第 5 页

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is very generous of me, and a great many people would think me

extremely foolish for parting with it, but I am not like the rest of the world.

I think that generosity is the essence of friendship, and, besides, I have got

a new wheelbarrow for myself. Yes, you may set your mind at ease, I

will give you my wheelbarrow.'

"'Well, really, that is generous of you,' said little Hans, and his funny

round face glowed all over with pleasure. 'I can easily put it in repair, as

I have a plank of wood in the house.'

"'A plank of wood'! said the Miller; 'why, that is just what I want for

the roof of my barn. There is a very large hole in it, and the corn will all

get damp if I don't stop it up. How lucky you mentioned it! It is quite

remarkable how one good action always breeds another. I have given

you my wheelbarrow, and now you are going to give me your plank. Of

course, the wheelbarrow is worth far more than the plank, but true,

friendship never notices things like that. Pray get it at once, and I will set

to work at my barn this very day.'

"'Certainly,' cried little Hans, and he ran into the shed and dragged the

plank out.

"'It is not a very big plank,' said the Miller, looking at it, 'and I am

afraid that after I have mended my barn-roof there won't be any left for

you to mend the wheelbarrow with; but, of course, that is not my fault.

And now, as I have given you my wheelbarrow, I am sure you would like

to give me some flowers in return. Here is the basket, and mind you fill

it quite full.'

"'Quite full?' said little Hans, rather sorrowfully, for it was really a

very big basket, and he knew that if he filled it he would have no flowers

left for the market and he was very anxious to get his silver buttons back.

"'Well, really,' answered the Miller, 'as I have given you my

wheelbarrow, I don't think that it is much to ask you for a few flowers. I

may be wrong, but I should have thought that friendship, true friendship,

was quite free from selfishness of any kind.'

"'My dear friend, my best friend,' cried little Hans, 'you are welcome to

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all the flowers in my garden. I would much sooner have your good

opinion than my silver buttons, any day'; and he ran and plucked all his

pretty primroses, and filled the Miller's basket.

"'Good-bye, little Hans,' said the Miller, as he went up the hill with the

plank on his shoulder, and the big basket in his hand.

"'Good-bye,' said little Hans, and he began to dig away quite merrily,

he was so pleased about the wheelbarrow.

"The next day he was nailing up some honeysuckle against the porch,

when he heard the Miller's voice calling to him from the road. So he

jumped off the ladder, and ran down the garden, and looked over the wall.

"There was the Miller with a large sack of flour on his back.

"'Dear little Hans,' said the Miller, 'would you mind carrying this sack

of flour for me to market?'

"'Oh, I am so sorry,' said Hans, 'but I am really very busy to-day. I

have got all my creepers to nail up, and all my flowers to water, and all my

grass to roll.'

"'Well, really,' said the Miller, 'I think that, considering that I am going

to give you my wheelbarrow, it is rather unfriendly of you to refuse.'

"'Oh, don't say that,' cried little Hans, 'I wouldn't be unfriendly for the

whole world'; and he ran in for his cap, and trudged off with the big sack

on his shoulders.

"It was a very hot day, and the road was terribly dusty, and before

Hans had reached the sixth milestone he was so tired that he had to sit

down and rest. However, he went on bravely, and as last he reached the

market. After he had waited there some time, he sold the sack of flour

for a very good price, and then he returned home at once, for he was afraid

that if he stopped too late he might meet some robbers on the way.

"'It has certainly been a hard day,' said little Hans to himself as he was

going to bed, 'but I am glad I did not refuse the Miller, for he is my best

friend, and, besides, he is going to give me his wheelbarrow.'

"Early the next morning the Miller came down to get the money for

his sack of flour, but little Hans was so tired that he was still in bed.

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"'Upon my word,' said the Miller, 'you are very lazy. Really,

considering that I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, I think you

might work harder. Idleness is a great sin, and I certainly don't like any

of my friends to be idle or sluggish. You must not mind my speaking

quite plainly to you. Of course I should not dream of doing so if I were

not your friend. But what is the good of friendship if one cannot say

exactly what one means? Anybody can say charming things and try to

please and to flatter, but a true friend always says unpleasant things, and

does not mind giving pain. Indeed, if he is a really true friend he prefers

it, for he knows that then he is doing good.'

"'I am very sorry,' said little Hans, rubbing his eyes and pulling off his

night-cap, 'but I was so tired that I thought I would lie in bed for a little

time, and listen to the birds singing. Do you know that I always work

better after hearing the birds sing?'

"'Well, I am glad of that,' said the Miller, clapping little Hans on the

back, 'for I want you to come up to the mill as soon as you are dressed,

and mend my barn-roof for me.'

"Poor little Hans was very anxious to go and work in his garden, for

his flowers had not been watered for two days, but he did not like to refuse

the Miller, as he was such a good friend to him.

"'Do you think it would be unfriendly of me if I said I was busy?' he

inquired in a shy and timid voice.

"'Well, really,' answered the Miller, 'I do not think it is much to ask of

you, considering that I am going to give you my wheelbarrow; but of

course if you refuse I will go and do it myself.'

"'Oh! on no account,' cried little Hans and he jumped out of bed, and

dressed himself, and went up to the barn.

