P.-J. Stahl

“ XXI. Bertie holds the big pin close to the quivering body of the poor butterfly. He must find the exact spot in the middle of his back, so that the operation may not fail. He has told Minnie to put her hands flat down on the net, one on each side of the poor prisoner. The butterfly, thus pressed, can scarcely stir; a few convulsive struggles are the only signs of his agony and his helplessness; his head, with its large eyes, can still move a little. How dreadful his eyes look; they are full of terror. ”

“ All this time the Donkey is lying quite coolly on the grass; but he just takes a look now and then at the hunters.
XVI. The Donkey, seeing them come quite close to him, is taken by surprise. He is quite sure now that they are running after him. He must be a most conceited ass to suppose that two such hunters as Minnie and Bertie have nothing better to do than to hunt donkeys. He thinks so much of himself, this Donkey, that he is perfectly silly. So Bertie thinks. As for Minnie, she does not trouble herself about him at all. She can think of nothing but her butterfly. ”

“ Bertie runs up; but, oh, dear, the ill-natured butterfly has made his escape through a hole in the net, which had been torn by a hedge.
He laughs at Miss Minnie, the good-for-nothing butterfly! He flies up so high, so high, that the little hunters, gazing up at him, almost tumble over on their backs.
But the Donkey is not going to waste his time in staring up into the sky, and very wisely goes back to his browsing.
XI. ‘Let us lie down on the grass,’ says Bertie, ‘and be on the watch to take the peacock by surprise. When he cannot see any more of us, he will come down. ”