iga SWALLOW BROW 



and dancing. " Will he be long in coming ? 

 And will he have a horse, and a sword, and 

 a squire to take off his armour ? " 



" One day he will have a sword, and he 

 will be brave although his heart may be 

 heavy. And when that is over, he will be 

 sad for a long time, but always brave. But 

 that is years to come. Sometimes even now 

 he is sad, for his mother is dead, and his 

 father thinks that he will grow up wild. 

 Yet he is often jolly and naughty, especially 

 with his friends in a wood. His name is 

 Willie, and he is nine years old." 



" I must be beautiful when he sees me," 

 said the child-woman, " or he will go away." 



" He will only go away if you do not 

 want him," twittered the swallow, preening 

 his feathers, " and one day he will need 

 you very badly." 



" Oh, but I shall want my little boy," 

 she said, " and when I meet him I will tell 

 him I'm his friend. But I am ugly," and 

 her eyes filled with tears. 



