send!"

"Poor little fellow! I would help thee more," said the kind old priest,
as he put six kreutzers into the child's hand, "but I am not rich
either."

"Potztausend!" shrieked the bird, with a shrillness excited by Fritz's
emotion; and as he continued to sob, so did the Starling yell out his
exclamation till the very street rang with it.

"Farewell, child!" said the priest, as Fritz kissed his hand for the
twentieth time; "farewell, but let me not leave thee without a word of
counsel: thou shouldst never have taught thy bird that idle word. He
that was to be thy companion and thy friend, as it seems to me he is,
should have learned something that would lead thee to better thoughts.
This would bring thee better fortune, Fritz. Adieu! adieu!"

"Potztausend!" said the Starling, but in a very low, faint voice, as
if he felt the rebuke; and well he might, for Fritz opened his little
handkerchief and spread it over the cage--a sign of displeasure, which
the bird understood well.

While Fritz was talking to the Curate, an old Bauer, poorly but cleanly
clad, had drawn nigh to listen. Mayhap he was not overmuch enlightened
by the Curate's words, for he certainly took a deep interest in the
Starling; and every time the creature screamed out its one expletive, he
would laugh to himself, and mutter,--

"Thou art a droll beastie, sure enough!"

He watched the bird till Fritz covered it up with his handkerchief, and
then was about to move away, when, for the first time, a thought of the
little boy crossed his mind. He turned abruptly round, and said,--

"And thou, little fellow!--what art doing here?"

"Waiting," sighed Fritz, heavily--"waiting!"

"Ah, to sell thy bird?" said the old man;--"come, I'll buy him from
thee. He might easily meet a richer, but he'll not find a kinder master.
What wilt have?--twelve kreutzers, isn't it?"

"I cannot sell him," sobbed Fritz; "I have promised him never to do
that."

"Silly child!" said the Bauer, laughing; "thy bird cares little for
all thy promises: besides, he'll have a better life with me than thee."
"That might he, easily!" said Fritz: "but I'll not break my word."

"And what is this wonderful promise thou'st made, my little man?--come,
tell it!"

"I told him," said Fritz, in a voice broken with agitation, "that if the
shadow closed over the street down there before any one had hired me,
that I would open his cage and let him free; and look! it is nearly
across now--t