At last , one morning her opportunity came . Her husband had gone to the town some miles away down the mountain , and would not be back for several hours , but before he left he did not forget to open the door of the cage . The sparrow hopped about as usual , twittering happily , and thinking no evil , and all the while the woman 's brow became blacker and blacker , and at length her fury broke out . She threw her broom at the bird , who was perched on a bracket high up on the wall . The broom missed the bird , but knocked down and broke the vase on the bracket , which did not soothe the angry woman . Then she chased it from place to place , and at last had it safe between her fingers , almost as frightened as on the day that it had made its first entrance into the hut . By this time the woman was more furious than ever . If she had dared , she would have killed the sparrow then and there , but as it was she only ventured to slit its tongue . The bird struggled and piped , but there was no one to hear it , and then , crying out loud with the pain , it flew from the house and was lost in the depths of the forest . By-and-bye the old man came back , and at once began to ask for his pet . His wife , who was still in a very bad temper , told him the whole story , and scolded him roundly for being so silly as to make such a fuss over a bird . But the old man , who was much troubled , declared she was a bad , hard-hearted woman , to have behaved so to a poor harmless bird ; then he left the house , and went into the forest to seek for his pet . He walked many hours , whistling and calling for it , but it never came , and he went sadly home , resolved to be out with the dawn and never to rest till he had brought the wanderer back . Day after day he searched and called ; and evening after evening he returned in despair . At length he gave up hope , and made up his mind that he should see his little friend no more . One hot summer morning , the old man was walking slowly under the cool shadows of the big trees , and without thinking where he was going , he entered a bamboo thicket . As the bamboos became thinner , he found himself opposite to a beautiful garden , in the centre of which stood a tiny spick-and-span little house , and out of the house came a lovely maiden , who unlatched the gate and invited him in the most hospitable way to enter and rest . ` Oh , my dear old friend , ' she exclaimed , ` how glad I am you have found me at last ! I am your little sparrow , whose life you saved , and whom you took such care of . ' The old man seized her hands eagerly , but no time was given him to ask any questions , for the maiden drew him into the house , and set food before him , and waited on him herself .
While he was eating , the damsel and her maids took their lutes , and sang and danced to him , and altogether the hours passed so swiftly that the old man never saw that darkness had come , or remembered the scolding he would get from his wife XXXXX returning home so late .
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