t to it for a meal.

One day they went out into the fields to glean corn, and were chased off
the ground by a cruel bailiff, who ran after them with a heavy whip. The
bailiff, with his long legs, soon overtook the little eight-year-old
Hans, and was about to bring his whip down on the child's shoulders,
when Hans turned round, and looking full at the angry man, exclaimed:
'How dare you strike me when you know God can see you?'

The bailiff was so taken aback at this rebuke from the mouth of a child
that he dropped his whip, and, fumbling in his pocket, produced some
money, which he offered to Hans to make up for his unkindness.

A year or two later a widow wanted some one to read aloud to her, and
Hans got the place. The widow's husband had been a poet, and, as Hans
read out his poems, the boy's ambition was fired.

'I too will be a poet!' he cried, and, on returning home, he at once set
to work and wrote--a tragedy!

The news of this performance spread amongst the neighbours (very likely
the mother boasted of it, as mothers will), and all wished to hear it;
so they came together in one of the larger cottages, and Hans read his
wonderful tragedy to the company, and felt bitterly hurt when the
greater part of them laughed heartily at the play.

Meanwhile the mother was growing poorer and poorer, and Hans had to
leave school, and to try and earn his bread.

[Illustration: "'How dare you strike me when you know God can see
you?'"]

He went to a large factory, and here the workmen, finding Hans had a
good voice and knew many ballads, would get him to sing to them, and to
act scenes for their amusement from the great Danish writer, Holberg,
whilst another of the boys employed in the factory was told off to do
Hans' work for him.

After a time, however, the men tired of Hans and his songs, and he had
to take his place amongst the other boys, who, being jealous of the
notice that had been taken of Hans, led him a sorry life. At last he
could bear their persecution no more, and left the factory--never to
return to it.

The next few months he spent quietly at home, reading eagerly any book
he could get hold of, and specially delighting in a copy of Shakespeare.
The old toy theatre was had out once more, and the puppets were put
through the scenes of the _Merchant of Venice_ and _King Lear_.

After a short time it was decided that Hans was to be apprenticed to a
tailor. Hans, however, had other ambitions than to sit