ight and glancing as the scales of a beetle. In
his mite of a hand was a cap, out of which stuck a long pointed feather.
Two specks of tears stood on his cheeks and he fixed on Toinette a
glance so sharp and so sad that it made her feel sorry and frightened
and confused all at once.

"Why how funny this is!" she said, speaking to herself out loud.

"Not at all," replied the little man, in a voice as dry and crisp as the
chirr of a grasshopper. "Anything but funny. I wish you wouldn't use
such words. It hurts my feelings, Toinette."

"Do you know my name, then?" cried Toinette, astonished. "That's
strange. But what is the matter? Why are you crying so, little man?"

"I'm not a little man. I'm an elf," responded the dry voice; "and I
think you'd cry if you had an engagement out to tea, and found yourself
spiked on a great bayonet, so that you couldn't move an inch. Look!" He
turned a little as he spoke and Toinette saw a long rosethorn sticking
through the back of the green robe. The little man could by no means
reach the thorn, and it held him fast prisoner to the place.

"Is that all? I'll take it out for you," she said.

"Be careful--oh, be careful," entreated the little man. "This is my new
dress, you know--my Christmas suit, and it's got to last a year. If
there is a hole in it, Peascod will tickle me and Bean Blossom tease,
till I shall wish myself dead." He stamped with vexation at the thought.

"Now, you mustn't do that," said Toinette, in a motherly tone, "else
you'll tear it yourself, you know." She broke off the thorn as she
spoke, and gently drew it out. The elf anxiously examined the stuff. A
tiny puncture only was visible and his face brightened.

"You're a good child," he said. "I'll do as much for you some day,
perhaps."

"I would have come before if I had seen you," remarked Toinette,
timidly. "But I didn't see you a bit."

"No, because I had my cap on," cried the elf. He placed it on his head
as he spoke, and hey, presto! nobody was there, only a voice which
laughed and said: "Well--don't stare so. Lay your finger on me now."

"Oh," said Toinette, with a gasp. "How wonderful. What fun it must be to
do that. The children wouldn't see me. I should steal in and surprise
them; they would go on talking, and never guess that I was there. I
should so like it. Do elves ever lend their caps to anybody? I wish
you'd lend me yours. It must be so nice to be invisible."

"Ho," cried the elf, appearing su