小学英语安徒生童话系列一欢乐家庭theHAPPYFAMILY阅读素材2
安徒生童话 幸福的家庭中英文
THE HAPPY FAMILYReally, the largest green leaf in this country is a dock-leaf; if one holds itbefore one, it is like a whole apron, and if one holds it over one's head inrainy weather, it is almost as good as an umbrella, for it is so immensely large. The burdock never grows alone, but where there grows one there alwaysgrow several: it is a great delight, and all this delightfulness is snails' food. The great white snails which persons of quality in former times made fricassees of, ate, and said, "Hem, hem! how delicious!" for they thought ittasted so delicate--lived on dock-leaves, and therefore burdock seeds weresown.Now, there was an old manor-house, where they no longer ate snails, they werequite extinct; but the burdocks were not extinct, they grew and grew all overthe walks and all the beds; they could not get the mastery over them--it was awhole forest of burdocks. Here and there stood an apple and a plum-tree, orelse one never would have thought that it was a garden; all was burdocks, andthere lived the two last venerable old snails.They themselves knew not how old they were, but they could remember very wellthat there had been many more; that they were of a family from foreign lands,and that for them and theirs the whole forest was planted. They had never beenoutside it, but they knew that there was still something more in the world, which was called the manor-house, and that there they were boiled, and thenthey became black, and were then placed on a silver dish; but what happened further they knew not; or, in fact, what it was to be boiled, and to lie on asilver dish, they could not possibly imagine; but it was said to be delightful, and particularly genteel. Neither the chafers, the toads, nor theearth-worms, whom they asked about it could give them anyinformation--none ofthem had been boiled or laid on a silver dish.The old white snails were the first persons of distinction in the world, thatthey knew; the forest was planted for their sake, and the manor-house was there that they might be boiled and laid on a silver dish.Now they lived a very lonely and happy life; and as they had no children themselves, they had adopted a little common snail, which they brought up astheir own; but the little one would not grow, for he was of a common family; but the old ones, especially Dame Mother Snail, thought they could observe howhe increased in size, and she begged father, if he could not see it, that hewould at least feel the little snail's shell; and then he felt it, and foundthe good dame was right.One day there was a heavy storm of rain."Hear how it beats like a drum on the dock-leaves!" said Father Snail."There are also rain-drops!" said Mother Snail. "And now the rain pours rightdown the stalk! You will see that it will be wet here! I am very happy tothink that we have our good house, and the little one has his also! There ismore done for us than for all other creatures, sure enough; but can you notsee that we are folks of quality in the world? We are provided with a house from our birth, and the burdock forest is planted for our sakes! I should liketo know how far it extends, and what there is outside!""There is nothing at all," said Father Snail. "No place can be better than ours, and I have nothing to wish for!""Yes," said the dame. "I would willingly go to the manorhouse, be boiled, andlaid on a silver dish; all our forefathers have been treated so; there issomething extraordinary in it, you may be sure!""The manor-house has most likely fallen to ruin!" said Father Snail. "Or theburdocks have grown up over it, so that they cannot come out. There need not,however, be any haste about that; but you are always in such a tremendous hurry, and the little one is beginning to be the same. Has he not been creeping up that stalk these three days? It gives me a headache when I look upto him!""You must not scold him," said Mother Snail. "He creeps so carefully; he willafford us much pleasure--and we have nothing but him to live for! But have you not thought of it? Where shall we get a wife for him? Do you not think that there are some of our species at a great distance in the interior of theburdock forest?""Black snails, I dare say, there are enough of," said the old one. "Black snails without a house--but they are so common, and so conceited. But we mightgive the ants a commission to look out for us; they run to and fro as if theyhad something to do, and they certainly know of a wife for our little snail!""I know one, sure enough--the most charming one!" said one of the ants. "But Iam afraid we shall hardly succeed, for she is a queen!""That is nothing!" said the old folks. "Has she a house?""She has a palace!" said the ant. "The finest ant's palace, with seven hundredpassages!""I thank you!" said Mother Snail. "Our son shall not go into an ant-hill; ifyou know nothing better than that, we shall give the commission to the whitegnats. They fly far and wide, in rain and sunshine; they know the whole foresthere, both within and without.""We have a wife for him," said the gnats. "At a hundred human paces from herethere sits a little snail in her house, on a gooseberry bush; she is quite lonely, and old enough to be married. It is only a hundred human paces!""Well, then, let her come to him!" said the