There was something sad in his laugh and something
sour, but nothing that it was pleasant to hear.
Then the spring began to come. The grass was looking a bit green and
the air was warmer. They could dance on the grass now, whenever they
liked. They had given up trying to learn the ways of men, and they
were beginning to feel as if they had always lived here. Then
Naggeneen came one evening and stood before the King and said: "It is
the time now to try my plan, if you want to try it, but it's no
good."
"What's the plan, then, at all?" the King asked.
"You know well," said Naggeneen, "that your people can find out
nothing by going out and watching what men do. Now, what you want is
to get a human child here, or maybe two of them, and keep them and let
them grow up with you here, and then send them out to learn everything
that men do, and come back and teach it to your people. Then you'll
learn all these things that men do, and you can do the like."
"Ah, Naggeneen," said the King, "it's yourself was always the clever
boy.
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