ever--but on
one condition."

The Old Woman lifted her sad eyes and gazed in amazement at Truth. "To
think," she blurted out, "that they should have run up against the like
of you! How may I have them again to keep? Speak--there's a good
soul!"

The reply came in a ringing tone: "You must promise to love your
children better than you love yourself."

"I do--oh, I do!" cried the Old Woman, the tears starting to her eyes.

What happened then? At a sign from Truth the children went spinning
toward the Old Woman. She drew the curtain out a little so that they
could slip into the hidden space behind it. One after another they
eagerly disappeared, and then she followed them.

When they had all disappeared, Truth moved along to the next curtain,
on which a portrait of Old Mother Hubbard was painted. She called out
commandingly, "Old Mother Hubbard, appear!"

As in the former case, the curtain was pushed out at one side, and you
could tell that some one was coming. Old Mother Hubbard appeared!

To her Truth said: "Your greatest unkindness to your son was your
unkindness to his dog. If you would have your son again, you must
promise to love him better than you love yourself--and I advise you
first of all to think kindly of the dog that was his friend."

She had scarcely finished speaking when Old Mother Hubbard cried out in
broken tones:

"Give me his dog!"

The little black dog bounded joyously toward her, followed by her son
Tom. They were shown into the place behind the curtain. Old Mother
Hubbard following them with the greatest haste.

They could be seen no more.

But Truth was already speaking again in clear tones: "Father and mother
of Hansel and Grettel, appear!"

And the father and mother of Hansel and Grettel appeared from behind
their curtain, and stood hand in hand, with downcast eyes.

Said Truth to them: "The father and mother who would not share their
last loaf of bread with their children--nay, who would not deny
themselves that their children need not go supperless to bed--deserve
not the love of children. They love themselves overmuch. But if at
last in your hearts----"

The mother of Hansel and Grettel could not wait for the end of the
sentence. She turned stormily to her husband. "It was you who
persuaded me to do it--to lose the poor little things," said she.

The father retorted promptly, "It was that you, good wife, might not
starve that I consented to lose the children