d worse.
The poor duck was hunted about by every one; its brothers and
sisters were cross to it, and always said, 'I wish the cat would
get you, you frightful creature!' and even its mother said, 'Would
you were far from here!' And the ducks bit it, and the hens pecked
at it, and the girl that fed the poultry kicked it with her foot.
So it ran and flew over the hedge.

"On it ran. At last it came to a great moor where wild-ducks lived;
here it lay the whole night, and was so tired and melancholy. In
the morning up flew the wild-ducks, and saw their new comrade; 'Who
are you?' asked they; and our little duck turned on every side, and
bowed as well as it could. 'But you are tremendously ugly!' said
the wild-ducks. 'However, that is of no consequence to us, if you
don't marry into our family.' The poor thing! It certainly never
thought of marrying; it only wanted permission to lie among the
reeds, and to drink the water of the marsh.

"'Bang! bang!' was heard at this moment, and several wild-ducks lay
dead amongst the reeds, and the water was as red as blood. There
was a great shooting excursion. The sportsmen lay all round the
moor; and the blue smoke floated like a cloud through the dark
trees, and sank down to the very water; and the dogs spattered
about in the marsh--splash! splash! reeds and rushes were waving on
all sides; it was a terrible fright for the poor duck.

"At last all was quiet; but the poor little thing did not yet dare
to lift up its head; it waited many hours before it looked round,
and then hastened away from the moor as quickly as possible. It ran
over the fields and meadows, and there was such a wind that it
could hardly get along.

"Towards evening, the duck reached a little hut. Here dwelt an old
woman with her tom-cat and her hen; and the cat could put up its
back and purr, and the hen could lay eggs, and the old woman loved
them both as her very children. For certain reasons of her own, she
let the duck in to live with them.

"Now the tom-cat was master in the house, and the hen was mistress;
and they always said, 'We and the world.' That the duck should
have any opinion of its own, they never would allow.

"'Can you lay eggs?' asked the hen.

"'No!'

"'Well, then, hold your tongue.'

"Can you