Alma was very glad, and ran home as fast as she could to talk to the cat.
“Come, cat, let us talk and play together,” she said.
“Oh, no,” said the cat. “I am very busy watching a little bird, so you must go away and play with little Niebla down by the river.”
Then the cat ran away among the weeds and left her. The dogs also refused to play when she went to them, for they had to watch the house and bark at strangers. Then they also told her to go and play with little Niebla down by the river.
Then Alma ran out, and caught a little duckling, a soft little thing, that looked like a ball of yellow cotton, and said: “Now, little duck, let us talk and play.”
But the duckling only struggled to get away, and screamed: “Oh, Mamma! Mamma! Come and take me away from Alma!”
Then the old duck came rushing up, and said: “Alma, let my child alone; and if you want to play, go and play with Niebla down by the river. A nice thing to catch my duckie in your hands—what next, I wonder!”
So she let the duckling go, and at last she said, “Yes, I will go and play with Niebla down by the river.”
She waited till she saw the white mist, and then ran all the way to the Yi, and stood still on the green bank close by the water with the white mist all round her.
By and by she saw a beautiful little child come flying toward her in the white mist. The child came and stood on the green bank, and looked at Alma. Very, very pretty she was; and she wore a white dress—whiter than milk, whiter than foam, and all embroidered with purple flowers. She had also white silk stockings and scarlet shoes, bright as scarlet verbenas. Her hair was long and fluffy, and shone like gold, and round her neck she had a string of big, gold beads.