o fun in you. What do you want of your staff? Stay here in
the woods, and you'll not need one. But you have not told me where you
are going."

All the time he was speaking, the elf had his eyes on the knife; but
Laura was guarded.

"I am going on an errand of charity, and I need my staff; please give it
me. Look what a knife this is"--and she sprung the blade open again;
then, assuming to be weary of waiting, she said, "Well, I must go
without my staff, I suppose. I have lost too much time already.
Good-morning, Mr. Elf. Your honey was very nice; I am much obliged.
Good-morning;" and she turned as if to go.

"Hoity-toity! you _are_ in haste. Well, if you must go, good-bye. Your
staff is on your left-hand side, beneath the very trees before you. But
how will I get the knife now?"

"Here," said Laura, only too glad to regain her precious staff; and
giving the knife a toss on the grass, she ran for her stick. The elf
shouted and danced again, and, shouldering the knife as if it had been a
great bludgeon, he disappeared in the forest, the rabbit-skin dangling
behind his back.

Laura was greatly relieved, and started on her tramp with the resolve
that nothing should hinder or detain her again. All day she kept in the
bed of the brook, as the Motherkin had told her to do, and as it grew
afternoon and the rocks became precipitous it seemed to her that she
could not go farther; but thoughts of the children inspired fresh
courage. Her feet were aching, but as she reached the top of the high
bank which bordered the stream, she espied a little thin curl of blue
smoke rising probably from the very cottage of which she was in search.
Pushing on through brambles and bushes, led by the gentle guidance of
her valuable staff, she at last came to the cottage door, and, with her
heart beating rapidly from excitement and fatigue, gently knocked for
admittance.

CHAPTER VIII.

No answer coming to her knock, Laura pushed the door open, and saw just
the same poor little room Grim had described. There were fagots burning
on the hearth; but though it was so poor and bare, it had an air of
neatness and order as if unused. Even the forlorn little bed of straw
looked as if no one had slept on it. Laura was so disappointed that she
knew not what to do; but, too tired to make any search, she was about
turning away when a light footfall arrested her, and she saw the figure
of a weeping child coming towards the hut. Evidently this was