Early in themorning, a peasant, who was passing by, saw what had happened. He broke the icein pieces with his wooden shoe, and carried the duckling home to his wife. Thewarmth revived the poor little creature; but when the children wanted to playwith him, the duckling thought they would do him some harm; so he started up interror, fluttered into the milk-pan, and splashed the milk about the room. Thenthe woman clapped her hands, which frightened him still more. He flew firstinto the butter-cask, then into the meal-tub, and out again. What a conditionhe was in! The woman screamed, and struck at him with the tongs; the childrenlaughed and screamed, and tumbled over each other, in their efforts to catchhim; but luckily he escaped. The door stood open; the poor creature could justmanage to slip out among the bushes, andlie down quite exhausted in the newly fallen snow.
It would be verysad, were I to relate all the misery and privations which the poor littleduckling endured during the hard winter; but when it had passed, he foundhimself lying one morning in a moor, amongst the rushes. He felt the warm sunshining, and heard the lark singing, and saw that all around was beautifulspring. Then the young bird felt that his wings were strong, as he flapped themagainst his sides, and rose high into the air. They bore him onwards, until hefound himself in a large garden, before he well knew how it had happened. Theapple-trees were in full blossom, and the fragrant elders bent their long greenbranches down to the stream which wound round a smooth lawn. Everything lookedbeautiful, in the freshness of early spring. From a thicket close by came threebeautiful white swans, rustling their feathers, and swimming lightly over thesmooth water. The duckling remembered the lovely birds, and felt more strangelyunhappy than ever.
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