his patient lips; he is willing to live, and he
will be resigned to die. I think my story-teller, Charm-ear, has
written down something that happened to some neighbors of ours in the
little brook near by, which will serve as a warning to you. Would you
like to hear this story, Charley?"

"Oh, beautiful lady!" cried Charley; for, being an American boy, he
did not know he must say 'your Majesty.' "Oh, beautiful lady! a story
would be so--so _fairy_ nice!"

The Queen smiled, and, waving her hand to Charm-ear, the court
story-teller, he began as follows:

THE THREE LITTLE FISH.

"Not very long ago, in our beautiful brook, there lived three
little silver trouts, who were very great friends. For some time
they were happier than the day was long, playing together, eating
together, and sleeping cosily together in the same little cave
scooped out of a stone under the water, and wanted for nothing
that good little fishes ought to have.

"But after this I am sorry to have to tell that two of the little
trout became very sad and discontented: one wished for this, the
other for that, and neither cared a shrimp for any thing he had,
because they were always foolishly sighing for something else.

"At last Neptune, the King of the Sea, heard of these naughty
little fish, and he resolved to punish them, by granting them all
their desires.

"Accordingly he called them before him, and told them they should
have whatever they wanted.

"Now, the oldest was a very proud little fish, and wanted to be
able to snub up all the other fishes, by being set above them--so
he said,

"'Please your gracious goodness Majesty, I do not like the place
where you have put me. Here I am poked into a mean, narrow river,
where I can neither get down into the ground, or up into the air,
and yet I can see well enough what fine times others have; there
are the little birds that fly about over my head, and sing all
day, because they have wings. Give me wings, gracious goodness
Majesty--only give me wings, and then I shall have something for
which to be thankful; in fact, it will make me perfectly happy.'

"No sooner asked for than granted. In a moment the little fish
felt the wings fluttering, and in another moment he had spread
them wide, and rose joyfully out of the water.

"Ah! what a delicious sensation. He resolved to trave