"Do draw him," said Trudel, whose blue eyes were open wider than usual.
"Him! Whom do you mean?" said mother.
"Why, the tree man, of course."
"Hum," said mother mysteriously, "we'll see," and she settled herself down to sketch.
The children collected huge acorns, and laid them on a leaf in the hollow tree. Then they stirred up the brackish "holy" water and put their fingers in it.
"It smells like lavender and roses," said Lottchen.
"Well, you've got a funny nose; it smells to me like blackberry and apple-tart," said Trudel.
"Ha—ha—he!" said a little voice again. Somebody was laughing. Where could he be? Glancing round quickly the children saw a little man about three feet high, dressed in green, wearing a long peaked cap with a wreath of tiny oak-leaves around it. He looked very strong, although he was small, and he stuck his arms out akimbo in a curious angular way like the branches of an oak-tree.
"How did you know that trees were alive?" he asked the children.
They were embarrassed by the question.