In among the green bushes and trees ran the . Tall, straight-growing rushes stood along its banks, and whispered to the wind. Out in the middle of the water floated the water-lily, with its white flower and its broad green leaves.
 
Generally it was quite calm on the brook. But when, now and again, it chanced that the wind took a little turn over it, there was a in the rushes, and the water-lily sometimes ducked completely under the waves. Then its leaves were lifted up in the air and stood on their edges, so that the thick green stalks that came up from the very bottom of the stream found that it was all they could do to hold fast.
 
All day long the larva of the dragon-fly was crawling up and down the water-lily's stalk.
 
"Dear me, how stupid it must be to be a water-lily!" it said, and peeped up at the flower.
 
"You as a person of your small mind might be expected to do," answered the water-lily. "It is just the very nicest thing there is."
 
"I don't understand that," said the larva. "I should like at this moment to tear myself away, and fly about in the air like the big, beautiful dragon-flies."
 
"Pooh!" said the water-lily. "That would be a funny kind of pleasure. No; to lie still on the water and dream, to in the sun, and now and then to be rocked up and down by the waves—there's some sense in that!"
 
The larva sat thinking for a minute or two.
 
"I have a for something greater," it said at last. "If I had my will, I would be a dragon-fly. I would fly on strong, stiff wings along the stream, kiss your white flower, rest a moment on your leaves, and then fly on."
 
"You are ambitious," answered the water-lily, "and that is stupid of you. One knows what one has, but one does not know what one may get. May I, by the way, make so bold as to ask you how you would set about becoming a dragon-fly? You don't look as if that was what you were born for. In any case you will have to grow a little prettier, you gray, ugly thing."
 
 
"Yes, that is the worst part of it," the larva answered sadly. "I don't know myself how it will come about, but I hope it will come about some time or other. That is why I crawl about down here and eat all the little creatures I can get hold of."
 
"Then you think you can to something great by feeding!" the water-lily said, with a laugh. "That would be a funny way of getting up in the world."
 
"Yes; but I believe it is the right way for me!" cried the dragon-fly grub earnestly.
 
 
"All day long I go on eating till I get fat and big; and one fine day, as I think, all my fat will turn into wings with gold on them, and everything else that belongs to a proper dragon-fly!"
 
The water-lily shook its clever white head.
 
"Put away your silly thoughts," it said, "and be content with your lot. You can knock about undisturbed down here among my leaves, and crawl up and down the stalk to your heart's desire. You have everything that you need, and no cares or worries—what more do you want?"
 
"You are of a low nature," answered the larva, "and therefore you have no sense of higher things. In spite of what you say, I wish to become a dragon-fly." And then it crawled right down to the bottom of the water to catch more creatures and stuff itself still bigger.
 
 
"I can't understand these animals," it said to itself. "They knock about from morning till night, chase one another and eat one another, and are never at peace. We flowers have more sense. Peacefully and quietly we grow up side by side, bask in the sunshine, and drink the rain, and take everything as it comes. And I am the luckiest of them all. Many a time have I been floating happily out here on the water, while the other flowers there on dry land were with drought. The flowers' lot is the best; but naturally the stupid animals can't see it."
 
 
When the sun went down the dragon-fly larva was sitting on the stalk, saying nothing, with its legs up under it. It had eaten ever so many little creatures, and was so big that it had a feeling as if it would burst. But all the same it was not altogether happy. It was speculating on what the water-lily had said, and it could hardly get to sleep the whole night long on account of its unquiet thoughts. All this speculating gave it a headache, for it was work which it was not used to. It had a back-ache too, and a stomach-ache. It felt just as though it was going to break in pieces, and die on the spot.
 
 
When............