THUMBELINA There was once a woman who wanted to have quite a tiny , little child , but she did not know where to get one from . So one day she went to an old Witch and said to her : ' I should so much like to have a tiny , little child ; can you tell me where I can get one ? ' ` Oh , we have just got one ready ! ' said the Witch . ` Here is a barley-corn for you , but it 's not the kind the farmer sows in his field , or feeds the cocks and hens with , I can tell you . Put it in a flower-pot , and then you will see something happen . ' ` Oh , thank you ! ' said the woman , and gave the Witch a shilling , for that was what it cost . Then she went home and planted the barley-corn ; immediately there grew out of it a large and beautiful flower , which looked like a tulip , but the petals were tightly closed as if it were still only a bud . ` What a beautiful flower ! ' exclaimed the woman , and she kissed the red and yellow petals ; but as she kissed them the flower burst open . It was a real tulip , such as one can see any day ; but in the middle of the blossom , on the green velvety petals , sat a little girl , quite tiny , trim , and pretty . She was scarcely half a thumb in height ; so they called her Thumbelina . An elegant polished walnut-shell served Thumbelina as a cradle , the blue petals of a violet were her mattress , and a rose-leaf her coverlid . There she lay at night , but in the day-time she used to play about on the table ; here the woman had put a bowl , surrounded by a ring of flowers , with their stalks in water , in the middle of which floated a great tulip pedal , and on this Thumbelina sat , and sailed from one side of the bowl to the other , rowing herself with two white horse-hairs for oars . It was such a pretty sight ! She could sing , too , with a voice more soft and sweet than had ever been heard before . One night , when she was lying in her pretty little bed , an old toad crept in through a broken pane in the window . She was very ugly , clumsy , and clammy ; she hopped on to the table where Thumbelina lay asleep under the red rose-leaf . ` This would make a beautiful wife for my son , ' said the toad , taking up the walnut-shell , with Thumbelina inside , and hopping with it through the window into the garden .
There flowed a great wide stream , with slippery and marshy banks ; here the toad lived XXXXX her son .
as at by from in of on than to with