a tree in it too, and he saw on the table great quantities of cakes — every kind of cake, some made with almonds, some red and some green — and four wealthy ladies sitting and handing them out to the little ones. And many grown people kept coming in from the street. The child slipped up, then suddenly opened the door and entered the room.

Oh! How they began to scold him and wave their hands in his face! And a lady hurried over to him, placed a piaster in his hand, and opened for him the door leading to the street.

How fear seized him! He could not close his frozen fingers over the piaster, and it rolled down the steps with a loud ringing. The child ran off in haste, not knowing where he was going. He felt a

strong desire to weep, but he felt afraid as well. And here he is run-ning again, blowing on his hands. He felt alone and frightened, and grief and sorrow took hold of him.

And suddenly he stopped! My God, what is this now? A crowd of people standing before one of the windows. He looked, and saw three dolls — not very large, but dressed in red and green clothes, and whoever looked at them would imagine they were alive, quite alive. And here was an old man sitting and playing on a fiddle — a big fiddle. And two other old men playing on two little fiddles, nodding their heads to the beat of the tune. They look at each other, their lips move, they speak — yes! whoever looks at them would imagine they are

speaking... but the window keeps them from being heard.

At first the little one thought they were living creatures. But when he realized they were dolls, he burst out laughing. He had never seen their like before. And despite his desire to weep, gazing at the dolls dazzled him. Lord, how marvelous they were!

And he felt someone seize him from behind.

A wicked boy standing beside him suddenly dealt him a blow on the head, threw down his cap, stuck out his foot before him, and pushed him. He fell to the ground, heard shouting around him, felt afraid, and ran off in haste. Without knowing it, he crossed the courtyard of a large house, went in through a stable door, and crouched behind a pile of