"Oh, indeed I can't," said Lolo, "he is my own Moufflou, and I cannot
let you have him."

The little boy was so unhappy and cried so bitterly that Lolo was very
sorry to see him, and he went quickly down the stairs with Moufflou.
The gentleman gave him more money this time, and he was so excited and
so glad that he went very fast all the way home, swinging himself over
the stones on his little crutch. But when he opened the door, there
was his mother crying as if her heart would break, and all the
children were crying in a corner, and even Tasso was home from his
work, looking very unhappy.

"Oh! what is the matter?" cried Lolo. But no one answered him, and
Moufflon, seeing them all so sad, sat down and threw up his nose in
the air and howled a long, sad howl. By and by one of the children
told Lolo that at last Tasso had been chosen to be a soldier, and that
he must soon go away to the war. The poor mother said, crying, that
she did not know what would become of her little children through the
long, cold winter.

Lolo showed her his money, but she was too unhappy even to care for
that, and so by and by he went to his bed with Moufflou. The dog had
always slept at Lolo's feet, but this night he crept close up by the
side of his little master, and licked his hand now and then to show
that he was sorry.

The next morning Lolo and Moufflon went with Tasso to the gardens
where he worked, and all the way along the bright river and among the
green trees they talked together of what they should do when Tasso had