THE EMPEROR'S NEW SUITHans Christian Andersen

MANY, many years ago lived an emperor, who thought so muchof new clothes that he spent all his money in order to obtainthem; his only ambition was to be always well dressed. He didnot care for his soldiers, and the theatre did not amuse him;the only thing, in fact, he thought anything of was to driveout and show a new suit of clothes. He had a coat for everyhour of the day; and as one would say of a king "He is in hiscabinet," so one could say of him, "The emperor is in hisdressing-room."

The great city where he resided was very gay; every daymany strangers from all parts of the globe arrived. One daytwo swindlers came to this city; they made people believe thatthey were weavers, and declared they could manufacture thefinest cloth to be imagined. Their colours and patterns, theysaid, were not only exceptionally beautiful, but the clothesmade of their material possessed the wonderful quality ofbeing invisible to any man who was unfit for his office orunpardonably stupid.

"That must be wonderful cloth," thought the emperor. "If Iwere to be dressed in a suit made of this cloth I should beable to find out which men in my empire were unfit for theirplaces, and I could distinguish the clever from the stupid. Imust have this cloth woven for me without delay." And he gavea large sum of money to the swindlers, in advance, that theyshould set to work without any loss of time. They set up twolooms, and pretended to be very hard at work, but they didnothing whatever on the looms. They asked for the finest silkand the most precious gold-cloth; all they got they did awaywith, and worked at the empty looms till late at night.

"I should very much like to know how they are getting onwith the cloth," thought the emperor. But he felt ratheruneasy when he remembered that he who was not fit for hisoffice could not see it. Personally, he was of opinion that hehad nothing to fear, yet he thought it advisable to sendsomebody else first to see how matters stood. Everybody in thetown knew what a remarkable quality the stuff possessed, and

all were anxious to see how bad or stupid their neighbourswere.

"I shall send my honest old minister to the weavers,"thought the emperor. "He can judge best how the stuff looks,for he is intelligent, and nobody understands his officebetter than he."

The good old minister went into the room where theswindlers sat before the empty looms. "Heaven preserve us!" hethought, and opened his eyes wide, "I cannot see anything atall," but he did not say so. Both swindlers requested him tocome near, and asked him if he did not admire the exquisitepattern and the beautiful colours, pointing to the emptylooms. The poor old minister tried his very best, but he couldsee nothing, for there was nothing to be seen. "Oh dear," hethought, "can I be so stupid? I should never have thought so,and nobody must know it! Is it possible that I am not fit formy office? No, no, I cannot say that I was unable to see thecloth."

"Now, have you got nothing to say?" said one of theswindlers, while he pretended to be busily weaving.

"Oh, it is very pretty, exceedingly beautiful," repliedthe old minister looking through his glasses. "What abeautiful pattern, what brilliant colours! I shall tell theemperor that I like the cloth very much."

"We are pleased to hear that," said the two weavers, anddescribed to him the colours and explained the curiouspattern. The old minister listened attentively, that he mightrelate to the emperor what they said; and so he did.

Now the swindlers asked for more money, silk andgold-cloth, which they required for weaving. They kepteverything for themselves, and not a thread came near theloom, but they continued, as hitherto, to work at the emptylooms.

Soon afterwards the emperor sent another honest courtierto the weavers to see how they were getting on, and if thecloth was nearly finished. Like the old minister, he lookedand looked but could see nothing, as there was nothing to beseen.

"Is it not a beautiful piece of cloth?" asked the twoswindlers, showing and explaining the magnificent pattern,which, however, did not exist.

"I am not stupid," said the man. "It is therefore my goodappointment for which I am not fit. It is very strange, but Imust not let any one know it;" and he praised the cloth, whichhe did not see, and expressed his joy at the beautiful coloursand the fine pattern. "It is very excellent," he said to theemperor.

Everybody in the whole town talked about the preciouscloth. At last the emperor wished to see it himself, while itwas still on the loom. With a number of courtiers, includingthe two who had already been there, he went to the two cleverswindlers, who now worked as hard as they could, but withoutusing any thread.

"Is it not magnificent?" said the two old statesmen whohad been there before. "Your Majesty must admire the coloursand the pattern." And then they pointed to the empty looms,for they imagined the others could see the cloth.

"What is this?" thought the emperor, "I do not seeanything at all. That is terrible! Am I stupid? Am I unfit tobe emperor? That would indeed be the most dreadful thing thatcould happen to me."

"Really," he said, turning to the weavers, "your cloth hasour most gracious approval;" and nodding contentedly he lookedat the empty loom, for he did not like to say that he sawnothing. All his attendants, who were with him, looked andlooked, and although they could not see anything more than theothers, they said, like the emperor, "It is very beautiful."And all advised him to wear the new magnificent clothes at agreat procession which was soon to take place. "It ismagnificent, beautiful, excellent," one heard them say;everybody seemed to be delighted, and the emperor appointedthe two swindlers "Imperial Court weavers."

The whole night previous to the day on which theprocession was to take place, the swindlers pretended to work,and burned more than sixteen candles. People should see thatthey were busy to finish the emperor's new suit. They

pretended to take the cloth from the loom, and worked about inthe air with big scissors, and sewed with needles withoutthread, and said at last: "The emperor's new suit is readynow."

The emperor and all his barons then came to the hall; theswindlers held their arms up as if they held something intheir hands and said: "These are the trousers!" "This is thecoat!" and "Here is the cloak!" and so on. "They are all aslight as a cobweb, and one must feel as if one had nothing atall upon the body; but that is just the beauty of them."

"Indeed!" said all the courtiers; but they could not seeanything, for there was nothing to be seen.

"Does it please your Majesty now to graciously undress,"said the swindlers, "that we may assist your Majesty inputting on the new suit before the large looking-glass?"

The emperor undressed, and the swindlers pretended to putthe new suit upon him, one piece after another; and theemperor looked at himself in the glass from every side.

"How well they look! How well they fit!" said all. "What abeautiful pattern! What fine colours! That is a magnificentsuit of clothes!"

The master of the ceremonies announced that the bearers ofthe canopy, which was to be carried in the procession, wereready.

"I am ready," said the emperor. "Does not my suit fit memarvellously?" Then he turned once more to the looking-glass,that people should think he admired his garments.

The chamberlains, who were to carry the train, stretchedtheir hands to the ground as if they lifted up a train, andpretended to hold something in their hands; they did not likepeople to know that they could not see anything.

The emperor marched in the procession under the beautifulcanopy, and all who saw him in the street and out of thewindows exclaimed: "Indeed, the emperor's new suit isincomparable! What a long train he has! How well it fits him!"Nobody wished to let others know he saw nothing, for then he

would have been unfit for his office or too stupid. Neveremperor's clothes were more admired.

"But he has nothing on at all," said a little child atlast. "Good heavens! listen to the voice of an innocentchild," said the father, and one whispered to the other whatthe child had said. "But he has nothing on at all," cried atlast the whole people. That made a deep impression upon theemperor, for it seemed to him that they were right; but hethought to himself, "Now I must bear up to the end." And thechamberlains walked with still greater dignity, as if theycarried the train which did not exist.

THE END

THE LITTLE MERMAID

FAR out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as theprettiest cornflower, and as clear as crystal, it is very,very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could fathom it:many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reachfrom the ground beneath to the surface of the water above.There dwell the Sea King and his subjects. We must not imaginethat there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellowsand. No, indeed; the most singular flowers and plants growthere; the leaves and stems of which are so pliant, that theslightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as ifthey had life. Fishes, both large and small, glide between thebranches, as birds fly among the trees here upon land. In thedeepest spot of all, stands the castle of the Sea King. Itswalls are built of coral, and the long, gothic windows are ofthe clearest amber. The roof is formed of shells, that openand close as the water flows over them. Their appearance isvery beautiful, for in each lies a glittering pearl, whichwould be fit for the diadem of a queen.

The Sea King had been a widower for many years, and hisaged mother kept house for him. She was a very wise woman, andexceedingly proud of her high birth; on that account she woretwelve oysters on her tail; while others, also of high rank,were only allowed to wear six. She was, however, deserving ofvery great praise, especially for her care of the littlesea-princesses, her grand-daughters. They were six beautifulchildren; but the youngest was the prettiest of them all; herskin was as clear and delicate as a rose-leaf, and her eyes asblue as the deepest sea; but, like all the others, she had nofeet, and her body ended in a fish's tail. All day long theyplayed in the great halls of the castle, or among the livingflowers that grew out of the walls. The large amber windowswere open, and the fish swam in, just as the swallows fly intoour houses when we open the windows, excepting that the fishesswam up to the princesses, ate out of their hands, and allowedthemselves to be stroked. Outside the castle there was a

beautiful garden, in which grew bright red and dark blueflowers, and blossoms like flames of fire; the fruit glitteredlike gold, and the leaves and stems waved to and frocontinually. The earth itself was the finest sand, but blue asthe flame of burning sulphur. Over everything lay a peculiarblue radiance, as if it were surrounded by the air from above,through which the blue sky shone, instead of the dark depthsof the sea. In calm weather the sun could be seen, lookinglike a purple flower, with the light streaming from the calyx.Each of the young princesses had a little plot of ground inthe garden, where she might dig and plant as she pleased. Onearranged her flower-bed into the form of a whale; anotherthought it better to make hers like the figure of a littlemermaid; but that of the youngest was round like the sun, andcontained flowers as red as his rays at sunset. She was astrange child, quiet and thoughtful; and while her sisterswould be delighted with the wonderful things which theyobtained from the wrecks of vessels, she cared for nothing buther pretty red flowers, like the sun, excepting a beautifulmarble statue. It was the representation of a handsome boy,carved out of pure white stone, which had fallen to the bottomof the sea from a wreck. She planted by the statue arose-colored weeping willow. It grew splendidly, and very soonhung its fresh branches over the statue, almost down to theblue sands. The shadow had a violet tint, and waved to and frolike the branches; it seemed as if the crown of the tree andthe root were at play, and trying to kiss each other. Nothinggave her so much pleasure as to hear about the world above thesea. She made her old grandmother tell her all she knew of theships and of the towns, the people and the animals. To her itseemed most wonderful and beautiful to hear that the flowersof the land should have fragrance, and not those below thesea; that the trees of the forest should be green; and thatthe fishes among the trees could sing so sweetly, that it wasquite a pleasure to hear them. Her grandmother called thelittle birds fishes, or she would not have understood her; forshe had never seen birds.

"When you have reached your fifteenth year," said thegrand-mother, "you will have permission to rise up out of thesea, to sit on the rocks in the moonlight, while the greatships are sailing by; and then you will see both forests andtowns."

In the following year, one of the sisters would be

fifteen: but as each was a year younger than the other, theyoungest would have to wait five years before her turn came torise up from the bottom of the ocean, and see the earth as wedo. However, each promised to tell the others what she saw onher first visit, and what she thought the most beautiful; fortheir grandmother could not tell them enough; there were somany things on which they wanted information. None of themlonged so much for her turn to come as the youngest, she whohad the longest time to wait, and who was so quiet andthoughtful. Many nights she stood by the open window, lookingup through the dark blue water, and watching the fish as theysplashed about with their fins and tails. She could see themoon and stars shining faintly; but through the water theylooked larger than they do to our eyes. When something like ablack cloud passed between her and them, she knew that it waseither a whale swimming over her head, or a ship full of humanbeings, who never imagined that a pretty little mermaid wasstanding beneath them, holding out her white hands towards thekeel of their ship.

As soon as the eldest was fifteen, she was allowed to riseto the surface of the ocean. When she came back, she hadhundreds of things to talk about; but the most beautiful, shesaid, was to lie in the moonlight, on a sandbank, in the quietsea, near the coast, and to gaze on a large town nearby, wherethe lights were twinkling like hundreds of stars; to listen tothe sounds of the music, the noise of carriages, and thevoices of human beings, and then to hear the merry bells pealout from the church steeples; and because she could not gonear to all those wonderful things, she longed for them morethan ever. Oh, did not the youngest sister listen eagerly toall these descriptions? and afterwards, when she stood at theopen window looking up through the dark blue water, shethought of the great city, with all its bustle and noise, andeven fancied she could hear the sound of the church bells,down in the depths of the sea.

In another year the second sister received permission torise to the surface of the water, and to swim about where shepleased. She rose just as the sun was setting, and this, shesaid, was the most beautiful sight of all. The whole skylooked like gold, while violet and rose-colored clouds, whichshe could not describe, floated over her; and, still morerapidly than the clouds, flew a large flock of wild swanstowards the setting sun, looking like a long white veil across

the sea. She also swam towards the sun; but it sunk into thewaves, and the rosy tints faded from the clouds and from thesea.

The third sister's turn followed; she was the boldest ofthem all, and she swam up a broad river that emptied itselfinto the sea. On the banks she saw green hills covered withbeautiful vines; palaces and castles peeped out from amid theproud trees of the forest; she heard the birds singing, andthe rays of the sun were so powerful that she was obligedoften to dive down under the water to cool her burning face.In a narrow creek she found a whole troop of little humanchildren, quite naked, and sporting about in the water; shewanted to play with them, but they fled in a great fright; andthen a little black animal came to the water; it was a dog,but she did not know that, for she had never before seen one.This animal barked at her so terribly that she becamefrightened, and rushed back to the open sea. But she said sheshould never forget the beautiful forest, the green hills, andthe pretty little children who could swim in the water,although they had not fish's tails.

The fourth sister was more timid; she remained in themidst of the sea, but she said it was quite as beautiful thereas nearer the land. She could see for so many miles aroundher, and the sky above looked like a bell of glass. She hadseen the ships, but at such a great distance that they lookedlike sea-gulls. The dolphins sported in the waves, and thegreat whales spouted water from their nostrils till it seemedas if a hundred fountains were playing in every direction.

The fifth sister's birthday occurred in the winter; sowhen her turn came, she saw what the others had not seen thefirst time they went up. The sea looked quite green, and largeicebergs were floating about, each like a pearl, she said, butlarger and loftier than the churches built by men. They wereof the most singular shapes, and glittered like diamonds. Shehad seated herself upon one of the largest, and let the windplay with her long hair, and she remarked that all the shipssailed by rapidly, and steered as far away as they could fromthe iceberg, as if they were afraid of it. Towards evening, asthe sun went down, dark clouds covered the sky, the thunderrolled and the lightning flashed, and the red light glowed onthe icebergs as they rocked and tossed on the heaving sea. Onall the ships the sails were reefed with fear and trembling,

while she sat calmly on the floating iceberg, watching theblue lightning, as it darted its forked flashes into the sea.

When first the sisters had permission to rise to thesurface, they were each delighted with the new and beautifulsights they saw; but now, as grown-up girls, they could gowhen they pleased, and they had become indifferent about it.They wished themselves back again in the water, and after amonth had passed they said it was much more beautiful downbelow, and pleasanter to be at home. Yet often, in the eveninghours, the five sisters would twine their arms round eachother, and rise to the surface, in a row. They had morebeautiful voices than any human being could have; and beforethe approach of a storm, and when they expected a ship wouldbe lost, they swam before the vessel, and sang sweetly of thedelights to be found in the depths of the sea, and begging thesailors not to fear if they sank to the bottom. But thesailors could not understand the song, they took it for thehowling of the storm. And these things were never to bebeautiful for them; for if the ship sank, the men weredrowned, and their dead bodies alone reached the palace of theSea King.

When the sisters rose, arm-in-arm, through the water inthis way, their youngest sister would stand quite alone,looking after them, ready to cry, only that the mermaids haveno tears, and therefore they suffer more. "Oh, were I butfifteen years old," said she: "I know that I shall love theworld up there, and all the people who live in it."

At last she reached her fifteenth year. "Well, now, youare grown up," said the old dowager, her grandmother; "so youmust let me adorn you like your other sisters;" and she placeda wreath of white lilies in her hair, and every flower leafwas half a pearl. Then the old lady ordered eight greatoysters to attach themselves to the tail of the princess toshow her high rank.

"But they hurt me so," said the little mermaid.

"Pride must suffer pain," replied the old lady. Oh, howgladly she would have shaken off all this grandeur, and laidaside the heavy wreath! The red flowers in her own gardenwould have suited her much better, but she could not helpherself: so she said, "Farewell," and rose as lightly as a

bubble to the surface of the water. The sun had just set asshe raised her head above the waves; but the clouds weretinted with crimson and gold, and through the glimmeringtwilight beamed the evening star in all its beauty. The seawas calm, and the air mild and fresh. A large ship, with threemasts, lay becalmed on the water, with only one sail set; fornot a breeze stiffed, and the sailors sat idle on deck oramongst the rigging. There was music and song on board; and,as darkness came on, a hundred colored lanterns were lighted,as if the flags of all nations waved in the air. The littlemermaid swam close to the cabin windows; and now and then, asthe waves lifted her up, she could look in through clear glasswindow-panes, and see a number of well-dressed people within.Among them was a young prince, the most beautiful of all, withlarge black eyes; he was sixteen years of age, and hisbirthday was being kept with much rejoicing. The sailors weredancing on deck, but when the prince came out of the cabin,more than a hundred rockets rose in the air, making it asbright as day. The little mermaid was so startled that shedived under water; and when she again stretched out her head,it appeared as if all the stars of heaven were falling aroundher, she had never seen such fireworks before. Great sunsspurted fire about, splendid fireflies flew into the blue air,and everything was reflected in the clear, calm sea beneath.The ship itself was so brightly illuminated that all thepeople, and even the smallest rope, could be distinctly andplainly seen. And how handsome the young prince looked, as hepressed the hands of all present and smiled at them, while themusic resounded through the clear night air.

