“Where are you taking me, swallow? What are all those lights down there?”
“The lights of a great city. I am going to show you some pictures.”
“I like pictures,” said the little girl, brightening up at the idea. “I am glad now that I came with you, swallow.”
All in a minute Winifred found herself looking into a pretty garden. There were some little children at play there, one little girl sitting by herself with a book, and two younger boys trying hard to mend a broken toy. It would have been an easy task enough for any more experienced hands, and by-and-by one little fellow looked up and said:
“Please, sister, will you do it for us?”
“Oh, I can’t; I’m busy. You can quite well do it for yourselves.”
The two little fellows returned to their task, but their efforts only made the damage worse, and soon they burst out crying in their disappointment.
“What babies you are!” said the little girl rising, going further away. “You make my head ache with all that noise.”
“What a horrid little girl!” cried warm-hearted Winnie. “Why couldn’t she mend the toy? Anybody could have done it at first. Why doesn’t she go and comfort them? Poor little boys!”
“You see it was such a little thing,” answered the swallow, “only a toy, and only a few tears. It was not worth while troubling over a little thing like that. It would be different if it were something great.”