“I can't bear to see any more,”she said.“I must get out of this drawer at once.”But when they got back to the floor and looked up at the table,they saw the old Chinaman was wide awake now.Not only his head,but his whole body rocked forward.The lower part of his body was one solid piece,you see.
“The old Chainman's coming!”cried the little Shepherdess,who was so upset that she fell down on her porcelain knees.
“I have an idea,”said the chimney-sweeper.“We'll hide in the pot-pourri vase in the corner.There we can rest upon rose petals and lavender,and when he finds us we can throw salt in his eyes.”
“It's no use,”she said.“Besides,I know the pot-pourri vase was once the old Chainman's sweetheart,and where there used to be love a little affection is sure to remain.No,there's nothing for us to do but to run away into the big wide world.”
“Are you really so brave that you'd go into the wide world with me?”asked the chimney-sweep.“Have you thought about how big it is,and that we can never come back here?”
“I have,”she said.
The chimney-sweep looked her straight in the face and said,“My way lies up through the chimney.Are you really so brave that you'll come with me into the stove,and crawl through the stovepipe?It will take us to the chimney.Once we get there,I'll know what to do.We shall climb so high that they'll never catch us,and at the very top there's an opening into the big wide world.”
He led her to the stove door.
“It looks very black in there,”she said.But she let him lead her through the stove and through the stovepipe,where it was pitch-black night.
“Now we've come to the chimney,”he said.“And see!See how the bright star shines over our heads.”
A real star,high up in the heavens,shone down as if it wished to show them the way.They clambered and scuffled,for it was hard climbing and terribly steep-way,way up high!But he lifted her up,held her safe,and found the best places for her little porcelain feet.At last they reached the top of the chimney,where they sat down.For they were so tired,and no wonder!
Overhead was the starry sky,and spread before them were all the housetops in the town.They looked out on the big wide world.The poor shepherdess had never thought it would be like that.She flung her little head against the chimney-sweep,and sobbed so many tears that the gilt washed off her sash.
“This is too much,”she said.“I can't bear it.The wide world is too big.Oh!If I only were back on my table under the mirror.I'll never be happy until I stand there again,just as before.I followed you faithfully out into the world,and if you love me the least bit you'll take me right home.”
The chimney-sweep tried to persuade her that it wasn't sensible to go back.He talked to her about the old Chinaman,and of General-Headquarters-Hindquarters-Gives-Orders-Front-and-Rear-Sergeant-Billygoat-Legs,but she sobbed so hard and kissed her chimney-sweep so much that he had to do as she said,though he thought it was the wrong thing to do.
So back down the chimney they climbed with great difficulty,and they crawled through the wretched stovepipe into the dark stove.Here they listened behind the door,to find out what was happening in the room.Everything seemed quiet,so they opened the door and-oh,what a pity!There on the floor lay the Chinaman,in three pieces.When he had come running after them,he tumbled off the table and smashed.His whole back had come off in one piece,and his head had rolled into the corner.General-Headquarters-Hindquarters-Gives-Orders-Front-and-Rear-Sergeant-Billygoat-Legs was standing where he always stood,looking thoughtful.
“Oh,dear,”said the little shepherdess,“poor old grandfather is all broken up,and it's entirely our fault.I shall never live through it.”She wrung her delicate hands.
“He can be patched,”said the chimney-sweep.“He can be riveted.Don't be so upset about him.A little glue for his back and a strong rivet in his neck,and he will be just as good as new,and just as disagreeable as he was before.”
“Will he,really?”she asked,as they climbed back to their old place on the table.
“Here we are,”said the chimney-sweep.“Back where we started from.We could have saved ourselves a lot of trouble.”
“Now if only old grandfather were mended,”said the little shepherdess.“Is mending terribly expensive?”
He was mended well enough.The family had his back glued together,and a strong rivet put through his neck.That made him as good as new,except that never again could he nod his head.
“It seems to me that you have grown haughty since your fall,though I don't see why you should be proud of it,”General-Headquarters-Hindquarters-Gives-Orders-Front-and-Rear-Sergeant-Billygoat-Legs complained.“Am I to have her,or am I not?”
The chimney-sweep and the little shepherdess looked so pleadingly at the old Chinaman,for they were deathly afraid he would nod.But he didn't.He couldn't.And neither did he care to tell anyone that,forever and a day,he'd have to wear a rivet in his neck.
So the little porcelain people remained together.They thanked goodness for the rivet in grandfather's neck,and they kept on loving each other until the day they broke.
