1. "what shall i look at next?" said rose, who had a glass thing in her hand, next day. "oh, this fly!"

2. the lunch was on the table, and i was just making a hearty meal on a pat of butter. i knew that rose would not hurt me. so i stood quite still.[pg 100]

3. "how very strange!" said the little girl. "he looks as big as a horse. his wings are like shining lace, and he has hairy brushes on his feet.

4. "now he is cleaning his head with one of them. i am glad that flies are not really so big as he seems now.

5. "what a buzzing we should have, and what should we do when such huge things flew about the room or walked on the ceiling!

6. "there would be no room for us to move, and the house would be too small. fancy having such a creature as this fly looks now jumping and prancing over one's bread and jam!"

7. i was not pleased with this speech; i knew that my colour was rather dingy, but i had always thought my shape to be light and graceful, and this rose had taken no notice of.

8. neither had she so much as looked at my trunk, of which i am truly proud. so i flew away in a pet from under the glass, and settled on the loaf in the middle of the table, out of her reach.[pg 101]

9. "but for you, dear grand-father, i should never have thought such tiny creatures worth taking any notice of. why, they are made just as well as big ones, or better."

10. "not better, dear, but quite as well. they are all the work of god's hand, and so all must be alike good. do you know that you owe the pretty crimson sash that you have on to a very little creature?"

11. "oh yes, the silkworm," said rose.

"yes, and the red colour was made from[pg 102] the dead body of an insect too. there is a sort of blight which gives this red colour after it is dead.

12. "merchants bring them from abroad, after they have been taken from the plants on which they live. as they kill the coffee plants they must be swept off, and they are made into dye."

13. grand-father would have said much more, but just then rose saw tom and lucy walking up the lawn to the open window.

14. behind them walked gravely neptune the dog, with his master's stick in his mouth, which he thought it a great honour to carry.

write: rose saw the fly through her glass. she felt glad that the fly was not so big as he looked then. he was as well made as if he were large.

questions: 1. what did rose look at through her glass? 2. what did she think about the fly? 3. what did mr. sutton say about great and little creatures? 4. whom did rose see in the garden? 5. who walked behind carrying his master's stick?