ng walk, they laid themselves down on a bank
of moss among some birches and prepared to have a good night's rest,
so as to be fresh for work next day. But before she went to sleep the
girl turned to her husband, and said: 'If in your dreams you fancy
that you hear strange noises, be sure you do not stir, or get up to
see what it is.'

'Oh, it is not likely we shall hear any noises in such a quiet place,'
answered he, and fell sound asleep.

Suddenly he was awakened by a great clatter about his ears, as if all
the workmen in the world were sawing and hammering and building close
to him. He was just going to spring up and go to see what it meant,
when he luckily remembered his wife's words and lay still. But the
time till morning seemed very long, and with the first ray of sun they
both rose, and pushed aside the branches of the birch trees. There, in
the very place they had chosen, stood a beautiful house--doors and
windows, and everything all complete!

'Now you must fix on a spot for your cow-stalls,' said the girl, when
they had breakfasted off wild cherries; 'and take care it is the
proper size, neither too large nor too small.' And the husband did as
he was bid, though he wondered what use a cow-house could be, as they
had no cows to put in it. But as he was a little afraid of his wife,
who knew so much more than he, he asked no questions.

This night also he was awakened by the same sounds as before, and in
the morning they found, near the stream, the most beautiful cow-house
that ever was seen, with stalls and milk-pails and stools all
complete, indeed, everything that a cow-house could possibly want,
except the cows. Then the girl bade him measure out the ground for a
storehouse, and this, she said, might be as large as he pleased; and
when the storehouse was ready she proposed that they should set off to
pay her parents a visit.

[Illustration: THE ELF MAIDEN'S HOUSE]

The old people welcomed them heartily, and summoned their neighbours,
for many miles round, to a great feast in their honour. In fact, for
several weeks there was no work done on the farm at all; and at
length the young man and his wife grew tired of so much play, and
declared that they must return to their own home. But, before they
started on the journey, the wife whispered to her husband: 'Take care
to jump over the threshold as quick as you can, or it will be the
worse for you.'

The young man listened to her words, and sprang over