The next morning, his wife said, "The little men have made us wealthy. We must show them our thanks. They are running around with nothing on, freezing." She proposed to make clothes, and the shoemaker agreed to make a pair of shoes for each of them. The two of them did not stop until they had finished the work, then hid themselves again. The following night, the couple saw the little men delighted as they tried the beautiful little clothes and shoes; they danced out of house and never returned, but the shoemaker prospered in his business. Second tale A poor hardworking servant girl was sweeping out the house and shaking the sweepings onto a large pile when she found a letter on the pile. Since she could not read, the servant took the letter to her masters. They told her that she had been invited to an elf baptism and asked to become the godmother of the child. The girl hesitated at first, but her master finally convinced her to accept. Then the servant girl was led by the elves to their hollow mountain, where everything was smaller but also more splendidly ornamented. The girl helped with the baptism and asked to leave, but the elves convinced her to stay three days with them. The elves did everything to make her happy during those three days, but the girl again asked to leave. The little men gave her gold and let her leave their mountain. When she returned home, the servant girl learned that she did not spend three days with elves but seven years. Meanwhile, her former masters had died. Third tale A woman had her child taken from the cradle by elves and substituted with a changeling. Her neighbour advised her to set the changeling on the hearth, make a fire, and boil water in two eggshells: that should make the changeling laugh, and if he laughs it will be all over with him. The woman did everything her neighbour had said, and the changeling started to laugh about her cooking in shells. Then a band of little elves suddenly appeared, brought the rightful child, set it on the hearth, and took the changeling away. "Elves" Although the supernatural creatures are translated as "elves" in English, they are called Wichtelmänner ('Wicht-men') in the German original. Wicht is cognate with wight in English and vættr in Old Norse,