5AQ LITTLE MATA.

not of the same sort as those which grow in country fields, or
which chickens feed upon; place it in a flower-pot, and you
will see something wonderful.” “I am much obliged to you,”
said the woman, giving the witch twelve shillings, for that was
the price agreed upon. She then went home and planted the
barley-corn, and then there immediately grewupa beautiful large
flower, that looked like a tulip, only the leaves were closed,
just as if it were stillin the bud. “‘ This flower is indeed won-
‘drously beautiful,” cried the woman, kissing its red and yellow
leaves; and just as she kissed it, the flower opened with a loud
noise. It was areal tulip, as might be seen, but in the midst
of the flower, a tiny girl of the most delicate and exquisite
shape sat on the green pistil. She was scarecly as tall as half
a man’s thumb, and she was therefore called Maja, a name in
use amongst elves as small as herself. An elegant gilt
walnut-shell served as her cradle; her mattress consisted of
blue violet-leaves, and a rose-leaf served as her counterpane ;
there she slept all night, but in the day-time she played about
on the table, where the woman had placed a plate, edged all
round by a wreath of flowers whose stems stood in water. A
Jarge tulip leaf lay in the water, and this served Maja as a boat
which moved from one side of the plate to the other ; the oars
she used were a couple of white horsehairs. It was a pretty
sight to see ; and she could sing, too, so sweetly, that the like
had never been heard before.

One night as she lay in her pretty bed, a nasty toad jumped
in through a broken pane in the window. The toad was very
large, ugly, and wet ; she leaped right on to the table where
Maja lay asleep under her rose-leaf counterpane. “She would
bea nice wife for my son,” said the toad, and she picked up the
walnut-shell, with Maja asleep in it, and jumped through the
window, cradle and all, down into the garden. A large rivulet