THERE were five peas in one pod：they were green，and the pod was green，and so they thought all the world was green；and that was just as it should be！The pod grew，and the peas grew；they accommodated themselves to circumstances，sitting all in a row．The sun shone without，and warmed the husk，and the rain made it clear and transparent；it was mild and agreeable during the clear day and dark during the night，just as it should be，and the peas as they sat there became bigger and bigger，and more and more thoughtful，for something they must do．

“Are we to sit here everlastingly？”asked one．“I’ m afraid we shall become hard by long sitting．It seems to me there must be something outside-I have a kind of inkling of it．

And weeks went by．The peas became yellow， and the pod also．

“All the world’ s turning yellow，”said they；and they had a right to say it．

Suddenly they felt a tug at the pod．It was torn off，passed through human hands，and glided down into the pocket of a jacket，in company with other full pods．

“Now we shall soon be opened！”they said；and that is just what they were waiting for．

“I should like to know who of us will get farthest！”said the smallest of the five．“Yes，now it will soon show itself．”

“What is to be will be，” said the biggest．

“Crack！”the pod burst，and all the five peas rolled out into the bright sunshine．There they lay in a child's hand．A little boy was clutching them，and said they were fine peas for his pea-shooter；and he put one in at once and shot it out．

“Now I'm flying out into the wide world，catch me if you can！”And he was gone．“I，” said the second，“I shall fly straight into the sun．That's a pod worth looking at，and one that exactly suits me．” And away he went．

“We sleep where we come，”said the two next，“but we shall roll on all the same．”And so they rolled first on the floor before they got into the pea-shooter；but they were put in for all that．“We shall go farthest，”said they． “What is to happen will happen，said the last，as he was shot forth out of the pea-shooter；and he flew up against the old board under the garret window，just into a crack which was filled up with moss and soft mould；and the moss closed round him；there he lay，a prisoner in-deed，but not forgotten by our Lord．

“What is to happen will happen，”said he．

Within，in the little garret，lived a poor woman，who went out in the day to clean stoves，saw wood，and to do other hard work of the same kind，for she was strong and industrious too．But she always remained poor；and at home in the garret lay her half-grown only daughter，who was very delicate and weak；for a whole year she had kept her bed，and it seemed as if she could neither live nor die．

“She is going to her little sister，”the woman said．“I had only the two children，and it was not an easy thing to provide for both，but the good God provided for one of them by taking her home to Himself；now I should be glad to keep the other that was left me；but I suppose they are not to remain separated，and she will go to her sister in heaven．

But the sick girl remained where she was．She lay quiet and qatient all day long while her mother went to earn money out of doors．It was spring，and early in the morn-in，just as the mother was about to go out to work，the sun shone mildly and pleasantly through the little window，and threw its rays across the floor；and the sick girl fixed her eyes on the lowest pane in the window．

“What may that green thing be that looks in at the window？It is moving in the wind．”

And the mother stepped to the window，and half opened it．“Oh！”said she，“on my word，it is a little pea which has taken root here，and is putting out its little leaves．How can it have got here into the crack？There you have a little garden to look at．”

And the sick girl's bed was moved nearer to the window，so that she could always see the growing pea；and the mother went forth to her work．

“Mother，I think I shall get well，”said the sick child in the evening．“The sun shone in upon me today delight-fully warm．The little pea is thriving famously，and I shall thrive too，and get up，and go out into the warm sun-shine．

“God grant it！”said the mother，but she did not believe it would be so；but she took carec to prop with a little stick the green plant which had given her daughter the pleasant thoughts of life，so that it might not be broken by the wind；she tied a piece of string to the window-sill and to the upper part of the frame，so that the pea might have something round which it could twine，when it shot up：and it did shoot up indeed-one could see how it grew every day．

“Really，here is a flower coming！”said the woman one day；and now she began to cherish the hope that her sick daughter would recover．She remembered that lately the child had spoken much more cheerfully than before，that in the last few days she had risen up in bed of her own accord，and had sat upright，looking with delighted eyes at the little garden in which only one plant grew．A week afterwards the invalid for the first time sat up for a whole hour．Quite happy，she sat there in the warm sunshine；the window was opened，and in front of it outside stood a pink pea blossom，fully blown．The sick girl bent down and gently kissed the delicate leaves．This day was like a festival． “The Heavenly Father Himself has planted that pea，and caused it to thrive，to be a joy to you，and to me also，my blessed child！”said the glad mother；and she smiled at the flower，as if it had been a good angel．

But about the other peas？Why，the one who flew out into the wide world and said，“Catch me if you can，”fell into the gutter on the roof，and found a home in a pigeon's crop，and lay there like Jonah in the whale；the two lazy ones got just as far，for they，too，were eaten up by pigeons，and thus，at any rate，they were of some real use；but the fourth，who wanted to go up into the sun，fell into the gutter，and lay there in the dirty water for days and weeks，and swelled prodigiously． “How beautifully fat I'm growing！”said the Pea．“I shall burst at last；and I don't think any pea can do more than that．I'm the most remarkable of all the five that were in the pod．”

And the Gutter said he was right．

But the young girl at the garret window stood there with gleaming eyes，with the hue of health on her cheeks，and folded her thin hands over the pea blossom，and thanked Heaven for it．

“I，” said the Gutter，“stand up for my own pea．”

一个豆荚里的五粒豆

有一个豆荚，里面有五粒豌豆。它们都是绿的，豆荚也是绿的，因此它们就以为整个世界都是绿的。事实也正是这样！豆荚在生长............