r, and she smiled
eagerly as she caught her eye. Mildred walked in and held up the cage.
Molly gave a little scream of delight and reached out her hands.

"Oh, Mildred, is it--?" She turned and looked out of the window at the
place where it used to hang. Yes, it was the same.

Mildred had a warm sensation about the heart, which was perfect joy.

"Where shall I put it?" she asked. "He looks droopy, but Mrs. Johnson
says he used to sing all the time. He is not hungry, because he has
feed in the cage. I don't know what is the matter with him."

"I do," said Molly, softly.

She showed where she wanted the cage, and Mildred climbed up and put it
in the open window. Then she propped Molly up. She had never seen
Molly's eyes so bright, and her cheeks had two spots of rich color in
them. She looked really pretty. She put her arm around the cage
caressingly. The frightened bird fluttered and uttered a little cry of
fear.

"Never mind," murmured Molly, softly, as she pulled at the catch. "It
is only a minute more, and there will be the fields and the sky."

The peg was drawn out and she opened the door wide. The bird did not
come out; it just fluttered backwards and forwards. Molly pushed the
cage a little further out of the window. The bird got quiet. It
turned its head and looked out of the door. Mildred had clasped her
hands tightly, and was looking on with speechless surprise. She
thought it might be some spell of Molly's. The bird hopped out of the
cage on to the window-sill and stood for a second in a patch of
sunlight. It craned its neck and gazed all around curiously; turned
and looked at the cage, and then fastened its eye steadily on Molly,
shook itself in the warm air, gave a little trill, almost a whimper,
and suddenly tore away in the sunlight.

Mildred gave a little gasp, "Oh!" But Molly did not move a muscle.
Straight away the bird flew, at first up and then on over the black
houses and the smoke toward the blue sky over Mildred's home, his wings
beating the fresh spring air, on, on, growing smaller to the sight,
flying straight for the open country--a mere speck--till at last he
faded from sight. Molly lay motionless, with her gaze still on the
fair blue sky where he had disappeared, as if she could still see him.
Her lips had been moving, but now were stilled.

"There!" she said, softly. "At last!" and sank back on the pillow, her
eyes closed, her face full of deep content. Mildr