“They were playing in the straw, and someone came in to them—­it was a lady who had brought them something on a plate.  They began to dance and shout:  ‘It’s cake!  It’s cake!  Nice little mamma for bringing us cake.’  And then they each sat down with a piece and began to take great bites out of it.  I shuddered to think of it afterward.”

“Why?”

“Well, you know they are always asking questions, and they began to ask questions of their mamma, who lay down in the straw near them.  She seemed to be used to it.  These are the questions Vivian asked: 

“‘Who made the cake?’

“‘The cook.’

“‘Who made the cook?’

“‘God.’

“‘What did He make her for?’

“‘Why didn’t He make her white?’

“‘Why didn’t He make you black?’

“‘Did He cut a hole in heaven and drop me through when He made me?’

“‘Why didn’t it hurt me when I tumbled such a long way?’

“She said she ‘didn’t know’ to all but the two first, and then he asked two more.

“‘What is the cake made of?’

“‘Flour, sugar, eggs and butter.’

“‘What is flour made of?’

“It was the answer to that which made me shudder.”

“What was it?” asked the proud grain.

“She said it was made of—­wheat!  I don’t see the advantage of being rich—­”

“Was the cake rich?” asked the proud grain.

“Their mother said it was.  She said, ’Don’t eat it so fast—­it is very rich.’”

“Ah!” said the proud grain.  “I should like to be rich.  It must be very fine to be rich.  If I am ever made into cake, I mean to be so rich that no one will dare to eat me at all.”

“Ah?” said the learned grain.  “I don’t think those boys would be afraid to eat you, however rich you were.  They are not afraid of richness.”

“They’d be afraid of me before they had done with me,” said the proud grain.  “I am not a common grain of wheat.  Wait until I am made into cake.  But gracious me! there doesn’t seem much prospect of it while we are shut up here.  How dark and stuffy it is, and how we are crowded, and what a stupid lot the other grains are!  I’m tired of it, I must say.”

“We are all in the same sack,” said the learned grain, very quietly.

It was a good many days after that, that something happened.  Quite early in the morning, a man and a boy came into the granary, and moved the sack of wheat from its place, wakening all the grains from their last nap.

“What is the matter?” said the proud grain.  “Who is daring to disturb us?”

“Hush!” whispered the learned grain, in the most solemn manner.  “Something is going to happen.  Something like this happened to somebody belonging to me long ago.  I seem to remember it when I think very hard.  I seem to remember something about one of my family being sown.”

“What is sown?” demanded the other grain.