rdered the old woman, and tied the child with
a rope to the board. "If you are quiet, I'll give you a honey-cake
by-and-bye, and let you play with the young chickens."

The child was quiet, and a soft smile of delight and hope sparkled in
his pretty eyes. His little hand caught the dress of the old woman, and
with the sweetest coaxing tone, which God bestows on the innocent voices
of children, he said:

"I will be as still as a mouse, and no one shall know that I am here;
but if you give me the honeycake you will untie me for a little, and let
me go to Uarda."

"She is ill!--what do you want there?"

"I would take her the cake," said the child, and his eyes glistened with
tears.

The old woman touched the child's chin with her finger, and some
mysterious power prompted her to bend over him to kiss him. But before
her lips had touched his face she turned away, and said, in a hard tone:

"Lie still! by and bye we will see." Then she stooped, and threw a brown
sack over the child. She went back into the open air, greeted Nemu,
entertained him with milk, bread and honey, gave him news of the girl
who had been run over, for he seemed to take her misfortune very much to
heart, and finally asked:

"What brings you here? The Nile was still narrow when you last found
your way to me, and now it has been falling some time.

[This is the beginning of November. The Nile begins slowly to rise
early in June; between the 15th and 20th of July it suddenly swells
rapidly, and in the first half of October, not, as was formerly
supposed, at the end of September, the inundation reaches its
highest level. Heinrich Barth established these data beyond
dispute. After the water has begun to sink it rises once more in
October and to a higher level than before. Then it soon falls, at
first slowly, but by degrees quicker and quicker.]

Are you sent by your mistress, or do you want my help? All the world is
alike. No one goes to see any one else unless he wants to make use of
him. What shall I give you?"

"I want nothing," said the dwarf, "but--"

"You are commissioned by a third person," said the witch, laughing. "It
is the same thing. Whoever wants a thing for some one else only thinks
of his own interest."

"May be," said Nemu. "At any rate your words show that you have not
grown less wise since I saw you last--and I am glad of it, for I want
your advice."

"Advice is cheap. What is going on out there?" Ne