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the snail in two of its claws, somewhat as a squirrel 

 might hold a nut • then it caught the snail in its 

 jaws and pulled it out of the shell and ate it. 



Some day the mouse-colored larva would change 

 into a goat beetle, but neither of the larvae knew 

 that. 



Now it dropped an empty snail shell and looked 

 over at its companion. 



" Well I don't know," it said, in answer to the 

 first one's remark. " I'm thinking of going out 

 into the upper world myself soon. I'm not feeling 

 particularly delighted about it though. There are 

 worse places than this pond I can tell you." 



" Perhaps, perhaps," said the first ; " but, oh ! I 

 should like it up there, I know." 



The next day the mouse-colored larva left the 

 pond. It climbed over the pebbles and out upon 

 the bank of the brook. 



The dun-colored larva looked after it longingly. 

 " Yes, there it goes," it sighed. " If I could only 

 follow ! But I know I should die up there." 



It felt very sad as it clung to the water weeds, or 

 moved slowly and sluggishly about through the fairy 

 foresrs below. 



It was about a month afterward that the mouse- 



