ce say to him:

"Poor bird, you'll die, if yer stays here; so I'se gwine to let yer go.
Specs little missy'll scold dreffle; but Moppet'll take de scoldin for
yer. Hi, dere! you is peart nuff now, kase you's in a hurry to go; but
jes wait till I gits de knots out of de string dat ties de door, and den
away you flies."

"But, dear, kind Moppet, won't you be hurt for doing this? Why do you
care so much for me? I can only thank you, and fly away."

As Gulliver spoke, he looked up at the little black face bent over him,
and saw tears in the child's sad eyes; but she smiled at him, and shook
her fuzzy head, as she whispered kindly:

"I don't want no tanks, birdie: I loves to let you go, kase you's a
slave, like I was once; and it's a dreffle hard ting, I knows. I got
away, and I means you shall. I'se watched you, deary, all dese days; and
I tried to come 'fore, but dey didn't give me no chance."

"Do you live here? I never see you playing with the other children,"
said the gull, as Moppet's nimble fingers picked away at the knots.

"Yes: I lives here, and helps de cook. You didn't see me, kase I never
plays; de chilen don't like me."

"Why not?" asked Gulliver, wondering.

"I'se black," said Moppet, with a sob.

"But that's silly in them," cried the bird, who had never heard of such
a thing. "Color makes no difference; the peeps are gray, the seals
black, and the crabs yellow; but we don't care, and are all friends. It
is very unkind to treat you so. Haven't you any friends to love you,
dear?"

"Nobody in de world keres fer me. Dey sold me way from my mammy when I
was a baby, and I'se knocked roun eber since. De oder chilen has folks
to lub an kere fer em, but Moppet's got no friends;" and here the black
eyes grew so dim with tears that the poor child couldn't see that the
last knot was out.

Gulliver saw it, and, pushing up the door, flew from his prison with a
glad cry; and, hopping into Moppet's hand, looked into the little dark
face with such grateful confidence that it cleared at once, and the
brightest smile it had worn for months broke over it as the bird nestled
its soft head against her cheek, saying gently:

"I'm your friend, dear; I love you, and I never shall forget what you
have done for me to-night. How can I thank you before I go?"

For a minute, Moppet could only hug the bird, and cry; for these were
the first kind words she had heard for a long time, and they went
straight to her lonely littl