old ones. "He has a whole forest of burdocks, she has only a bush!"And so they went and fetched little Miss Snail. It was a whole week before shearrived; but therein was just the very best of it, for one could thus see thatshe was of the same species.And then the marriage was celebrated. Six earth-worms shone as well as theycould. In other respects the whole went off very quietly, for the old folks could not bear noise and merriment; but old Dame Snail made a brilliant speech. Father Snail could not speak, he was too much affected; and so theygave them as a dowry and inheritance, the whole forest of burdocks, and said--what they had always said--that it was the best in the world; and ifthey lived honestly and decently, and increased and multiplied, they and theirchildren would once in the course of time come to the manor-house, be boiledblack, and laid on silver dishes. After this speech was made, the old ones crept into their shells, and never more came out. They slept; the young couplegoverned in the forest, and had a numerous progeny, but they were never boiled, and never came on the silver dishes; so from this they concluded thatthe manor-house had fallen to ruins, and that all the men in the world wereextinct; and as no one contradicted them, so, of course it was so. And therain beat on the dock-leaves to make drum-music for their sake, and the sunshone in order to give the burdock forest a color for their sakes; and theywere very happy, and the whole family was happy; for they, indeed were so.幸福的家庭这个国家里最大的绿叶子，无疑要算是牛蒡的叶子了。
THE HAPPY FAMILY
THE HAPPY FAMILYTHE biggest leaf here in the country is certainly the burdock leaf. Put one in front of your waist and it's just like an apron, and if you lay it upon your head it is almost as good as an umbrella, for it is quite remarkably large. A burdock never grows alone; where there is one there are several more.It's splendid to behold ! and all this splendour is snails' meat. The great white snails, which the grand people in old times used to have made into fricassees, and when they had eaten them they would say, “H' m, how good that is！” for they had the idea that it tasted delicious. These snails lived on burdock leaves, and that's why burdocks were sown.Now there was an old estate, on which people ate snails no longer. The snails had died out, but the burdocks had not. Theselatter grew and grew in all the walks and on all thebeds----there was no stopping them; the place became a complete forest of burdocks. Here and there stood an apple or plum tree; but for this, nobody would have thought a garden had been there. Everything was burdock, and among the burdocks lived the two last ancient Snails.They did not know themselves how old they were, but they could very well remember that there had been a great many more of them, that they had descended from a foreign family , and that the whole forest had been planted for them and theirs. They had never been away from home, but it was known to them that something existed in the world called the manor-house, and that there one was boiled, and one became black, and was laid upon a silver dish; but what was done afterwards they did not know. Moreover, they could not imagine what that might be, beingboiled and laid upon a silver dish; but it was said to be fine, and particularly grand! Neither the cockchafer, nor the toad, nor the earth worm, whom they questioned about it, could give them any information, for none of their kind had ever been boiled and laid on silver dishes.The old white Snails were the grandest in the world; they knew that! The forest was there for their sake, and the manor-house too, so that they might be boiled and laid on silver dishes .They led a very retired and happy life, and as they themselves were childless, they had adopted a little common snail, which they brought up as their own child. But the little thing would not grow, for it was only a common snail, though the old people, and particularly the mother, declared one could easily see how he grew. And when the father could not see it,she requested him to feel the little snail's shell, and he felt it, and acknowledged that she was right.One day it rained very hard .“Listen, how it's drumming on the burdock leaves,rum-dum-dum! rum-dum-dum !”said the Father-Snail.“That's what I call drops,” said the mother. “It's coming straight down the stalks. You'll see it will be wet here directly. I'm only glad that we have our good houses, and that the little one has his own. There has been more done for us than for any other creature ; one can see very plainly that we are the grand folks of the world! We have houses from our birth, and the burdock forest has been planted for us : I should like to know how far it extends , and what lies beyond it .”“There's nothing outside of it, ”said the FatherSnail, “no place can be better than here at home; I have nothing atall to wish for.”“Yes,”said the mother, “I should like to be taken to the manor-house and boiled, and laid upon a silver dish; that has been done to all our ancestors, and you may be sure it's quite a distinguished honour.”“The manor-house has perhaps fallen in,”said the Father-Snail, “or the forest of burdocks may have grown over it, so that the people can't get out at all. You need not be in a hurry----but you always hurry so, and the little one is beginning just the same way. Has he not been creeping up that stalk these three days? My head quite aches when I look up at him.”