It was very late; yet the little mermaid could not takeher eyes from the ship, or from the beautiful prince. Thecolored lanterns had been extinguished, no more rockets rosein the air, and the cannon had ceased firing; but the seabecame restless, and a moaning, grumbling sound could be heardbeneath the waves: still the little mermaid remained by thecabin window, rocking up and down on the water, which enabledher to look in. After a while, the sails were quicklyunfurled, and the noble ship continued her passage; but soonthe waves rose higher, heavy clouds darkened the sky, andlightning appeared in the distance. A dreadful storm wasapproaching; once more the sails were reefed, and the greatship pursued her flying course over the raging sea. The wavesrose mountains high, as if they would have overtopped themast; but the ship dived like a swan between them, and then

rose again on their lofty, foaming crests. To the littlemermaid this appeared pleasant sport; not so to the sailors.At length the ship groaned and creaked; the thick planks gaveway under the lashing of the sea as it broke over the deck;the mainmast snapped asunder like a reed; the ship lay over onher side; and the water rushed in. The little mermaid nowperceived that the crew were in danger; even she herself wasobliged to be careful to avoid the beams and planks of thewreck which lay scattered on the water. At one moment it wasso pitch dark that she could not see a single object, but aflash of lightning revealed the whole scene; she could seeevery one who had been on board excepting the prince; when theship parted, she had seen him sink into the deep waves, andshe was glad, for she thought he would now be with her; andthen she remembered that human beings could not live in thewater, so that when he got down to her father's palace hewould be quite dead. But he must not die. So she swam aboutamong the beams and planks which strewed the surface of thesea, forgetting that they could crush her to pieces. Then shedived deeply under the dark waters, rising and falling withthe waves, till at length she managed to reach the youngprince, who was fast losing the power of swimming in thatstormy sea. His limbs were failing him, his beautiful eyeswere closed, and he would have died had not the little mermaidcome to his assistance. She held his head above the water, andlet the waves drift them where they would.

In the morning the storm had ceased; but of the ship not asingle fragment could be seen. The sun rose up red and glowingfrom the water, and its beams brought back the hue of healthto the prince's cheeks; but his eyes remained closed. Themermaid kissed his high, smooth forehead, and stroked back hiswet hair; he seemed to her like the marble statue in herlittle garden, and she kissed him again, and wished that hemight live. Presently they came in sight of land; she sawlofty blue mountains, on which the white snow rested as if aflock of swans were lying upon them. Near the coast werebeautiful green forests, and close by stood a large building,whether a church or a convent she could not tell. Orange andcitron trees grew in the garden, and before the door stoodlofty palms. The sea here formed a little bay, in which thewater was quite still, but very deep; so she swam with thehandsome prince to the beach, which was covered with fine,white sand, and there she laid him in the warm sunshine,taking care to raise his head higher than his body. Then bells

sounded in the large white building, and a number of younggirls came into the garden. The little mermaid swam outfarther from the shore and placed herself between some highrocks that rose out of the water; then she covered her headand neck with the foam of the sea so that her little facemight not be seen, and watched to see what would become of thepoor prince. She did not wait long before she saw a young girlapproach the spot where he lay. She seemed frightened atfirst, but only for a moment; then she fetched a number ofpeople, and the mermaid saw that the prince came to lifeagain, and smiled upon those who stood round him. But to herhe sent no smile; he knew not that she had saved him. Thismade her very unhappy, and when he was led away into the greatbuilding, she dived down sorrowfully into the water, andreturned to her father's castle. She had always been silentand thoughtful, and now she was more so than ever. Her sistersasked her what she had seen during her first visit to thesurface of the water; but she would tell them nothing. Many anevening and morning did she rise to the place where she hadleft the prince. She saw the fruits in the garden ripen tillthey were gathered, the snow on the tops of the mountains meltaway; but she never saw the prince, and therefore she returnedhome, always more sorrowful than before. It was her onlycomfort to sit in her own little garden, and fling her armround the beautiful marble statue which was like the prince;but she gave up tending her flowers, and they grew in wildconfusion over the paths, twining their long leaves and stemsround the branches of the trees, so that the whole placebecame dark and gloomy. At length she could bear it no longer,and told one of her sisters all about it. Then the othersheard the secret, and very soon it became known to twomermaids whose intimate friend happened to know who the princewas. She had also seen the festival on board ship, and shetold them where the prince came from, and where his palacestood.

"Come, little sister," said the other princesses; thenthey entwined their arms and rose up in a long row to thesurface of the water, close by the spot where they knew theprince's palace stood. It was built of bright yellow shiningstone, with long flights of marble steps, one of which reachedquite down to the sea. Splendid gilded cupolas rose over theroof, and between the pillars that surrounded the wholebuilding stood life-like statues of marble. Through the clearcrystal of the lofty windows could be seen noble rooms, with

costly silk curtains and hangings of tapestry; while the wallswere covered with beautiful paintings which were a pleasure tolook at. In the centre of the largest saloon a fountain threwits sparkling jets high up into the glass cupola of theceiling, through which the sun shone down upon the water andupon the beautiful plants growing round the basin of thefountain. Now that she knew where he lived, she spent many anevening and many a night on the water near the palace. Shewould swim much nearer the shore than any of the othersventured to do; indeed once she went quite up the narrowchannel under the marble balcony, which threw a broad shadowon the water. Here she would sit and watch the young prince,who thought himself quite alone in the bright moonlight. Shesaw him many times of an evening sailing in a pleasant boat,with music playing and flags waving. She peeped out from amongthe green rushes, and if the wind caught her longsilvery-white veil, those who saw it believed it to be a swan,spreading out its wings. On many a night, too, when thefishermen, with their torches, were out at sea, she heard themrelate so many good things about the doings of the youngprince, that she was glad she had saved his life when he hadbeen tossed about half-dead on the waves. And she rememberedthat his head had rested on her bosom, and how heartily shehad kissed him; but he knew nothing of all this, and could noteven dream of her. She grew more and more fond of humanbeings, and wished more and more to be able to wander aboutwith those whose world seemed to be so much larger than herown. They could fly over the sea in ships, and mount the highhills which were far above the clouds; and the lands theypossessed, their woods and their fields, stretched far awaybeyond the reach of her sight. There was so much that shewished to know, and her sisters were unable to answer all herquestions. Then she applied to her old grandmother, who knewall about the upper world, which she very rightly called thelands above the sea.

"If human beings are not drowned," asked the littlemermaid, "can they live forever? do they never die as we dohere in the sea?"

"Yes," replied the old lady, "they must also die, andtheir term of life is even shorter than ours. We sometimeslive to three hundred years, but when we cease to exist herewe only become the foam on the surface of the water, and wehave not even a grave down here of those we love. We have not

immortal souls, we shall never live again; but, like the greensea-weed, when once it has been cut off, we can never flourishmore. Human beings, on the contrary, have a soul which livesforever, lives after the body has been turned to dust. Itrises up through the clear, pure air beyond the glitteringstars. As we rise out of the water, and behold all the land ofthe earth, so do they rise to unknown and glorious regionswhich we shall never see."

"Why have not we an immortal soul?" asked the littlemermaid mournfully; "I would give gladly all the hundreds ofyears that I have to live, to be a human being only for oneday, and to have the hope of knowing the happiness of thatglorious world above the stars."

"You must not think of that," said the old woman; "we feelourselves to be much happier and much better off than humanbeings."

"So I shall die," said the little mermaid, "and as thefoam of the sea I shall be driven about never again to hearthe music of the waves, or to see the pretty flowers nor thered sun. Is there anything I can do to win an immortal soul?"

"No," said the old woman, "unless a man were to love youso much that you were more to him than his father or mother;and if all his thoughts and all his love were fixed upon you,and the priest placed his right hand in yours, and he promisedto be true to you here and hereafter, then his soul wouldglide into your body and you would obtain a share in thefuture happiness of mankind. He would give a soul to you andretain his own as well; but this can never happen. Your fish'stail, which amongst us is considered so beautiful, is thoughton earth to be quite ugly; they do not know any better, andthey think it necessary to have two stout props, which theycall legs, in order to be handsome."

Then the little mermaid sighed, and looked sorrowfully ather fish's tail. "Let us be happy," said the old lady, "anddart and spring about during the three hundred years that wehave to live, which is really quite long enough; after that wecan rest ourselves all the better. This evening we are goingto have a court ball."

It is one of those splendid sights which we can never see

on earth. The walls and the ceiling of the large ball-roomwere of thick, but transparent crystal. May hundreds ofcolossal shells, some of a deep red, others of a grass green,stood on each side in rows, with blue fire in them, whichlighted up the whole saloon, and shone through the walls, sothat the sea was also illuminated. Innumerable fishes, greatand small, swam past the crystal walls; on some of them thescales glowed with a purple brilliancy, and on others theyshone like silver and gold. Through the halls flowed a broadstream, and in it danced the mermen and the mermaids to themusic of their own sweet singing. No one on earth has such alovely voice as theirs. The little mermaid sang more sweetlythan them all. The whole court applauded her with hands andtails; and for a moment her heart felt quite gay, for she knewshe had the loveliest voice of any on earth or in the sea. Butshe soon thought again of the world above her, for she couldnot forget the charming prince, nor her sorrow that she hadnot an immortal soul like his; therefore she crept awaysilently out of her father's palace, and while everythingwithin was gladness and song, she sat in her own little gardensorrowful and alone. Then she heard the bugle sounding throughthe water, and thought- "He is certainly sailing above, he onwhom my wishes depend, and in whose hands I should like toplace the happiness of my life. I will venture all for him,and to win an immortal soul, while my sisters are dancing inmy father's palace, I will go to the sea witch, of whom I havealways been so much afraid, but she can give me counsel andhelp."

And then the little mermaid went out from her garden, andtook the road to the foaming whirlpools, behind which thesorceress lived. She had never been that way before: neitherflowers nor grass grew there; nothing but bare, gray, sandyground stretched out to the whirlpool, where the water, likefoaming mill-wheels, whirled round everything that it seized,and cast it into the fathomless deep. Through the midst ofthese crushing whirlpools the little mermaid was obliged topass, to reach the dominions of the sea witch; and also for along distance the only road lay right across a quantity ofwarm, bubbling mire, called by the witch her turfmoor. Beyondthis stood her house, in the centre of a strange forest, inwhich all the trees and flowers were polypi, half animals andhalf plants; they looked like serpents with a hundred headsgrowing out of the ground. The branches were long slimy arms,with fingers like flexible worms, moving limb after limb from

the root to the top. All that could be reached in the sea theyseized upon, and held fast, so that it never escaped fromtheir clutches. The little mermaid was so alarmed at what shesaw, that she stood still, and her heart beat with fear, andshe was very nearly turning back; but she thought of theprince, and of the human soul for which she longed, and hercourage returned. She fastened her long flowing hair round herhead, so that the polypi might not seize hold of it. She laidher hands together across her bosom, and then she dartedforward as a fish shoots through the water, between the supplearms and fingers of the ugly polypi, which were stretched outon each side of her. She saw that each held in its graspsomething it had seized with its numerous little arms, as ifthey were iron bands. The white skeletons of human beings whohad perished at sea, and had sunk down into the deep waters,skeletons of land animals, oars, rudders, and chests of shipswere lying tightly grasped by their clinging arms; even alittle mermaid, whom they had caught and strangled; and thisseemed the most shocking of all to the little princess.

She now came to a space of marshy ground in the wood,where large, fat water-snakes were rolling in the mire, andshowing their ugly, drab-colored bodies. In the midst of thisspot stood a house, built with the bones of shipwrecked humanbeings. There sat the sea witch, allowing a toad to eat fromher mouth, just as people sometimes feed a canary with a pieceof sugar. She called the ugly water-snakes her littlechickens, and allowed them to crawl all over her bosom.

"I know what you want," said the sea witch; "it is verystupid of you, but you shall have your way, and it will bringyou to sorrow, my pretty princess. You want to get rid of yourfish's tail, and to have two supports instead of it, likehuman beings on earth, so that the young prince may fall inlove with you, and that you may have an immortal soul." Andthen the witch laughed so loud and disgustingly, that the toadand the snakes fell to the ground, and lay there wrigglingabout. "You are but just in time," said the witch; "for aftersunrise to-morrow I should not be able to help you till theend of another year. I will prepare a draught for you, withwhich you must swim to land tomorrow before sunrise, and sitdown on the shore and drink it. Your tail will then disappear,and shrink up into what mankind calls legs, and you will feelgreat pain, as if a sword were passing through you. But allwho see you will say that you are the prettiest little human

being they ever saw. You will still have the same floatinggracefulness of movement, and no dancer will ever tread solightly; but at every step you take it will feel as if youwere treading upon sharp knives, and that the blood must flow.If you will bear all this, I will help you."

"Yes, I will," said the little princess in a tremblingvoice, as she thought of the prince and the immortal soul.

"But think again," said the witch; "for when once yourshape has become like a human being, you can no more be amermaid. You will never return through the water to yoursisters, or to your father's palace again; and if you do notwin the love of the prince, so that he is willing to forgethis father and mother for your sake, and to love you with hiswhole soul, and allow the priest to join your hands that youmay be man and wife, then you will never have an immortalsoul. The first morning after he marries another your heartwill break, and you will become foam on the crest of thewaves."

"I will do it," said the little mermaid, and she becamepale as death.

"But I must be paid also," said the witch, "and it is nota trifle that I ask. You have the sweetest voice of any whodwell here in the depths of the sea, and you believe that youwill be able to charm the prince with it also, but this voiceyou must give to me; the best thing you possess will I havefor the price of my draught. My own blood must be mixed withit, that it may be as sharp as a two-edged sword."

"But if you take away my voice," said the little mermaid,"what is left for me?"

"Your beautiful form, your graceful walk, and yourexpressive eyes; surely with these you can enchain a man'sheart. Well, have you lost your courage? Put out your littletongue that I may cut it off as my payment; then you shallhave the powerful draught."

"It shall be," said the little mermaid.

Then the witch placed her cauldron on the fire, to preparethe magic draught.

"Cleanliness is a good thing," said she, scouring thevessel with snakes, which she had tied together in a largeknot; then she pricked herself in the breast, and let theblack blood drop into it. The steam that rose formed itselfinto such horrible shapes that no one could look at themwithout fear. Every moment the witch threw something else intothe vessel, and when it began to boil, the sound was like theweeping of a crocodile. When at last the magic draught wasready, it looked like the clearest water. "There it is foryou," said the witch. Then she cut off the mermaid's tongue,so that she became dumb, and would never again speak or sing."If the polypi should seize hold of you as you return throughthe wood," said the witch, "throw over them a few drops of thepotion, and their fingers will be torn into a thousandpieces." But the little mermaid had no occasion to do this,for the polypi sprang back in terror when they caught sight ofthe glittering draught, which shone in her hand like atwinkling star.

So she passed quickly through the wood and the marsh, andbetween the rushing whirlpools. She saw that in her father'spalace the torches in the ballroom were extinguished, and allwithin asleep; but she did not venture to go in to them, fornow she was dumb and going to leave them forever, she felt asif her heart would break. She stole into the garden, took aflower from the flower-beds of each of her sisters, kissed herhand a thousand times towards the palace, and then rose upthrough the dark blue waters. The sun had not risen when shecame in sight of the prince's palace, and approached thebeautiful marble steps, but the moon shone clear and bright.Then the little mermaid drank the magic draught, and it seemedas if a two-edged sword went through her delicate body: shefell into a swoon, and lay like one dead. When the sun aroseand shone over the sea, she recovered, and felt a sharp pain;but just before her stood the handsome young prince. He fixedhis coal-black eyes upon her so earnestly that she cast downher own, and then became aware that her fish's tail was gone,and that she had as pretty a pair of white legs and tiny feetas any little maiden could have; but she had no clothes, soshe wrapped herself in her long, thick hair. The prince askedher who she was, and where she came from, and she looked athim mildly and sorrowfully with her deep blue eyes; but shecould not speak. Every step she took was as the witch had saidit would be, she felt as if treading upon the points of

needles or sharp knives; but she bore it willingly, andstepped as lightly by the prince's side as a soap-bubble, sothat he and all who saw her wondered at her graceful-swayingmovements. She was very soon arrayed in costly robes of silkand muslin, and was the most beautiful creature in the palace;but she was dumb, and could neither speak nor sing.

