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Every morning the old Miller went down to Little Hans's garden, and filled his basket with flowers, or filled his pockets with plums and cherries if it was the fruit season, or filled his cart with watercress if it was the season for watercress. "Real friends should have everything in common," the Miller used to say, and Little Hans nodded and smiled, and felt very proud of having a friend with such noble ideas. Sometimes, indeed, the neighbours thought it strange that the rich Miller never gave Little Hans anything in return, though he had a hundred sacks of flour stored in his mill, and six milch cows, and a large flock of woolly sheep; but Hans never troubled his head about these things, and nothing gave him greater pleasure than to listen to all the wonderful things the Miller used to say about the unselfishness of true friendship.
So Little Hans worked away in his garden. During the spring, the summer, and the autumn he was quite happy, but when the winter came, and he had no fruit or flowers to bring to the market, he suffered a good deal from cold and hunger, and often had to go to bed without any supper but a few dried pears or some hard nuts. In the winter, also, he was extremely lonely, as the Miller never came to see him then. "There is no good in my going to see Little Hans as long as the snow lasts," the Miller used to say to his wife, "for when people are in trouble they ought to be left alone, and not be bothered by visitors. That at least is my idea about friendship, and I am sure I am right."