’Quite full?’ said little Hans, rather sorrowfully, for it was really a very big basket,
and he knew that if he filled it he would have no flowers left for the market and he
was very anxious to get his silver buttons back.
’Well, really,’ answered the Miller, ‘as I have given you my wheelbarrow, I don’t
think that it is much to ask you for a few flowers. I may be wrong, but I should have
thought that friendship, true friendship, was quite free from selfishness of any kind.’
’My dear friend, my best friend,’ cried little Hans, ‘you are welcome to all the
flowers in my garden. I would much sooner have your good opinion than my silver
buttons, any day’; and he ran and plucked all his pretty primroses, and filled the
Miller ’s basket.
’Good-bye, little Hans,’ said the Miller, as he went up the hill
with the plank on his shoulder, and the big basket in his hand.
’Good-bye,’ said little Hans, and he began to dig away quite
merrily, he was so pleased about the wheelbarrow.
