l aloud. "I must make sure," she said
to herself, "before he comes back. To-night White Birch will have to let
him go."

So she gathered as many dry pieces of wood as she could find, and made
them into a pile near at hand; and setting them alight, she soon had a
brisk fire burning.

Before long she heard the sound of feet in the brushwood, and there came
Fair Brother, running as hard as he could go, with the breath sobbing in
and out of his body.

Little Sister sprang out to meet him, but as soon as he saw her he beat
with his hands and feet against the tree, crying, "White Birch, White
Birch, lift the latch up, or she will catch me!"

But before the tree could open Little Sister had caught hold of the
birch shoes, and pulled them off his feet, and running towards the fire
she thrust them into the red heart of the embers.

The white birch shivered from head to foot, and broke into lamentable
shrieks. The witch thrust her head out of the tree, crying, "Don't,
don't! You are burning my skin! Oh, cruel! how you are burning me!"

"I have not burned you enough yet," cried Little Sister; and raking the
burning sticks and faggots over the ground, she heaped them round the
foot of the white birch-tree, whipping the flames to make them leap
high.

The witch drew in her head, but inside she could be heard screaming.
As the flames licked the white bark she cried, "Oh, my skin! You are
burning my skin. My beautiful white skin will be covered with nothing
but blisters. Do you know that you are ruining my complexion?"

But Little Sister said, "If I make you ugly you will not be able to show
your face again to deceive the innocent, and to ruin hearts that were
happy."

So she piled on sticks and faggots till the outside of the birch-tree
was all black and scarred and covered with blisters, marks of which have
remained to this day. And inside, the witch could be heard dancing time
to the music of the flames, and crying because of her ruined complexion.

Then Little Sister stooped and took up Fair Brother in her arms. "You
cannot walk now," she whispered, "I have taken away your feet; so I will
carry you."

He was so starved and thin that he was not very heavy, and all the long
way home Little Sister carried him in her arms. How happy they were,
looking in each other's eyes by the clear light of the moon! "Can you
ever be happy again in the old way?" asked Little Sister. "Shall you not
want to run?"

"No," answered Fair