l sympathy were like the cream to the milk breakfast. It was with
this glad impression on her soul, that Susanna entered the court at
Semb, and was saluted by Alfiero and all the poultry with great joy. In
the mean time she heard the cries and lamentations of birds, and this
led her to the orchard. Here she saw a pair of starlings, which with
anxiety and screams were flying about the lowest branches of an oak. In
the grass below, something black was hopping about, and Susanna saw that
it was a young starling, which had ventured itself too early out of the
nest and had fallen down. It now raised its weak cries to its parents,
which, as it appeared, sought by their fluttering to keep at a
respectful distance a grey cat, whose greedy eyes gleamed forth from
under a hawthorn-bush. Susanna drove away the cat, and took up and
warmed the little bird in her breast. But this did not at all pacify the
starling papa and mamma; their uneasiness seemed rather to increase.
Susanna would gladly from her heart have allayed it; but when she looked
up and saw the starling nest high up in the oak trunk, many ells above
her head, she was quite in despair. With that the noon-day bell rang;
Alfiero howled to it in his tragical manner, and Harald, at the head of
his workpeople, returned from the field. Susanna hastened to ask counsel
from him, and showed him the young one. "Give it here," said Harald, "I
will twist its neck, and so we can have a nice little roast for dinner."

"No! can you be so cruel?" replied Susanna.

Harald laughed without answering, looked up to the oak to see where the
starling nest was, and swung himself with great agility up the tree.
Standing now upon the lowest boughs, he bent himself down to Susanna,
and said, "Give it here to me, I will manage it." And Susanna now gave
him the bird, without any further remark. Lightly and nimbly sprang
Harald now from bough to bough, holding the bird in his left hand, and
accompanied by the crying starling-parents, who flew terrified around
his head. It was certainly a surprise to them when the young one was
placed uninjured in the nest, but it was no longer so for Susanna; and
as Harald, glowing and warm, sprang down from the tree, he was received
by Susanna's most friendly glances and cordial thanks.

At this moment came several travelling tradespeople with their packs
into the court, and were observed by Harald, who said that he had some
little purchases to make, and besought