ceased. The Emperor sprang up, and had his physician summoned, but
what could HE do! Then the clockmaker came, and, after a great deal of
talking and examining, he put the bird somewhat in order, but he said
that it must be very seldom used as the works were nearly worn out, and
it was impossible to put in new ones. Here was a calamity! Only once a
year was the artificial bird allowed to sing, and even that was almost
too much for it. But then the bandmaster made a little speech full
of hard words, saying that it was just as good as before. And so, of
course, it WAS just as good as before. So five years passed, and then a
great sorrow came to the nation. The Chinese look upon their Emperor as
everything, and now he was ill, and not likely to live it was said.

Already a new Emperor had been chosen, and the people stood outside in
the street and asked the First Lord how the old Emperor was. 'P!' said
he, and shook his head.

Cold and pale lay the Emperor in his splendid great bed; the whole
Court believed him dead, and one after the other left him to pay their
respects to the new Emperor. Everywhere in the halls and corridors cloth
was laid down so that no footstep could be heard, and everything was
still--very, very still. And nothing came to break the silence.

The Emperor longed for something to come and relieve the monotony of
this deathlike stillness. If only someone would speak to him! If only
someone would sing to him. Music would carry his thoughts away, and
would break the spell lying on him. The moon was streaming in at the
open window; but that, too, was silent, quite silent.

'Music! music!' cried the Emperor. 'You little bright golden bird, sing!
do sing! I gave you gold and jewels; I have hung my gold slipper round
your neck with my own hand--sing! do sing!' But the bird was silent.
There was no one to wind it up, and so it could not sing. And all was
silent, so terribly silent!

All at once there came in at the window the most glorious burst of song.
It was the little living Nightingale, who, sitting outside on a bough,
had heard the need of her Emperor and had come to sing to him of comfort
and hope. And as she sang the blood flowed quicker and quicker in the
Emperor's weak limbs, and life began to return.

'Thank you, thank you!' said the Emperor. 'You divine little bird!
I know you. I chased you from my kingdom, and you have given me life
again! How can I reward you?'

'You have done that alread