When the feast was over , Habogi led up a beautiful horse from a field where he had left it to graze , and bade Helga jump up on its splendid saddle , all embroidered in scarlet and gold . ` You shall come back again , ' said he ; ` but now you must see the house that you are to live in . ' And though Helga was very unwilling to go , something inside her forced her to obey . The old man settled her comfortably , then sprang up in front of her as easily as if he had been a boy , and , shaking the reins , they were soon out of sight . After some miles they rode through a meadow with grass so green that Helga 's eyes felt quite dazzled ; and feeding on the grass were a quantity of large fat sheep , with the curliest and whitest wool in the world . ` What lovely sheep ! whose are they ? ' cried Helga . ` Your Habogi 's , ' answered he , ` all that you see belongs to him ; but the finest sheep in the whole herd , which has little golden bells hanging between its horns , you shall have for yourself . ' This pleased Helga very much , for she had never had anything of her own ; and she smiled quite happily as she thanked Habogi for his present . They soon left the sheep behind them , and entered a large field with a river running through it , where a number of beautiful grey cows were standing by a gate waiting for a milk-maid to come and milk them . ` Oh , what lovely cows ! ' cried Helga again ; ' I am sure their milk must be sweeter than any other cows . How I should like to have some ! I wonder to whom they belong ? ' ` To your Habogi , ' replied he ; ` and some day you shall have as much milk as you like , but we can not stop now . Do you see that big grey one , with the silver bells between her horns ? That is to be yours , and you can have her milked every morning the moment you wake . ' And Helga 's eyes shone , and though she did not say anything , she thought that she would learn to milk the cow herself . A mile further on they came to a wide common , with short , springy turf , where horses of all colours , with skins of satin , were kicking up their heels in play .
The sight of them so delighted Helga that she nearly sprang from her saddle XXXXX a shriek of joy .
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