er
went out, and soon returned accompanied by a little old man, whose beard
was longer than himself.[140] The old man made a bow, and stood waiting
at the door. The lady pointed to Elsie, and said, "Look at this little
peasant girl; I am going to adopt her as my foster-child. Make me an
image of her, which we can send to the village to-morrow in her stead."
The old man looked at Elsie sharply, as if to take her measure, bowed to
the lady again, and left the room. After dinner the lady said kindly to
Elsie, "Kiisike has asked me to keep you here as a companion for her,
and you said yourself that you would like to stay with us. Is this
really so?" Elsie fell on her knees, and kissed the hands and feet of
the lady in gratitude for her deliverance from her cruel stepmother. But
the lady raised her from the ground, stroked her head and her tearful
cheeks, and said, "If you are always a good and diligent child, it shall
fare well with you. I will take care of you, and you shall be carefully
instructed in everything useful till you are grown up, and are able to
shift for yourself. My governess, who teaches Kiisike, shall teach you
all kinds of fine work, and other things besides."

After a time the old man came back with a long trough on his shoulder
filled with clay, and a covered basket in his left hand. He set them
down on the ground, and took a piece of clay, which he moulded into a
doll. The body was hollow, and he put three salt herrings and a bit of
bread into it. Then he made a hole in the breast of the doll, took a
black snake a yard long from the basket, and made it creep through. The
snake hissed and lashed its tail as if it resisted, but he forced it
through the hole. After the lady had carefully inspected the doll on all
sides, the old man said, "We want nothing more now but a drop of the
peasant girl's blood." Elsie turned pale with terror when she heard
this, for she thought that her soul was sold to the Evil One. But the
lady comforted her and said, "Fear nothing. We don't want your blood for
any evil purpose, but for a good end, and for your future happiness."
Then she took a small gold needle, and pricked Elsie's arm, after which
she gave the needle to the old man, who thrust it into the heart of the
doll. Then he put the doll into the basket to grow, and promised to show
the lady the result of his work next morning. Then they retired to rest,
and a chambermaid showed Elsie to a room where she found a soft bed