never have enough of me. The
long grass waves and welcomes me; the moor-hens float with me; the
kingfisher is always with me somewhere, and sits on the bough to see
his ruddy breast in the water. And you come too, Bevis, now and then
to listen to me; and it is all because I am so happy."

"Why are you so happy?" said Bevis.

"I do not know," said the brook. "Perhaps it is because all I think of
is this minute; I do not know anything about the minute just gone by,
and I do not care one bit about the minute that is just coming; all I
care about is this minute, this very minute now. Fling me in some more
leaves, Bevis. Why do you go about asking questions, dear? Why don't
you sing and do nothing else?"

"Oh, but I want to know all about everything," said Bevis. "Where did
you come from, and where are you going, and why don't you go on and
let the ground be dry--why don't you run on, and run all away? why are
you always here?"

The brook laughed and said: "My dear, I do not know where I came from,
and I do not care at all where I am going. What does it matter, my
love? All I know is I shall come back again; yes, I shall come back
again." The brook sang very low and rather sadly now: "I shall go into
the sea and shall be lost; and even you would not know me; ask your
father, love; he has sailed over the sea in ships that come to
Southampton, and I was close to him, but he did not know me. But by
and by, when I am in the sea, the sun will lift me up, and the clouds
will float along--look towards the hills, Bevis, dear, every morning
and you will see the clouds coming and bringing me with them; and the
rain and the dew, and sometimes the thunder and the lightning, will
put me down again; and I shall run along here and sing to you, my
sweet, if you will come and listen. Fling in some little twigs, my
dear, and some bits of bark from the tree."

"That I will," said Bevis; and he picked up a stone and flung it into
the water with such a splash that the kingfisher flew away; but the
brook only laughed and told him to throw another and to make haste and
grow bigger and jump over him.

"S--s, we shall meet by the drinking place," said the grasshopper; and
was just hopping off, when Bevis asked him what the birds went down to
bathe for.

"I'm sure I do not know," said the grasshopper, speaking fast, for he
was rather in a hurry to be gone; he never could stand still long
together. "All I can tell you is, that on Midsummer D