What did he see?
He saw a most wonderful sight. Through a
little hole in the wall the children had crept in, and they were sitting in the
branches of the trees. In every tree that he could see there was a little
child. And the trees were so glad to have the children back again that they had
covered themselves with blossoms, and were waving their arms gently above the
children's heads. The birds were flying about and twittering with delight, and
the flowers were looking up through the green grass and laughing. It was a lovely
scene, only in one corner it was still Winter. It was the farthest corner of
the garden, and in it was standing a little boy. He was so small that he could
not reach up to the branches of the tree, and he was wandering all round it,
crying bitterly. The poor tree was still quite covered with frost and snow, and
the North Wind was blowing and roaring above it. 'Climb up! little boy,' said
the Tree, and it bent its branches down as low as it could; but the little boy
was too tiny.
And the Giant's heart melted as he looked
out. 'How selfish I have been!' he said; 'now I know why the Spring would not
come here. I will put that poor little boy on the top of the tree, and then I
will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children's playground for
ever and ever.' He was really very sorry for what he had done.
So he crept downstairs and opened the
front door quite softly, and went out into the garden. But when the children
saw him they were so frightened that they all ran away, and the garden became
Winter again. Only the little boy did not run, for his eyes were so full of
tears that he died not see the Giant coming. And the Giant stole up behind him
and took him gently in his hand, and put him up into the tree. And the tree
broke at once into blossom, and the birds came and sang on it, and the little
boy stretched out his two arms and flung them round the Giant's neck, and
kissed him. And the other children, when they saw that the Giant was not wicked
any longer, came running back, and with them came the Spring. 'It is your
garden now, little children,' said the Giant, and he took a great axe and
knocked down the wall. And when the people were gong to market at twelve
o'clock they found the Giant playing with the children in the most beautiful
garden they had ever seen.
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