! he
cried; 'here is a red rose! I have never seen any rose like it in all my life.
It is so beautiful that I am sure it has a long Latin name;' and he leaned down
and plucked it.
Then he put on his hat, and ran up to the
Professor's house with the rose in his hand.
The daughter of the Professor was sitting
in the doorway winding blue silk on a reel, and her little dog was lying at her
feet.
'You said that you would dance with me if
I brought you a red rose,' cried the Student. Here is the reddest rose in all
the world. You will wear it to-night next your heart, and as we dance together
it will tell you how I love you.'
But the girl frowned.
'I am afraid it will not go with my
dress,' she answered; 'and, besides, the Chamberlain's nephew has sent me some
real jewels, and everybody knows that jewels cost far more than flowers.'
'Well, upon my word, you are very
ungrateful,' said the Student angrily; and he threw the rose into the street,
where it fell into the gutter, and a cart-wheel went over it.
'Ungrateful!' said the girl. 'I tell you
what, you are very rude; and, after all, who are you? Only a Student. Why, I
don't believe you have even got silver buckles to your shoes as the
Chamberlain's nephew has;' and she got up from her chair and went into the
house.
'What a silly thing Love is,' said the
Student as he walked away. 'It is not half as useful as Logic, for it does not
prove anything, and it is always telling one of things that are not going to
happen, and making one believe things that are not true. In fact, it is quite
unpractical, and, as in this age to be practical is everything, I shall go back
to Philosophy and study Metaphysics.'
So he returned to his room and pulled out
a great dusty book, and began to read.
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