the children walked a quarter of a league down to the
crossing of the brook to meet her, and hear the fate of their venture.
But the poor woman could only tell them that the work was admired, but
that she had not succeeded in selling any of it. That night they went to
bed more than ever disheartened. The next day, their mother carried their
trinkets to town again, and when she returned they were delighted to know
that some of them had sold for a few pence, and that a lady had sent an
order for some mosses to make a moss-basket with.

"We'll make the basket ourselves," exclaimed Rudolph, and the next day
they gathered the mosses, and Rudolph and his sister worked nearly all
night framing a basket of twigs, and fitting in the different colored
mosses. What was their delight when they learned that the lady had paid a
good price for the basket.

It was still up-hill work to live. Sometimes the trinkets sold and
sometimes they did not. But Rudolph kept whittling away, and his sister
soon became a good whittler, too. Besides, she often sewed little
pin-cushions in the nut shells, and did other things by which her little
brown fingers were quite as useful as Rudolph's. But often they were
discouraged by complete failure to sell.

There was a fair to take place some time later, and Rudolph and Theresa
worked hard making swinging baskets and nut-shell boats for the fair. And
as the poor mother was fairly broken down, and could not go to the city,
they had not to pick berries, but could spend all their time making their
little articles. They even made little faces out of the nut shells. At
last came the day of the fair; and, alas! the poor mother was still sick,
while the father was not able to move out of his chair for rheumatism.
This was a sad disappointment, but Rudolph had often been to the city
with his mother, and he resolved to take Theresa and go himself. As the
food was out, the parents could not refuse, and the two children climbed
up on the donkey and set out. It was a wearisome and anxious day to the
parents. At last, when evening came, there came no returning children.
But an hour after dark the donkey stopped before the door, and Rudolph
and his sister came joyfully in to tell the day's adventures. Very happy
were the parents to learn of their complete success. And now the children
went regularly to the weekly markets or fairs, and had a stall of their
own. Their constant whittling made them more and more skilful,