and plenty in which they lived at court. The country mouse was easily prevailed upon, and they set out together. It was late in the evening when they arrived at the palace; however, in one of the rooms they found the remains of a sumptuous feast. There were creams, and jellies, and sweetmeats, and everything, in short, of the most delicate kind; the cheese was Parmesan, and they wetted their whiskers in excellent champagne. But, before they had finished their repast, they were alarmed with the barking and scratching of a lapdog, then the mewing of a cat frightened them almost to death; by and by a whole train of servants burst into the rooms, and everything was swept away in an instant. Ah! my dear friend,' said the country mouse, as soon as she had recovered courage enough again to speak, 'if your fine living is thus interrupted with fears and dangers, let me return to my plain food and my peaceful cottage; for what is elegance without ease, or plenty with an aching heart?'

THE FOX AND THE STORK.

THE fox, though in general more inclined to roguery than wit, had once a strong inclination to play the wag with his neighbour the stork. He accordingly invited him to dinner in great form; but, when it came upon the table, the stork found it consisted entirely of different soups, served up in broad shallow dishes, so that she could only dip in the end of her bill, but could not possibly satisfy her hunger. The fox lapped it up very readily, and every now and then addressing himself to his guest, desired to know how she liked her entertainment; hoped that everything was seasoned to her mind, and protested he was very sorry to see her eat so sparingly. The stork, perceiving she was played upon, took no notice of it, but pretended to like every dish extremely; and, at parting, pressed the fox so earnestly to return her visit, that he could not in civility refuse. The day arrived, and he repaired to his appointment; but, to his great mortification, when dinner appeared, he found it composed of minced

meat, served up in long narrow-necked glasses; so that he was only tormented with the sight of what it was impossible for him to taste. The stork thrust in her long bill and helped herself very plentifully; then turning to the fox, who was eagarly licking the outside of a jar, where some sauce had been spilled, 'I am very glad,' said she, smiling, 'that you seem to have so good an appetite; I hope you will make as hearty a dinner at my table as I did the other day at yours.' The fox hung down his head, and looked very much displeased. Nay, nay,' said the stork, 'don't pretend to be out of humour about the matter; they that cannot take a jest should never make one.'

THE SUN AND THE WIND.

THE sun and the wind were disputing one day which possessed the most power. Unable to decide the question, they agreed to test it by seeing which could the most quickly divest a certain traveller of his cloak. The wind made the first attempt, and assailed him with much noise and fury; but the traveller doubled his efforts to keep it, and went on his way. So the wind gave up in despair. Then came the sun. He scattered the clouds by his glorious beams, which melting our traveller by degrees, at length obliged him to lay aside that cloak, which all the rage of the wind could not compel him to resign. 'Learn hence,' said the sun, 'that soft and gentle means will often accomplish what force and fury can never effect.'

THE OLD MAN AND HIS ASS.

AN old man and a little boy were driving an ass to the next market to sell. What a fool is this fellow,' says a man upon the road, to be trudging it on foot with his son, that his ass may go light!' The old man, hearing this, set his boy upon the ass and went whistling by the side of him. " Why, sirrah,' cries a second man to the boy, 'is it fit for you to be riding, while your poor old father is walking on foot ?' The father, upon this rebuke,

took down his boy from the ass and mounted himself. 'Do you see,' said a third, 'how the lazy old knave rides along upon his beast, while his poor little boy is almost crippled with walking?'

The old man no sooner heard

this than he took up his son behind him. 'Pray, honest friend,' says a fourth, 'is that ass your own?' 'Yes,' says the man. 'One would not have thought so,' replied the other, by your loading him so unmercifully. You and your son are better able to carry the poor beast than he you.' Anything to please,' says the owner; and alighting with his son, they tied the legs of the ass together, and by the help of a pole endeavoured to carry him upon their shoulders over the bridge that led to the town. This was so entertaining a sight, that the people ran in crowds to laugh at it; but the ass, conceiving a dislike to the over-complaisance of his master, burst asunder the cords that tied him, slipped from the pole, and tumbled into the river. The poor old man made the best of his way home, ashamed and vexed, that by endeavouring to please everybody he had pleased nobody, and lost his ass into the bargain.

