-lady beetles, who tittered, because they did not know what to
say.

"None of them are engaged yet," said their mother, and the
beetle maidens tittered again, this time quite in confusion.

"I have never seen greater beauties, even in the royal stables,"
exclaimed the beetle, who was now resting himself.

"Don't spoil my girls," said the mother; "and don't talk to
them, pray, unless you have serious intentions."

But of course the beetle's intentions were serious, and after a
while our friend was engaged. The mother gave them her blessing, and
all the other beetles cried "hurrah."

Immediately after the betrothal came the marriage, for there was
no reason to delay. The following day passed very pleasantly, and
the next was tolerably comfortable; but on the third it became
necessary for him to think of getting food for his wife, and, perhaps,
for children.

"I have allowed myself to be taken in," said our beetle to
himself, "and now there's nothing to be done but to take them in, in
return."

No sooner said than done. Away he went, and stayed away all day
and all night, and his wife remained behind a forsaken widow.

"Oh," said the other beetles, "this fellow that we have received
into our family is nothing but a complete vagabond. He has gone away
and left his wife a burden upon our hands."

"Well, she can be unmarried again, and remain here with my other
daughters," said the mother. "Fie on the villain that forsook her!"

In the mean time the beetle, who had sailed across the ditch on
a cabbage leaf, had been journeying on the other side. In the
morning two persons came up to the ditch. When they saw him they
took him up and turned him over and over, looking very learned all the
time, especially one, who was a boy. "Allah sees the black beetle in
the black stone, and the black rock. Is not that written in the
Koran?" he asked.

Then he translated the beetle's name into Latin, and said a
great deal upon the creature's nature and history. The second
person, who was older and a scholar, proposed to carry the beetle
home, as they wanted just such good specimens as this. Our beetle
considered this speech a great insult, so he flew suddenly out of
the speaker's hand. His wings were dry now, so they carried him to a
great distance, till at last he reached a hothouse, where a sash of
the glass roof was partly open, so he quietly slipped in and buried
himself in the warm earth. "It is very comfortabl