“You must not scold him,”said the Mother-Snail. “He crawls very deliberately. We shall have much joy in him; and we old people have nothing else to live for. But have you everthought where we shall get a wife for him? Don't you think that farther in the wood there may be some more of our kind?”“There may be black snails there, I think,”said the old man, “black snails without houses! but they're too vulgar. And they're conceited, for all that. But we can give the commission to the ants: they run to and from as if they had business; they're sure to know of a wife for our young gentleman.”“I certainly know the most beautiful of brides,”said one of the Ants; “but I fear she would not do, for she is the Queen!”“That does not matter,”said the two old Snails. “Has she a house?”“She has a castle!”replied the Ant. “The most beautiful ant's castle, with seven hundred passages.”“Thank you,”said the Mother-Snail; “our boy shall not go into an ant-hill. If you know of nothing better, we'll givethe commission to the white gnats; they fly far about in rain and sunshine, and they know the burdock wood, inside and outside.”“We have a wife for him,”said the Gnats.“A hundred man-steps from here a little snail with a house is sitting on a gooseberry bush, she is quite alone, and old enough to marry. It's only a hundred man-steps from here.”“Yes, let her come to him,”said the old people. “He has a whole burdock forest, and she has only a bush.”And so they brought the little maiden snail. Eight days passed before she arrived, but that was the rare circumstance about it, for by this one could see that she was of the right kind.And then they had a wedding. Six glow-worms lighted as well as they could: with this exception it went very quietly, forthe old snail people could not bear feasting and dissipation. But a capital speech was made by the MotherSnail. The father could not speak, he was so much moved. Then they gave the young couple the whole burdock forest for an inheritance, and said, what they had always said, namely----that it was the best place in the world, and that the young people, if they lived honourably, and increased and multiplied, would some day be taken with their children to the manor-house, and boiled black, and laid upon a silver dish. And when the speech was finished, the old people crept into their houses and never came out again, for they slept.The young snail pair now ruled in the forest, and had a numerous progeny. But as the young ones were never boiled and put into silver dishes, they concluded that the manor-house had fallen in, and that all the people in the world had died out.And as nobody contradicted them, they must have been right. And the rain fell down upon the burdock leaves to play the drum for them, and the sun shone to colour the burdock forest for them, and they were happy, very happy----the whole family was happy, uncommonly happy!。
双语安徒生童话：theHAPPYFAMILY幸福的家庭
双语安徒生童话：theHAPPYFAMILY幸福的家庭“She has a palace!” said the ant. “The finest ant's palace，with seven hundredpassages!”“I thank you!” said Mother Snail. “Our son shall not go into an ant-hill; if you knownothing better than that， we shall give the commission to the white gnats. They fly far andwide，in rain and sunshine; they know the whole forest here，both within and without.”“We have a wife for him，” said the gnats. “At a hundred human paces from here there sitsa little snail in her house， on a gooseberry bush; she is quite lonely，and old enough to bemarried. It is only a hundred human paces!”“Well，then，let her come to him!” said the old ones. “He has a whole forest ofburdocks，she has only a bush!”And so they went and fetched little Miss Snail. It was a whole week before she arrived; buttherein was just the very best of it，for one could thus see that she was of the same species.And then the marriage was celebrated. Six earth-worms shone as well as they could. Inother respects the whole went off very quietly，for the old folks could not bear noise andmerriment; but old Dame Snail made a brilliant speech. Father Snail could not speak， he wastoo much affected; and so they gave them as a dowry and inheritance， the whole forest ofburdocks， and said——what they had always said——that it was the best in the world; and ifthey lived honestly and decently，and increased and multiplied，they and their children wouldonce in the course of time come to the manor-house， be boiled black，and laid on silverdishes. After this speech was made，the old ones crept into their shells，and nevermorecame out. They slept; the young couple governed in the forest，and had a numerousprogeny，but they were never boiled，and never came on the silver dishes; so from this theyconcluded that the manor-house had fallen to ruins， and that all the men in the world wereextinct; and as no one contradicted them， so， of course it was so. And the rain beat on thedock-leaves to make drum-music for their sake， and the sun shone in order to give theburdock forest a color for their sakes; and they were very happy，and the whole family washappy; for they， indeed were so.这个国家里最大的绿叶子，无疑要算是牛蒡的叶子了。
幸福之家 A Happy Family
幸福之家 A Happy Family
Last year my father lost his job. At that time my parents felt a bit sad.
