Tiny said nothing; but when the two others had turned theirbacks on the bird, she stooped down and stroked aside the soft feathers whichcovered the head, and kissed the closed eyelids. “perhaps this was the one whosang to me so sweetly in the summer,” she said; “and how much pleasure it gaveme, you dear, pretty bird.”
the mole now stopped up the hole through which the daylightshone, and then accompanied the lady home. but during the night tiny could notsleep; so she got out of bed and wove a large, beautiful carpet of hay; thenshe carried it to the dead bird, and spread it over him; with some down fromthe flowers which she had found in the field-mouse’s room. it was as soft aswool, and she spread some of it on each side of the bird, so that he might liewarmly in the cold earth. “farewell, you pretty little bird,” said she,“farewell; thank you for your delightful singing during the summer, when allthe trees were green, and the warm sun shone upon us.” then she laid her headon the bird’s breast, but she was alarmed immediately, for it seemed as ifsomething inside the bird went “thump, thump.” it was the bird’s heart; he wasnot really dead, only benumbed with the cold, and the warmth had restored himto life. in autumn, all the swallows fly away into warm countries, but if onehappens to linger, the cold seizes it, it becomes frozen, and falls down as ifdead; it remains where it fell, and the cold snow covers it. tiny trembled verymuch; she was quite frightened, for the bird was large, a great deal largerthan herself,—she was only an inch high. but she took courage, laid the woolmore thickly over the poor swallow, and then took a leaf which she had used forher own counterpane, and laid it over the head of the poor bird. the nextmorning she again stole out to see him. he was alive but very weak; he couldonly open his eyes for a moment to look at tiny, who stood by holding a pieceof decayed wood in her hand, for she had no other lantern. “thank you, prettylittle maiden,” said the sick swallow; “i have been so nicely warmed, that ishall soon regain my strength, and be able to fly about again in the warmsunshine.”
用户评论