Page 568 - Child's own book

livfi here. There lies across the Bea a country as beautiful as
this; hut the way thither is long, We have to cross the wide
sea, and there is not an island to he met with on the passage ;
only otic solitary little rock lifts its head from the midst of the
waters, and is barely large enough to afford us a resting-plnce
by crowding cloeclv together. If the sen. is rough, the waves
dash over us; still we thank God even for this barren cragt
where we spend the night in our human shape, for without it
we should never be able to visit our beloved country, since it
requires two of the longest days in the year for our flight. It
is only once a ye.ir that we have the privilege of visiting our
home, and we have but eleven days to remain here and to fly over
the forest, whence we can look upon the palace where we were
bom, and where our father lives, and at the church where our
mother lies buried. We feel here as if the very trees and bushes
were related to us; we sec the wild horses careering over the
steppes as wc saw them in our childhood ; we hear the charcoal*
burners singing the old songs to which we danced as children ;
it is, in short, the land of our birth, and hither do we feel
ourselves irresistibly attracted ; and here have we found
you, our dear little sister. But we have only two days left
to remain here, and then we must crops thu sea to go to a
beautiful country, which, however, is not our own. How shall
we take you with us, w hen wc have neither ship nor boat ? "
** How can I break your spell V’ asked the sister.
And they talked nearly the whole night through* and only
slept a very few hours.
Elise awoke on hearing the rustling of the swans’ wings as
they hovered over her, for her brothers were oncc more trans­
formed. They described large circles, and at length flew quite
away; hut one of them, the youngest; remained behind. He
nestled his head in her lap> and she stroked hia wings;, and
o o