and descending found herself near the
rock. The great stone, detached from its native walls, obstructed the
ravine as it had previously done. Nell, however, noticed that between
the rock and the wall there was a passage so wide that even a grown-up
person could pass through it with ease. For a while she hesitated, then
she went in and found herself on the other side. But there was a bend
there, which it was necessary to pass in order to reach the wide egress
of the locked-in waterfall. Nell began to meditate. "I will go yet a
little farther. I will peer from behind the rocks; I will take just one
look at the elephant who will not see me at all, and I will return."
Thus meditating, she advanced step by step farther and farther, until
finally she reached a place where the ravine widened suddenly into a
small dell and she saw the elephant. He stood with his back turned
towards her, with trunk immersed in the waterfall, and drank. This
emboldened her, so pressing closely to the wall, she advanced a few
steps, and a few more yet, and then the huge beast, desiring to splash
his sides, turned his head, saw the little maid, and, beholding her,
moved at once towards her.

Nell became very much frightened, but as there was no time now for
retreat, pressing knee to knee, she curtsied to the elephant as best
she could; after which she stretched out her little hand with the
begonias and spoke in a slightly quivering voice.

"Good day, dear elephant. I know you won't harm me; so I came to say
good day--and I have only these flowers--"

And the colossus approached, stretched out his trunk, and picked the
bunch of begonias out of Nell's little fingers, and putting them into
his mouth he dropped them at once as evidently neither the rough leaves
nor the flowers were to his taste. Nell now saw above her the trunk
like a huge black snake which stretched and bent; it touched one of her
little hands and then the other; afterwards both shoulders and finally
descending it began to swing gently to and fro.

"I knew that you would not harm me," the little girl repeated, though
fear did not leave her.

Meanwhile the elephant drew back his fabulous ears, winding and
unwinding alternately his trunk and gurgling joyfully as he always
gurgled when the little girl approached the brink of the ravine.

And as at one time Stas and the lion, so now these two stood opposite
each other--he, an enormity, resembling a house or a rock, and she a
mite w