I encouraged my father and said I was old enough and could do something to help. In order to help my parents, I took a part time job on weekends in the KFC near my home.
去年我的父亲失去了他的工作。
当时我的父母感到一点悲伤。
我对父亲说我已经长大了，可以做一些事来帮助我们这个家。
为了帮助我的父母，我在我家附近的肯德基在周末兼职工作。
Luckily, it didn't take long time for my father to find a new job in a company. With the money I earned through working I bought a pair of new shoes for my father to celebrate the good news. My parents were deeply moved.
幸运的是，我的父亲在一家公司找到一份新工作，这没有花很长的时间。
我用工作挣来的钱买给我父亲一双新鞋子来庆祝这个好消息。
我的父母都被深深的感动了。
I said, We are a happy family whether we are rich or poor.
我说，我们是一个幸福的家庭，不管我们是富有还是贫穷。
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小学英语-英语故事The-Happy-Family-幸福的家庭
小学英语-英语故事(童话故事)T h e-H a p p y-F a m i l y-幸福的家庭(总3页)--本页仅作为文档封面，使用时请直接删除即可----内页可以根据需求调整合适字体及大小--The Happy Family 幸福的家庭The biggest leaf we have in this country is certainly the burdock leaf. If you hold one in front of your little stomach, it's just like a real apron; and in rainy weather, if you lay it on your head, it does almost as well as an umbrella. It's really amazingly large. Now, a burdock never grows alone; no, when you see one you'll always see others around it. It's a splendid sight; and all this splendor is nothing more than food for snails-the big white snails which the fine people in olden days used to have made into fricassees. When they had eaten them, they would smack their lips and say, "My! How good that is!" For somehow they had the idea that the snails tasted delicious. You see, these snails lived on the burdock leaves, and that's why the burdock was first grown. There was a certain old manor house where the people didn't eat snails any more. The snails had almost died out, but the burdock hadn't. These grew and grew on all the walks and flower beds-they couldn't be stopped-until the whole place was a forest of burdocks. Here and there stood an apple or a plum tree, but except for that, people wouldn't have thought there had ever been a garden there. Everywhere was burdock, and among the burdocks lived the last two incredibly old snails!They themselves didn't know how old they were, but they could remember very clearly that once there had been a great many more of them, that they had descended from a prominent foreign family, and they knew perfectly well that the whole forest had been planted just for them and their family.They had never been away from home, but they did know that somewhere there was something called a manor house, and that there you were boiled until you turned black, and were laid on a silver dish; but what happened afterwards they hadn't the least idea. Furthermore, they couldn't imagine what it would be like to be boiled and laid on a silver dish, but everyone said it must be very wonderful and a great distinction. Neither the cockchafer nor the toad nor the earthworm, whom they asked about it, could give them any information. None of their families had ever been boiled or laid on silver dishes.So the old white snails knew they were by far the most important people in the world. The forest was there just for their sake, and the manor house existed just so that they could be boiled and laid on silver dishes!The two old snails led a quiet and happy life, and since they were childless they had adopted a little orphan snail, which they were bringing up as their own child. He wouldn't grow very large, for he was only a common snail; but the two old snails - and especially the mother snail-thought it was easy to see how well he was growing. And she begged the father snail to touch the little snail's shell, if he couldn't see it, and so he felt it and found that she was right.One day it rained very hard."Just listen to it drum on the burdock leaves!" cried Father Snail. "Rum-dum-dum! Rum-dum-dum!""Drops are also coming down here"! said the mother. "It's coming straight down the stalks, andit'll be wet down here before you know it. I'm certainly glad we have our own good houses and the little one has his own. We're better off than any other creatures; it's quite plain that we're the most important people in the world. We have our own houses from our very birth, and the burdock forest has been planted just for us. I wonder how far it extends, and what lies beyond it.""There can't be anything beyond," said Father Snail, "that's any better than we have here. I have nothing in the world to wish for.""Well, I have," said the mother. "I'd like to be taken to the manor house and boiled and laid on a silver dish. All our ancestors had that done to them, and, believe me, it must be something quite