; the black rider appeared
for a moment at the gate, and all grew dark. Only the
eyes of the skulls sent forth their light. The trees began to
crack, the leaves began to rustle, up drove the Baba Yaga.
Vasilissa went out to meet her.

"Is everything done?" asks the Yaga.

"Please to look for yourself, granny!" says Vasilissa.

The Baba Yaga examined everything, was vexed that there
was nothing to be angry about, and said:

"Well, well! very good!"

Afterwards she cried:

"My trusty servants, zealous friends, grind this my wheat!"

There appeared three pairs of hands, which gathered up the
wheat, and carried it out of sight. The Baba Yaga supped, went
to bed, and again gave her orders to Vasilissa:

"Do just the same to-morrow as to-day; only besides that take
out of the bin the poppy seed that is there, and clean the earth
off it grain by grain. Some one or other, you see, has mixed a
lot of earth with it out of spite." Having said this, the hag turned
to the wall and began to snore, and Vasilissa took to feeding her
doll. The doll fed, and then said to her what it had said the
day before:

"Pray to God, and go to sleep. The morning is wiser than the
evening. All shall be done, Vasilissa dear!"

The next morning the Baba Yaga again drove out of the courtyard
in her mortar, and Vasilissa and her doll immediately did
all the work. The hag returned, looked at everything, and cried,
"My trusty servants, zealous friends, press forth oil from the
poppy seed!"

Three pairs of hands appeared, gathered up the poppy seed,
and bore it out of sight. The Baba Yaga sat down to dinner.
She ate, but Vasilissa stood silently by.

"Why don't you speak to me?" said the Baba Yaga; "there
you stand like a dumb creature!"

"I didn't dare," answered Vasilissa; "but if you give me
leave, I should like to ask you about something."

"Ask away; only it isn't every question that brings good.
'Get much to know, and old soon you'll grow.'"

"I only want to ask you, granny, about something I saw. As
I was coming here, I was passed by one riding on a white horse;
he was white himself, and dressed in white. Who was he?"

"That was my bright Day!" answered the Baba Yaga.

"Afterwards there passed me another rider, on a red horse;
red himself, and all in red clothes. Who was he?"

"That was my red Sun!"[191] answered the Baba Yaga.

"And w