the Grasshopper. " It is quite enjoyable to chirrup, particu- larly about pleasant matters, like infinity and so forth. Of course, there are practical natures who only think of filling their bellies, like you, or that charming Caterpillar "
- ' Oh, no, leave me alone, I pray, leave me alone, don't touch
me! " exclaimed the Caterpillar pitifully. " I am doing it all for the future life, only for the future life." " What future life are you talking about ? " asked the Bay. " Don't you know that after death I shall be turned into a butterfly with colored wings ? ' ' The Bay, the I,izard, and the Snail did not know it, but the insects had some notion of it. And they all kept silent for a moment, for none of them could say anything sensible about the future life. "We ought to bow respectfully to solid convictions," chirruped the Grasshopper. " Is there nobody else who wants to say anything? Maybe you ? " he turned to the Flies. And the older one answered : " We can't complain. We have just come out of the rooms; the lady had put out some fresh jam in some dishes, and we crawled in under the covers, and had lots to eat. We are satisfied. Dear mama stuck fast in the jam, but what 's to be done? She has lived long enough in this world. But we are satisfied." " Gentlemen," said the Lizard, " I think that you are all absolutely right ! But, on the other hand ' ' The Lizard did not finish saying what there was on the •other hand, because she felt that something was jamming her tail to the ground. It was coachman Anton who had just awakened and had come to fetch the Bay. He accidentally stepped with his monstrous boot on the whole company and smashed it. Only the flies flew away to lick off their dead, sugared mama, and the Lizard got away with part of her tail. Ant6n took the Bay by the forelock and led him out of the garden to hitch him to the barrel, in order to fetch some water, and he kept saying: "Get up there, shagtail!" to which the Bay answered only with a lisp.
