The Happy Prince Page #8

The Happy Prince and Other Tales is a collection of stories for children by Oscar Wilde first published in May 1888. It contains five stories: "The Happy Prince", "The Nightingale and the Rose", "The Selfish Giant", "The Devoted Friend", and "The Remarkable Rocket".

• Children

								

What a very stupid thing to do!’

“‘Well, the fact is,’ said Hans, ‘that I was obliged to.  You see the
winter was a very bad time for me, and I really had no money at all to
buy bread with.  So I first sold the silver buttons off my Sunday coat,
and then I sold my silver chain, and then I sold my big pipe, and at last
I sold my wheelbarrow.  But I am going to buy them all back again now.’

“‘Hans,’ said the Miller, ‘I will give you my wheelbarrow.  It is not in
very good repair; indeed, one side is gone, and there is something wrong
with the wheel-spokes; but in spite of that I will give it to you.  I
know it is very generous of me, and a great many people would think me
extremely foolish for parting with it, but I am not like the rest of the
world.  I think that generosity is the essence of friendship, and,
besides, I have got a new wheelbarrow for myself.  Yes, you may set your
mind at ease, I will give you my wheelbarrow.’

“‘Well, really, that is generous of you,’ said little Hans, and his funny
round face glowed all over with pleasure.  ‘I can easily put it in
repair, as I have a plank of wood in the house.’

“‘A plank of wood!’ said the Miller; ‘why, that is just what I want for
the roof of my barn.  There is a very large hole in it, and the corn will
all get damp if I don’t stop it up.  How lucky you mentioned it!  It is
quite remarkable how one good action always breeds another.  I have given
you my wheelbarrow, and now you are going to give me your plank.  Of
course, the wheelbarrow is worth far more than the plank, but true,
friendship never notices things like that.  Pray get it at once, and I
will set to work at my barn this very day.’

“‘Certainly,’ cried little Hans, and he ran into the shed and dragged the
plank out.

“‘It is not a very big plank,’ said the Miller, looking at it, ‘and I am
afraid that after I have mended my barn-roof there won’t be any left for
you to mend the wheelbarrow with; but, of course, that is not my fault.
And now, as I have given you my wheelbarrow, I am sure you would like to
give me some flowers in return.  Here is the basket, and mind you fill it
quite full.’

“‘Quite full?’ said little Hans, rather sorrowfully, for it was really a
very big basket, and he knew that if he filled it he would have no
flowers left for the market and he was very anxious to get his silver
buttons back.

“‘Well, really,’ answered the Miller, ‘as I have given you my
wheelbarrow, I don’t think that it is much to ask you for a few flowers.
I may be wrong, but I should have thought that friendship, true
friendship, was quite free from selfishness of any kind.’

“‘My dear friend, my best friend,’ cried little Hans, ‘you are welcome to
all the flowers in my garden.  I would much sooner have your good opinion
than my silver buttons, any day’; and he ran and plucked all his pretty
primroses, and filled the Miller’s basket.

“‘Good-bye, little Hans,’ said the Miller, as he went up the hill with
the plank on his shoulder, and the big basket in his hand.

“‘Good-bye,’ said little Hans, and he began to dig away quite merrily, he
was so pleased about the wheelbarrow.

“The next day he was nailing up some honeysuckle against the porch, when
he heard the Miller’s voice calling to him from the road.  So he jumped
off the ladder, and ran down the garden, and looked over the wall.

“There was the Miller with a large sack of flour on his back.

“‘Dear little Hans,’ said the Miller, ‘would you mind carrying this sack
of flour for me to market?’

“‘Oh, I am so sorry,’ said Hans, ‘but I am really very busy to-day.  I
have got all my creepers to nail up, and all my flowers to water, and all
my grass to roll.’

“‘Well, really,’ said the Miller, ‘I think that, considering that I am
going to give you my wheelbarrow, it is rather unfriendly of you to
refuse.’

“‘Oh, don’t say that,’ cried little Hans, ‘I wouldn’t be unfriendly for
the whole world’; and he ran in for his cap, and trudged off with the big
sack on his shoulders.

“It was a very hot day, and the road was terribly dusty, and before Hans
had reached the sixth milestone he was so tired that he had to sit down
and rest.  However, he went on bravely, and as last he reached the
market.  After he had waited there some time, he sold the sack of flour
for a very good price, and then he returned home at once, for he was
afraid that if he stopped too late he might meet some robbers on the way.

“‘It has certainly been a hard day,’ said little Hans to himself as he
was going to bed, ‘but I am glad I did not refuse the Miller, for he is
my best friend, and, besides, he is going to give me his wheelbarrow.’

“Early the next morning the Miller came down to get the money for his
sack of flour, but little Hans was so tired that he was still in bed.

“‘Upon my word,’ said the Miller, ‘you are very lazy.  Really,
considering that I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, I think you might
work harder.  Idleness is a great sin, and I certainly don’t like any of
my friends to be idle or sluggish.  You must not mind my speaking quite
plainly to you.  Of course I should not dream of doing so if I were not
your friend.  But what is the good of friendship if one cannot say
exactly what one means?  Anybody can say charming things and try to
please and to flatter, but a true friend always says unpleasant things,
and does not mind giving pain.  Indeed, if he is a really true friend he
prefers it, for he knows that then he is doing good.’

“‘I am very sorry,’ said little Hans, rubbing his eyes and pulling off
his night-cap, ‘but I was so tired that I thought I would lie in bed for
a little time, and listen to the birds singing.  Do you know that I
always work better after hearing the birds sing?’

“‘Well, I am glad of that,’ said the Miller, clapping little Hans on the
back, ‘for I want you to come up to the mill as soon as you are dressed,
and mend my barn-roof for me.’

“Poor little Hans was very anxious to go and work in his garden, for his
flowers had not been watered for two days, but he did not like to refuse
the Miller, as he was such a good friend to him.

“‘Do you think it would be unfriendly of me if I said I was busy?’ he
inquired in a shy and timid voice.

“‘Well, really,’ answered the Miller, ‘I do not think it is much to ask
of you, considering that I am going to give you my wheelbarrow; but of
course if you refuse I will go and do it myself.’

“‘Oh! on no account,’ cried little Hans and he jumped out of bed, and
dressed himself, and went up to the barn.

“He worked there all day long, till sunset, and at sunset the Miller came
to see how he was getting on.

“‘Have you mended the hole in the roof yet, little Hans?’ cried the
Miller in a cheery voice.

“‘It is quite mended,’ answered little Hans, coming down the ladder.

“‘Ah!’ said the Miller, ‘there is no work so delightful as the work one
does for others.’

“‘It is certainly a great privilege to hear you talk,’ answered little
Hans, sitting down, and wiping his forehead, ‘a very great privilege.
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