. Undine. red beneath the glittering mirror of the and long did I seek for our lost one; butit was all in vain. No trace of her was to befound. That selfsame evening we were sitting, childlessand alone, in the cottage. Neither had any pleasurein talk, nor indeed would our tears have allowed seemed better to gaze into the fire and utter nevera word. On a sudden, something rustled outsidethe door, which straightway opened ; and lo! abeautiful little girl, clad in rich garments, stood thereon the threshold, smiling at us. Marvellously astoniedwere we ; as for me, I wist not w
. Undine. red beneath the glittering mirror of the and long did I seek for our lost one; butit was all in vain. No trace of her was to befound. That selfsame evening we were sitting, childlessand alone, in the cottage. Neither had any pleasurein talk, nor indeed would our tears have allowed seemed better to gaze into the fire and utter nevera word. On a sudden, something rustled outsidethe door, which straightway opened ; and lo! abeautiful little girl, clad in rich garments, stood thereon the threshold, smiling at us. Marvellously astoniedwere we ; as for me, I wist not whether it might beillusion or reality on which I gazed. But I saw thewater dripping from her golden hair and her rich gar-ment, and methought the pretty child had been lyingin the water and needed our help. Good wife, saidI, no one hath been able to save our dear one; letus, at least, do for others what would have been so A beautiful little girl clad in rich garmentsstood there on the threshold smiling ?. HOW UNDINE HAD COME 17 blessed a boon for ourselves. So we took the littleone and undressed her, put her to bed and gave hersomething- warm ; but she, meanwhile, spoke not aword. Only she smiled upon us with eyes full of thecolour of lake and sky. Next morning we saw at once that she had takenno hurt from her wetting, and methought I should askher about her parents, and by what odd chance shehad come hither. But full strange and confused wasthe account that she gave. Far away from here mustshe have been born ; for, during these fifteen years past,not a word have I learnt of her parentage. Moreover,both then and since, her talk has been of such strangethings that, for aught we can tell, she may have droppeddown to us from the moon ! Golden castles, crystaldomes—of such does she prattle, and I know not whatmarvels beside. The simplest and clearest tale shetells is that, being out with her mother on the greatlake she fell into the water, and that she only came toher senses here
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