and, while she played with a gold meda) which he wore attached to a rich chain on his breast, exclaimed, —
" "Why, you beautiful, you kind guest ! how^ have you reached our poor cottage at la^t? Have you been obliged for years and years to wander about the world before you could catch one glimpse of our nook ? Do you come out of that wild forest, my beautiful knight ?"
The old woman was so prompt in her reproof, as to allow him uo time to answer. She commanded the maiden to rise, shew better manners, and go to her work. But Undine, without making any reply, drew a little footstool near Huklbrand's chair, sat down upon it with her netting, and said in a gentle tone :
" I will work here."
The old man did as parents are apt to do with children to whom they have been over-indulgent. He affected to observe nothing of Undine's strange behaviour, and was beginning to talk about something else. But this the maiden did not permit him to do. She broke in upon him: " I have asked our kind guest from whence he has come among us, and he has not yet answered rne."
" I come out of the forest, you lovely little vision," Huldbrand returned ; and she spoke again :
"You must also tell me how^ you came to enter that forest, so feared and shunned, and the marvellous adven- tures you met with in it ; for there is no escaping with- out something of this kind."
Huldbrand felt a slight shudder on remembering what he had witnessed, and looked involuntarily toward the win- dow, for it seemed to him that one of the strange shapes which had come upon him in the forest must be there grin- ning in through the glass ; but he discerned nothing ex- cept the deep darkness of night, which had now^ enveloped the whole prospect. Upon this he became more collected, and was just on the point of beginning his account, w hen the old man thus interrupted him :
