ouched it,
it wound itself in his hands into strong cord. He bound the man up with
Babette's assistance, and gagged him with Mother Holle's handkerchief.

The two of them then lugged him into the wood, and tied him up to the
biggest of the fir-trees as Mother Holle had directed. Then they fetched
the magic book and placed it under the uprooted fir-tree, which
instantly stood up again as if nothing had happened, burying the book
beneath its roots.

They looked at the man they had tied up, bound like a martyr to the
tree. He could not curse and swear as his mouth was stopped up; but he
rolled his eyes and squinted so violently that he was horrible to look
at.

Then Rudolf and Babette ran off together. Breathlessly they ran and ran.
Babette was afraid Old Squint-eyes might wriggle out after all; he was
so thin and wiry, and she had no fancy for serving him any more. Not
until they came to a main road through the woods leading to Eppenhain
Castle, did they pause to look at one another.

Then impetuous Babette (she was half a child still, you must remember)
flew at Sir Rudolf and gave him a kiss. She turned red and white when
she realised, what she had done. "I couldn't help it," she said. "You
are such a _dear_. I am so very, very grateful to you for all you have
done for me, an unknown and even unseen maiden."

"Please, don't apologise, dearest lady," he said. "I liked it very, very
much. Won't you give me another?"

"_Never_," said Babette firmly. Subsequent events however caused her to
revoke this determination.

Rudolf did not answer, but offered her his arm, which she took shyly,
glancing at him from time to time out of her deer-like eyes with the
long-fringed lashes. Ragged and untidy as she was, she looked like a
princess; and he in his fine clothes, soiled and torn as they were,
looked nevertheless like a real fairy-tale prince!

He took her straight home to Eppenhain Castle, and you may imagine the
excitement there! The Count clasped Babette in his arms and could hardly
speak for emotion. Then he turned to Rudolf saying: "We shall never be
able to reward you enough."

"I shall only want one reward, and that is the little maiden herself,"
said Rudolf.

The Countess wept and cried over her darling child, and said she would
never scold her any more.

Nurse said: "Well, Miss Babette, you do look a fine sight to be
sure--and to come home with such a pretty young man, too! Come upstairs
with me, and let me