uncommon!""Maybe the manor house has fallen to pieces," suggested Father Snail. "Or perhaps the burdock forest has grown over it, so that the people can't get out at all. Don't be in such a hurry-but then you're always hurrying so. And the little one is beginning to do the same thing. Why, he's been creeping up that stalk for three days. It really makes my head dizzy to watch him go!""Don't scold him," said Mother Snail. "He crawls very carefully. He'll bring us much joy, and we old folk don't have anything else to live for. But have you ever thought where we can find a wife for him Don't you think there might be some more of our kind of people farther back in the burdock woods""I suppose there may be black snails back there," said the old man."Black snails without houses! Much too vulgar! And they're conceited, anyway. But let's ask the ants to find out for us; they're always running around as if they had important business. They're sure to know of a wife for our little snail.""Certainly, I know a very beautiful bride," said one of the ants. "But I don't think she'd do, because she's a queen!""That doesn't matter," said Mother Snail emphatically. "Does she have a house""She has a castle!" replied the ant. "The most beautiful ant's castle, with seven hundred corridors!""Thank you very much," said Mother Snail, "but our boy shall not go into an anthill! If you don't know of anything better, we'll ask the white gnats to find out for us. They flit around in the rain and sunshine, and they know this forest inside and out.""We have just the wife for him," said the gnats. "A hundred man-steps from here a little snail with a house is sitting on a gooseberry bush. She is all alone in the world, and quite old enough to marry. It's only a hundred man-steps from here!""Fine, but she must come to him," said the old couple. "Our child has a whole burdock forest, and she has only a bush."And so the gnats had the little maiden snail come over. It took her eight days to get there, but that was the wonderful part of it-for it showed she had the right sort of dignity.And then they had a fine wedding! Six glow-worms lighted up the place as well as they could, but aside from that it was a very quiet ceremony, for the old people did not care for feasting or merriment. A charming speech was made by Mother Snail, but Father Snail couldn't say a word; he was too deeply moved. And so she gave the young couple the whole burdock forest for a dowry, and repeated what she had always said-that it was the finest place in the world, and that the young people, if they lived honorably and had many children, would someday be taken with their young ones to the manor house, to be boiled black and laid on a silver dish. And when Mother Snail's speech was finished, the old people crept into their houses and never came out again, for they went to sleep.Now the young couple ruled the forest and did have many children. But since none of them were ever boiled and laid in silver dishes, they decided that the manor house must have fallen into ruins and that all the people in the world had died out. And since nobody contradicted them, Ithink they must have been right. So the rain beat on the burdock leaves, to play the drum for them, and the sun shone, to color the forest for them; and they were very happy. The whole family was happy-extremely happy, indeed they were.。
小学英语英语故事(儿童故事)TheHappyFamily
The Happy FamilyThere was a butterbur leaf in a country of the south. A lot of butterbur trees with big leaves looked very nice. A snail was living on a back of a butterbur leaf. The snail ate the butterbur leaves and lived peacefully moving from one leaf or stem to another.Two snails were living on a back of the butterbur leaves. These two had never been out of the butterbur wood, but they knew that there was a different world out of the forest.Birds always felt impatient when they saw the snails. "Hey, why are you that lazy? Try to walk faster." When the birds complained, one snail said, "That's because we are not in a hurry.""Why don't you just stop crawling around here and go some other places?" "We have a roof and it's full of food here." "If you like staying here that much, do as you want." The short-tempered bird flew away to the sky. But the snails did not envy the bird that could fly everywhere freely."Even she has wings, she has no house, it must be very uncomfortable." "If it rains or something scary comes up, how can she hide her head and legs?" The two snails her felt pity for the bird.They were just lonely because they were only two. One day, they found a little snail crying on the