Come and see my baby dear; Doctor, she is ill, I fear. Yesterday, do what I would, She would touch no kind of food; And she tosses, moans, and cries. Doctor, what do you advise? DOCTOR JOHN Hum! ha! good madam, tell me, pray, What have you offered her to-day? Ah, yes! I see! a piece of cake-- The worst thing you could make her take. Just let me taste. Yes, yes; I fear Too many plums and currants here. But, stop; I must just taste again, For that will make the matter plain. MARY But, Doctor, pray excuse me, now-- You've eaten all the cake, I vow! I thank you kindly for your care; But surely that was hardly fair. DOCTOR JOHN Ah, dear me! did I eat the cake? Well, it was for dear baby's sake. But keep him in his bed, well warm, And, you will see, he'll take no harm. At night and morning use once more His draught and powder, as before; And he must not be over-fed, But he may have a piece of bread. To-morrow, then, I dare to say, He'll be quite right. Good day! good day! THUMBELINA BY HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN She had a little house of her own, a little garden, too, this woman of whom I am going to tell you, but for all that she was not quite happy. "If only I had a little child of my own," she said, "how the walls would ring with her laughter, and how the flowers would brighten at her coming. Then, indeed, I should be quite happy." And an old witch heard what the woman wished, and said, "Oh, but that is easily managed. Here is a barley-corn. Plant it in a flower-pot and tend it carefully, and then you will see what will happen." The woman was in a great hurry to go home and plant the barley-corn, but she did not forget to say "Thank you" to the old witch. She not only thanked her, she even stayed to give her six silver pennies. Then she hurried away to her home, took a flower-pot and planted her precious barley-corn. And what do you think happened? Almost before the corn was planted, up shot a large and beautiful flower. It was still unopened. The petals were folded closely together, but it looked like a tulip. It really was a tulip, a red and yellow one, too. The woman loved flowers. She stooped and kissed the beautiful bud. As her lips touched the petals, they burst open, and oh! wonder of wonders; there, in the very middle of the flower, sat a little child. Such a tiny, pretty little maiden she was. They called her Thumbelina. That was because she was no bigger than the woman's thumb. And where do you think she slept? A little walnut shell, lined with blue, that was her cradle. When she slept little Thumbelina lay in her cradle on a tiny heap of violets, with the petal of a pale pink rose to cover her. And where do you think she played? A table was her playground. On the table the woman placed a plate of water. Little Thumbelina called that her lake.