Beautiful female slaves, dressed in silk and gold, steppedforward and sang before the prince and his royal parents: onesang better than all the others, and the prince clapped hishands and smiled at her. This was great sorrow to the littlemermaid; she knew how much more sweetly she herself could singonce, and she thought, "Oh if he could only know that! I havegiven away my voice forever, to be with him."

The slaves next performed some pretty fairy-like dances,to the sound of beautiful music. Then the little mermaidraised her lovely white arms, stood on the tips of her toes,and glided over the floor, and danced as no one yet had beenable to dance. At each moment her beauty became more revealed,and her expressive eyes appealed more directly to the heartthan the songs of the slaves. Every one was enchanted,especially the prince, who called her his little foundling;and she danced again quite readily, to please him, though eachtime her foot touched the floor it seemed as if she trod onsharp knives."

The prince said she should remain with him always, and shereceived permission to sleep at his door, on a velvet cushion.He had a page's dress made for her, that she might accompanyhim on horseback. They rode together through the sweet-scentedwoods, where the green boughs touched their shoulders, and thelittle birds sang among the fresh leaves. She climbed with theprince to the tops of high mountains; and although her tenderfeet bled so that even her steps were marked, she onlylaughed, and followed him till they could see the cloudsbeneath them looking like a flock of birds travelling todistant lands. While at the prince's palace, and when all thehousehold were asleep, she would go and sit on the broadmarble steps; for it eased her burning feet to bathe them inthe cold sea-water; and then she thought of all those below inthe deep.

Once during the night her sisters came up arm-in-arm,singing sorrowfully, as they floated on the water. She

beckoned to them, and then they recognized her, and told herhow she had grieved them. After that, they came to the sameplace every night; and once she saw in the distance her oldgrandmother, who had not been to the surface of the sea formany years, and the old Sea King, her father, with his crownon his head. They stretched out their hands towards her, butthey did not venture so near the land as her sisters did.

As the days passed, she loved the prince more fondly, andhe loved her as he would love a little child, but it nevercame into his head to make her his wife; yet, unless hemarried her, she could not receive an immortal soul; and, onthe morning after his marriage with another, she woulddissolve into the foam of the sea.

"Do you not love me the best of them all?" the eyes of thelittle mermaid seemed to say, when he took her in his arms,and kissed her fair forehead.

"Yes, you are dear to me," said the prince; "for you havethe best heart, and you are the most devoted to me; you arelike a young maiden whom I once saw, but whom I shall nevermeet again. I was in a ship that was wrecked, and the wavescast me ashore near a holy temple, where several young maidensperformed the service. The youngest of them found me on theshore, and saved my life. I saw her but twice, and she is theonly one in the world whom I could love; but you are like her,and you have almost driven her image out of my mind. Shebelongs to the holy temple, and my good fortune has sent youto me instead of her; and we will never part."

"Ah, he knows not that it was I who saved his life,"thought the little mermaid. "I carried him over the sea to thewood where the temple stands: I sat beneath the foam, andwatched till the human beings came to help him. I saw thepretty maiden that he loves better than he loves me;" and themermaid sighed deeply, but she could not shed tears. "He saysthe maiden belongs to the holy temple, therefore she willnever return to the world. They will meet no more: while I amby his side, and see him every day. I will take care of him,and love him, and give up my life for his sake."

Very soon it was said that the prince must marry, and thatthe beautiful daughter of a neighboring king would be hiswife, for a fine ship was being fitted out. Although the

prince gave out that he merely intended to pay a visit to theking, it was generally supposed that he really went to see hisdaughter. A great company were to go with him. The littlemermaid smiled, and shook her head. She knew the prince'sthoughts better than any of the others.

"I must travel," he had said to her; "I must see thisbeautiful princess; my parents desire it; but they will notoblige me to bring her home as my bride. I cannot love her;she is not like the beautiful maiden in the temple, whom youresemble. If I were forced to choose a bride, I would ratherchoose you, my dumb foundling, with those expressive eyes."And then he kissed her rosy mouth, played with her long wavinghair, and laid his head on her heart, while she dreamed ofhuman happiness and an immortal soul. "You are not afraid ofthe sea, my dumb child," said he, as they stood on the deck ofthe noble ship which was to carry them to the country of theneighboring king. And then he told her of storm and of calm,of strange fishes in the deep beneath them, and of what thedivers had seen there; and she smiled at his descriptions, forshe knew better than any one what wonders were at the bottomof the sea.

In the moonlight, when all on board were asleep, exceptingthe man at the helm, who was steering, she sat on the deck,gazing down through the clear water. She thought she coulddistinguish her father's castle, and upon it her agedgrandmother, with the silver crown on her head, lookingthrough the rushing tide at the keel of the vessel. Then hersisters came up on the waves, and gazed at her mournfully,wringing their white hands. She beckoned to them, and smiled,and wanted to tell them how happy and well off she was; butthe cabin-boy approached, and when her sisters dived down hethought it was only the foam of the sea which he saw.

The next morning the ship sailed into the harbor of abeautiful town belonging to the king whom the prince was goingto visit. The church bells were ringing, and from the hightowers sounded a flourish of trumpets; and soldiers, withflying colors and glittering bayonets, lined the rocks throughwhich they passed. Every day was a festival; balls andentertainments followed one another.

But the princess had not yet appeared. People said thatshe was being brought up and educated in a religious house,

where she was learning every royal virtue. At last she came.Then the little mermaid, who was very anxious to see whethershe was really beautiful, was obliged to acknowledge that shehad never seen a more perfect vision of beauty. Her skin wasdelicately fair, and beneath her long dark eye-lashes herlaughing blue eyes shone with truth and purity.

"It was you," said the prince, "who saved my life when Ilay dead on the beach," and he folded his blushing bride inhis arms. "Oh, I am too happy," said he to the little mermaid;"my fondest hopes are all fulfilled. You will rejoice at myhappiness; for your devotion to me is great and sincere."

The little mermaid kissed his hand, and felt as if herheart were already broken. His wedding morning would bringdeath to her, and she would change into the foam of the sea.All the church bells rung, and the heralds rode about the townproclaiming the betrothal. Perfumed oil was burning in costlysilver lamps on every altar. The priests waved the censers,while the bride and bridegroom joined their hands and receivedthe blessing of the bishop. The little mermaid, dressed insilk and gold, held up the bride's train; but her ears heardnothing of the festive music, and her eyes saw not the holyceremony; she thought of the night of death which was comingto her, and of all she had lost in the world. On the sameevening the bride and bridegroom went on board ship; cannonswere roaring, flags waving, and in the centre of the ship acostly tent of purple and gold had been erected. It containedelegant couches, for the reception of the bridal pair duringthe night. The ship, with swelling sails and a favorable wind,glided away smoothly and lightly over the calm sea. When itgrew dark a number of colored lamps were lit, and the sailorsdanced merrily on the deck. The little mermaid could not helpthinking of her first rising out of the sea, when she had seensimilar festivities and joys; and she joined in the dance,poised herself in the air as a swallow when he pursues hisprey, and all present cheered her with wonder. She had neverdanced so elegantly before. Her tender feet felt as if cutwith sharp knives, but she cared not for it; a sharper panghad pierced through her heart. She knew this was the lastevening she should ever see the prince, for whom she hadforsaken her kindred and her home; she had given up herbeautiful voice, and suffered unheard-of pain daily for him,while he knew nothing of it. This was the last evening thatshe would breathe the same air with him, or gaze on the starry

sky and the deep sea; an eternal night, without a thought or adream, awaited her: she had no soul and now she could neverwin one. All was joy and gayety on board ship till long aftermidnight; she laughed and danced with the rest, while thethoughts of death were in her heart. The prince kissed hisbeautiful bride, while she played with his raven hair, tillthey went arm-in-arm to rest in the splendid tent. Then allbecame still on board the ship; the helmsman, alone awake,stood at the helm. The little mermaid leaned her white arms onthe edge of the vessel, and looked towards the east for thefirst blush of morning, for that first ray of dawn that wouldbring her death. She saw her sisters rising out of the flood:they were as pale as herself; but their long beautiful hairwaved no more in the wind, and had been cut off.

"We have given our hair to the witch," said they, "toobtain help for you, that you may not die to-night. She hasgiven us a knife: here it is, see it is very sharp. Before thesun rises you must plunge it into the heart of the prince;when the warm blood falls upon your feet they will growtogether again, and form into a fish's tail, and you will beonce more a mermaid, and return to us to live out your threehundred years before you die and change into the salt seafoam. Haste, then; he or you must die before sunrise. Our oldgrandmother moans so for you, that her white hair is fallingoff from sorrow, as ours fell under the witch's scissors. Killthe prince and come back; hasten: do you not see the first redstreaks in the sky? In a few minutes the sun will rise, andyou must die." And then they sighed deeply and mournfully, andsank down beneath the waves.

The little mermaid drew back the crimson curtain of thetent, and beheld the fair bride with her head resting on theprince's breast. She bent down and kissed his fair brow, thenlooked at the sky on which the rosy dawn grew brighter andbrighter; then she glanced at the sharp knife, and again fixedher eyes on the prince, who whispered the name of his bride inhis dreams. She was in his thoughts, and the knife trembled inthe hand of the little mermaid: then she flung it far awayfrom her into the waves; the water turned red where it fell,and the drops that spurted up looked like blood. She cast onemore lingering, half-fainting glance at the prince, and thenthrew herself from the ship into the sea, and thought her bodywas dissolving into foam. The sun rose above the waves, andhis warm rays fell on the cold foam of the little mermaid, who

did not feel as if she were dying. She saw the bright sun, andall around her floated hundreds of transparent beautifulbeings; she could see through them the white sails of theship, and the red clouds in the sky; their speech wasmelodious, but too ethereal to be heard by mortal ears, asthey were also unseen by mortal eyes. The little mermaidperceived that she had a body like theirs, and that shecontinued to rise higher and higher out of the foam. "Where amI?" asked she, and her voice sounded ethereal, as the voice ofthose who were with her; no earthly music could imitate it.

"Among the daughters of the air," answered one of them. "Amermaid has not an immortal soul, nor can she obtain oneunless she wins the love of a human being. On the power ofanother hangs her eternal destiny. But the daughters of theair, although they do not possess an immortal soul, can, bytheir good deeds, procure one for themselves. We fly to warmcountries, and cool the sultry air that destroys mankind withthe pestilence. We carry the perfume of the flowers to spreadhealth and restoration. After we have striven for threehundred years to all the good in our power, we receive animmortal soul and take part in the happiness of mankind. You,poor little mermaid, have tried with your whole heart to do aswe are doing; you have suffered and endured and raisedyourself to the spirit-world by your good deeds; and now, bystriving for three hundred years in the same way, you mayobtain an immortal soul."

The little mermaid lifted her glorified eyes towards thesun, and felt them, for the first time, filling with tears. Onthe ship, in which she had left the prince, there were lifeand noise; she saw him and his beautiful bride searching forher; sorrowfully they gazed at the pearly foam, as if theyknew she had thrown herself into the waves. Unseen she kissedthe forehead of her bride, and fanned the prince, and thenmounted with the other children of the air to a rosy cloudthat floated through the aether.

"After three hundred years, thus shall we float into thekingdom of heaven," said she. "And we may even get theresooner," whispered one of her companions. "Unseen we can enterthe houses of men, where there are children, and for every dayon which we find a good child, who is the joy of his parentsand deserves their love, our time of probation is shortened.The child does not know, when we fly through the room, that we

smile with joy at his good conduct, for we can count one yearless of our three hundred years. But when we see a naughty ora wicked child, we shed tears of sorrow, and for every tear aday is added to our time of trial!"

THE END

THE ICE MAIDEN

I. LITTLE RUDY

WE will pay a visit to Switzerland, and wander throughthat country of mountains, whose steep and rocky sides areovergrown with forest trees. Let us climb to the dazzlingsnow-fields at their summits, and descend again to the greenmeadows beneath, through which rivers and brooks rush along asif they could not quickly enough reach the sea and vanish.Fiercely shines the sun over those deep valleys, as well asupon the heavy masses of snow which lie on the mountains.

During the year these accumulations thaw or fall in therolling avalance, or are piled up in shining glaciers. Two ofthese glaciers lie in the broad, rocky cliffs, between theSchreckhorn and the Wetterhorn, near the little town ofGrindelwald. They are wonderful to behold, and therefore inthe summer time strangers come here from all parts of theworld to see them. They cross snow-covered mountains, andtravel through the deep valleys, or ascend for hours, higherand still higher, the valleys appearing to sink lower andlower as they proceed, and become as small as if seen from anair balloon. Over the lofty summits of these mountains theclouds often hang like a dark veil; while beneath in thevalley, where many brown, wooden houses are scattered about,the bright rays of the sun may be shining upon a littlebrilliant patch of green, making it appear almost transparent.The waters foam and dash along in the valleys beneath; thestreams from above trickle and murmur as they fall down therocky mountain's side, looking like glittering silver bands.

On both sides of the mountain-path stand these littlewooden houses; and, as within, there are many children andmany mouths to feed, each house has its own little potatogarden. These children rush out in swarms, and surround

travellers, whether on foot or in carriages. They are allclever at making a bargain. They offer for sale the sweetestlittle toy-houses, models of the mountain cottages inSwitzerland. Whether it be rain or sunshine, these crowds ofchildren are always to be seen with their wares.

About twenty years ago, there might be seen occasionally,standing at a short distance from the other children, a littleboy, who was also anxious to sell his curious wares. He had anearnest, expressive countenance, and held the box containinghis carved toys tightly with both hands, as if unwilling topart with it. His earnest look, and being also a very littleboy, made him noticed by the strangers; so that he often soldthe most, without knowing why. An hour's walk farther up theascent lived his grandfather, who cut and carved the prettylittle toy-houses; and in the old man's room stood a largepress, full of all sorts of carved things- nut-crackers,knives and forks, boxes with beautifully carved foliage,leaping chamois. It contained everything that could delightthe eyes of a child. But the boy, who was named Rudy, lookedwith still greater pleasure and longing at some old fire-armswhich hung upon the rafters, under the ceiling of the room.His grandfather promised him that he should have them someday, but that he must first grow big and strong, and learn howto use them. Small as he was, the goats were placed in hiscare, and a good goat-keeper should also be a good climber,and such Rudy was; he sometimes, indeed, climbed higher thanthe goats, for he was fond of seeking for birds'-nests at thetop of high trees; he was bold and daring, but was seldom seento smile, excepting when he stood by the roaring cataract, orheard the descending roll of the avalanche. He never playedwith the other children, and was not seen with them, unlesshis grandfather sent him down to sell his curious workmanship.Rudy did not much like trade; he loved to climb the mountains,or to sit by his grandfather and listen to his tales of oldentimes, or of the people in Meyringen, the place of his birth.

"In the early ages of the world," said the old man, "thesepeople could not be found in Switzerland. They are a colonyfrom the north, where their ancestors still dwell, and arecalled Swedes."

This was something for Rudy to know, but he learnt morefrom other sources, particularly from the domestic animals whobelonged to the house. One was a large dog, called Ajola,

which had belonged to his father; and the other was a tom-cat.This cat stood very high in Rudy's favor, for he had taughthim to climb.

"Come out on the roof with me," said the cat; and Rudyquite understood him, for the language of fowls, ducks, cats,and dogs, is as easily understood by a young child as his ownnative tongue. But it must be at the age when grandfather'sstick becomes a neighing horse, with head, legs, and tail.Some children retain these ideas later than others, and theyare considered backwards and childish for their age. Peoplesay so; but is it so?

"Come out on the roof with me, little Rudy," was the firstthing he heard the cat say, and Rudy understood him. "Whatpeople say about falling down is all nonsense," continued thecat; "you will not fall, unless you are afraid. Come, now, setone foot here and another there, and feel your way with yourfore-feet. Keep your eyes wide open, and move softly, and ifyou come to a hole jump over it, and cling fast as I do." Andthis was just what Rudy did. He was often on the sloping roofwith the cat, or on the tops of high trees. But, morefrequently, higher still on the ridges of the rocks where pussnever came.

"Higher, higher!" cried the trees and the bushes, "see towhat height we have grown, and how fast we hold, even to thenarrow edges of the rocks."

