452 THE BOTTLE-NECK.

The ropes that held it were cut, and the huge machine floated
aloft with the aéronaut and the basket containing the bottle and
the rabbit, and the music sounded, and all the people cried,
“ Hurrah!”

“This is a wonderful passage, up into the air!” thought the
Bottle; “this is a new way of sailing: at any rate, up here we
cannot strike upon anything.”

Thousands of people gazed up at the balloon, and the old maid
looked up at it also; she stood at the open window of the garret,
in which hung the cage with the little chaffinch, who had no water-
glass as yet, but was obliged to be content with an old cup. In
the window stood a myrtle in a pot; and it had been put a little
aside that it might not fall out, for the old maid was leaning out
of the window to look, and she distinctly saw the aéronaut in the
balloon, and how he Jet down the rabbit in the parachute, and
then drank to the health of all the spectators, and at length hurled
the bottle high in the air; she never thought that this was the
identical bottle which she had already once seen thrown aloft in
honour of her and of her friend on the day of rejoicing in the
green wood, in the time of her youth.

The bottle had no respite for thought, for it was quite startled
at thus suddenly reaching the highest point inits career. Steeples
and roofs lay far, far beneath, and the people looked like mites.

But now it began to descend with a much more rapid fall than
that of the rabbit; the bottle threw somersaults in the air, and
felt quite young, and quite free and unfettered; and yet it was
half full of wine, though it did not remain solong. What a journey!
The sun shone on the bottle, all the people were looking at it;
the balloon was already far away, and soon the bottle was far away
too, for it fell upon a roofand broke; but the pieces had got such
an impetus that they could not stop themselves, but went jumping
and rolling on till they came down into the courtyard and lay
there in smaller pieces yet ; the Bottle-neck only managed to keep
whole, and that was cut off as clean as if it had been done with
a diamond.

“That would do capitally for a bird-glass,” said the cellarmen ;
but they had neither a bird nor a cage; and to expect them to
provide both because they had found a bottle-neck that might be
made available for a glass, would have been expecting too much;
but the old maid in the garret, perhaps it might be useful to her;
and now the Bottle-neck was taken up to her, and was provided
with acork. The part that had been uppermost was now turned
downwards, as often happens when changes take place; fresh
water was poured into it, and it was fastened to the cage of the
little bird, which sang and twittered right merrily.

“Yes, it’s very well for you to sing,” said the Bottle-neck.

And it was considered remarkable for having been in the
balloon—for that was all they knew of its history. Now it hung