"Some of these days," he used to say, severely, "I'll marry another fairy, and see how she'll like that—to see someone else basking in my society! I'll get even with her!"
But he never did.
THE PROUD LITTLE GRAIN OF WHEAT
There once was a little grain of wheat which was very proud indeed. The first thing it remembered was being very much crowded and jostled by a great many other grains of wheat, all living in the same sack in the granary. It was quite dark in the sack, and no one could move about, and so there was nothing to be done but to sit still and talk and think. The proud little grain of wheat talked a great deal, but did not think quite so much, while its next neighbour thought a great deal and only talked when it was asked questions it could answer. It used to say that when it thought a great deal it could remember things which it seemed to have heard a long time ago.
"What is the use of our staying here so long doing nothing, and never being seen by anybody?" the proud little grain once asked.
"I don't know," the learned grain replied. "I don't know the answer to that. Ask me another."
"Why can't I sing like the birds that build their nests in the roof? I should like to sing, instead of sitting here in the dark."
"Because you have no voice," said the learned grain.
This was a very good answer indeed.
"Why didn't someone give me a voice, then—why didn't they?" said the proud little grain, getting very cross.