Page 544 - Child's own book

tom-cat began to purr, and the lien to cluck. “ What’s that ?"
said the woman, looking round. Not seeing very clearly, she
mistook the duckling for a fat duck that had lost its way.
** Why lhi3 is quite a prize/’ added she, li 1 can now get ducks
eggs, unless^ indeed, it be a male; we must wait a bit and see.*'
So the duckling was kept on trial for three weeks, but no eggs
were forthcoming. The tom-cat and the lion were the master
and mistress of the house, and always said, “ Hre and the world,’*
for they fancied themselves to be half, and by far tbe better half,
too, of the whole universe. The duckling thought there might
be two opinions on this point, but the hen would not admit of
any such doubts. “ Can you lay eggs ? ” asked she.— “ No.”
—“ Then have the goodness to hold your tongue.” And then
the tom-cat enquired, “ Can you raise your back or purr,
or throw out sparks? No ! ”—“ Then you have no busi­
ness to have any opinion at all, when rational people arc
talking.’’
The duckling sat in a corner much out of spirits, when
in came the fresh air and the sunshine, which gave him
such a strange longing to swim on the water, that he could
not help saying so to the hen. 41 What's this whim V said
she. u That comes of being idle ; if you could either lay eggs
or purr, you would not indulge in such fancies.”—*4 Jiut it is
so delightful to swim about on the w ater/' observed the duck­
ling, “ and to feel it close over one's head when one dives down
to the bottom."— A great pleasure, indeed,’ quoth the lien,
“ you must be crazy, surely ; ouly ask the cat— for he's the
wisest creature I know— bow he would like to swim on the
water, or dive under it. To say nothing of myself—just ask
our old mistress, who is wiser than anybody in the world,
whether she’d relish swimming, and fceliDg the waters close
above her head.”—44 You can’t understand me,” said the duck­