Page 550 - Child's own book

flowed through the garden, hut the banks were swampy like a
marsh ; and here the toad lived with her son, who woa every
inch as ugly aDd ill-favoured as his mother. *' Croak, croak,
croak,’1 was all he could say when he saw the elegant little
maid in her walnut-shcll. “ Don't speak so loud, or you'll
wake her,’' said the old toad, and then she might escape from
us, for she is as light as swan’s-down* W'e will set her on one
of the leaves of yonder water-lily in tho midst of the brook ; it
will be like an island to her who is so light and so small, and
then she won’t )>e able to run away, while wc arc preparing the
State apartments down under the marsh, where you will live
when you are married."
There were a number of water-lilies in the brook, with
broad green leaves, that seemed to be swimming on the surface
of the waters; the furthest of these leaves happened to be the
largest, and thither did the toad swim, and place the walnut*
shell containing little Maja. The tiny, tiny being awoke early
in tin* morning, and began to cry bitterly on finding the place
she w;is in ; for the leaf was surrounded on all sides by water,
and she was wholly unable to reach land. The old toad,
meantime, was below stairs in the swamp, busy decorating the
room with reeds and sedges, to make it look smart for the
reception of her new daughter-in-law; and when her work
was finished she swam over with her son to the leaf where
.Maja had been placed, to fetch away her pretty bedstead that
was to be in the bridal chamber ready for her. The old toad
bowed to her in the water, and said, 14 This is my son, who is
to be your husband ; and you will live very handsomely down
in the marsh,” “ Croak, croak, croak,” was all that the son
could add to his mother's eloquence, They then took up the
elegant little bed, and swam away, while Maja sat alone on the
green leaf and wept, fur she did not like the thoughts of living