nd head in angry
distress. His feelers drooped dismally like two rain-soaked
fans.

"People now-a-days no longer appreciate fineness of character
and respectability," he sighed. "Effie is heartless. I didn't
dare admit it to myself, but she is, she's absolutely heartless.
But even if she hasn't got the _right feelings_, she ought to
have the _good sense_ to be my wife."

Maya saw the tears come to his eyes, and her heart was seized
with pity.

But the next instant Bobbie stirred. He wiped the tears away
and crept cautiously behind a small mound of earth, which his
friend had probably shoveled out of her dwelling. A little
flesh-colored earthworm was coming along through the grass.
It had the queerest way of propelling itself, by first making
itself long and thin, then short and thick. Its cylinder of a
body consisted of nothing but delicate rings that pushed and
groped forward noiselessly.

Suddenly, startling Maya, Bobbie made one step out of his
hiding-place, caught hold of the worm, bit it in two, and began
calmly to eat the one half, heedless of its desperate wriggling
or the wriggling of the other half in the grass. It was a tiny
little worm.

"Patience," said Bobbie, "it will soon be over."

But while he chewed, his thoughts seemed to revert to Effie, his
Effie, whom he had lost forever and aye, and great tears rolled
down his cheeks.

Maya pitied him from the bottom of her heart.

"Dear me," she thought, "there certainly is a lot of sadness in
the world."

At that moment she saw the half of the worm which Bobbie had set
aside, making a hasty departure.

"Did you _ever_ see the like!" she cried, surprised into such a
loud tone that Bobbie looked around wondering where the sound
had come from.

"Make way!" he called.

"But I'm not in your way," said Maya.

"Where are you then? You must be somewhere."

"Up here. Up above you. In the bluebell."

"I believe you, but I'm no grasshopper. I can't turn my head up
far enough to see you. Why did you scream?"

"The half of the worm is running away."

"Yes," said Bobbie, looking after the retreating fraction, "the
creatures are very lively.-- I've lost my appetite." With that
he threw away the remnant which he was still holding in his hand,
and this worm portion also retreated, in the other direction.

Maya was completely puzzled. But Bobbie seemed to be familiar
with this peculiarity of worms.

"Don't suppose that I always eat worms," he remarke