The Neighboring Families

"Where is the house?" they said. "Where is the nest? Twit! It's all burnt, and our strong brother is burnt, too! That's what he got for keeping the nest. Those roses escaped well! They're still standing there with red red cheeks. They don't mourn over their neighbors' misfortunes. I won't speak to them; and it's ugly here - that's my opinion!" So they flew away.

When autumn came, there was a beautiful sunshiny day; one would have thought it was in the middle of the summer. It was so dry and clean in the courtyard before the great steps at the manor house, and there walked the doves, both black and white, and violet, glistening in the sunshine. The old dove mothers waddled about and said to their children, "Stand in groups! Stand in groups!" For that made them look better.

"What are those little gray birds that run about among us?" asked an old dove who had red and green in her eyes. "Little gray ones! Little gray ones!" she repeated.

"Those are sparrows, modest creatures. We have always been known to be good-natured, so we let them pick up a little of our corn. They don't talk to us, and they scrape so politely with their legs."

Yes, they scraped, three times with the left leg, and then said "twit!" and thus they recognized each other; they were three of the sparrows from the burnt house. "It is very good to eat here," said the sparrows.

The doves walked about among themselves, carrying themselves proudly, and had private opinions to exchange. "See that crop pigeon?" said one about another. "Do you see her and how she devours the peas? She gets too many! She gets the best! Coo, coo! See how bald she's getting in her crest! See that ugly, wicked creature! Coo, coo!" And then the eyes of them all gleamed red with malice. "Stand in groups, stand in groups! Little gray birds! Little gray ones! Coo! Coo! Coo!" So it went on unceasingly, and so will it still be in a thousand years.

The sparrows ate well, and they heard well. Yes, and they even stood in groups with the others, but that didn't suit them.