all yet! The biggest egg is still there; how long is it going to
last?" and then she settled herself on the nest again.

"Well, how are you getting on?" said an old duck who had come to pay
her a visit.

"This one egg is taking such a long time," answered the sitting duck,
"the shell will not crack; but now you must look at the others; they
are the finest ducklings I have ever seen! they are all exactly like
their father, the rascal! he never comes to see me."

"Let me look at the egg which won't crack," said the old duck. "You
may be sure that it is a turkey's egg! I have been cheated like that
once, and I had no end of trouble and worry with the creatures, for I
may tell you that they are afraid of the water. I could not get them
into it; I quacked and snapped at them, but it was no good. Let me see
the egg! Yes, it is a turkey's egg! You just leave it alone and teach
the other children to swim."

"I will sit on it a little longer; I have sat so long already that I
may as well go on till the Midsummer Fair comes round."

"Please yourself," said the old duck, and she went away.

At last the big egg cracked. "Cheep, cheep!" said the young one and
tumbled out; how big and ugly he was! The duck looked at him.

"That is a monstrous big duckling," she said; "none of the others
looked like that; can he be a turkey chick? well, we shall soon find
that out; into the water he shall go, if I have to kick him in
myself."

Next day was gloriously fine, and the sun shone on all the green dock
leaves. The mother duck with her whole family went down to the moat.

Splash, into the water she sprang. "Quack, quack!" she said, and one
duckling plumped in after the other. The water dashed over their
heads, but they came up again and floated beautifully; their legs went
of themselves, and they were all there, even the big ugly gray one
swam about with them.

"No, that is no turkey," she said; "see how beautifully he uses his
legs and how erect he holds himself; he is my own chick! after all, he
is not so bad when you come to look at him properly. Quack, quack! Now
come with me and I will take you into the world, and introduce you to
the duckyard; but keep close to me all the time, so that no one may
tread upon you, and beware of the cat!"

Then they went into the duckyard. There was a fearful uproar going on,
for two broods were fighting for the head of an eel, and in the end
the cat captured it.

"That's how things go in t