back of a butterbur leaf. "What a pity! What's happened?" "Hey little snail, where are you from?" The two snails asked the crying little snail.The little snail cried and said he was searching for his dad, mom and his brothers for a few days. "Oh dear! Stop crying. I will be your dad." "And I will be your mom. Come on!" The two snails took him to a big special butterbur leaf where they were always living.A few days later, the little young snail ate delicious food and recovered slowly. Even his mom and dad were surprised that the baby snail could crawl very quickly and play far away from the leaf. "Sweet heart, you don't need to crawl very fast. Always walk slowly." She showed him slow crawling.When it rained, funny sounds came from the splashing raindrop on the butterbur leaf. "Do you like it? It sounds like a drum, doesn't it?" The husband snail was proud of himself as if he made the sound. "Wow, it's funny." The baby snail was very happy.The baby snail is old enough to marry now. His Mom and Dad searched for his bride crawling from one butterbur leaf to another. A ladybug heard it and visited them. "I know a great one."Mom and dad snails were happy to hear that and asked. "Does she have a house?" "It's not just a house. She has her own wonderful castle with 700 hallways. She is the queen ant." The ladybug told them proudly."Thank you for your kindness, but our baby will be eaten by ants if he marries to the queen ant." The mom snail rejected the ladybug's kindness. After a while, a fly taught them there was a young woman snail right next to her.The snail family decided the woman snail would be the baby snail's bride. The night of the wedding, six fireflies shone beautiful bluish light on the ceremony. The snail family lived together happily and peacefully ever after.。
01 Happy Family Life
• What are the criteria for choosing mates? Most marriages -whether arranged by families or occurring from personal attraction or love -- are based on similar social backgrounds. In other words, the man and the woman come from the same social class (or else a class that is only slightly higher or lightly lower). Among many people in Egypt, key members of the man's family must go to the family of the woman and propose marriage. These family members must be able to show that the man's family is at least of the same social class as the woman and that a certain amount of money exists to allow the marriage to go forward.
英文版安徒生童话选-THE HAPPY FAMILY
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欢乐家庭the HAPPY FAMILYReally，the largest GREen leaf in this country is adockleaf；if one holds it before one，it is like awhole apron，and if one h olds it over one's head inrainy weather，it is almost as good as an umbrella，for it is so immensely large. The burdock nevergrows alone，but whe re there grows one therealways grow several：it is a great delight ，and allthis delightfulness is snails' food. The great whitesnails which persons of quality in former times madefricassees of，ate，an d said，"Hem，hem！howdelicious！" for they thought it tasted so delicate——lived on dockleaves，and thereforeburdock seeds were sown.Now，there was an old manor-house，where they no longer ate sn ails，they were quiteextinct；but the burdocks were not extinct，t hey GREw and grew all over the walks and allthe beds；they could not get the mastery over them——it was a whole forest of burdocks.H ere and there stood an apple and a plum-tree，or else one never w ould have thought that itwas a garden；all was burdocks，and there lived the two last venerable old snails.they themselves knew not how old they were，but they could reme mber very well that therehad been many more；that they were of a family from foreign lands，and that for them andtheirs the whole fo rest was planted. They had never been outside it，but they knew th at therewas still something more in the world，which was called the manor-house，and that there theywere boiled，and then they became black，and were then placed on a silver dish；but whathappened f urther they knew not；or，in fact，what it was to be boiled，a nd to lie on a silverdish，they could not possibly imagine；but i t was said to be delightful，and particularlygenteel. Neither the chafers，the toads，nor the earth-worms，whom they asked about itcou ld give them any information——none of them had been boiled or laid on a silver dish.the old white snails were the first persons of distinction in th e world，that they knew；theforest was planted for their sake，an d the manor-house was there that they might be boiledand laid on a silver dish.Now they lived a very lonely and happy life；and as they had no children themselves，they hadadopted a little common snail，which they brought up as their own；but the little one wouldnot grow，for he was of a common family；but the old ones，especially Dam e Mother Snail，thought they could observe how he increased in size，and she begged father，if he could notsee it，that he would at least feel the little snail's shell；and then he felt it，and found thegood dam e was right.One day there was a heavy storm of rain."Hear how it beats like a drum on the dock-leaves！" said Father Snail."there are also rain-drops！" said Mother Snail. "And now the rain pours right down the stalk！