Page:The New-Year's Bargain (1884).djvu/22

 Then he seemed satisfied, and began to work on one of the others.

"How lovely! but did you ever see any thing so queer?" whispered Thekla. "If we only dared go nearer!"

"Dared!" cried Max: "this is our wood, and we have a right to go where we like in it. Come on!" and he took Thekla's hand, and drew her boldly forward.

There were two great jars standing there, which seemed to hold the stuff out of which the figures were made. The children peeped in. One was full of a marvellous kind of water, sparkling and golden and bubbling like wine. The other held sand, or what seemed like sand, fine, glittering particles, most beautiful to see. It was wonderful to watch the old man work. His lean fingers would twist and mould the sand and water for a second, and there would be a lovely head, an arm, or a garland of flowers. The forms grew like magic; and the children were so charmed with watch-