“A place, darling, where all people love one another,” answered the mother, “where there is neither grief nor strife.”
“Then let us go there,” said the child.
“Yes, we will go,” said the tired, forsaken little mother.
THE BIG GRAVEL-SIFTER
An eel-mother and her son were lying at the bottom of the sea, close to the landing-stage, watching a young fisherman getting ready his line.
“Just look at him!” said the eel-mother, “there you have an example of the malice and cunning of the world.... Watch him! He is holding a whip in his hand; he throws out the whip-lash—there it is! attached to it is a weight which makes it sink—there’s the weight! and below the weight is the hook with the worm. Don’t take it in your mouth, whatever you do, for if you do, you are caught. As a rule only the silly bass and red-eyes take the bait. There! Now you know all about it.”
The forest of seaweed with its shells and snails began to rock; a plashing and drumming could be heard and a huge red whale passed like a flash over their heads; he had a tail-fin like a cork-screw, and that was what he worked with.
“That’s a steamer,” said the eel-mother; “make room!”
She had hardly spoken these words when a furious uproar arose above. There was a tramping and stamping as if the people overhead were intent on building a bridge between the shore and the boat in two seconds. But it was difficult to see anything on account of the oil and soot which were making the water thick and muddy.