Lcannot injure me, but may deprive you of comfort.'

And you

'I wonder what becomes of the Frog, when he climbs up out of this world, and disappears, so that we do not see even his shadow; till, plop! he is among us again, when we least expect him. Does anybody know where he goes to? Tell me, somebody, pray!'

Thus chattered the Grub of a Dragon-fly, as he darted about with his numerous companions, in and out among the plants at the bottom of the water, in search of prey.

The water formed a beautiful pond in the centre of a wood. Stately trees grew around it and reflected themselves on its surface, as on a polished mirror; and the bulrushes and forget-me-nots, which fringed its sides, seemed to have a twofold life, so perfect was their image below.

'Who cares what the Frog does?' answered one of those who overheard the Grub's inquiry; 'what is it to us?'

'Look out for food for yourself,' cried another, and let other people's business alone.'

'But I have a curiosity on the subject,' expostulated the first speaker. 'I can see all of you when you pass by me among the plants in the water here; and when I don't see you any longer, I know you have gone further on. But I followed a Frog just now as he went upwards, and all at once he went to the side of the water, and then began to disappear, and presently he was gone. Did he leave this world, do you think? And what can there be beyond ?'

'You idle, talkative fellow,' cried another, shooting by as he spoke, ' attend to the world you are in, and leave the "beyond," if there is a "beyond," to those that are there. See what a morsel you have missed with your wonderings about nothing.' So saying, the saucy speaker seized an insect which was flitting right in front of his friend.

The curiosity of the Grub was a little checked by these and similar remarks, and he resumed his employment of chasing prey for a time.

But, do what he would, he could not help thinking of the curious disappearance of the Frog, and presently began to tease his neighbours about it again, What becomes of the Frog when he leaves this world? being the burden of his inquiry.

The Minnows eyed him askance and passed on without speaking, for they knew no more than he did of the matter, and yet were loth to proclaim their ignorance; and the eels wriggled away in the mud out of hearing, for they could not bear to be disturbed.

The Grub got impatient, but he succeeded in inspiring several of his tribe with some of his own curiosity, and then went scrambling about in all directions with his followers, asking the same unreasonable questions of all the creatures he met.

Suddenly there was a heavy splash in the water, and a large yellow Frog swam down to the bottom among the grubs.

'Ask the Frog himself,' suggested a Minnow, as he darted by overhead, with a mischievous glance of his eye. And very good advice it seemed to be, only the thing was much easier said than done. For the Frog was a dignified sort of personage, of whom the smaller inhabitants of the water stood a good deal in awe. It required no common amount of assurance to ask a creature of his standing and gravity, where he had been to, and where he had come from. He might justly consider such an inquiry as a very impertinent piece of curiosity.

Still, such a chance of satisfying himself was not to be lost, and after taking two or three turns round the roots of a water-lily, the Grub screwed up his courage, and approaching the Frog in the meekest manner he could assume, he asked:

Is it permitted to a very unhappy creature to speak?'

The Frog turned his gold-edged eyes upon him in surprise, and answered: 'Very unhappy creatures had better be silent. I never talk but when I am happy.'

'But I shall be happy if I may talk,' interposed the Grub, as glibly as possible.

'Talk away then,' cried the Frog; 'what can it matter to me?'

Respected Frog,' replied the Grub, but it is something I want to ask you.' Ask away,' exclaimed the Frog, not in a very encouraging tone, it must be confessed; but still the permission was given.

'What is there beyond the world?' inquired the Grub, in a voice scarcely audible from emotion.

'What world do you mean?' cried the Frog, rolling his goggle eyes round and round.

6

This world, of course; our world,' answered the Grub.

This pond, you mean,' remarked the Frog, with a contemptuous sneer. 'I mean the place we live in, whatever you may choose to call it,' cried the Grub pertly. I call it the world.'

'Do you, sharp little fellow?' rejoined the Frog. place you don't live in, the "beyond" the world, eh?'

Then what is the

And the Frog shook his sides with merriment as he spoke.

That is just what I want you to tell me,' replied the Grub briskly.

'Oh, indeed, little one!' exclaimed Froggy, rolling his eyes this time with

an amused twinkle. Come, I shall tell you, then. It is dry land.'

There was a pause of several seconds, and then, Can one swim about there?' inquired the Grub, in a subdued tone.

'I should think not,' chuckled the Frog. Dry land is not water, little fellow. That is just what it is not.'

'But I want you to tell me what it is,' persisted the Grub.

