r with her elder
daughters; and there she placed Piccolissima, allowing her to run at
large, only recommending to her prudence and discretion.

The child, who was formerly idle and weary of every thing, was in a
fair way to become a happy young girl, thanks to the attention she
began to give to every thing she saw, and to the interest which the
wonders around her excited in her mind. She was enchanted with the
thousand plants which embellished and covered the earth, and formed
in the smallest flower an object of admiration which filled her
soul. Very soon she met one of those beings who excited in her a
lively curiosity,--an ant much larger than the little black ones of
the shepherd race. The fine antennae, the three eyes, the top of the
head, the legs, the belly of this one were blackish, but less
glistening, and it was by the superiority of his shape, above middle
size, and above all, by the reddish color of a part of his body,
that Piccolissima recognized the russet ant of which her brother had
spoken. The insect carried very laboriously a stick ten or twelve
times as long as himself; a hillock of earth, which he met on his
road, stopped him for some time, and Piccolissima, who was eager to
help him through his difficulties, and who was tormented with a
desire to enter into conversation with him, took it into her head to
assist the insect, and hoped thus to render herself agreeable to
him. She seized one end of the little rafter he was carrying, and in
a tone which she tried to make as soft as possible, she said, "Will
you allow me, little one, to help you?"

The ant, clinging to the earth with his hind legs, stood up
straight, and threw out his antennae with a terrible expression.
Piccolissima was so full of kind feeling that she never thought of
exciting any anger; she thought that it was only a little struggle
of his politeness; therefore she insisted, taking firmly hold of the
bit of wood, and repeated, "I assure you it is a pleasure to me, and
it will not fatigue me." Forced to loosen his burden, the ant opened
his jaws full of formidable teeth, and advanced upon Piccolissima,
walking on his hind legs; the two others stretched out in front, as
well as his antennae, in sign of defiance; his body all bent,
exhaling an odor of vinegar so pungent that Piccolissima, letting go
the little stick, ran away as fast as she could, sneezing violently,
and shutting her eyes. When she opened them and returned, thinking
the