Rudy often reached the top of the mountain before thesunrise, and there inhaled his morning draught of the fresh,invigorating mountain air,- God's own gift, which men call thesweet fragrance of plant and herb on the mountain-side, andthe mint and wild thyme in the valleys. The overhanging cloudsabsorb all heaviness from the air, and the winds convey themaway over the pine-tree summits. The spirit of fragrance,light and fresh, remained behind, and this was Rudy's morningdraught. The sunbeams- those blessing-bringing daughters ofthe sun- kissed his cheeks. Vertigo might be lurking on thewatch, but he dared not approach him. The swallows, who hadnot less than seven nests in his grandfather's house, flew upto him and his goats, singing, "We and you, you and we." Theybrought him greetings from his grandfather's house, even fromtwo hens, the only birds of the household; but Rudy was notintimate with them.

Although so young and such a little fellow, Rudy hadtravelled a great deal. He was born in the canton of Valais,and brought to his grandfather over the mountains. He hadwalked to Staubbach- a little town that seems to flutter inthe air like a silver veil- the glittering, snow-clad mountainJungfrau. He had also been to the great glaciers; but this isconnected with a sad story, for here his mother met her death,and his grandfather used to say that all Rudy's childishmerriment was lost from that time. His mother had written in aletter, that before he was a year old he had laughed more thanhe cried; but after his fall into the snow-covered crevasse,his disposition had completely changed. The grandfather seldomspoke of this, but the fact was generally known. Rudy's fatherhad been a postilion, and the large dog which now lived in hisgrandfather's cottage had always followed him on his journeysover the Simplon to the lake of Geneva. Rudy's relations, onhis father's side, lived in the canton of Valais, in thevalley of the Rhone. His uncle was a chamois hunter, and awell-known guide. Rudy was only a year old when his fatherdied, and his mother was anxious to return with her child toher own relations, who lived in the Bernese Oberland. Herfather dwelt at a few hours' distance from Grindelwald; he wasa carver in wood, and gained so much by it that he had plentyto live upon. She set out homewards in the month of June,carrying her infant in her arms, and, accompanied by twochamois hunters, crossed the Gemmi on her way to Grindelwald.They had already left more than half the journey behind them.They had crossed high ridges, and traversed snow-fields; theycould even see her native valley, with its familiar woodencottages. They had only one more glacier to climb. Some newlyfallen snow concealed a cleft which, though it did not extendto the foaming waters in the depths beneath, was still muchdeeper than the height of a man. The young woman, with thechild in her arms, slipped upon it, sank in, and disappeared.Not a shriek, not a groan was heard; nothing but the whiningof a little child. More than an hour elapsed before her twocompanions could obtain from the nearest house ropes and polesto assist in raising them; and it was with much exertion thatthey at last succeeded in raising from the crevasse whatappeared to be two dead bodies. Every means was used torestore them to life. With the child they were successful, butnot with the mother; so the old grandfather received hisdaughter's little son into his house an orphan,- a little boywho laughed more than he cried; but it seemed as if laughter

had left him in the cold ice-world into which he had fallen,where, as the Swiss peasants say, the souls of the lost areconfined till the judgment-day.

The glaciers appear as if a rushing stream had been frozenin its course, and pressed into blocks of green crystal,which, balanced one upon another, form a wondrous palace ofcrystal for the Ice Maiden- the queen of the glaciers. It isshe whose mighty power can crush the traveller to death, andarrest the flowing river in its course. She is also a child ofthe air, and with the swiftness of the chamois she can reachthe snow-covered mountain tops, where the boldest mountaineerhas to cut footsteps in the ice to ascend. She will sail on afrail pine-twig over the raging torrents beneath, and springlightly from one iceberg to another, with her long, snow-whitehair flowing around her, and her dark-green robe glitteringlike the waters of the deep Swiss lakes. "Mine is the power toseize and crush," she cried. "Once a beautiful boy was stolenfrom me by man,- a boy whom I had kissed, but had not kissedto death. He is again among mankind, and tends the goats onthe mountains. He is always climbing higher and higher, faraway from all others, but not from me. He is mine; I will sendfor him." And she gave Vertigo the commission.

It was summer, and the Ice Maiden was melting amidst thegreen verdure, when Vertigo swung himself up and down. Vertigohas many brothers, quite a troop of them, and the Ice Maidenchose the strongest among them. They exercise their power indifferent ways, and everywhere. Some sit on the banisters ofsteep stairs, others on the outer rails of lofty towers, orspring like squirrels along the ridges of the mountains.Others tread the air as a swimmer treads the water, and luretheir victims here and there till they fall into the deepabyss. Vertigo and the Ice Maiden clutch at human beings, asthe polypus seizes upon all that comes within its reach. Andnow Vertigo was to seize Rudy.

"Seize him, indeed," cried Vertigo; "I cannot do it. Thatmonster of a cat has taught him her tricks. That child of thehuman race has a power within him which keeps me at adistance; I cannot possibly reach the boy when he hangs fromthe branches of trees, over the precipice; or I would gladlytickle his feet, and send him heels over head through the air;but I cannot accomplish it."

"We must accomplish it," said the Ice Maiden; "either youor I must; and I will- I will!"

"No, no!" sounded through the air, like an echo on themountain church bells chime. It was an answer in song, in themelting tones of a chorus from others of nature's spirits-good and loving spirits, the daughters of the sunbeam. Theywho place themselves in a circle every evening on the mountainpeaks; there they spread out their rose-colored wings, which,as the sun sinks, become more flaming red, until the loftyAlps seem to burn with fire. Men call this the Alpine glow.After the sun has set, they disappear within the white snow onthe mountain-tops, and slumber there till sunrise, when theyagain come forth. They have great love for flowers, forbutterflies, and for mankind; and from among the latter theyhad chosen little Rudy. "You shall not catch him; you shallnot seize him!" they sang.

"Greater and stronger than he have I seized!" said the IceMaiden.

Then the daughters of the sun sang a song of thetraveller, whose cloak had been carried away by the wind. "Thewind took the covering, but not the man; it could even seizeupon him, but not hold him fast. The children of strength aremore powerful, more ethereal, even than we are. They can risehigher than our parent, the sun. They have the magic wordsthat rule the wind and the waves, and compel them to serve andobey; and they can, at last, cast off the heavy, oppressiveweight of mortality, and soar upwards." Thus sweetly soundedthe bell-like tones of the chorus.

And each morning the sun's rays shone through the onelittle window of the grandfather's house upon the quiet child.The daughters of the sunbeam kissed him; they wished to thaw,and melt, and obliterate the ice kiss which the queenly maidenof the glaciers had given him as he lay in the lap of his deadmother, in the deep crevasse of ice from which he had been sowonderfully rescued.

II. THE JOURNEY TO THE NEW HOME

Rudy was just eight years old, when his uncle, who livedon the other side of the mountain, wished to have the boy, as

he thought he might obtain a better education with him, andlearn something more. His grandfather thought the same, so heconsented to let him go. Rudy had many to say farewell to, aswell as his grandfather. First, there was Ajola, the old dog.

"Your father was the postilion, and I was the postilion'sdog," said Ajola. "We have often travelled the same journeytogether; I knew all the dogs and men on this side of themountain. It is not my habit to talk much; but now that wehave so little time to converse together, I will say somethingmore than usual. I will relate to you a story, which I havereflected upon for a long time. I do not understand it, andvery likely you will not, but that is of no consequence. Ihave, however, learnt from it that in this world things arenot equally divided, neither for dogs nor for men. All are notborn to lie on the lap and to drink milk: I have never beenpetted in this way, but I have seen a little dog seated in theplace of a gentleman or lady, and travelling inside apost-chaise. The lady, who was his mistress, or of whom he wasmaster, carried a bottle of milk, of which the little dog nowand then drank; she also offered him pieces of sugar tocrunch. He sniffed at them proudly, but would not eat one, soshe ate them herself. I was running along the dirty road bythe side of the carriage as hungry as a dog could be, chewingthe cud of my own thoughts, which were rather in confusion.But many other things seemed in confusion also. Why was not Ilying on a lap and travelling in a coach? I could not tell;yet I knew I could not alter my own condition, either bybarking or growling.

This was Ajola's farewell speech, and Rudy threw his armsround the dog's neck and kissed his cold nose. Then he tookthe cat in his arms, but he struggled to get free.

"You are getting too strong for me," he said; "but I willnot use my claws against you. Clamber away over the mountains;it was I who taught you to climb. Do not fancy you are goingto fall, and you will be quite safe." Then the cat jumped downand ran away; he did not wish Rudy to see that there weretears in his eyes.

The hens were hopping about the floor; one of them had notail; a traveller, who fancied himself a sportsman, had shotoff her tail, he had mistaken her for a bird of prey.

"Rudy is going away over the mountains," said one of thehens.

"He is always in such a hurry," said the other; "and Idon't like taking leave," so they both hopped out.

But the goats said farewell; they bleated and wanted to gowith him, they were so very sorry.

Just at this time two clever guides were going to crossthe mountains to the other side of the Gemmi, and Rudy was togo with them on foot. It was a long walk for such a littleboy, but he had plenty of strength and invincible courage. Theswallows flew with him a little way, singing, "We and you- youand we." The way led across the rushing Lutschine, which fallsin numerous streams from the dark clefts of the Grindelwaldglaciers. Trunks of fallen trees and blocks of stone formbridges over these streams. After passing a forest of alders,they began to ascend, passing by some blocks of ice that hadloosened themselves from the side of the mountain and layacross their path; they had to step over these ice-blocks orwalk round them. Rudy crept here and ran there, his eyessparkling with joy, and he stepped so firmly with hisiron-tipped mountain shoe, that he left a mark behind himwherever he placed his foot.

The earth was black where the mountain torrents or themelted ice had poured upon it, but the bluish green, glassyice sparkled and glittered. They had to go round little pools,like lakes, enclosed between large masses of ice; and, whilethus wandering out of their path, they came near an immensestone, which lay balanced on the edge of an icy peak. Thestone lost its balance just as they reached it, and rolledover into the abyss beneath, while the noise of its fall wasechoed back from every hollow cliff of the glaciers.

They were always going upwards. The glaciers seemed tospread above them like a continued chain of masses of ice,piled up in wild confusion between bare and rugged rocks. Rudythought for a moment of what had been told him, that he andhis mother had once lain buried in one of these cold,heart-chilling fissures; but he soon banished such thoughts,and looked upon the story as fabulous, like many other storieswhich had been told him. Once or twice, when the men thoughtthe way was rather difficult for such a little boy, they held

out their hands to assist him; but he would not accept theirassistance, for he stood on the slippery ice as firmly as ifhe had been a chamois. They came at length to rocky ground;sometimes stepping upon moss-covered stones, sometimes passingbeneath stunted fir-trees, and again through green meadows.The landscape was always changing, but ever above them toweredthe lofty snow-clad mountains, whose names not only Rudy butevery other child knew- "The Jungfrau," "The Monk and theEiger."

Rudy had never been so far away before; he had nevertrodden on the wide-spreading ocean of snow that lay here withits immovable billows, from which the wind blows off thesnowflake now and then, as it cuts the foam from the waves ofthe sea. The glaciers stand here so close together it mightalmost be said they are hand-in-hand; and each is a crystalpalace for the Ice Maiden, whose power and will it is to seizeand imprison the unwary traveller.

The sun shone warmly, and the snow sparkled as if coveredwith glittering diamonds. Numerous insects, especiallybutterflies and bees, lay dead in heaps on the snow. They hadventured too high, or the wind had carried them here and leftthem to die of cold.

Around the Wetterhorn hung a feathery cloud, like awoolbag, and a threatening cloud too, for as it sunk lower itincreased in size, and concealed within was a "fohn," fearfulin its violence should it break loose. This journey, with itsvaried incidents,- the wild paths, the night passed on themountain, the steep rocky precipices, the hollow clefts, inwhich the rustling waters from time immemorial had worn awaypassages for themselves through blocks of stone,- all thesewere firmly impressed on Rudy's memory.

In a forsaken stone building, which stood just beyond theseas of snow, they one night took shelter. Here they foundsome charcoal and pine branches, so that they soon made afire. They arranged couches to lie on as well as they could,and then the men seated themselves by the fire, took out theirpipes, and began to smoke. They also prepared a warm, spiceddrink, of which they partook and Rudy was not forgotten- hehad his share. Then they began to talk of those mysteriousbeings with which the land of the Alps abounds; the hosts ofapparitions which come in the night, and carry off the

sleepers through the air, to the wonderful floating town ofVenice; of the wild herds-man, who drives the black sheepacross the meadows. These flocks are never seen, yet thetinkle of their little bells has often been heard, as well astheir unearthly bleating. Rudy listened eagerly, but withoutfear, for he knew not what fear meant; and while he listened,he fancied he could hear the roaring of the spectral herd. Itseemed to come nearer and roar louder, till the men heard italso and listened in silence, till, at length, they told Rudythat he must not dare to sleep. It was a "fohn," that violentstorm-wind which rushes from the mountain to the valleybeneath, and in its fury snaps asunder the trunks of largetrees as if they were but slender reeds, and carries thewooden houses from one side of a river to the other as easilyas we could move the pieces on a chess-board. After an hourhad passed, they told Rudy that it was all over, and he mightgo to sleep; and, fatigued with his long walk, he readilyslept at the word of command.

Very early the following morning they again set out. Thesun on this day lighted up for Rudy new mountains, newglaciers, and new snow-fields. They had entered the CantonValais, and found themselves on the ridge of the hills whichcan be seen from Grindelwald; but he was still far from hisnew home. They pointed out to him other clefts, other meadows,other woods and rocky paths, and other houses. Strange menmade their appearance before him, and what men! They weremisshapen, wretched-looking creatures, with yellowcomplexions; and on their necks were dark, ugly lumps offlesh, hanging down like bags. They were called cretins. Theydragged themselves along painfully, and stared at thestrangers with vacant eyes. The women looked more dreadfulthan the men. Poor Rudy! were these the sort of people heshould see at his new home?

III. THE UNCLE

Rudy arrived at last at his uncle's house, and wasthankful to find the people like those he had been accustomedto see. There was only one cretin amongst them, a poor idiotboy, one of those unfortunate beings who, in their neglectedconditions, go from house to house, and are received and takencare of in different families, for a month or two at a time.

Poor Saperli had just arrived at his uncle's house whenRudy came. The uncle was an experienced hunter; he alsofollowed the trade of a cooper; his wife was a lively littleperson, with a face like a bird, eyes like those of an eagle,and a long, hairy throat. Everything was new to Rudy- thefashion of the dress, the manners, the employments, and eventhe language; but the latter his childish ear would soonlearn. He saw also that there was more wealth here, whencompared with his former home at his grandfather's. The roomswere larger, the walls were adorned with the horns of thechamois, and brightly polished guns. Over the door hung apainting of the Virgin Mary, fresh alpine roses and a burninglamp stood near it. Rudy's uncle was, as we have said, one ofthe most noted chamois hunters in the whole district, and alsoone of the best guides. Rudy soon became the pet of the house;but there was another pet, an old hound, blind and lazy, whowould never more follow the hunt, well as he had once done so.But his former good qualities were not forgotten, andtherefore the animal was kept in the family and treated withevery indulgence. Rudy stroked the old hound, but he did notlike strangers, and Rudy was as yet a stranger; he did not,however, long remain so, he soon endeared himself to everyheart, and became like one of the family.

"We are not very badly off, here in the canton Valais,"said his uncle one day; "we have the chamois, they do not dieso fast as the wild goats, and it is certainly much betterhere now than in former times. How highly the old times havebeen spoken of, but ours is better. The bag has been opened,and a current of air now blows through our once confinedvalley. Something better always makes its appearance when old,worn-out things fail."

When his uncle became communicative, he would relatestories of his youthful days, and farther back still of thewarlike times in which his father had lived. Valais was then,as he expressed it, only a closed-up bag, quite full of sickpeople, miserable cretins; but the French soldiers came, andthey were capital doctors, they soon killed the disease andthe sick people, too. The French people knew how to fight inmore ways than one, and the girls knew how to conquer too; andwhen he said this the uncle nodded at his wife, who was aFrench woman by birth, and laughed. The French could also dobattle on the stones. "It was they who cut a road out of thesolid rock over the Simplon- such a road, that I need only say

to a child of three years old, 'Go down to Italy, you haveonly to keep in the high road,' and the child will soon arrivein Italy, if he followed my directions."

Then the uncle sang a French song, and cried, "Hurrah!long live Napoleon Buonaparte." This was the first time Rudyhad ever heard of France, or of Lyons, that great city on theRhone where his uncle had once lived. His uncle said thatRudy, in a very few years, would become a clever hunter, hehad quite a talent for it; he taught the boy to hold a gunproperly, and to load and fire it. In the hunting season hetook him to the hills, and made him drink the warm blood ofthe chamois, which is said to prevent the hunter from becominggiddy; he taught him to know the time when, from the differentmountains, the avalanche is likely to fall, namely, atnoontide or in the evening, from the effects of the sun'srays; he made him observe the movements of the chamois when hegave a leap, so that he might fall firmly and lightly on hisfeet. He told him that when on the fissures of the rocks hecould find no place for his feet, he must support himself onhis elbows, and cling with his legs, and even lean firmly withhis back, for this could be done when necessary. He told himalso that the chamois are very cunning, they place lookers-outon the watch; but the hunter must be more cunning than theyare, and find them out by the scent.

