Alice and Beatrice

								

been a brave dog, and driven the bear away.’
‘Thank you, dear grandmamma,’ said both the little girls. ‘We like that
story so much, pray tell us some more about your brave dog Lion, and
about silly little Pretty, another day.’
‘But Pretty was not always silly, although he was afraid of a big bear.
He was a knowing little dog, and so fond of us.’
‘I should have been afraid, I think,’ said Alice. ‘I should not like a
bear to come to this house.’
‘There are no bears here, are there, grandmamma?’ asked little Beatrice.
‘And no horrid wolves?’ added Alice.
‘No, dear children, none, I am glad to say. When you read more in your
history of England, you will read when the last wolves were killed in
England: a very long time ago there used to be plenty of wolves here.’
The two little girls looked afraid; but they were very glad when
grandmamma said—
‘That was a very, very long time ago.’

------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER IV.



                       RUSSIA AND THE FROZEN SEA.

‘NOW, Alice, bring your atlas, and I will show you on the map where
Russia lies.’
Alice brought her book of maps, and soon found the maps of Europe and
Asia; and grandmamma showed her where the large country lay, and pointed
out to her that the greatest part of Russia was in Asia, and reached
across the whole of northern Asia.
‘Oh, how big it is!’ cried Alice; ‘it is much bigger than all the other
countries together. Look at little England, Beatrice,—this little island
is England, where we live; does it not look tiny? And now look at big
Russia. Look, all that yellow is Russia!’ and Alice put her finger on
the line that divided Russia from all the other countries, and showed
her little sister how large it was.
‘Do you see, Alice,’ said grandmamma, ‘how far Russia extends? Even that
smaller part that is in Europe reaches up to the Arctic or Frozen Ocean,
and down to the Black Sea on the south; do you see, Alice?’
‘Why is that sea called the Frozen Ocean?’
‘Because it is frozen for many months in the year, and the greater part
of it is always frozen.’
‘Can the sea really freeze, grandmamma?’ asked both the little girls.
‘How can the waves freeze, and be made quiet?’
‘The sea that lies on the north of Russia freezes every winter, but our
sea here does not freeze; it is too warm.’
‘But how can it freeze, grandmamma? I cannot understand how it can,’
said the little girl.
‘It is difficult to make it clear to you, Alice; but I will try and
explain it. First, from the great cold, little pieces of ice are formed;
these pieces float about, for ice is lighter than water, and are tossed
up and down by the restless waves; and they grow in size, and become