whirled through the air;
"impossible! GRAND Rocket, that is what the man said. BAD and GRAND
sound very much the same, indeed they often are the same;" and he fell
into the mud.

"It is not comfortable here," he remarked, "but no doubt it is some
fashionable watering-place, and they have sent me away to recruit my
health. My nerves are certainly very much shattered, and I require
rest."

Then a little Frog, with bright jewelled eyes, and a green mottled coat,
swam up to him.

"A new arrival, I see!" said the Frog. "Well, after all there is nothing
like mud. Give me rainy weather and a ditch, and I am quite happy. Do
you think it will be a wet afternoon? I am sure I hope so, but the sky
is quite blue and cloudless. What a pity!"

"Ahem! ahem!" said the Rocket, and he began to cough.

"What a delightful voice you have!" cried the Frog. "Really it is quite
like a croak, and croaking is of course the most musical sound in the
world. You will hear our glee-club this evening. We sit in the old duck
pond close by the farmer's house, and as soon as the moon rises we
begin. It is so entrancing that everybody lies awake to listen to us.
In fact, it was only yesterday that I heard the farmer's wife say to her
mother that she could not get a wink of sleep at night on account of us.
It is most gratifying to find oneself so popular."

"Ahem! ahem!" said the Rocket angrily. He was very much annoyed that he
could not get a word in.

"A delightful voice, certainly," continued the Frog; "I hope you will
come over to the duck-pond. I am off to look for my daughters. I have
six beautiful daughters, and I am so afraid the Pike may meet them. He
is a perfect monster, and would have no hesitation in breakfasting off
them. Well, good-bye: I have enjoyed our conversation very much,
I assure you."

"Conversation, indeed!" said the Rocket. "You have talked the whole time
yourself. That is not conversation."

"Somebody must listen," answered the Frog, "and I like to do all the
talking myself. It saves time, and prevents arguments."

"But I like arguments," said the Rocket.

"I hope not," said the Frog complacently. "Arguments are extremely
vulgar, for everybody in good society holds exactly the same opinions.
Good-bye a second time; I see my daughters in the distance;" and the
little Frog swam away.

"You are a very irritating person," said the Rocket, "and very ill-bred.
I hate people who talk about themselves, as you do, when on