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 pine away while I was gone. I've thought of you every minute, too, and couldn't stay away from you any longer."

"Don't make a fool of yourself," answered the barn-cat crustily.

"Come, let's proceed to business," said Mrs. Polly, her quick eye interrupting a very loving glance that the sparrow was bestowing on the barn-cat. "What have you seen and heard about the child Nancy?"

"I've both seen and heard her," answered the sparrow. "She confides all her troubles to me, but she thinks I can't understand a word she tells me; and when I've told her how sorry I am for her and what we're going to do for her, she often says, 'What a pretty little song that was, Billy! it seems as if you wanted to comfort me.'"

"Well, how is she getting on?" asked Mrs. Polly.

"Worse than ever. She has to walk very far to sell her matches, to places where