place, half resolved to sell it, but she had always conquered the
temptation.

"No, Hans," she would say, "we must be nearer starvation than
this before we turn faithless to the father!"

A memory of some such scene crossed her son's mind now, for,
after giving a heavy sigh, and flipping a crumb of wax at Gretel
across the table, he said, "Aye, Mother, you have done bravely to
keep it--many a one would have tossed it off for gold long ago."

"And more shame for them!" exclaimed the dame indignantly. "I
would not do it. Besides, the gentry are so hard on us poor
folks that if they saw such a thing in our hands, even if we
told all, they might suspect the father of--"

Hans flushed angrily.

"They would not DARE to say such a thing, Mother! If they did,
I'd. . ."

He clenched his fist and seemed to think that the rest of his
sentence was too terrible to utter in her presence.

Dame Brinker smiled proudly through her tears at this
interruption.

"Ah, Hans, thou'rt a true, brave lad. We will never part company
with the watch. In his dying hour the dear father might wake and
ask for it."