One day, when Rudy went out hunting with his uncle, hehung a coat and hat on an alpine staff, and the chamoismistook it for a man, as they generally do. The mountain pathwas narrow here; indeed it was scarcely a path at all, only akind of shelf, close to the yawning abyss. The snow that layupon it was partially thawed, and the stones crumbled beneaththe feet. Every fragment of stone broken off struck the sidesof the rock in its fall, till it rolled into the depthsbeneath, and sunk to rest. Upon this shelf Rudy's uncle laidhimself down, and crept forward. At about a hundred pacesbehind him stood Rudy, upon the highest point of the rock,watching a great vulture hovering in the air; with a singlestroke of his wing the bird might easily cast the creepinghunter into the abyss beneath, and make him his prey. Rudy'suncle had eyes for nothing but the chamois, who, with itsyoung kid, had just appeared round the edge of the rock. SoRudy kept his eyes fixed on the bird, he knew well what thegreat creature wanted; therefore he stood in readiness todischarge his gun at the proper moment. Suddenly the chamois

made a spring, and his uncle fired and struck the animal withthe deadly bullet; while the young kid rushed away, as if fora long life he had been accustomed to danger and practisedflight. The large bird, alarmed at the report of the gun,wheeled off in another direction, and Rudy's uncle was savedfrom danger, of which he knew nothing till he was told of itby the boy.

While they were both in pleasant mood, wending their wayhomewards, and the uncle whistling the tune of a song he hadlearnt in his young days, they suddenly heard a peculiar soundwhich seemed to come from the top of the mountain. They lookedup, and saw above them, on the over-hanging rock, thesnow-covering heave and lift itself as a piece of linenstretched on the ground to dry raises itself when the windcreeps under it. Smooth as polished marble slabs, the waves ofsnow cracked and loosened themselves, and then suddenly, withthe rumbling noise of distant thunder, fell like a foamingcataract into the abyss. An avalanche had fallen, not uponRudy and his uncle, but very near them. Alas, a great deal toonear!

"Hold fast, Rudy!" cried his uncle; "hold fast, with allyour might."

Then Rudy clung with his arms to the trunk of the nearesttree, while his uncle climbed above him, and held fast by thebranches. The avalanche rolled past them at some distance; butthe gust of wind that followed, like the storm-wings of theavalanche, snapped asunder the trees and bushes over which itswept, as if they had been but dry rushes, and threw themabout in every direction. The tree to which Rudy clung wasthus overthrown, and Rudy dashed to the ground. The higherbranches were snapped off, and carried away to a greatdistance; and among these shattered branches lay Rudy's uncle,with his skull fractured. When they found him, his hand wasstill warm; but it would have been impossible to recognize hisface. Rudy stood by, pale and trembling; it was the firstshock of his life, the first time he had ever felt fear. Latein the evening he returned home with the fatal news,- to thathome which was now to be so full of sorrow. His uncle's wifeuttered not a word, nor shed a tear, till the corpse wasbrought in; then her agony burst forth. The poor cretin creptaway to his bed, and nothing was seen of him during the wholeof the following day. Towards evening, however, he came to

Rudy, and said, "Will you write a letter for me? Saperlicannot write; Saperli can only take the letters to the post."

"A letter for you!" said Rudy; "who do you wish to writeto?"

"To the Lord Christ," he replied.

"What do you mean?" asked Rudy.

Then the poor idiot, as the cretin was often called,looked at Rudy with a most touching expression in his eyes,clasped his hands, and said, solemnly and devoutly, "Saperliwants to send a letter to Jesus Christ, to pray Him to letSaperli die, and not the master of the house here."

Rudy pressed his hand, and replied, "A letter would notreach Him up above; it would not give him back whom we havelost."

It was not, however, easy for Rudy to convince Saperli ofthe impossibility of doing what he wished.

"Now you must work for us," said his foster-mother; andRudy very soon became the entire support of the house. BABETTE

IV. BABETTE

Who was the best marksman in the canton Valais? Thechamois knew well. "Save yourselves from Rudy," they mightwell say. And who is the handsomest marksman? "Oh, it isRudy," said the maidens; but they did not say, "Saveyourselves from Rudy." Neither did anxious mothers say so; forhe bowed to them as pleasantly as to the young girls. He wasso brave and cheerful. His cheeks were brown, his teeth white,and his eyes dark and sparkling. He was now a handsome youngman of twenty years. The most icy water could not deter himfrom swimming; he could twist and turn like a fish. None couldclimb like he, and he clung as firmly to the edges of therocks as a limpet. He had strong muscular power, as could beseen when he leapt from rock to rock. He had learnt this firstfrom the cat, and more lately from the chamois. Rudy wasconsidered the best guide over the mountains; every one hadgreat confidence in him. He might have made a great deal of

money as guide. His uncle had also taught him the trade of acooper; but he had no inclination for either; his delight wasin chamois-hunting, which also brought him plenty of money.Rudy would be a very good match, as people said, if he wouldnot look above his own station. He was also such a famouspartner in dancing, that the girls often dreamt about him, andone and another thought of him even when awake.

"He kissed me in the dance," said Annette, theschoolmaster's daughter, to her dearest friend; but she oughtnot to have told this, even to her dearest friend. It is noteasy to keep such secrets; they are like sand in a sieve; theyslip out. It was therefore soon known that Rudy, so brave andso good as he was, had kissed some one while dancing, and yethe had never kissed her who was dearest to him.

"Ah, ah," said an old hunter, "he has kissed Annette, hashe? he has begun with A, and I suppose he will kiss throughthe whole alphabet."

But a kiss in the dance was all the busy tongues couldaccuse him of. He certainly had kissed Annette, but she wasnot the flower of his heart.

Down in the valley, near Bex, among the greatwalnut-trees, by the side of a little rushing mountain-stream,lived a rich miller. His dwelling-house was a large building,three storeys high, with little turrets. The roof was coveredwith chips, bound together with tin plates, that glittered insunshine and in the moonlight. The largest of the turrets hada weather-cock, representing an apple pierced by a glitteringarrow, in memory of William Tell. The mill was a neat andwell-ordered place, that allowed itself to be sketched andwritten about; but the miller's daughter did not permit any tosketch or write about her. So, at least, Rudy would have said,for her image was pictured in his heart; her eyes shone in itso brightly, that quite a flame had been kindled there; and,like all other fires, it had burst forth so suddenly, that themiller's daughter, the beautiful Babette, was quite unaware ofit. Rudy had never spoken a word to her on the subject. Themiller was rich, and, on that account, Babette stood veryhigh, and was rather difficult to aspire to. But said Rudy tohimself, "Nothing is too high for a man to reach: he mustclimb with confidence in himself, and he will not fail." Hehad learnt this lesson in his youthful home.

It happened once that Rudy had some business to settle atBex. It was a long journey at that time, for the railway hadnot been opened. From the glaciers of the Rhone, at the footof the Simplon, between its ever-changing mountain summits,stretches the valley of the canton Valais. Through it runs thenoble river of the Rhone, which often overflows its banks,covering fields and highways, and destroying everything in itscourse. Near the towns of Sion and St. Maurice, the valleytakes a turn, and bends like an elbow, and behind St. Mauricebecomes so narrow that there is only space enough for the bedof the river and a narrow carriage-road. An old tower standshere, as if it were guardian to the canton Valais, which endsat this point; and from it we can look across the stone bridgeto the toll-house on the other side, where the canton Vaudcommences. Not far from this spot stands the town of Bex, andat every step can be seen an increase of fruitfulness andverdure. It is like entering a grove of chestnut andwalnut-trees. Here and there the cypress and pomegranateblossoms peep forth; and it is almost as warm as an Italianclimate. Rudy arrived at Bex, and soon finished the businesswhich had brought him there, and then walked about the town;but not even the miller's boy could be seen, nor any onebelonging to the mill, not to mention Babette. This did notplease him at all. Evening came on. The air was filled withthe perfume of the wild thyme and the blossoms of thelime-trees, and the green woods on the mountains seemed to becovered with a shining veil, blue as the sky. Over everythingreigned a stillness, not of sleep or of death, but as ifNature were holding her breath, that her image might bephotographed on the blue vault of heaven. Here and there,amidst the trees of the silent valley, stood poles whichsupported the wires of the electric telegraph. Against one ofthese poles leaned an object so motionless that it might havebeen mistaken for the trunk of a tree; but it was Rudy,standing there as still as at that moment was everythingaround him. He was not asleep, neither was he dead; but justas the various events in the world- matters of momentousimportance to individuals- were flying through the telegraphwires, without the quiver of a wire or the slightest tone, so,through the mind of Rudy, thoughts of overwhelming importancewere passing, without an outward sign of emotion. Thehappiness of his future life depended upon the decision of hispresent reflections. His eyes were fixed on one spot in thedistance- a light that twinkled through the foliage from the

parlor of the miller's house, where Babette dwelt. Rudy stoodso still, that it might have been supposed he was watching fora chamois; but he was in reality like a chamois, who willstand for a moment, looking as if it were chiselled out of therock, and then, if only a stone rolled by, would suddenlybound forward with a spring, far away from the hunter. And sowith Rudy: a sudden roll of his thoughts roused him from hisstillness, and made him bound forward with determination toact.

"Never despair!" cried he. "A visit to the mill, to saygood evening to the miller, and good evening to littleBabette, can do no harm. No one ever fails who has confidencein himself. If I am to be Babette's husband, I must see hersome time or other."

Then Rudy laughed joyously, and took courage to go to themill. He knew what he wanted; he wanted to marry Babette. Theclear water of the river rolled over its yellow bed, andwillows and lime-trees were reflected in it, as Rudy steppedalong the path to the miller's house. But, as the childrensing-

"There was no one at home in the house,

Only a kitten at play."

The cat standing on the steps put up its back and cried"mew." But Rudy had no inclination for this sort ofconversation; he passed on, and knocked at the door. No oneheard him, no one opened the door. "Mew," said the cat again;and had Rudy been still a child, he would have understood thislanguage, and known that the cat wished to tell him there wasno one at home. So he was obliged to go to the mill and makeinquiries, and there he heard that the miller had gone on ajourney to Interlachen, and taken Babette with him, to thegreat shooting festival, which began that morning, and wouldcontinue for eight days, and that people from all the Germansettlements would be there.

Poor Rudy! we may well say. It was not a fortunate day forhis visit to Bex. He had just to return the way he came,through St. Maurice and Sion, to his home in the valley. But

he did not despair. When the sun rose the next morning, hisgood spirits had returned; indeed he had never really lostthem. "Babette is at Interlachen," said Rudy to himself, "manydays' journey from here. It is certainly a long way for anyone who takes the high-road, but not so far if he takes ashort cut across the mountain, and that just suits achamois-hunter. I have been that way before, for it leads tothe home of my childhood, where, as a little boy, I lived withmy grandfather. And there are shooting matches at Interlachen.I will go, and try to stand first in the match. Babette willbe there, and I shall be able to make her acquaintance."

Carrying his light knapsack, which contained his Sundayclothes, on his back, and with his musket and his game-bagover his shoulder, Rudy started to take the shortest wayacross the mountain. Still it was a great distance. Theshooting matches were to commence on that day, and to continuefor a whole week. He had been told also that the miller andBabette would remain that time with some relatives atInterlachen. So over the Gemmi Rudy climbed bravely, anddetermined to descend the side of the Grindelwald. Bright andjoyous were his feelings as he stepped lightly onwards,inhaling the invigorating mountain air. The valley sunk as heascended, the circle of the horizon expanded. One snow-cappedpeak after another rose before him, till the whole of theglittering Alpine range became visible. Rudy knew eachice-clad peak, and he continued his course towards theSchreckhorn, with its white powdered stone finger raised highin the air. At length he had crossed the highest ridges, andbefore him lay the green pasture lands sloping down towardsthe valley, which was once his home. The buoyancy of the airmade his heart light. Hill and valley were blooming inluxuriant beauty, and his thoughts were youthful dreams, inwhich old age or death were out of the question. Life, power,and enjoyment were in the future, and he felt free and lightas a bird. And the swallows flew round him, as in the days ofhis childhood, singing "We and you- you and we." All wasoverflowing with joy. Beneath him lay the meadows, coveredwith velvety green, with the murmuring river flowing throughthem, and dotted here and there were small wooden houses. Hecould see the edges of the glaciers, looking like green glassagainst the soiled snow, and the deep chasms beneath theloftiest glacier. The church bells were ringing, as if towelcome him to his home with their sweet tones. His heart beatquickly, and for a moment he seemed to have foregotten

Babette, so full were his thoughts of old recollections. Hewas, in imagination, once more wandering on the road where,when a little boy, he, with other children, came to sell theircuriously carved toy houses. Yonder, behind the fir-trees,still stood his grandfather's house, his mother's father, butstrangers dwelt in it now. Children came running to him, as hehad once done, and wished to sell their wares. One of themoffered him an Alpine rose. Rudy took the rose as a good omen,and thought of Babette. He quickly crossed the bridge wherethe two rivers flow into each other. Here he found a walkover-shadowed with large walnut-trees, and their thick foliageformed a pleasant shade. Very soon he perceived in thedistance, waving flags, on which glittered a white cross on ared ground- the standard of the Danes as well as of the Swiss-and before him lay Interlachen.

"It is really a splendid town, like none other that I haveever seen," said Rudy to himself. It was indeed a Swiss townin its holiday dress. Not like the many other towns, crowdedwith heavy stone houses, stiff and foreign looking. No; hereit seemed as if the wooden houses on the hills had run intothe valley, and placed themselves in rows and ranks by theside of the clear river, which rushes like an arrow in itscourse. The streets were rather irregular, it is true, butstill this added to their picturesque appearance. There wasone street which Rudy thought the prettiest of them all; ithad been built since he had visited the town when a littleboy. It seemed to him as if all the neatest and most curiouslycarved toy houses which his grandfather once kept in the largecupboard at home, had been brought out and placed in thisspot, and that they had increased in size since then, as theold chestnut trees had done. The houses were called hotels;the woodwork on the windows and balconies was curiouslycarved. The roofs were gayly painted, and before each housewas a flower garden, which separated it from the macadamizedhigh-road. These houses all stood on the same side of theroad, so that the fresh, green meadows, in which were cowsgrazing, with bells on their necks, were not hidden. The soundof these bells is often heard amidst Alpine scenery. Thesemeadows were encircled by lofty hills, which receded a littlein the centre, so that the most beautifully formed of Swissmountains- the snow-crowned Jungfrau- could be distinctly seenglittering in the distance. A number of elegantly dressedgentlemen and ladies from foreign lands, and crowds of countrypeople from the neighboring cantons, were assembled in the

town. Each marksman wore the number of hits he had madetwisted in a garland round his hat. Here were music andsinging of all descriptions: hand-organs, trumpets, shouting,and noise. The houses and bridges were adorned with verses andinscriptions. Flags and banners were waving. Shot after shotwas fired, which was the best music to Rudy's ears. And amidstall this excitement he quite forgot Babette, on whose accountonly he had come. The shooters were thronging round thetarget, and Rudy was soon amongst them. But when he took histurn to fire, he proved himself the best shot, for he alwaysstruck the bull's-eye.

"Who may that young stranger be?" was the inquiry on allsides. "He speaks French as it is spoken in the Swisscantons."

"And makes himself understood very well when he speaksGerman," said some.

"He lived here, when a child, with his grandfather, in ahouse on the road to Grindelwald," remarked one of thesportsmen.

And full of life was this young stranger; his eyessparkled, his glance was steady, and his arm sure, thereforehe always hit the mark. Good fortune gives courage, and Rudywas always courageous. He soon had a circle of friendsgathered round him. Every one noticed him, and did him homage.Babette had quite vanished from his thoughts, when he wasstruck on the shoulder by a heavy hand, and a deep voice saidto him in French, "You are from the canton Valais."

Rudy turned round, and beheld a man with a ruddy, pleasantface, and a stout figure. It was the rich miller from Bex. Hisbroad, portly person, hid the slender, lovely Babette; but shecame forward and glanced at him with her bright, dark eyes.The rich miller was very much flattered at the thought thatthe young man, who was acknowledged to be the best shot, andwas so praised by every one, should be from his own canton.Now was Rudy really fortunate: he had travelled all this wayto this place, and those he had forgotten were now come toseek him. When country people go far from home, they oftenmeet with those they know, and improve their acquaintance.Rudy, by his shooting, had gained the first place in theshooting-match, just as the miller at home at Bex stood first,

because of his money and his mill. So the two men shook hands,which they had never done before. Babette, too, held out herhand to Rudy frankly, and he pressed it in his, and looked ather so earnestly, that she blushed deeply. The miller talkedof the long journey they had travelled, and of the many townsthey had seen. It was his opinion that he had really made asgreat a journey as if he had travelled in a steamship, arailway carriage, or a post-chaise.