THE KING. Krummacher.

'MOTHER,' said the little William, 'I should like to be a king.'

The mother replied, 'Do you know what a king is? and did you ever see one?'

The boy answered, 'No.' Then his father took him by the hand, with a smile, and said, 'Come, I will show you a king.' And he went with him into the snow-covered courtyard, for it was winter and very cold.

Now his father showed him a little bird, asking him, 'Do you know this bird, and his ways and habits ? '

The boy answered, 'No; will you tell me about him ? The father said, ' See, this bird is the smallest of all others, and of sober hue, yet it is highly favoured. Though the day brings cold, storm, and snow, and everything be covered with ice and snow, it is always of good cheer. Look, now it flies to the top of the roof, looking round so

cheerfully, as if the whole world were its own. is, indeed, for the bird knows how to enjoy it.

And so it

'Listen, now it begins to sing; and its twittering sounds so gaily over the fields as if it were saying, How contented I am!" It does not care if the trough at the well, and even the oak tree should split with the frost; it sings cheerily in the storm.

See, now it comes down to the trees of the orchard. It is looking carefully for the eggs of the caterpillars, which, in spring, gnaw the blossoms on the trees; now the little bird destroys them, that spring may appear with beautiful flowers, and autumn with fruitful branches.

Do you see how it flies up to the weathercock of the house, beginning its song again, to gladden all those who hear it during the cold winter-time, and to be to them a pattern and example in cheerful contentedness and pious courage ?'

Then the boy said, 'What do you call the dear little bird?' The father answered, ‘On account of its frank and noble disposition, men have given it a high name and dignity; for though it is small, they call it, from of old, the winter king, and place it next to the proud eagle.

'May you have, like him, as long as you are young, a noble and royal disposition. When you are grown up, the dominions will not be wanting.'

Then the boy said, 'Father, can the kings fly too?

'No,' said the father, the birds have in this case an advantage over them; they are men, as we are.'

'Oh!' said the little boy; and when they were again by the fireside, he asked his father to tell him more about the bird.

The father complied willingly with his child's wish, inculcating a grave doctrine by cheerful words. For kind nature sometimes does the same.

THE TWO DOGS.

Two dogs were warming themselves one day in the sun, outside the kitchen of their master's house, and by

way of passing the time they entered into a conversation about canine virtues and vices. At last they lighted upon the subject of friendship. What can be more charming,' says Carlo, than to live in harmony with a loving friend? Why shouldn't we be friends?' And Prince answers, 'Long have I been grieved to see that, although we are members of the same household, we cannot pass a single day without quarrelling. Why is this so? Thanks to our masters, we are not cramped for space, and we have no lack of food. It really is shameful. The dog has been the type of friendship ever since the days of old, yet you never see among dogs such friendships as are to be found among men.' 'Let us set a good example in this respect to our age,' cries Carlo. Your paw!' 'There it is.' Straightway the new friends kiss and fondle each other. 'Away with all quarrels, all envy, all malice!' they exclaim in unison. At this juncture, unfortunately, the cook tosses a bone out of the kitchen window. Our dear friends fling themselves enviously upon it. What has become of their harmonious alliance? They seize each other by the throat, and nothing but a thorough ducking will induce them to loose their hold. And of such friendships all the world is full.

THE LITTLE MATCH-SELLER.-H. C. Andersen.

It was terribly cold and nearly dark on the last evening of the old year, and the snow was falling fast. In the cold and the darkness a poor little girl, with bare head and naked feet, roamed through the streets. It is true she had on a pair of slippers when she left home, but they were not of much use. They were very large; so large, indeed, that they had belonged to her mother, and the poor little creature had lost them in running across the street to avoid two carriages that were rolling along at a terrible rate. One of the slippers she could not find, and a boy seized upon the other and ran away with it, saying that he could use it as a cradle when he had children of his own. So the little girl went on with her little naked feet, which

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