When autumn arrived, Tiny had her outfit quite ready; and the field-
mouse said to her, “In four weeks the wedding must take place.”
Then Tiny wept, and said she would not marry the disagreeable mole.
“Nonsense,” replied the field-mouse. “Now don’t be obstinate, or I shall
bite you with my white teeth. He is a very handsome mole; the queen
herself does not wear more beautiful velvets and furs. His kitchen and
cellars are quite full. You ought to be very thankful for such good fortune.”
So the wedding-day was fixed, on which the mole was to fetch Tiny away
to live with him, deep under the earth, and never again to see the warm sun,
because he did not like it. The poor child was very unhappy at the thought
of saying farewell to the beautiful sun, and as the field-mouse had given her
permission to stand at the door, she went to look at it once more.
“Farewell bright sun,” she cried, stretching out her arm towards it; and
then she walked a short distance from the house; for the corn had been cut,
and only the dry stubble remained in the fields. “Farewell, farewell,” she
repeated, twining her arm round a little red flower that grew just by her
side. “Greet the little swallow from me, if you should see him again.”
“Tweet, tweet,” sounded over her head suddenly. She looked up, and
there was the swallow himself flying close by. As soon as he spied Tiny, he
was delighted; and then she told him how unwilling she felt to marry the
ugly mole, and to live always beneath the earth, and never to see the bright
sun any more. And as she told him she wept.
“Cold winter is coming,” said the swallow, “and I am going to fly away
into warmer countries. Will you go with me? You can sit on my back, and
fasten yourself on with your sash. Then we can fly away from the ugly mole
and his gloomy rooms,-far away, over the mountains, into warmer
countries, where the sun shines more brightly-than here; where it is always
summer, and the flowers bloom in greater beauty. Fly now with me, dear
little Tiny; you saved my life when I lay frozen in that dark passage.”
“Yes, I will go with you,” said Tiny; and she seated herself on the bird’s
back, with her feet on his outstretched wings, and tied her girdle to one of
