Elsa sat and looked with wonder at her little white hands and the ten useless fingers.  But suddenly the little fingers began to stir.  The tiny fairies who were hidden away there weren’t used to staying still, and they were getting restless.  They stirred so that Elsa jumped up and ran to the cooking table, and took hold of the bread board.  No sooner had she touched the bread board than the little fairies began to work:  they measured the flour, mixed the bread, kneaded the loaves, and set them to rise, quicker than you could wink; and when the bread was done, it was the nicest you could wish.  Then the little fairy-fingers seized the broom, and in a twinkling they were making the house clean.  And so it went, all day.  Elsa flew about from one thing to another, and the ten fairies did it all, just right.

When the maid saw her mistress working, she began to work, too; and when she saw how beautifully everything was done, she was ashamed to do anything badly herself.  In a little while the housework was going smoothly, and Elsa could laugh and sing again.

There was no more crossness in that house.  Elsa’s husband grew so proud of her that he went about saying to everybody, “My grandmother was a fine housekeeper, and my mother was a fine housekeeper, but neither of them could hold a candle to my wife.  She has only one maid, but, to see the work done, you would think she had as many servants as she has fingers on her hands!”

When Elsa heard that, she used to laugh, but she never, never told.

THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER

Once upon a time there was an honest shoemaker, who was very poor.  He worked as hard as he could, and still he could not earn enough to keep himself and his wife.  At last there came a day when he had nothing left but one piece of leather, big enough to make one pair of shoes.  He cut out the shoes, ready to stitch, and left them on the bench; then he said his prayers and went to bed, trusting that he could finish the shoes on the next day and sell them.

Bright and early the next morning, he rose and went to his work-bench.  There lay a pair of shoes, beautifully made, and the leather was gone!  There was no sign of any one’s having been there.  The shoemaker and his wife did not know what to make of it.  But the first customer who came was so pleased with the beautiful shoes that he bought them, and paid so much that the shoemaker was able to buy leather enough for two pairs.

Happily, he cut them out, and then, as it was late, he left the pieces on the bench, ready to sew in the morning.  But when morning came, two pairs of shoes lay on the bench, most beautifully made, and no sign of any one who had been there.  The shoemaker and his wife were quite at a loss.

That day a customer came and bought both pairs, and paid so much for them that the shoemaker bought leather for four pairs, with the money.