વાર્તાનું શાસ્ત્ર-૧ Agatha clasped her hands tightly round her neck, as if to save her pearls. She wore them in a chain, and the chain was so long that it passed twice round her neck and them fell in a loop that reached nearly to her waist. er"Oh, must it be my pearls ?" she asked eagerly. "Would nothing else do instead ? I have some very nice things at home-really nice things. I have some lovely toys, and a gold chain, and a pony, and-oh, lots of things. Wouldn't you like some of those ?" es ૧૨૪ "No," said the Wise Man. "I must have the pearls if you want to fly about and sing with a beautiful voice. Nothing else will do. For every pearl you bring me I will give you a feather from the nightingale, the Bird of Shadows." ediwy Agatha went home slowly, still clasping her pearls tightly in her hands. She liked them better than anything she had. She liked to watch the soft lights and shades on them, and to think of the wonderful sea they came from. She did not feel sure that it was worth while to give them up even for the sake of being a bird and learning to sing. But in the evening, when she stood by the tower window as usual, and listened to the nightingale, she had no longer any doubts as to what she should do. To be able to sing like the