"I came by a much shorter way," said Rudy; "I came overthe mountains. There is no road so high that a man may notventure upon it."

"Ah, yes; and break your neck," said the miller; "and youlook like one who will break his neck some day, you are sodaring."

"Oh, nothing ever happens to a man if he has confidence inhimself," replied Rudy.

The miller's relations at Interlachen, with whom themiller and Babette were staying, invited Rudy to visit them,when they found he came from the same canton as the miller. Itwas a most pleasant visit. Good fortune seemed to follow him,as it does those who think and act for themselves, and whoremember the proverb, "Nuts are given to us, but they are notcracked for us." And Rudy was treated by the miller'srelations almost like one of the family, and glasses of winewere poured out to drink to the welfare of the best shooter.Babette clinked glasses with Rudy, and he returned thanks forthe toast. In the evening they all took a delightful walkunder the walnut-trees, in front of the stately hotels; therewere so many people, and such crowding, that Rudy was obligedto offer his arm to Babette. Then he told her how happy itmade him to meet people from the canton Vaud,- for Vaud andValais were neighboring cantons. He spoke of this pleasure soheartily that Babette could not resist giving his arm a slightsqueeze; and so they walked on together, and talked andchatted like old acquaintances. Rudy felt inclined to laughsometimes at the absurd dress and walk of the foreign ladies;but Babette did not wish to make fun of them, for she knewthere must be some good, excellent people amongst them; she,herself, had a godmother, who was a high-born English lady.Eighteen years before, when Babette was christened, this ladywas staying at Bex, and she stood godmother for her, and gave

her the valuable brooch she now wore in her bosom.

Her godmother had twice written to her, and this year shewas expected to visit Interlachen with her two daughters; "butthey are old-maids," added Babette, who was only eighteen:"they are nearly thirty." Her sweet little mouth was neverstill a moment, and all that she said sounded in Rudy's earsas matters of the greatest importance, and at last he told herwhat he was longing to tell. How often he had been at Bex, howwell he knew the mill, and how often he had seen Babette, whenmost likely she had not noticed him; and lastly, that full ofmany thoughts which he could not tell her, he had been to themill on the evening when she and her father has started ontheir long journey, but not too far for him to find a way toovertake them. He told her all this, and a great deal more; hetold her how much he could endure for her; and that it was tosee her, and not the shooting-match, which had brought him toInterlachen. Babette became quite silent after hearing allthis; it was almost too much, and it troubled her.

And while they thus wandered on, the sun sunk behind thelofty mountains. The Jungfrau stood out in brightness andsplendor, as a back-ground to the green woods of thesurrounding hills. Every one stood still to look at thebeautiful sight, Rudy and Babette among them.

"Nothing can be more beautiful than this," said Babette.

"Nothing!" replied Rudy, looking at Babette.

"To-morrow I must return home," remarked Rudy a fewminutes afterwards.

"Come and visit us at Bex," whispered Babette; "my fatherwill be pleased to see you."

V. ON THE WAY HOME

Oh, what a number of things Rudy had to carry over themountains, when he set out to return home! He had three silvercups, two handsome pistols, and a silver coffee-pot. Thislatter would be useful when he began housekeeping. But allthese were not the heaviest weight he had to bear; somethingmightier and more important he carried with him in his heart,

over the high mountains, as he journeyed homeward.

The weather was dismally dark, and inclined to rain; theclouds hung low, like a mourning veil on the tops of themountains, and shrouded their glittering peaks. In the woodscould be heard the sound of the axe and the heavy fall of thetrunks of the trees, as they rolled down the slopes of themountains. When seen from the heights, the trunks of thesetrees looked like slender stems; but on a nearer inspectionthey were found to be large and strong enough for the masts ofa ship. The river murmured monotonously, the wind whistled,and the clouds sailed along hurriedly.

Suddenly there appeared, close by Rudy's side, a youngmaiden; he had not noticed her till she came quite near tohim. She was also going to ascend the mountain. The maiden'seyes shone with an unearthly power, which obliged you to lookinto them; they were strange eyes,- clear, deep, andunfathomable.

"Hast thou a lover?" asked Rudy; all his thoughts werenaturally on love just then.

"I have none," answered the maiden, with a laugh; it wasas if she had not spoken the truth.

"Do not let us go such a long way round," said she. "Wemust keep to the left; it is much shorter."

"Ah, yes," he replied; "and fall into some crevasse. Doyou pretend to be a guide, and not know the road better thanthat?"

"I know every step of the way," said she; "and my thoughtsare collected, while yours are down in the valley yonder. Weshould think of the Ice Maiden while we are up here; men sayshe is not kind to their race."

"I fear her not," said Rudy. "She could not keep me when Iwas a child; I will not give myself up to her now I am a man."

Darkness came on, the rain fell, and then it began tosnow, and the whiteness dazzled the eyes.

"Give me your hand," said the maiden; "I will help you to

mount." And he felt the touch of her icy fingers.

"You help me," cried Rudy; "I do not yet require a womanto help me to climb." And he stepped quickly forwards awayfrom her.

The drifting snow-shower fell like a veil between them,the wind whistled, and behind him he could hear the maidenlaughing and singing, and the sound was most strange to hear.

"It certainly must be a spectre or a servant of the IceMaiden," thought Rudy, who had heard such things talked aboutwhen he was a little boy, and had stayed all night on themountain with the guides.

The snow fell thicker than ever, the clouds lay beneathhim; he looked back, there was no one to be seen, but he heardsounds of mocking laughter, which were not those of a humanvoice.

When Rudy at length reached the highest part of themountain, where the path led down to the valley of the Rhone,the snow had ceased, and in the clear heavens he saw twobright stars twinkling. They reminded him of Babette and ofhimself, and of his future happiness, and his heart glowed atthe thought.

VI. THE VISIT TO THE MILL

"What beautiful things you have brought home!" said hisold foster-mother; and her strange-looking eagle-eyessparkled, while she wriggled and twisted her skinny neck morequickly and strangely than ever. "You have brought good luckwith you, Rudy. I must give you a kiss, my dear boy."

Rudy allowed himself to be kissed; but it could be seen byhis countenance that he only endured the infliction as ahomely duty.

"How handsome you are, Rudy!" said the old woman.

"Don't flatter," said Rudy, with a laugh; but still he waspleased.

"I must say once more," said the old woman, "that you arevery lucky."

"Well, in that I believe you are right," said he, as hethought of Babette. Never had he felt such a longing for thatdeep valley as he now had. "They must have returned home bythis time," said he to himself, "it is already two days overthe time which they fixed upon. I must go to Bex."

So Rudy set out to go to Bex; and when he arrived there,he found the miller and his daughter at home. They receivedhim kindly, and brought him many greetings from their friendsat Interlachen. Babette did not say much. She seemed to havebecome quite silent; but her eyes spoke, and that was quiteenough for Rudy. The miller had generally a great deal to talkabout, and seemed to expect that every one should listen tohis jokes, and laugh at them; for was not he the rich miller?But now he was more inclined to hear Rudy's adventures whilehunting and travelling, and to listen to his descriptions ofthe difficulties the chamois-hunter has to overcome on themountain-tops, or of the dangerous snow-drifts which the windand weather cause to cling to the edges of the rocks, or tolie in the form of a frail bridge over the abyss beneath. Theeyes of the brave Rudy sparkled as he described the life of ahunter, or spoke of the cunning of the chamois and theirwonderful leaps; also of the powerful fohn and the rollingavalanche. He noticed that the more he described, the moreinterested the miller became, especially when he spoke of thefierce vulture and of the royal eagle. Not far from Bex, inthe canton Valais, was an eagle's nest, more curiously builtunder a high, over-hanging rock. In this nest was a youngeagle; but who would venture to take it? A young Englishmanhad offered Rudy a whole handful of gold, if he would bringhim the young eagle alive.

"There is a limit to everything," was Rudy's reply. "Theeagle could not be taken; it would be folly to attempt it."

The wine was passed round freely, and the conversationkept up pleasantly; but the evening seemed too short for Rudy,although it was midnight when he left the miller's house,after this his first visit.

While the lights in the windows of the miller's housestill twinkled through the green foliage, out through the open

skylight came the parlor-cat on to the roof, and along thewater-pipe walked the kitchen-cat to meet her.

"What is the news at the mill?" asked the parlor-cat."Here in the house there is secret love-making going on, whichthe father knows nothing about. Rudy and Babette have beentreading on each other's paws, under the table, all theevening. They trod on my tail twice, but I did not mew; thatwould have attracted notice."

"Well, I should have mewed," said the kitchen-cat.

"What might suit the kitchen would not suit the parlor,"said the other. "I am quite curious to know what the millerwill say when he finds out this engagement."

Yes, indeed; what would the miller say? Rudy himself wasanxious to know that; but to wait till the miller heard of itfrom others was out of the question. Therefore, not many daysafter this visit, he was riding in the omnibus that runsbetween the two cantons, Valais and Vaud. These cantons areseparated by the Rhone, over which is a bridge that unitesthem. Rudy, as usual, had plenty of courage, and indulged inpleasant thoughts of the favorable answer he should receivethat evening. And when the omnibus returned, Rudy was againseated in it, going homewards; and at the same time theparlor-cat at the miller's house ran out quickly, crying,-

"Here, you from the kitchen, what do you think? The millerknows all now. Everything has come to a delightful end. Rudycame here this evening, and he and Babette had much whisperingand secret conversation together. They stood in the path nearthe miller's room. I lay at their feet; but they had no eyesor thoughts for me.

"'I will go to your father at once,' said he; 'it is themost honorable way.'

"'Shall I go with you?' asked Babette; 'it will give youcourage.'

"'I have plenty of courage,' said Rudy; 'but if you arewith me, he must be friendly, whether he says Yes or No.'

"So they turned to go in, and Rudy trod heavily on my

tail; he certainly is very clumsy. I mewed; but neither he norBabette had any ears for me. They opened the door, and enteredtogether. I was before them, and jumped on the back of achair. I hardly know what Rudy said; but the miller flew intoa rage, and threatened to kick him out of the house. He toldhim he might go to the mountains, and look after the chamois,but not after our little Babette."

"And what did they say? Did they speak?" asked thekitchen-cat.

"What did they say! why, all that people generally do saywhen they go a-wooing- 'I love her, and she loves me; and whenthere is milk in the can for one, there is milk in the can fortwo.'

"'But she is so far above you,' said the miller; 'she hasheaps of gold, as you know. You should not attempt to reachher.'

"'There is nothing so high that a man cannot reach, if hewill,' answered Rudy; for he is a brave youth.

"'Yet you could not reach the young eagle,' said themiller, laughing. 'Babette is higher than the eagle's nest.'

"'I will have them both,' said Rudy.

"'Very well; I will give her to you when you bring me theyoung eaglet alive,' said the miller; and he laughed till thetears stood in his eyes. 'But now I thank you for this visit,Rudy; and if you come to-morrow, you will find nobody at home.Good-bye, Rudy.'

"Babette also wished him farewell; but her voice soundedas mournful as the mew of a little kitten that has lost itsmother.

"'A promise is a promise between man and man,' said Rudy.'Do not weep, Babette; I shall bring the young eagle.'

"'You will break your neck, I hope,' said the miller, 'andwe shall be relieved from your company.'

"I call that kicking him out of the house," said the

parlor-cat. "And now Rudy is gone, and Babette sits and weeps,while the miller sings German songs that he learnt on hisjourney; but I do not trouble myself on the matter,- it wouldbe of no use."

"Yet, for all that, it is a very strange affair," said thekitchen-cat.

VII. THE EAGLE'S NEST

From the mountain-path came a joyous sound of some personwhistling, and it betokened good humor and undaunted courage.It was Rudy, going to meet his friend Vesinaud. "You must comeand help," said he. "I want to carry off the young eaglet fromthe top of the rock. We will take young Ragli with us."

"Had you not better first try to take down the moon? Thatwould be quite as easy a task," said Vesinaud. "You seem to bein good spirits."

"Yes, indeed I am. I am thinking of my wedding. But to beserious, I will tell you all about it, and how I am situated."

Then he explained to Vesinaud and Ragli what he wished todo, and why.

"You are a daring fellow," said they; "but it is no use;you will break your neck."

"No one falls, unless he is afraid," said Rudy.

So at midnight they set out, carrying with them poles,ladders, and ropes. The road lay amidst brushwood andunderwood, over rolling stones, always upwards higher andhigher in the dark night. Waters roared beneath them, or fellin cascades from above. Humid clouds were driving through theair as the hunters reached the precipitous ledge of the rock.It was even darker here, for the sides of the rocks almostmet, and the light penetrated only through a small opening atthe top. At a little distance from the edge could be heard thesound of the roaring, foaming waters in the yawning abyssbeneath them. The three seated themselves on a stone, to awaitin stillness the dawn of day, when the parent eagle would flyout, as it would be necessary to shoot the old bird before

they could think of gaining possession of the young one. Rudysat motionless, as if he had been part of the stone on whichhe sat. He held his gun ready to fire, with his eyes fixedsteadily on the highest point of the cliff, where the eagle'snest lay concealed beneath the overhanging rock.

The three hunters had a long time to wait. At last theyheard a rustling, whirring sound above them, and a largehovering object darkened the air. Two guns were ready to aimat the dark body of the eagle as it rose from the nest. Then ashot was fired; for an instant the bird fluttered itswide-spreading wings, and seemed as if it would fill up thewhole of the chasm, and drag down the hunters in its fall. Butit was not so; the eagle sunk gradually into the abyssbeneath, and the branches of trees and bushes were broken byits weight. Then the hunters roused themselves: three of thelongest ladders were brought and bound together; the topmostring of these ladders would just reach the edge of the rockwhich hung over the abyss, but no farther. The point beneathwhich the eagle's nest lay sheltered was much higher, and thesides of the rock were as smooth as a wall. After consultingtogether, they determined to bind together two more ladders,and to hoist them over the cavity, and so form a communicationwith the three beneath them, by binding the upper ones to thelower. With great difficulty they contrived to drag the twoladders over the rock, and there they hung for some moments,swaying over the abyss; but no sooner had they fastened themtogether, than Rudy placed his foot on the lowest step.

It was a bitterly cold morning; clouds of mist were risingfrom beneath, and Rudy stood on the lower step of the ladderas a fly rests on a piece of swinging straw, which a bird mayhave dropped from the edge of the nest it was building on sometall factory chimney; but the fly could fly away if the strawwere shaken, Rudy could only break his neck. The wind whistledaround him, and beneath him the waters of the abyss, swelledby the thawing of the glaciers, those palaces of the IceMaiden, foamed and roared in their rapid course. When Rudybegan to ascend, the ladder trembled like the web of thespider, when it draws out the long, delicate threads; but assoon as he reached the fourth of the ladders, which had beenbound together, he felt more confidence,- he knew that theyhad been fastened securely by skilful hands. The fifth ladder,that appeared to reach the nest, was supported by the sides ofthe rock, yet it swung to and fro, and flapped about like a

slender reed, and as if it had been bound by fishing lines. Itseemed a most dangerous undertaking to ascend it, but Rudyknew how to climb; he had learnt that from the cat, and he hadno fear. He did not observe Vertigo, who stood in the airbehind him, trying to lay hold of him with his outstretchedpolypous arms.

When at length he stood on the topmost step of the ladder,he found that he was still some distance below the nest, andnot even able to see into it. Only by using his hands andclimbing could he possibly reach it. He tried the strength ofthe stunted trees, and the thick underwood upon which the nestrested, and of which it was formed, and finding they wouldsupport his weight, he grasped them firmly, and swung himselfup from the ladder till his head and breast were above thenest, and then what an overpowering stench came from it, forin it lay the putrid remains of lambs, chamois, and birds.Vertigo, although he could not reach him, blew the poisonousvapor in his face, to make him giddy and faint; and beneath,in the dark, yawning deep, on the rushing waters, sat the IceMaiden, with her long, pale, green hair falling around her,and her death-like eyes fixed upon him, like the two barrelsof a gun. "I have thee now," she cried.

In a corner of the eagle's nest sat the young eaglet, alarge and powerful bird, though still unable to fly. Rudyfixed his eyes upon it, held on by one hand with all hisstrength, and with the other threw a noose round the youngeagle. The string slipped to its legs. Rudy tightened it, andthus secured the bird alive. Then flinging the sling over hisshoulder, so that the creature hung a good way down behindhim, he prepared to descend with the help of a rope, and hisfoot soon touched safely the highest step of the ladder. ThenRudy, remembering his early lesson in climbing, "Hold fast,and do not fear," descended carefully down the ladders, and atlast stood safely on the ground with the young living eaglet,where he was received with loud shouts of joy andcongratulations.