"He worked there all day long, till sunset, and at sunset the Miller

came to see how he was getting on.

"'Have you mended the hole in the roof yet, little Hans?' cried the

Miller in a cheery voice.

"'It is quite mended,' answered little Hans, coming down the ladder.

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"'Ah'! said the Miller, 'there is no work so delightful as the work one

does for others.'

"'It is certainly a great privilege to hear you talk,' answered little Hans,

sitting down, and wiping his forehead, 'a very great privilege. But I am

afraid I shall never have such beautiful ideas as you have.'

"'Oh! they will come to you,' said the Miller, 'but you must take more

pains. At present you have only the practice of friendship; some day you

will have the theory also.'

"'Do you really think I shall?' asked little Hans.

"'I have no doubt of it,' answered the Miller, 'but now that you have

mended the roof, you had better go home and rest, for I want you to drive

my sheep to the mountain to-morrow.'

"Poor little Hans was afraid to say anything to this, and early the next

morning the Miller brought his sheep round to the cottage, and Hans

started off with them to the mountain. It took him the whole day to get

there and back; and when he returned he was so tired that he went off to

sleep in his chair, and did not wake up till it was broad daylight.

"'What a delightful time I shall have in my garden,' he said, and he

went to work at once.

"But somehow he was never able to look after his flowers at all, for his

friend the Miller was always coming round and sending him off on long

errands, or getting him to help at the mill. Little Hans was very much

distressed at times, as he was afraid his flowers would think he had

forgotten them, but he consoled himself by the reflection that the Miller

was his best friend. 'Besides,' he used to say, 'he is going to give me his

wheelbarrow, and that is an act of pure generosity.'

"So little Hans worked away for the Miller, and the Miller said all

kinds of beautiful things about friendship, which Hans took down in a

note-book, and used to read over at night, for he was a very good scholar.

"Now it happened that one evening little Hans was sitting by his

fireside when a loud rap came at the door. It was a very wild night, and

the wind was blowing and roaring round the house so terribly that at first

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he thought it was merely the storm. But a second rap came, and then a

third, louder than any of the others.

"'It is some poor traveller,' said little Hans to himself, and he ran to the

door.

"There stood the Miller with a lantern in one hand and a big stick in

the other.

"'Dear little Hans,' cried the Miller, 'I am in great trouble. My little

boy has fallen off a ladder and hurt himself, and I am going for the Doctor.

But he lives so far away, and it is such a bad night, that it has just occurred

to me that it would be much better if you went instead of me. You know

I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, and so, it is only fair that you

should do something for me in return.'

"'Certainly,' cried little Hans, 'I take it quite as a compliment your

coming to me, and I will start off at once. But you must lend me your

lantern, as the night is so dark that I am afraid I might fall into the ditch.'

"'I am very sorry,' answered the Miller, 'but it is my new lantern, and it

would be a great loss to me if anything happened to it.'

"'Well, never mind, I will do without it,' cried little Hans, and he took

down his great fur coat, and his warm scarlet cap, and tied a muffler round

his throat, and started off.

"What a dreadful storm it was! The night was so black that little

Hans could hardly see, and the wind was so strong that he could scarcely

stand. However, he was very courageous, and after he had been walking

about three hours, he arrived at the Doctor's house, and knocked at the

door.

"'Who is there?' cried the Doctor, putting his head out of his bedroom

window.

"'Little Hans, Doctor.'

"'What do you want, little Hans?'

"'The Miller's son has fallen from a ladder, and has hurt himself, and

the Miller wants you to come at once.'

"'All right!' said the Doctor; and he ordered his horse, and his big

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boots, and his lantern, and came downstairs, and rode off in the direction

of the Miller's house, little Hans trudging behind him.

"But the storm grew worse and worse, and the rain fell in torrents, and

little Hans could not see where he was going, or keep up with the horse.

At last he lost his way, and wandered off on the moor, which was a very

dangerous place, as it was full of deep holes, and there poor little Hans

was drowned. His body was found the next day by some goatherds,

floating in a great pool of water, and was brought back by them to the

cottage.

"Everybody went to little Hans' funeral, as he was so popular, and the

Miller was the chief mourner.

"'As I was his best friend,' said the Miller, 'it is only fair that I should

have the best place'; so he walked at the head of the procession in a long

black cloak, and every now and then he wiped his eyes with a big pocket-

handkerchief.

"'Little Hans is certainly a great loss to every one,' said the Blacksmith,

when the funeral was over, and they were all seated comfortably in the inn,

drinking spiced wine and eating sweet cakes.

"'A great loss to me at any rate,' answered the Miller; 'why, I had as

good as given him my wheelbarrow, and now I really don't know what to

do with it. It is very much in my way at home, and it is in such bad

repair that I could not get anything for it if I sold it. I will certainly take

care not to give away anything again. One always suffers for being

generous.'"

"Well?" said the Water-rat, after a long pause.

"Well, that is the end," said the Linnet.

"But what became of the Miller?" asked the Water-rat.

"Oh! I really don't know," replied the Linnet; "and I am sure that I

don't care."

"It is quite evident then that you have no sympathy in your nature,"

said the Water-rat.

"I am afraid you don't quite see the moral of the story," remarked the