om. Not
a trace was there of a man, or of one of the great beasts so much
feared by Abeille, but only the marks of tiny forked feet on the sand.
The little girl at once pulled off her torn shoes and stockings and
let the water flow over her, while Youri looked about for some nuts or
strawberries. But none were to be found.

'I noticed, a little way back, a clump of blackberry bushes,' said he.
'Wait here for me, and I will go and gather some fruit, and after that
we will start home again.' And Abeille, leaning her head drowsily
against a cushion of soft moss, murmured something in reply, and soon
fell asleep. In her dream a crow, bearing the smallest man that ever
was seen, appeared hovering for a moment above her, and then vanished.
At the same instant Youri returned and placed by her side a large
leaf-full of strawberries.

'It is a pity to wake her just yet,' thought he, and wandered off
beyond a clump of silvery willows to a spot from which he could get a
view of the whole lake. In the moonlight, the light mist that hung
over the surface made it look like fairyland. Then gradually the
silver veil seemed to break up, and the shapes of fair women with
outstretched hands and long green locks floated towards him. Seized
with a sudden fright, the boy turned to fly. But it was too late.

Unconscious of the terrible doom that had befallen her
foster-brother, Abeille slept on, and did not awake even when a crowd
of little men with white beards down to their knees came and stood in
a circle round her.

'What shall we do with her?' asked Pic, who seemed older than any of
them, though they were all very old.

'Build a cage and put her into it,' answered Rug.

'No! No! What should such a beautiful princess do in a cage?' cried
Dig. And Tad, who was the kindest of them all, proposed to carry her
home to her parents. But the other gnomes were too pleased with their
new toy to listen to this for a moment.

'Look, she is waking,' whispered Pau. And as he spoke Abeille slowly
opened her eyes. At first she imagined she was still dreaming; but as
the little men did not move, it suddenly dawned upon her that they
were real, and starting to her feet, she called loudly:

'Youri! Youri! Where are you?'

At the sound of her voice the gnomes only pressed more closely round
her, and, trembling with fear, she hid her face in her hands. The
gnomes were at first much puzzled to know what to do; then Tad,
climbing on a branch of the