VIII. WHAT FRESH NEWS THE PARLOR-CAT HAD TO TELL

"There is what you asked for," said Rudy, as he enteredthe miller's house at Bex, and placed on the floor a largebasket. He removed the lid as he spoke, and a pair of yellow

eyes, encircled by a black ring, stared forth with a wild,fiery glance, that seemed ready to burn and destroy all thatcame in its way. Its short, strong beak was open, ready tobite, and on its red throat were short feathers, like stubble.

"The young eaglet!" cried the miller.

Babette screamed, and started back, while her eyeswandered from Rudy to the bird in astonishment.

"You are not to be discouraged by difficulties, I see,"said the miller.

"And you will keep your word," replied Rudy. "Each has hisown characteristic, whether it is honor or courage."

"But how is it you did not break your neck?" asked themiller.

"Because I held fast," answered Rudy; "and I mean to holdfast to Babette."

"You must get her first," said the miller, laughing; andBabette thought this a very good sign.

"We must take the bird out of the basket," said she. "Itis getting into a rage; how its eyes glare. How did you manageto conquer it?"

Then Rudy had to describe his adventure, and the miller'seyes opened wide as he listened.

"With your courage and your good fortune you might winthree wives," said the miller.

"Oh, thank you," cried Rudy.

"But you have not won Babette yet," said the miller,slapping the young Alpine hunter on the shoulder playfully.

"Have you heard the fresh news at the mill?" asked theparlor-cat of the kitchen-cat. "Rudy has brought us the youngeagle, and he is to take Babette in exchange. They kissed eachother in the presence of the old man, which is as good as anengagement. He was quite civil about it; drew in his claws,

and took his afternoon nap, so that the two were left to sitand wag their tails as much as they pleased. They have so muchto talk about that it will not be finished till Christmas."Neither was it finished till Christmas.

The wind whirled the faded, fallen leaves; the snowdrifted in the valleys, as well as upon the mountains, and theIce Maiden sat in the stately palace which, in winter time,she generally occupied. The perpendicular rocks were coveredwith slippery ice, and where in summer the stream from therocks had left a watery veil, icicles large and heavy hungfrom the trees, while the snow-powdered fir-trees weredecorated with fantastic garlands of crystal. The Ice Maidenrode on the howling wind across the deep valleys, the country,as far as Bex, was covered with a carpet of snow, so that theIce Maiden could follow Rudy, and see him, when he visited themill; and while in the room at the miller's house, where hewas accustomed to spend so much of his time with Babette. Thewedding was to take place in the following summer, and theyheard enough of it, for so many of their friends spoke of thematter.

Then came sunshine to the mill. The beautiful Alpine rosesbloomed, and joyous, laughing Babette, was like the earlyspring, which makes all the birds sing of summer time andbridal days.

"How those two do sit and chatter together," said theparlor-cat; "I have had enough of their mewing."

IX. THE ICE MAIDEN

The walnut and chestnut trees, which extend from thebridge of St. Maurice, by the river Rhone, to the shores ofthe lake of Geneva, were already covered with the delicategreen garlands of early spring, just bursting into bloom,while the Rhone rushed wildly from its source among the greenglaciers which form the ice palace of the Ice Maiden. Shesometimes allows herself to be carried by the keen wind to thelofty snow-fields, where she stretches herself in the sunshineon the soft snowy-cushions. From thence she throws herfar-seeing glance into the deep valley beneath, where humanbeings are busily moving about like ants on a stone in thesun. "Spirits of strength, as the children of the sun call

you," cried the Ice Maiden, "ye are but worms! Let but asnow-ball roll, and you and your houses and your towns arecrushed and swept away." And she raised her proud head, andlooked around her with eyes that flashed death from theirglance. From the valley came a rumbling sound; men were busilyat work blasting the rocks to form tunnels, and laying downroads for the railway. "They are playing at work underground,like moles," said she. "They are digging passages beneath theearth, and the noise is like the reports of cannons. I shallthrow down my palaces, for the clamor is louder than the roarof thunder." Then there ascended from the valley a thickvapor, which waved itself in the air like a fluttering veil.It rose, as a plume of feathers, from a steam engine, towhich, on the lately-opened railway, a string of carriages waslinked, carriage to carriage, looking like a winding serpent.The train shot past with the speed of an arrow. "They play atbeing masters down there, those spirits of strength!"exclaimed the Ice Maiden; "but the powers of nature are stillthe rulers." And she laughed and sang till her voice soundedthrough the valley, and people said it was the rolling of anavalanche. But the children of the sun sang in louder strainsin praise of the mind of man, which can span the sea as with ayoke, can level mountains, and fill up valleys. It is thepower of thought which gives man the mastery over nature.

Just at this moment there came across the snow-field,where the Ice Maiden sat, a party of travellers. They hadbound themselves fast to each other, so that they looked likeone large body on the slippery plains of ice encircling thedeep abyss.

"Worms!" exclaimed the Ice Maiden. "You, the lords of thepowers of nature!" And she turned away and looked maliciouslyat the deep valley where the railway train was rushing by."There they sit, these thoughts!" she exclaimed. "There theysit in their power over nature's strength. I see them all. Onesits proudly apart, like a king; others sit together in agroup; yonder, half of them are asleep; and when the steamdragon stops, they will get out and go their way. The thoughtsgo forth into the world," and she laughed.

"There goes another avalanche," said those in the valleybeneath.

"It will not reach us," said two who sat together behind

the steam dragon. "Two hearts and one beat," as people say.They were Rudy and Babette, and the miller was with them. "Iam like the luggage," said he; "I am here as a necessaryappendage."

"There sit those two," said the Ice Maiden. "Many achamois have I crushed. Millions of Alpine roses have Isnapped and broken off; not a root have I spared. I know themall, and their thoughts, those spirits of strength!" and againshe laughed.

"There rolls another avalanche," said those in the valley.

X. THE GODMOTHER

At Montreux, one of the towns which encircle the northeastpart of the lake of Geneva, lived Babette's godmother, thenoble English lady, with her daughters and a young relative.They had only lately arrived, yet the miller had paid them avisit, and informed them of Babette's engagement to Rudy. Thewhole story of their meeting at Interlachen, and his braveadventure with the eaglet, were related to them, and they wereall very much interested, and as pleased about Rudy andBabette as the miller himself. The three were invited to cometo Montreux; it was but right for Babette to become acquaintedwith her godmother, who wished to see her very much. Asteam-boat started from the town of Villeneuve, at one end ofthe lake of Geneva, and arrived at Bernex, a little townbeyond Montreux, in about half an hour. And in this boat, themiller, with his daughter and Rudy, set out to visit hergodmother. They passed the coast which has been so celebratedin song. Here, under the walnut-trees, by the deep blue lake,sat Byron, and wrote his melodious verses about the prisonerconfined in the gloomy castle of Chillon. Here, where Clarens,with its weeping-willows, is reflected in the clear water,wandered Rousseau, dreaming of Heloise. The river Rhone glidesgently by beneath the lofty snow-capped hills of Savoy, andnot far from its mouth lies a little island in the lake, sosmall that, seen from the shore, it looks like a ship. Thesurface of the island is rocky; and about a hundred years ago,a lady caused the ground to be covered with earth, in whichthree acacia-trees were planted, and the whole enclosed withstone walls. The acacia-trees now overshadow every part of theisland. Babette was enchanted with the spot; it seemed to her

the most beautiful object in the whole voyage, and she thoughthow much she should like to land there. But the steam-shippassed it by, and did not stop till it reached Bernex. Thelittle party walked slowly from this place to Montreux,passing the sun-lit walls with which the vineyards of thelittle mountain town of Montreux are surrounded, and peasants'houses, overshadowed by fig-trees, with gardens in which growthe laurel and the cypress.

Halfway up the hill stood the boarding-house in whichBabette's godmother resided. She was received most cordially;her godmother was a very friendly woman, with a round, smilingcountenance. When a child, her head must have resembled one ofRaphael's cherubs; it was still an angelic face, with itswhite locks of silvery hair. The daughters were tall, elegant,slender maidens.

The young cousin, whom they had brought with them, wasdressed in white from head to foot; he had golden hair andgolden whiskers, large enough to be divided amongst threegentlemen; and he began immediately to pay the greatestattention to Babette.

Richly bound books, note-paper, and drawings, lay on thelarge table. The balcony window stood open, and from it couldbe seen the beautiful wide extended lake, the water so clearand still, that the mountains of Savoy, with their villages,woods, and snow-crowned peaks, were clearly reflected in it.

Rudy, who was usually so lively and brave, did not in theleast feel himself at home; he acted as if he were walking onpeas, over a slippery floor. How long and wearisome the timeappeared; it was like being in a treadmill. And then they wentout for a walk, which was very slow and tedious. Two stepsforward and one backwards had Rudy to take to keep pace withthe others. They walked down to Chillon, and went over the oldcastle on the rocky island. They saw the implements oftorture, the deadly dungeons, the rusty fetters in the rockywalls, the stone benches for those condemned to death, thetrap-doors through which the unhappy creatures were hurledupon iron spikes, and impaled alive. They called looking atall these a pleasure. It certainly was the right place tovisit. Byron's poetry had made it celebrated in the world.Rudy could only feel that it was a place of execution. Heleaned against the stone framework of the window, and gazed

down into the deep, blue water, and over to the little islandwith the three acacias, and wished himself there, away andfree from the whole chattering party. But Babette was mostunusually lively and good-tempered.

"I have been so amused," she said.

The cousin had found her quite perfect.

"He is a perfect fop," said Rudy; and this was the firsttime Rudy had said anything that did not please Babette.

The Englishman had made her a present of a little book, inremembrance of their visit to Chillon. It was Byron's poem,"The Prisoner of Chillon," translated into French, so thatBabette could read it.

"The book may be very good," said Rudy; "but that finelycombed fellow who gave it to you is not worth much."

"He looks something like a flour-sack without any flour,"said the miller, laughing at his own wit. Rudy laughed, too,for so had he appeared to him.

XI. THE COUSIN

When Rudy went a few days after to pay a visit to themill, he found the young Englishman there. Babette was justthinking of preparing some trout to set before him. Sheunderstood well how to garnish the dish with parsley, and makeit look quite tempting. Rudy thought all this quiteunnecessary. What did the Englishman want there? What was heabout? Why should he be entertained, and waited upon byBabette? Rudy was jealous, and that made Babette happy. Itamused her to discover all the feelings of his heart; thestrong points and weak ones. Love was to her as yet only apastime, and she played with Rudy's whole heart. At the sametime it must be acknowledged that her fortune, her whole life,her inmost thoughts, her best and most noble feelings in thisworld were all for him. Still the more gloomy he looked, themore her eyes laughed. She could almost have kissed the fairEnglishman, with the golden whiskers, if by so doing she couldhave put Rudy in a rage, and made him run out of the house.That would have proved how much he loved her. All this was not

right in Babette, but she was only nineteen years of age, andshe did not reflect on what she did, neither did she thinkthat her conduct would appear to the young Englishman aslight, and not even becoming the modest and much-loveddaughter of the miller.

The mill at Bex stood in the highway, which passed underthe snow-clad mountains, and not far from a rapidmountain-stream, whose waters seemed to have been lashed intoa foam like soap-suds. This stream, however, did not pass nearenough to the mill, and therefore the mill-wheel was turned bya smaller stream which tumbled down the rocks on the oppositeside, where it was opposed by a stone mill-dam, and obtainedgreater strength and speed, till it fell into a large basin,and from thence through a channel to the mill-wheel. Thischannel sometimes overflowed, and made the path so slipperythat any one passing that way might easily fall in, and becarried towards the mill wheel with frightful rapidity. Such acatastrophe nearly happened to the young Englishman. He haddressed himself in white clothes, like a miller's man, and wasclimbing the path to the miller's house, but he had never beentaught to climb, and therefore slipped, and nearly went inhead-foremost. He managed, however, to scramble out with wetsleeves and bespattered trousers. Still, wet and splashed withmud, he contrived to reach Babette's window, to which he hadbeen guided by the light that shone from it. Here he climbedthe old linden-tree that stood near it, and began to imitatethe voice of an owl, the only bird he could venture to mimic.Babette heard the noise, and glanced through the thin windowcurtain; but when she saw the man in white, and guessed who hewas, her little heart beat with terror as well as anger. Shequickly put out the light, felt if the fastening of the windowwas secure, and then left him to howl as long as he liked. Howdreadful it would be, thought Babette, if Rudy were here inthe house. But Rudy was not in the house. No, it was muchworse, he was outside, standing just under the linden-tree. Hewas speaking loud, angry words. He could fight, and theremight be murder! Babette opened the window in alarm, andcalled Rudy's name; she told him to go away, she did not wishhim to remain there.

"You do not wish me to stay," cried he; "then this is anappointment you expected- this good friend whom you prefer tome. Shame on you, Babette!"

"You are detestable!" exclaimed Babette, bursting intotears. "Go away. I hate you."

"I have not deserved this," said Rudy, as he turned away,his cheeks burning, and his heart like fire.

Babette threw herself on the bed, and wept bitterly. "Somuch as I loved thee, Rudy, and yet thou canst think ill ofme."

Thus her anger broke forth; it relieved her, however:otherwise she would have been more deeply grieved; but now shecould sleep soundly, as youth only can sleep.

XII. EVIL POWERS

Rudy left Bex, and took his way home along the mountainpath. The air was fresh, but cold; for here amidst the deepsnow, the Ice Maiden reigned. He was so high up that the largetrees beneath him, with their thick foliage, appeared likegarden plants, and the pines and bushes even less. The Alpineroses grew near the snow, which lay in detached stripes, andlooked like linen laid out to bleach. A blue gentian grew inhis path, and he crushed it with the butt end of his gun. Alittle higher up, he espied two chamois. Rudy's eyesglistened, and his thoughts flew at once in a differentdirection; but he was not near enough to take a sure aim. Heascended still higher, to a spot where a few rough blades ofgrass grew between the blocks of stone and the chamois passedquietly on over the snow-fields. Rudy walked hurriedly, whilethe clouds of mist gathered round him. Suddenly he foundhimself on the brink of a precipitous rock. The rain wasfalling in torrents. He felt a burning thirst, his head washot, and his limbs trembled with cold. He seized hishunting-flask, but it was empty; he had not thought of fillingit before ascending the mountain. He had never been ill in hislife, nor ever experienced such sensations as those he nowfelt. He was so tired that he could scarcely resist lying downat his full length to sleep, although the ground was floodedwith the rain. Yet when he tried to rouse himself a little,every object around him danced and trembled before his eyes.

Suddenly he observed in the doorway of a hut newly builtunder the rock, a young maiden. He did not remember having

seen this hut before, yet there it stood; and he thought, atfirst, that the young maiden was Annette, the schoolmaster'sdaughter, whom he had once kissed in the dance. The maiden wasnot Annette; yet it seemed as if he had seen her somewherebefore, perhaps near Grindelwald, on the evening of his returnhome from Interlachen, after the shooting-match.

"How did you come here?" he asked.

"I am at home," she replied; "I am watching my flocks."

"Your flocks!" he exclaimed; "where do they find pasture?There is nothing here but snow and rocks."

"Much you know of what grows here," she replied, laughing."not far beneath us there is beautiful pasture-land. My goatsgo there. I tend them carefully; I never miss one. What isonce mine remains mine."

"You are bold," said Rudy.

"And so are you," she answered.

"Have you any milk in the house?" he asked; "if so, giveme some to drink; my thirst is intolerable."

"I have something better than milk," she replied, "which Iwill give you. Some travellers who were here yesterday withtheir guide left behind them a half a flask of wine, such asyou have never tasted. They will not come back to fetch it, Iknow, and I shall not drink it; so you shall have it."

Then the maiden went to fetch the wine, poured some into awooden cup, and offered it to Rudy.

"How good it is!" said he; "I have never before tastedsuch warm, invigorating wine." And his eyes sparkled with newlife; a glow diffused itself over his frame; it seemed as ifevery sorrow, every oppression were banished from his mind,and a fresh, free nature were stirring within him. "You aresurely Annette, the schoolmaster's daughter," cried he; "willyou give me a kiss?"

"Yes, if you will give me that beautiful ring which youwear on your finger."

"My betrothal ring?" he replied.

"Yes, just so," said the maiden, as she poured out somemore wine, and held it to his lips. Again he drank, and aliving joy streamed through every vein.

"The whole world is mine, why therefore should I grieve?"thought he. "Everything is created for our enjoyment andhappiness. The stream of life is a stream of happiness; let usflow on with it to joy and felicity."

