our horses. There were four servants standing near.

"What a lovely sleigh!" exclaimed Paulina.

"Yes, I wonder where they are going. I will ask them," the stranger
said. He went nearer the men and spoke to them.

"We are driving for our master to Igorhof," they said.

"Why, that is where my daughter is. If I might only ride with you, I
could spend Christmas with her. Tomorrow is Christmas day, you know.
And, little one, you could spend Christmas with us, too."

"O, no," said Paulina. "I could not take the time. I must hurry on to
my father. But it would be lovely if we could only ride in this
beautiful sleigh."

"You could spend the night with us, and then we could set you on your
way, because you have been so kind to me," the man told her.

The servants were willing to let them ride in the beautiful sleigh,
and soon they were speeding over the snow toward the great city. Once,
the stranger took a scarf from a pocket on the side of the sleigh and
threw it about his neck. Paulina frowned, and promptly placed it back
in the pocket.

"It isn't right for you to touch anything in the sleigh. It belongs to
someone else. I am beginning to fear that you may not be an honest
man," she said gravely.

The stranger laughed at her, but he did not take the scarf again. They
sped on over the snow until, as darkness fell, they reached the city.
Soon they entered a large courtyard, and the stranger took Paulina's
hand and led her into a narrow passageway, and up a small winding
stairway.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Paulina. "I feel almost sure now,
that you are not an honest man. I think that you may even be a thief!"

The man laughed again.

"No, I am an honest man. You will believe me when you see my little
daughter. I trusted you in the forest. Now you trust me."

He led her into a large room, and they sat down upon a sofa.

"We will wait here until my daughter comes," he said.

Soon the door opened, and a beautiful little girl, about as large as
Paulina, came toward them. She looked puzzled when she saw the
rough-looking man with the little girl. She went close to the stranger
and looked into his face.

"It _is_ my father!" she cried, and threw her arms around his neck.

"But why are you dressed like a peasant? Has there been an accident?
And who is this little stranger?"

The man took her on his lap and told her how his sleigh had been
overturned in the storm, and how he had found his way to a peasant's