The countryside was lovely. It was summer. The wheat was golden and the oats were still green. The hay was stacked in the low-lying meadows. There lay great woods around the fields and meadows. There were deep lakes in the midst of the woods. In the sunniest spot stood an old mansion surrounded by a deep moat. Great leaves grew from the vines on the walls of the house right down to the water's edge. Some of the leaves were so big that a child could use them as an umbrella. In the depths of a forest a duck was sitting in her nest. Her little ducklings were about to be hatched. At last one egg after another began to crack." Cheep, cheep!" the ducklings said." Quack, quack!" said the duck. " How big the world is!" said all the young ones.
But the biggest egg was still there. And then she settled herself on the nest again. "Well, how are you getting on?" said an old duck who came to pay her a visit." This egg is taking such a long time," answered the sitting duck." The shell will not crack, but the others are the finest ducklings. They are like their father." "let me look at the egg which won't crack," said the old duck." You may be sitting on a turkey's egg!
