Thumbelina sailed by many cities, and the little birds who sat in the
bushes saw her, and said, “What a lovely little girl!” A white butterfly
fluttered round her and at last alighted on the leaf with her. Thumbelina
was glad of his company; she took her girdle and tied one end of it
around the butterfly and the other to the leaf. On she went, faster than
ever now.
Soon there came a big May-bug flying toward her. When he saw her he
thought her so pretty he clasped his claws round her waist, and flew with
her up into a tree.
Mercy! how frightened poor little Thumbelina was! But the May-bug did her
no harm. He seated himself with her upon the biggest green leaf of the
tree, gave her the sweet part of the flowers to eat, and told her she was
lovely, although she did not look a bit like a May-bug.
When the other May-bugs who lived in the tree heard of it, they all came
to pay a visit. They looked at Thumbelina, and one said, “Why, she hasn’t
more than two legs; how very odd that is!”
“And she hasn’t any feelers!” cried another.
“How squeezed she is at the waist—fie! How ugly she is!” said all the
lady May-bugs.
So at last the May-bug who had carried her off thought so, too, although
she was really very pretty; and he flew down with her from the tree and
set her on a daisy and left her there.
But, anyway, she was on land again; that was something.