ould not allow it, so they were forced to
remain. Off she flew; but, however, it happened, before she was aware,
she got entangled in a springe of horse-hair, which some boys had set
upon a bough. The horse-hair drew itself tightly round her leg, so
tightly as though it would cut it in two. That was an agony, a fright!
The boys ran to the spot and caught hold of the bird, and that too in
no very gentle manner.

"It's only a sparrow," said they; but they, nevertheless, did not let
her fly, but took her home with them, and every time she cried they
gave her a tap on the beak.

There stood in the farm-yard an old man, who knew how to make
shaving-soap and soap for washing, in square cakes as well as in round
balls. He was a merry, wandering old man. When he saw the sparrow that
the boys had caught, and which, as they said, they did not care about
at all, he asked, "Shall we make something very fine of him?" Mamma
sparrow felt an icy coldness creep over her. Out of the box, in which
were the most beautiful colors, the old man took a quantity of gold
leaf, and the boys were obliged to go and fetch the white of an egg,
with which the sparrow was painted all over; on this the gold was
stuck, and mamma sparrow was now entirely gilded; but she did not
think of adornment, for she trembled in every limb. And the
soap-dealer tore a bit off the lining of his old jacket, cut scollops
in it so that it might look like a cock's comb, and stuck it on the
head of the bird.

"Now, then, you shall see master gold-coat fly," said the old man, and
let the sparrow go, who, in deadly fright, flew off, illumined by the
beaming sun. How she shone! All the sparrows, even a crow, although an
old fellow, were much frightened at the sight; they, however flew on
after him, in order to learn what foreign bird it was.

Impelled by anguish and terror, he flew homewards: he was near falling
exhausted to the earth. The crowd of pursuing birds increased; yes,
some indeed even tried to peck at him.

"Look! there's a fellow! Look! there's a fellow!" screamed they all.

"Look! there's a fellow! Look! there's a fellow!" cried the young
sparrows, as the old one approached the nest. "That, for certain, is a
young peacock; all sorts of colors are playing in his feathers: it
quite hurts one's eyes to look at him, just as our mother told us.
Chirp! chirp! That is the beautiful!" And now they began pecking at
the bird with their little beaks, so that it was qu