Page:The happy prince and other tales.djvu/47

 THE HAPPY PRINCE

dear Prince ! : he murmured, " will you let me kiss your hand ? '

" I am glad that you are going to Egypt at last, little Swallow," said the Prince, " you have stayed too long here ; but you must kiss me on the lips, for I love you."

" It is not to Egypt that I am going," said the Swallow. " I am going to the House of Death. Death is the brother of Sleep, is he not? '

And he kissed the Happy Prince on the lips, and fell down dead at his feet.

At that moment a curious crack sounded inside the statue, as if something had broken. The fact is that the leaden heart had snapped right in two. It certainly was a dreadfully hard frost.

Early the next morning the Mayor was walking in the square below in company with the Town Councillors. As they passed the column he looked up at the statue : " Dear

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