decks earth's bosom,
And the heart-leaf foretels the blossom.

Thus God lets all, however low,
In "the first time" a triumph know;
Even in the hour when death impendeth,
And life itself to heaven ascendeth.

HENR WERGELAND.

It was in the beginning of May. A heavy shower of rain had just ceased.
The wind sprang up in the south, blew mild and fresh, and chased herds
of white clouds over the brightening heaven.

The court at Semb, which had been desolate during the rain, now began to
be full of life and movement.

Six ducks paddled up and down with great delight in a puddle of water,
bathing and beautifying themselves.

The chanticleer, called the Knight, scratched in the earth, and
thereupon began to crow merrily, in order to make it known that he had
something nice to invite to, and as two neat grey-speckled hens sprang
towards him, he let first one grain of corn and then another fall out of
his beak, of which, agreeably to a clever hen-instinct, they availed
themselves without ceremony or compliments. How easily the creatures
live!

The turkey-cock was in great perplexity, and had a deal of trouble to
keep his countenance. His white lady had accepted the invitation of the
chanticleer (which she probably thought was general), and sprang forward
as fast as she could with her long legs, and stuck her head between the
two hens to have a share of their treat. The knightly young chanticleer
on this, with some surprise and a certain astonished sound in his
throat, drew himself a little proudly back, but for all that was too
much of the "gentleman" to mortify, in the least, the foreign
presumptuous beauty. But the grey-speckled hens turned their backs upon
her. Her neglected spouse gobbled in full desperation, and swelled
himself out, his countenance flaming with anger, by the side of his
black wife, who was silent, and cast deprecating eyes up to heaven.

By the kitchen-wall, the black cat and her kittens romped amid a
thousand twists and turns; whilst above them the mice, in the
waterspout, peeped peeringly and curiously forth, drank of the
rain-water, snuffed in the fresh air, and afterwards crept quietly again
under the house tiles.

The flies stretched their legs, and began to walk about in the sunshine.

In the court stood a tall ash, in whose top waved a magpie nest. A many
magpies, candidates for the airy palace, made their appearance there,
flew screaming round about, wished to get possess