Some people say that boys can not help it ; that it is nature , and only a proof that we are all originally descended from beasts of prey . But whether it is nature or not , little boys can help it , and must help it . For if they have naughty , low , mischievous tricks in their nature , as monkeys have , that is no reason why they should give way to those tricks like monkeys , who know no better . And therefore they must not torment dumb creatures ; for if they do , a certain old lady who is coming will surely give them exactly what they deserve . But Tom did not know that ; and he pecked and howked the poor water - things about sadly , till they were all afraid of him , and got out of his way , or crept into their shells ; so he had no one to speak to or play with . The water-fairies , of course , were very sorry to see him so unhappy , and longed to take him , and tell him how naughty he was , and teach him to be good , and to play and romp with him too : but they had been forbidden to do that . Tom had to learn his lesson for himself by sound and sharp experience , as many another foolish person has to do , though there may be many a kind heart yearning over them all the while , and longing to teach them what they can only teach themselves . At last one day he found a caddis , and wanted it to peep out of its house : but its house-door was shut . He had never seen a caddis with a house-door before : so what must he do , the meddlesome little fellow , but pull it open , to see what the poor lady was doing inside . What a shame ! How should you like to have any one breaking your bedroom-door in , to see how you looked when you where in bed ? So Tom broke to pieces the door , which was the prettiest little grating of silk , stuck all over with shining bits of crystal ; and when he looked in , the caddis poked out her head , and it had turned into just the shape of a bird 's . But when Tom spoke to her she could not answer ; for her mouth and face were tight tied up in a new night-cap of neat pink skin . However , if she did n't answer , all the other caddises did ; for they held up their hands and shrieked like the cats in Struwelpeter : `` Oh , you nasty horrid boy ; there you are at it again ! And she had just laid herself up for a fortnight 's sleep , and then she would have come out with such beautiful wings , and flown about , and laid such lots of eggs : and now you have broken her door , and she ca n't mend it because her mouth is tied up for a fortnight , and she will die . Who sent you here to worry us out of our lives ? '' So Tom swam away . He was very much ashamed of himself , and felt all the naughtier ; as little boys do when they have done wrong and wo n't say so . Then he came to a pool full of little trout , and began tormenting them , and trying to catch them : but they slipped through his fingers , and jumped clean out of water in their fright . But as Tom chased them , he came close to a great dark hover under an alder root , and out floushed a huge old brown trout ten times as big as he was , and ran right against him , and knocked all the breath out of his body ; and I do n't know which was the more frightened of the two .
Then he went on sulky and lonely , as he deserved to be ; and XXXXX a bank he saw a very ugly dirty creature sitting , about half as big as himself ; which had six legs , and a big stomach , and a most ridiculous head with two great eyes and a face just like a donkey 's .
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