Page:Poor Cecco - 1925.djvu/40

32 time. “Leave this barren country and fly with me to the jungle.”

“I don’t think I should like the jungle,” said Anna. “Every one tells me it is full of snakes. I could never feel at home there.”

“How can you tell until you have tried?” objected the Lion. “The jungle is a wonderful place. There is a green twilight within it, monkeys swing from branch to branch. There the birds have a thousand voices and the flowers are lovelier than the fairest dream. Fly with me, beautiful Anna, and we will be king and queen of the jungle for ever!”

“Would I really be queen?” Anna asked, for that interested her.

“You shall be queen of the whole forest,” said the Lion. “A thousand slaves shall do your bidding and you shall wear garlands of flowers round your neck.”

“I cannot abandon my meadow,” said Anna primly. “I have made a vow never to leave it.”

“Oh, of course,” retorted the Lion, really losing his temper this time, “if you mean to spend all your life attached to a miserable bit of painted board, then there’s no use arguing with you!”

And he turned his back on her in a great huff and went off to see how the treasure was getting on. Anna felt that she had pushed matters a little too far. She had no intention of settling down in the jungle, which she pictured