To her surprise , three little doves were sitting on the handle , all of them looking very sad . ` You poor little things , ' said the girl , stroking them . ` Why do you sit there and get wet ? Go and fly home to your nest , it will be much warmer than this ; but first eat this bread , which I saved from my dinner , and perhaps you will feel happier . It is my father 's axe you are sitting on , and I must take it back as fast as I can , or I shall get a terrible scolding from my stepmother . ' She then crumbled the bread on the ground , and was pleased to see the doves flutter quite cheerfully towards it . ` Good-bye , ' she said , picking up the axe , and went her way homewards . By the time they had finished all the crumbs the doves felt must better , and were able to fly back to their nest in the top of a tree . ` That is a good girl , ' said one ; ' I really was too weak to stretch out a wing before she came . I should like to do something to show how grateful I am . ' ` Well , let us give her a wreath of flowers that will never fade as long as she wears it , ' cried another . ` And let the tiniest singing birds in the world sit amongst the flowers , ' rejoined the third . ` Yes , that will do beautifully , ' said the first . And when the girl stepped into her cottage a wreath of rosebuds was on her head , and a crowd of little birds were singing unseen . The father , who was sitting by the fire , thought that , in spite of her muddy clothes , he had never seen his daughter looking so lovely ; but the stepmother and the other girl grew wild with envy . ` How absurd to walk about on such a pouring night , dressed up like that , ' she remarked crossly , and roughly pulled off the wreath as she spoke , to place it on her own daughter . As she did so the roses became withered and brown , and the birds flew out of the window . ` See what a trumpery thing it is ! ' cried the stepmother ; ` and now take your supper and go to bed , for it is near upon midnight . ' But though she pretended to despise the wreath , she longed none the less for her daughter to have one like it .
Now it happened that the next evening the father , who had been alone XXXXX the forest , came back a second time without his axe .
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