great white clouds resting on the
Dachberg above her. She seemed so far away, down in this valley and so
alone. But she knew that her father and mother were near, probably
watching her from the hill-top; it was silly to be frightened, she knew
the way so well.

Suddenly something sprang out of the bushes on to the path in front of
her. She gave a great jump, but then so did he and she saw that it was
only an old green frog. He cheered her up at once, and she began to poke
at him with a stick and to sing:

"The frog sits in the rushes,
The funny fat old man,
And sings his evening ditties
As sweetly as he can,
Quark--Quark--Quark."

But as suddenly as he had appeared on the scene, the frog vanished again
with a leap and a bound into the dark waters of the little brook that
ran along by the side of the way.

Then she heard a rustling of the bushes and saw a little red squirrel
peering at her with his bright, inquisitive eyes. Round and round the
tree-trunk he went, enjoying himself thoroughly, and making fun of
Kaethchen, playing peep-bo like a baby.

The sun glowed through the tree trunks. It must be about six o'clock. "I
must hurry up or supper will not be ready when my father and mother come
home," she thought.

She then became aware of the sound of footsteps coming towards her along
the path.

"Probably a peasant from Altenhain," she thought, and was pleased to
think of meeting a friend. But the footsteps sounded strange and light,
more like the pattering of raindrops through leaves, and then for a
moment, she turned giddy; it seemed to her as if the trees were really
rushing past her, as they seem to do when we look at them out of a
railway carriage. One of the young oak trees seemed to be running
towards her down the path; but as she looked more closely, and her head
became steadier, she saw that it was a boy a little older than herself,
who came running towards her, and very queer he looked.

He had a great mass of brown curly hair tumbling about his head; green
ears--it seemed to her, _could_ it be possible? No, it must be that he
had stuck oak leaves into his curly locks for ornament, pretty oak
leaves tinged with soft red. Moreover he had the bluest and strangest
eyes she had ever seen. They shone like wonderful jewels at one moment,
and then turned dull and opaque and looked almost dead. He had on rough
green trousers, and a white shirt with yellow embroidered braces; his
feet were b