"Reinhard!" she called, "do wait for me! Reinhard!"

He could not see her, but at length he caught sight of her some way
off struggling with the undergrowth, her dainty head just peeping out
over the tops of the ferns. So back he went once more and brought her
out from the tangled mass of briar and brake into an open space where
blue butterflies fluttered among the solitary wood blossoms.

Reinhard brushed the damp hair away from her heated face, and would
have tied the straw hat upon her head, but she refused; yet at his
earnest request she consented after all.

"But where are your strawberries?" she asked at length, standing still
and drawing a deep breath.

"They were here," he said, "but the toads have got here before us, or
the martens, or perhaps the fairies."

"Yes," said Elisabeth, "the leaves are still here; but not a word
about fairies in this place. Come along, I'm not a bit tired yet; let
us look farther on."

In front of them ran a little brook, and on the far side the wood
began again. Reinhard raised Elisabeth in his arms and carried her
over. After a while they emerged from the shady foliage and stood in a
wide clearing.

"There must be strawberries here," said the girl, "it all smells so
sweet."