of a church tower. The iron railing looks like the gate of an old family vault, and has brass knobs as well. It makes one feel quite ashamed." Just opposite were also some new and fresh-looking houses, and they were of the same opinion as the others, but here at the window of one of them sat a little boy with fresh, rosy cheeks and clear, bright eyes. He liked the old house best of all, both by sunshine and by moonlight, and when he looked over at the wall where the plaster had fallen otf, he would sit and imagine the most wonderful pictures of what the street had looked like in former days, with steps, bow-windows, aad pointed gables; he could see soldiers with halberds, and gutters and spouts that looked like dragons and serpents. That was certainly a house worth looking at ! Over there lived an old man who wore shag trousers, a coat with large brass buttons, and a wig which any one could see was a real one. Every morning an old man came to the house to clean the rooms and go errands, otherwise the old man in the shag trousers was quite alone in the old house. Sometimes he would come to the windows and look out, when the little boy would nod to him, and the old man nodded in return, and thus they were acquainted and became friends, although they had never spoken to each other ; but that was of no consequence. The little boy heard his parents say: "The old man over there is very well off, but he must be terribly lonely." Next Sunday the little boy wrapped up something in a piece of paper, went down to the gate, and when the man who went errands came past he said to him, "Here ! will you give this to the old man over there from me ? I have two tin soldiers, and this is one of them ; he shall have it, for I know he is so terribly lonely." And the old man looked quite pleased, nodded his head, and carried the tin soldier across to the old house. Afterward a message came asking if the little boy would not like to come across himself on a visit ; and this he got permission from his parents to do, and thus it was he came to enter the old house. And the brass knobs on the railing leading up the steps shone much brighter than usual ; one would think they had been polished in honor of the visit, and it seemed as if the trumpeters standing on tulips which were carved on the door were blowing with all their might, their cheeks looking much rounder than usual. They blew: " Taratantarra ! the little boy is coming! taratantarra!" — and then the door was opened. The whole of the hall was hung with old portraits — knights in armor and ladies in silk gowns; the armor rattled and the silk gowns rustled. And then came some more steps which led up, and then a few steps which led down, and then one came to a balcony which was in rather a rickety condition with large holes and long crevices, through all of which grass and leaves were growing, for the wall and the whole of the balcony which
