VITTLE Masa. 543

flowed through the garden, but the banks were swampy like a
marsh ; and here the toad lived with her son, who was every
inch as ugly and ill-favoured as his mother. “Croak, croak,
croak,” was all he could say when he saw the elegant little
maid in her walnut-shell. “Don't speak so loud, or you'll
wake her,” said the old toad, “and then she might eseape from
us, for she is as light as swan’s-down. We will set her on one
of the leaves of yonder water-lily in the midst of the brook ; it
will be like an island to her who is so light and so small, and
then she won't be able to ran away, while we are preparing the
state apartments down under the marsh, where you will live
when you are married.”

‘There were a number of water-lili in the brook, with
broad green leaves, that seemed to be ming 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 waluut-
shell containing little Maja. ‘The tiny, tiny being awoke early
in the morning, and began to ery bitterly on finding the place
she was 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 ly for her. The old toad
bowed to her in the water, and said, “ ‘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