LESSON 18 THE UGLY DUCKLING

THE UGLY DUCKLING

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curved tired per-haps

threw edge swan

1. That suited very well for a time, but all ducks like to swim, and after a few weeks the ugly duckling grew tired of the dry wood.

2. "How I should like a swim!" it thought. "How cool the water would feel! I will go and try to find a pond."

3. It set off and went a long way until it came to a large park. In the park there was a lake, and on it were two large, white birds, with long, curved necks.

4. The ugly duckling had never seen such lovely birds. It stood and looked at them, but did not dare to go near them. "I am so ugly," it said, "they would drive me away."

5. At last it crept to the edge of the lake, and went in. The two white birds saw it, and came close to it; but they did not drive it away.

6. They began to stroke it with their bills, and to look kindly at it.

7. A little girl came to the side of the lake and threw bread into the water.

8. "Oh, look!" she cried to her mother, "there is a new swan. What a fine bird it is! How did it come here?"

DUCKS ON THE POND

9. "I don't know," said her mother; "but, perhaps, if we feed it, we shall get it to stay."

10. The ugly duckling could not think that it was the one they meant. It looked in the water, and there saw—not an ugly duckling, but a lovely white swan.

11. Then it felt very happy, and made its home on the lake with the other swans. All its life long it was never called ugly again.

—HANS ANDERSEN