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.

But the Water-Lily lay quietly on the water and thought things
over. "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 tormented 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 drawn 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