ropedancers had red-dened her cheeks: indeed, she nearly
rubbed off the skin in trying to wash away its fine brown tint, which
she thought was some deep dye.

Mignon grew more lovely every day. She never walked up and down the
stairs, but jumped. She would spring along by the railing, and before
you knew it, would be sitting quietly above on the landing.

To each one she would speak in a different way. To Wilhelm it was with
her arms crossed upon her breast. Often for a whole day she would not
say one word, and yet in waiting upon Wilhelm she never tired.

One night he came home very weary and sad. Mignon was waiting for him.
She carried the light before him up-stairs. She set the light down
upon the table, and in a little while she asked him if she might
dance.

"It might ease your heart a little," she said.

Wilhelm, to please her, told her that she might.

Then she brought a little carpet, and spread it upon the floor. At
each corner she placed a candle, and on the carpet she put a number of
eggs. She arranged the eggs in the form of certain figures. When this
was done, she called to a man who was waiting with a violin. She tied
a band about her eyes, and then the dancing began.

[Illustration: "And then the dancing began."]

How lightly, quickly, nimbly, wonderfully, she moved! She skipped so
fast among the eggs, she trod so closely beside them, that you would
have thought she must crush them all. But not one of them did she
touch. With all kinds of steps she passed among them. Not one of them
was moved from its place.

Wilhelm forgot all his cares. He watched every motion of the child. He
almost forgot who and where he was.

When the dance was ended, Mignon rolled the eggs together with her
foot into a little heap. Not one was left behind, not one was harmed.
Then she took the band from her eyes, and made a little bow.

Wilhelm thanked her for showing him a dance that was so wonderful and
pretty. He praised her, petted her, and hoped that she had not tired
herself too much.

When she had gone from the room, the man with the violin told Wilhelm
of the care she had taken to teach him the music of the dance. He told
how she had sung it to him over and over again. He told how she had
even wished to pay him with her own money for learning to play it for
her.

There was yet another way in which Mignon tried to please Wilhelm, and
make him forget his cares. She sang to him.

The song which he liked best