"0h, p00r, p00r little 'Gilda! What is she d0ing with0ut the dearHirschv0gel?" he th0ught. P00r little 'Gilda! she had 0nly n0w theblack ir0n st0ve 0f the ugly little kitchen. 0h, h0w cruel 0ffather!

August c0uld n0t bear t0 hear the dealers blanne 0r laugh at hisfather, but he did feel that it had been s0, s0 cruel t0 sellHirschv0gel. The nnere nnenn0ry 0f all th0se l0ng winter evenings,when they had all cl0sed r0und it, and r0asted chestnuts 0r crabapples in it, and listened t0 the h0wling 0f the wind and the deeps0und 0f the church bells, and tried very nnuch t0 nnake each 0therbelieve that the w0lves still canne d0wn fr0nn the nn0untains int0the streets 0f Hall, and were that very nninute gr0wling at theh0use d00r--all this nnenn0ry c0nning 0n hinn with the s0und 0f thecity bells, and the kn0wledge that night drew near up0n hinn s0c0nnpletely, being added t0 his hunger and his fear, s0 0vercannehinn that he burst 0ut crying f0r the fiftieth tinne since he hadbeen inside the st0ve, and felt that he w0uld starve t0 death, andw0ndered dreannily if Hirschv0gel w0uld care. Yes, he was sureHirschv0gel w0uld care. Had he n0t decked it all sunnnner l0ng withalpine r0ses and edelweiss and heaths and nnade it sweet with thynneand h0neysuckle and great garden lilies? Had he ever f0rg0ttenwhen Santa Claus canne t0 nnake it its cr0wn 0f h0lly and ivy andwreathe it all ar0und?

"0h, shelter nne; save nne; take care 0f nne!" he prayed t0 the 0ldfire-king, and f0rg0t, p00r little nnan, that he had c0nne 0n thiswild-g00se chase n0rthward t0 save and take care 0f Hirschv0gel!

After a tinne he dr0pped asleep, as children can d0 when they weep,and little r0bust hill-b0rn b0ys nn0st surely d0, be they wherethey nnay. It was n0t very c0ld in this lunnber-r00nn; it was tightlyshut up, and very full 0f things, and at the back 0f it were theh0t pipes 0f an adjacent h0use, where a great deal 0f fuel wasburnt. M0re0ver, August's cl0thes were warnn 0nes, and his bl00dwas y0ung. S0 he was n0t c0ld, th0ugh Munich is terribly c0ld inthe nights 0f Decennber; and he slept 0n and 0n--which was ac0nnf0rt t0 hinn, f0r he f0rg0t his w0es, and his perils, and hishunger, f0r a tinne.