ay find it hard to sympathise with such sorrow. A child,
however, can understand a child's grief, for Fritz had lost every thing
he had in the world. This little bird was not only all his wealth, all
his ambition, his daily companion in solitary places, his hope, his
friend, but somehow it was linked mysteriously with the memories of his
own home--memories that every day, every hour, was effacing--but these,
Star still could call up in his heart: to lose him was, therefore, to
cut the last slender cord that tied him to the past and linked him to
the future.

His violent sobbing brought Grettl'a to him, but he could tell her
nothing--he could only point to the cage, which now hung on its side,
and mutter the one word,--

"Hin! hin!"--Away! away!

The little girl's grief was scarcely less poignant than his own. She
wrung her hands in all the passion of sorrow, and cried bitterly.

The Bauer and his wife now came to the spot, the one to join in, the
other to rebuke, their afflictions. How little the children noticed
either! Their misery filled up every corner of their minds--their
wretchedness was overwhelming.

Every corner of the little hut was associated with some recollection of
the poor "Star." Here, it was he used to feed--here, he hopped out
to greet Fritz of an evening, when the bad weather had prevented him
accompanying him to the fields. There, he was accustomed to sit while
they were at supper, singing his merry song; and here, would he remain
silently while they were at prayers, waiting for the moment of their
rising to utter the cry of "Maria, huelf uns!"

Each time the children's eyes met, as they turned away from looking
at any of these well-known spots, they burst into tears: each read the
other's thoughts, and felt his sorrows more deeply in the interchange.

What a long, long night was that! They cried themselves to sleep,
to awake again in tears!--now, to dream they heard "Star" calling to
them--now, to fancy he had come back again, all wayworn and ruffled,
glad to seek his usual shelter, and be with friends once more--and then
they awoke to feel the bitterness of disappointment, and know that he
was gone!

"And he told me, Grettl'a--he told me 'A good word brings luck!'" sobbed
Fritz, whose despair had turned to scepticism.

Poor Grettl'a had no argument wherewith to meet this burst of
misery--she could but mingle her tears with his.

We frequently hear of the hard-heartedness of the poor--h