ture and Betushka, sitting down under a tree,
began to spin and sing. When the sun pointed to noon, she laid her
spindle on the grass, gave the goats a mouthful of bread, gathered
some strawberries, ate her luncheon, and then, giving the crumbs to
the birds, she said cheerily:

"Today, my little goats, I will dance for you!"

She jumped up, folded her arms, and was about to see whether she could
move as gracefully as the beautiful maiden, when the maiden herself
stood before her.

"Let us dance together," she said. She smiled at Betushka, put her
arm about her, and as the music above their heads began to play, they
whirled round and round with flying feet. Again Betushka forgot the
spindle and the goats. Again she saw nothing but the beautiful maiden
whose body was lithe as a willow shoot. Again she heard nothing but
the enchanting music to which her feet danced of themselves.

They danced from noon till sundown. Then the maiden paused and the
music ceased. Betushka looked around. The sun was already set behind
the woods. She clasped her hands to her head and looking down at the
unfilled spindle she burst into tears.

"Oh, what will my mother say?" she cried.

"Give me your little basket," the maiden said, "and I will put
something in it that will more than make up for today's stint."

Betushka handed her the basket and the maiden took it and vanished. In
a moment she was back. She returned the basket and said:

"_Look not inside until you're home!
Look not inside until you're home!_"

As she said these words she was gone as if a wind had blown her away.

Betushka wanted awfully to peep inside but she was afraid to. The
basket was so light that she wondered whether there was anything at
all in it. Was the lovely lady only fooling her? Halfway home she
peeped in to see.

Imagine her feelings when she found the basket was full of birch
leaves! Then indeed did Betushka burst into tears and reproach herself
for being so simple. In her vexation she threw out a handful of leaves
and was going to empty the basket when she thought to herself:

"No, I'll keep what's left as litter for the goats."

She was almost afraid to go home. She was so quiet that again the
little goats wondered what ailed their shepherdess.

Her mother was waiting for her in great excitement.

"For heaven's sake, Betushka, what kind of a spool did you bring home
yesterday?"

"Why?" Betushka faltered.

"When you went away this