You will see that it will be wet here！I am very happy to think that we have our good house，and the little one has his also！There is more done for us than for all other creatures，sureenough；but can you not see that we are folks of quality in the world？We are provided witha house fro m our birth，and the burdock forest is planted for our sakes！I should like to knowhow far it extends，and what there is outside！""there is nothing at all，" said Father Snail. "No place can be better than ours，and I havenothing to wish for！""Yes，" said the dame. "I would willingly go to the manorhouse，be boiled，and laid on a silver dish；all our forefathers have been treated so；there is so mething extraordinary in it，you may be sure！""the manor-house has most likely fallen to ruin！" said Father Snail."Or the burdocks havegrown up over it，so that they cannot come ou t. There need not，however，be any hasteabout that；but you are always in such a tremendous hurry，and the little one is beginning tobe the same. Has he not been creeping up that stalk these three days？It gives me a headachewhen I look up to him！""You must not scold him，" said Mother Snail. "He creeps so carefully；he will afford us muchpleasure——and we ha ve nothing but him to live for！But have you not thought of it？Whereshall we get a wife for him？Do you not think that there a re some of our species at a GREatdistance in the interior of the b urdock forest？""Black snails，I dare say，there are enough of，" said the old one."Black snails without ahouse——but they are so common，and so conce ited. But we might give the ants acommission to look out for us；they run to and fro as if they had something to do，andthey certa inly know of a wife for our little snail！""I know one，sure enough——the most charming one！" said one of the ants."But I am afraidwe shall hardly succeed，for she is a queen！""That is nothing！" said the old folks. "Has she a house？""She has a palace！" said the ant. "The finest ant's palace，with seven hundred passages！""I thank you！" said Mother Snail. "Our son shall not go into an ant-hill；if you know nothingbetter than that，we shall give the commission to the white gnats. They f ly far and wide，inrain and sunshine；they know the whole forest here，both within and without.""We have a wife for him，" said the gnats. "At a hundred human paces from here there sits alittle snail in her house，on a gooseberry bush；she is quite lonely，and old enoug h to bemarried. It is only a hundred human paces！""Well，then，let her come to him！" said the old ones. "He has a whole forest of burdocks，she has only a bush！"And so they went and fetched little Miss Snail. It was a whole week before she arrived；buttherein was just the very best of it ，for one could thus see that she was of the same species.And then the marriage was celebrated. Six earth-worms shone as we ll as they could. In otherrespects the whole went off very quietly，for the old folks could not bear noise andmerriment；but old Dame Snail made a brilliant speech. Father Snail could not speak，he w astoo much affected；and so they gave them as a dowry and inherita nce，the whole forest ofburdocks，and said——what they had always said——that it was the best in the world；and ifthey lived honestl y and decently，and increased and multiplied，they and their childr en wouldonce in the course of time come to the manor-house，be boi led black，and laid on silverdishes. After this speech was made，t he old ones crept into their shells，and never morecame out. They slept；the young couple governed in the forest，and had a numerous progeny，but they were never boiled，and never came on the silver dishes；so from this theyconcluded that the manor-house had fallen to ruins，and that all the men in the world wereextinct；and as no one contradicted them，so，of course it was so. And the rainbeat on thedock-leaves to make drum-music for their sake，and the sun shone in order to give theburdock forest a color for their sa kes；and they were very happy，and the whole family washappy；for they，indeed were so.。