only look about, there was so much to be seen.

The court was close to a garden, where everything looked blooming.
Fresh and fragrant roses hung over the little palings. The linden
trees were in blossom; while the swallows flew here and there crying,
"Twit, twit, twit, my mate is coming;" but it was not the fir tree
they meant.

"Now I shall live," cried the tree joyfully, spreading out its
branches; but alas! they were all withered and yellow, and it lay in a
corner amongst weeds and nettles. The star of gold paper still stuck
in the top of the tree, and glittered in the sunshine.

In the same courtyard two of the merry children were playing who had
danced round the tree at Christmas time and had been so happy. The
youngest saw the gilded star and ran and pulled it off the tree. "Look
what is sticking to the ugly old fir tree," said the child, treading
on the branches till they crackled under his boots.

And the tree saw all the fresh, bright flowers in the garden, and
then looked at itself, and wished it had remained in the dark corner
of the garret. It thought of its fresh youth in the forest, of the
merry Christmas evening, and of the little mice who had listened to
the story of Humpty-Dumpty.

"Past! past!" said the poor tree. "Oh, had I but enjoyed myself while
I could have done so! but now it is too late."

Then a lad came and chopped the tree into small pieces, till a large
bundle lay in a heap on the ground. The pieces were placed in the