Page:Fairy tales and other stories (Andersen, Craigie).djvu/45

 Rh the Cockchafer flew with her up into the tree! But especially she was sorry for the fine white butterfly whom she had bound fast to the leaf, for, if he could not free himself from it, he would be forced to starve to death. The Cockchafer, however, did not trouble himself at all about this. He seated himself with her upon the biggest green leaf of the tree, gave her the sweet part of the flowers to eat, and



declared that she was very pretty, though she did not in the least resemble a cockchafer. Afterwards came all the other cockchafers who lived in the tree to pay a visit: they looked at Thumbelina, and the lady cockchafers shrugged their feelers and said,

'Why, she has not even more than two legs!—that has a wretched appearance.'

'She has not any feelers!' cried another.

'Her waist is quite slender—fie! she looks like a human creature—how ugly she is!' said all the lady cockchafers.

And yet Thumbelina was very pretty. Even the