Of all the inquisitive creatures I ever met, you certainly are the most troublesome,' cried the Frog. Well, then, dry land is something like the sludge at the bottom of this pond, only it is not wet, because there is no water.'

6

'Really!' interrupted the Grub; what is there then?'

That's the difficulty,' exclaimed Froggy. There is something, of course, and they call it air; but how to explain it I don't know. My own feeling

about it is, that it's the nearest approach to nothing, possible. Do you comprehend?'

་

Not quite,' replied the Grub, hesitating.

'Exactly; I was afraid not. Now just take my advice, and ask no more silly questions. No good can possibly come of it,' urged the Frog.

'Honoured Frog,' exclaimed the Grub, I must differ from you there. Great good will, as I think, come of it, if my restless curiosity can be stilled by obtaining the knowledge I seek. If I learn to be contented where I am, it will be something. At present I am miserable and restless under my ignorance.'

'You are a very silly fellow,' cried the Frog, 'who will not be satisfied with the experience of others. I tell you the thing is not worth your troubling yourself about. But, as I rather admire your spirit (which, for so insignificant a creature, is astonishing), I will make you an offer. If you choose to take a seat on my back, I will carry you up to dry land myself, and then you can judge for yourself what there is there, and how you like it. I consider it a foolish experiment, mind, but that is your own look out. I make my offer, to give you pleasure.'

'And I accept it with a gratitude that knows no bounds,' exclaimed the enthusiastic Grub.

'Drop yourself down on my back, then, and cling to me as well as you For, remember, if you go gliding off, you will be out of the way when I leave the water.'

can.

The Grub obeyed, and the Frog, swimming gently upwards, reached the bulrushes by the water's side.

'Hold fast,' cried he, all at once, and then, raising his head out of the pond, he clambered up the bank, and got upon the grass.

'Now, then, here we are,' exclaimed he. What do you think of dry land?'

But no one spoke in reply.

'Halloa! gone?' he continued; that's just what I was afraid of. He has floated off my back, stupid fellow, I declare. Dear, dear, how unlucky! but it cannot be helped. And, perhaps, he may make his way to the water's edge here after all, and then I can help him out. I will wait about and see.'

And away went Froggy, with an occasional jaunty leap, along the grass by the edge of the pond, glancing every now and then among the bulrushes, to see if he could spy the dark, mailed figure of the Dragon-fly Grub.

But the Grub, meanwhile? Ah, so far from having floated off the Frog's back through carelessness, he had clung to it with all the tenacity of hope,

and the moment came when the mask of his face began to issue from the

water.

But the same moment sent him reeling from his resting-place into the pond, panting and struggling for life. A shock seemed to have struck his frame, a deadly faintness succeeded, and it was several seconds before he could recover himself.

Horrible!' cried he, as soon as he had rallied a little. world there is nothing but death. The Frog has deceived me. go there, at any rate.'

Beyond this
He cannot

And with these words, the Grub moved away to his old occupations, his ardour for inquiry grievously checked, though his spirit was unsubdued.

He contented himself for the present, therefore, with talking over what he had done, and where he had been, with his friends. And who could listen unmoved to such a recital? The novelty, the mystery, the danger, the all but fatal result, and the still unexplained wonder of what became of the Frog, -all invested the affair with a romantic interest, and the Grub had soon a host of followers of his own race, questioning, chattering, and conjecturing, at his heels.

By this time the day was declining, and the active pursuit of prey was gradually becoming suspended for a time; when, as the inquisitive Grub was returning from a somewhat protracted ramble among the water-plants, he suddenly encountered, sitting pensively on a stone at the bottom of the pond, his friend the yellow Frog.

You here!' cried the startled Grub; 'you never left this world at all then, suppose. What a deception you must have practised upon me! But this comes of trusting to strangers, as I was foolish enough to do.'

'You perplex me by your offensive remarks,' replied the Frog, gravely. 'Nevertheless, I forgive you, because you are so clumsy and ignorant, that civility cannot reasonably be expected from you, little fellow. It never struck you, I suppose, to think what my sensations were, when I landed this morning on the grass, and discovered that you were no longer on my back. Why did you not sit fast as I told you? But this is always the way with you foolish fellows, who think you can fathom and investigate everything. You are thrown over by the first practical difficulty you meet.'

'Your accusations are full of injustice,' exclaimed the indignant Grub.

It was clear they were on the point of quarrelling, and would certainly have done so, had not the Frog, with unusual magnanimity, desired the Grub to tell his own story, and clear himself from the charge of clumsiness if he could.

It was soon told; the Frog staring at him in silence out of those