Rudy gazed on the young maiden; it was Annette, and yet itwas not Annette; still less did he suppose it was the spectralphantom, whom he had met near Grindelwald. The maiden up hereon the mountain was fresh as the new fallen snow, blooming asan Alpine rose, and as nimble-footed as a young kid. Still,she was one of Adam's race, like Rudy. He flung his arms roundthe beautiful being, and gazed into her wonderfully cleareyes,- only for a moment; but in that moment words cannotexpress the effect of his gaze. Was it the spirit of life orof death that overpowered him? Was he rising higher, orsinking lower and lower into the deep, deadly abyss? He knewnot; but the walls of ice shone like blue-green glass;innumerable clefts yawned around him, and the water-dropstinkled like the chiming of church bells, and shone clearly aspearls in the light of a pale-blue flame. The Ice Maiden, forshe it was, kissed him, and her kiss sent a chill as of icethrough his whole frame. A cry of agony escaped from him; hestruggled to get free, and tottered from her. For a moment allwas dark before his eyes, but when he opened them again it waslight, and the Alpine maiden had vanished. The powers of evilhad played their game; the sheltering hut was no more to beseen. The water trickled down the naked sides of the rocks,and snow lay thickly all around. Rudy shivered with cold; hewas wet through to the skin; and his ring was gone,- thebetrothal ring that Babette had given him. His gun lay nearhim in the snow; he took it up and tried to discharge it, butit missed fire. Heavy clouds lay on the mountain clefts, likefirm masses of snow. Upon one of these Vertigo sat, lurkingafter his powerless prey, and from beneath came a sound as ifa piece of rock had fallen from the cleft, and was crushingeverything that stood in its way or opposed its course.

But, at the miller's, Babette sat alone and wept. Rudy had

not been to see her for six days. He who was in the wrong, andwho ought to ask her forgiveness; for did she not love himwith her whole heart?

XIII. AT THE MILL

"What strange creatures human beings are," said theparlor-cat to the kitchen-cat; "Babette and Rudy have fallenout with each other. She sits and cries, and he thinks no moreabout her."

"That does not please me to hear," said the kitchen-cat.

"Nor me either," replied the parlor-cat; "but I do nottake it to heart. Babette may fall in love with the redwhiskers, if she likes, but he has not been here since hetried to get on the roof."

The powers of evil carry on their game both around us andwithin us. Rudy knew this, and thought a great deal about it.What was it that had happened to him on the mountain? Was itreally a ghostly apparition, or a fever dream? Rudy knewnothing of fever, or any other ailment. But, while he judgedBabette, he began to examine his own conduct. He had allowedwild thoughts to chase each other in his heart, and a fiercetornado to break loose. Could he confess to Babette, indeed,every thought which in the hour of temptation might have ledhim to wrong doing? He had lost her ring, and that very losshad won him back to her. Could she expect him to confess? Hefelt as if his heart would break while he thought of it, andwhile so many memories lingered on his mind. He saw her again,as she once stood before him, a laughing, spirited child; manyloving words, which she had spoken to him out of the fulnessof her love, came like a ray of sunshine into his heart, andsoon it was all sunshine as he thought of Babette. But shemust also confess she was wrong; that she should do.

He went to the mill- he went to confession. It began witha kiss, and ended with Rudy being considered the offender. Itwas such a great fault to doubt Babette's truth- it was mostabominable of him. Such mistrust, such violence, would causethem both great unhappiness. This certainly was very true, sheknew that; and therefore Babette preached him a little sermon,with which she was herself much amused, and during the

preaching of which she looked quite lovely. She acknowledged,however, that on one point Rudy was right. Her godmother'snephew was a fop: she intended to burn the book which he hadgiven her, so that not the slightest thing should remain toremind her of him.

"Well, that quarrel is all over," said the kitchen-cat."Rudy is come back, and they are friends again, which they sayis the greatest of all pleasures."

"I heard the rats say one night," said the kitchen-cat,"that the greatest pleasure in the world was to eat tallowcandles and to feast on rancid bacon. Which are we to believe,the rats or the lovers?"

"Neither of them," said the parlor-cat; "it is always thesafest plan to believe nothing you hear."

The greatest happiness was coming for Rudy and Babette.The happy day, as it is called, that is, their wedding-day,was near at hand. They were not to be married at the church atBex, nor at the miller's house; Babette's godmother wished thenuptials to be solemnized at Montreux, in the pretty littlechurch in that town. The miller was very anxious that thisarrangement should be agreed to. He alone knew what thenewly-married couple would receive from Babette's godmother,and he knew also that it was a wedding present well worth aconcession. The day was fixed, and they were to travel as faras Villeneuve the evening before, to be in time for thesteamer which sailed in the morning for Montreux, and thegodmother's daughters were to dress and adorn the bride.

"Here in this house there ought to be a wedding-day kept,"said the parlor-cat, "or else I would not give a mew for thewhole affair."

"There is going to be great feasting," replied thekitchen-cat. "Ducks and pigeons have been killed, and a wholeroebuck hangs on the wall. It makes me lick my lips when Ithink of it."

"To-morrow morning they will begin the journey."

Yes, to-morrow! And this evening, for the last time, Rudyand Babette sat in the miller's house as an engaged couple.

Outside, the Alps glowed in the evening sunset, the eveningbells chimed, and the children of the sunbeam sang, "Whateverhappens is best."

XIV. NIGHT VISIONS

The sun had gone down, and the clouds lay low on thevalley of the Rhone. The wind blew from the south across themountains; it was an African wind, a wind which scattered theclouds for a moment, and then suddenly fell. The broken cloudshung in fantastic forms upon the wood-covered hills by therapid Rhone. They assumed the shapes of antediluvian animals,of eagles hovering in the air, of frogs leaping over a marsh,and then sunk down upon the rushing stream and appeared tosail upon it, although floating in the air. An uprootedfir-tree was being carried away by the current, and markingout its path by eddying circles on the water. Vertigo and hissisters were dancing upon it, and raising these circles on thefoaming river. The moon lighted up the snow on themountain-tops, shone on the dark woods, and on the driftingclouds those fantastic forms which at night might be taken forspirits of the powers of nature. The mountain-dweller saw themthrough the panes of his little window. They sailed in hostsbefore the Ice Maiden as she came out of her palace of ice.Then she seated herself on the trunk of the fir-tree as on abroken skiff, and the water from the glaciers carried her downthe river to the open lake.

"The wedding guests are coming," sounded from air and sea.These were the sights and sounds without; within there werevisions, for Babette had a wonderful dream. She dreamt thatshe had been married to Rudy for many years, and that, one daywhen he was out chamois hunting, and she alone in theirdwelling at home, the young Englishman with the goldenwhiskers sat with her. His eyes were quite eloquent, and hiswords possessed a magic power; he offered her his hand, andshe was obliged to follow him. They went out of the house andstepped downwards, always downwards, and it seemed to Babetteas if she had a weight on her heart which continually grewheavier. She felt she was committing a sin against Rudy, a sinagainst God. Suddenly she found herself forsaken, her clothestorn by the thorns, and her hair gray; she looked upwards inher agony, and there, on the edge of the rock, she espiedRudy. She stretched out her arms to him, but she did not

venture to call him or to pray; and had she called him, itwould have been useless, for it was not Rudy, only his huntingcoat and hat hanging on an alpenstock, as the hunterssometimes arrange them to deceive the chamois. "Oh!" sheexclaimed in her agony; "oh, that I had died on the happiestday of my life, my wedding-day. O my God, it would have been amercy and a blessing had Rudy travelled far away from me, andI had never known him. None know what will happen in thefuture." And then, in ungodly despair, she cast herself downinto the deep rocky gulf. The spell was broken; a cry ofterror escaped her, and she awoke.

The dream was over; it had vanished. But she knew she haddreamt something frightful about the young Englishman, yetmonths had passed since she had seen him or even thought ofhim. Was he still at Montreux, and should she meet him thereon her wedding day? A slight shadow passed over her prettymouth as she thought of this, and she knit her brows; but thesmile soon returned to her lip, and joy sparkled in her eyes,for this was the morning of the day on which she and Rudy wereto be married, and the sun was shining brightly. Rudy wasalready in the parlor when she entered it, and they very soonstarted for Villeneuve. Both of them were overflowing withhappiness, and the miller was in the best of tempers, laughingand merry; he was a good, honest soul, and a kind father.

"Now we are masters of the house," said the parlor-cat.

XV. THE CONCLUSION

It was early in the afternoon, and just at dinner-time,when the three joyous travellers reached Villeneuve. Afterdinner, the miller placed himself in the arm-chair, smoked hispipe, and had a little nap. The bridal pair went arm-in-armout through the town and along the high road, at the foot ofthe wood-covered rocks, and by the deep, blue lake.

The gray walls, and the heavy clumsy-looking towers of thegloomy castle of Chillon, were reflected in the clear flood.The little island, on which grew the three acacias, lay at ashort distance, looking like a bouquet rising from the lake."How delightful it must be to live there," said Babette, whoagain felt the greatest wish to visit the island; and anopportunity offered to gratify her wish at once, for on the

shore lay a boat, and the rope by which it was moored could bevery easily loosened. They saw no one near, so they tookpossession of it without asking permission of any one, andRudy could row very well. The oars divided the pliant waterlike the fins of a fish- that water which, with all itsyielding softness, is so strong to bear and to carry, so mildand smiling when at rest, and yet so terrible in itsdestroying power. A white streak of foam followed in the wakeof the boat, which, in a few minutes, carried them both to thelittle island, where they went on shore; but there was onlyjust room enough for two to dance. Rudy swung Babette roundtwo or three times; and then, hand-in-hand, they sat down on alittle bench under the drooping acacia-tree, and looked intoeach other's eyes, while everything around them glowed in therays of the setting sun.

The fir-tree forests on the mountains were covered with apurple hue like the heather bloom; and where the woodsterminated, and the rocks became prominent, they looked almosttransparent in the rich crimson glow of the evening sky. Thesurface of the lake was like a bed of pink rose-leaves.

As the evening advanced, the shadows fell upon thesnow-capped mountains of Savoy painting them in colors of deepblue, while their topmost peaks glowed like red lava; and fora moment this light was reflected on the cultivated parts ofthe mountains, making them appear as if newly risen from thelap of earth, and giving to the snow-crested peak of the Dentdu Midi the appearance of the full moon as it rises above thehorizon.

Rudy and Babette felt that they had never seen the Alpineglow in such perfection before. "How very beautiful it is, andwhat happiness to be here!" exclaimed Babette.

"Earth has nothing more to bestow upon me," said Rudy; "anevening like this is worth a whole life. Often have I realizedmy good fortune, but never more than in this moment. I feelthat if my existence were to end now, I should still havelived a happy life. What a glorious world this is; one dayends, and another begins even more beautiful than the last.How infinitely good God is, Babette!"

"I have such complete happiness in my heart," said she.

"Earth has no more to bestow," answered Rudy. And thencame the sound of the evening bells, borne upon the breezeover the mountains of Switzerland and Savoy, while still, inthe golden splendor of the west, stood the dark blue mountainsof Jura.

"God grant you all that is brightest and best!" exclaimedBabette.

"He will," said Rudy. "He will to-morrow. To-morrow youwill be wholly mine, my own sweet wife."

"The boat!" cried Babette, suddenly. The boat in whichthey were to return had broken loose, and was floating awayfrom the island.

"I will fetch it back," said Rudy; throwing off his coatand boots, he sprang into the lake, and swam with strongefforts towards it.

The dark-blue water, from the glaciers of the mountains,was icy cold and very deep. Rudy gave but one glance into thewater beneath; but in that one glance he saw a gold ringrolling, glittering, and sparkling before him. His engagedring came into his mind; but this was larger, and spread intoa glittering circle, in which appeared a clear glacier. Deepchasms yawned around it, the water-drops glittered as iflighted with blue flame, and tinkled like the chiming ofchurch bells. In one moment he saw what would require manywords to describe. Young hunters, and young maidens- men andwomen who had sunk in the deep chasms of the glaciers- stoodbefore him here in lifelike forms, with eyes open and smileson their lips; and far beneath them could be heard the chimingof the church bells of buried villages, where the villagersknelt beneath the vaulted arches of churches in whichice-blocks formed the organ pipes, and the mountain stream themusic.

On the clear, transparent ground sat the Ice Maiden. Sheraised herself towards Rudy, and kissed his feet; andinstantly a cold, deathly chill, like an electric shock,passed through his limbs. Ice or fire! It was impossible totell, the shock was so instantaneous.

"Mine! mine!" sounded around him, and within him; "I

kissed thee when thou wert a little child. I once kissed theeon the mouth, and now I have kissed thee from heel to toe;thou art wholly mine." And then he disappeared in the clear,blue water.

All was still. The church bells were silent; the last tonefloated away with the last red glimmer on the evening clouds."Thou art mine," sounded from the depths below: but from theheights above, from the eternal world, also sounded the words,"Thou art mine!" Happy was he thus to pass from life to life,from earth to heaven. A chord was loosened, and tones ofsorrow burst forth. The icy kiss of death had overcome theperishable body; it was but the prelude before life's realdrama could begin, the discord which was quickly lost inharmony. Do you think this a sad story? Poor Babette! for herit was unspeakable anguish.

The boat drifted farther and farther away. No one on theopposite shore knew that the betrothed pair had gone over tothe little island. The clouds sunk as the evening drew on, andit became dark. Alone, in despair, she waited and trembled.The weather became fearful; flash after flash lighted up themountains of Jura, Savoy, and Switzerland, while peals ofthunder, that lasted for many minutes, rolled over her head.The lightning was so vivid that every single vine stem couldbe seen for a moment as distinctly as in the sunlight atnoon-day; and then all was veiled in darkness. It flashedacross the lake in winding, zigzag lines, lighting it up onall sides; while the echoes of the thunder grew louder andstronger. On land, the boats were all carefully drawn up onthe beach, every living thing sought shelter, and at lengththe rain poured down in torrents.

"Where can Rudy and Babette be in this awful weather?"said the miller.

Poor Babette sat with her hands clasped, and her headbowed down, dumb with grief; she had ceased to weep and cryfor help.

"In the deep water!" she said to herself; "far down helies, as if beneath a glacier."

Deep in her heart rested the memory of what Rudy had toldher of the death of his mother, and of his own recovery, even

after he had been taken up as dead from the cleft in theglacier.

"Ah," she thought, "the Ice Maiden has him at last."

Suddenly there came a flash of lightning, as dazzling asthe rays of the sun on the white snow. The lake rose for amoment like a shining glacier; and before Babette stood thepallid, glittering, majestic form of the Ice Maiden, and ather feet lay Rudy's corpse.

"Mine!" she cried, and again all was darkness around theheaving water.

"How cruel," murmured Babette; "why should he die just asthe day of happiness drew near? Merciful God, enlighten myunderstanding, shed light upon my heart; for I cannotcomprehend the arrangements of Thy providence, even while Ibow to the decree of Thy almighty wisdom and power." And Goddid enlighten her heart.

A sudden flash of thought, like a ray of mercy, recalledher dream of the preceding night; all was vividly representedbefore her. She remembered the words and wishes she had thenexpressed, that what was best for her and for Rudy she mightpiously submit to.

"Woe is me," she said; "was the germ of sin really in myheart? was my dream a glimpse into the course of my futurelife, whose thread must be violently broken to rescue me fromsin? Oh, miserable creature that I am!"

Thus she sat lamenting in the dark night, while throughthe deep stillness the last words of Rudy seemed to ring inher ears. "This earth has nothing more to bestow." Words,uttered in the fulness of joy, were again heard amid thedepths of sorrow.

Years have passed since this sad event happened. Theshores of the peaceful lake still smile in beauty. The vinesare full of luscious grapes. Steamboats, with waving flags,pass swiftly by. Pleasure-boats, with their swelling sails,skim lightly over the watery mirror, like white butterflies.The railway is opened beyond Chillon, and goes far into thedeep valley of the Rhone. At every station strangers alight

with red-bound guide-books in their hands, in which they readof every place worth seeing. They visit Chillon, and observeon the lake the little island with the three acacias, and thenread in their guide-book the story of the bridal pair who, inthe year 1856, rowed over to it. They read that the two weremissing till the next morning, when some people on the shoreheard the despairing cries of the bride, and went to herassistance, and by her were told of the bridegroom's fate.

But the guide-book does not speak of Babette's quiet lifeafterwards with her father, not at the mill- strangers dwellthere now- but in a pretty house in a row near the station. Onmany an evening she sits at her window, and looks out over thechestnut-trees to the snow-capped mountains on which Rudy onceroamed. She looks at the Alpine glow in the evening sky, whichis caused by the children of the sun retiring to rest on themountain-tops; and again they breathe their song of thetraveller whom the whirlwind could deprive of his cloak butnot of his life. There is a rosy tint on the mountain snow,and there are rosy gleams in each heart in whichdwells the thought, "God permits nothing to happen, which isnot the best for us." But this is not often revealed to all,as it was revealed to Babette in her wonderful dream.

THE END