Twenty-five
James didn’t want the Earthworm and the Centipede to get into another argument, so he said quickly tothe Earthworm, ‘Tell me, do you play any kind of music?’
‘No, but I do other things, some of which are really quite extraordinary’ the Earthworm said,brightening.
‘Such as what?’ asked James.
‘Well,’ the Earthworm said. ‘Next time you stand in a field or in a garden and look around you, thenjust remember this: that every grain of soil upon the surface of the land, every tiny little bit of soil thatyou can see has actually passed through the body of an Earthworm during the last few years! Isn’t thatwonderful?’
‘It’s not possible!’ said James.
‘My dear boy, it’s a fact.’
‘You mean you actually swallow soil?’
‘Like mad,’ the Earthworm said proudly. ‘In one end and out the other.’
‘But what’s the point?’
‘What do you mean, what’s the point?’
‘Why do you do it?’
‘We do it for the farmers. It makes the soil nice and light and crumbly so that things will grow wellin it. If you really want to know, the farmers couldn’t do without us. We are essential. We are vital. Soit is only natural that the farmer should love us. He loves us even more, I believe, than he loves theLadybird.’
‘The Ladybird!’ said James, turning to look at her. ‘Do they love you, too?’
‘I am told that they do,’ the Ladybird answered modestly, blushing all over. ‘In fact, I understandthat in some places the farmers love us so much that they go out and buy live Ladybirds by the sackfuland take them home and set them free in their fields. They are very pleased when they have lots ofLadybirds in their fields.’
‘But why?’ James asked.
‘Because we gobble up all the nasty little insects that are gobbling up all the farmer’s crops. It helpsenormously, and we ourselves don’t charge a penny for our services.’
‘I think you’re wonderful,’ James told her. ‘Can I ask you one special question?’
‘Please do.’
‘Well, is it really true that I can tell how old a Ladybird is by counting her spots?’
‘Oh no, that’s just a children’s story,’ the Ladybird said. ‘We never change our spots. Some of us, ofcourse, are born with more spots than others, but we never change them. The number of spots that aLadybird has is simply a way of showing which branch of the family she belongs to. I, for example, asyou can see for yourself, am a Nine-Spotted Ladybird. I am very lucky. It is a fine thing to be.’
‘It is, indeed,’ said James, gazing at the beautiful

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