t this hateful dwarf, who stands there and keeps away all
my customers, besides daring to make a jest of my misfortune. He says
to me, 'I am your son, your Jacob,'--the impudent fellow!"

Upon that Hannah's neighbors all got up and began to abuse him as
wickedly as they knew how--and market-women, as you know, understand it
pretty well--ending by accusing him of making sport of the misfortune
of poor Hannah, whose son, beautiful as a picture, had been stolen from
her seven years ago: and they threatened to fall upon him in a body,
and scratch his eyes out, if he did not at once go away.

Poor little Jacob knew not what to make of all this. Was it not true
that he had gone to the market as usual with his mother, early this
morning? that he had helped her arrange the fruits, and afterwards had
gone with the old woman to her house, had there eaten a little soup,
had indulged in a short nap, and come right back again? And now his
mother and her neighbors talked about seven years, and called him an
ugly dwarf! What, then, had happened to him?

When he saw that his mother would not hear another word from him, tears
sprang into his eyes, and he went sadly down the street to the stall
where his father mended shoes. "Now I will see," thought he, "whether
my father will not know me. I will stop in the door-way and speak to
him." On arriving at the shoemaker's stall, he placed himself in the
door-way, and looked in. The master was so busily occupied with his
work, that he did not notice him at first, but when by chance he
happened to look at the door, he let shoes, thread and awl drop to the
ground, and exclaimed in affrights "In heaven's name!--what is that?
what is that?"

"Good evening, master," said the boy, as he stepped inside the shop.
"How do you do?"

"Poorly, poorly, little master," replied the father, to Jacob's great
surprise; as he also did not seem to recognize him. "My business does
not flourish very well, I have no one to assist me, and am getting old;
and yet an apprentice would be too dear."

"But have you no little son, who could one of these days assist you in
your work?" inquired the boy.

"I had one, whose name was Jacob, and who must now be a tall active
fellow of twenty, who could be a great support to me were he here. He
must lead a happy life now. When he was only twelve years old he showed
himself to be very clever, and already understood a good deal about the
trade. He was pretty and pleasant to