. Undine. uring my wild gallop, the sun hadalready passed the meridian. Whereupon, quick aslightning, the little fellow whipped round and againstood before my horse. Make room there, I criedangrily, the animal is fiery and may easily overrunthee. Oh, ay, snarled the imp, grinning yet morehideously, give me first some drink-money, for itwas I who stopped your horse; without my aid boththou and he would now be lying in the stony ravine,Ugh! Make no more faces, quoth I ; take yourgold, albeit that thou liest, for see, it was the goodbrook that saved me and not thou, thou wretchedwight! And therew
. Undine. uring my wild gallop, the sun hadalready passed the meridian. Whereupon, quick aslightning, the little fellow whipped round and againstood before my horse. Make room there, I criedangrily, the animal is fiery and may easily overrunthee. Oh, ay, snarled the imp, grinning yet morehideously, give me first some drink-money, for itwas I who stopped your horse; without my aid boththou and he would now be lying in the stony ravine,Ugh! Make no more faces, quoth I ; take yourgold, albeit that thou liest, for see, it was the goodbrook that saved me and not thou, thou wretchedwight! And therewith I dropped a piece of goldinto the quaint cap which he held before me in hisbegging. And I made as though I would ride he shrieked aloud, and swifter than can beimagined he was once more at my side. I urged mynorse to a gallop; the imp ran too, and strangeenough were the contortions he made with his body, He held up the gold piece, crying at each leap ofhis, False gold ! false coin ! false coin !. OF THAT WHICH BEFELL THE KNIGHT 31 half laughable and half horrible, the while he held upthe gold piece, crying at each leap of his, Falsecrold ! false coin ! false coin! false gold ! And thesewords he uttered in such sort, with so hollow asound from out his breast, that one might well con-ceive that after each shriek he would fall dead to theground. Moreover his hideous red tongue lolled out of hismouth. And for my part, I stopped in doubt andsaid, What meaneth this screaming? Take anothergold piece or yet another; but quit my side. Oncemore he began his strange mockery of courtesy andsnarled : Not gold, not gold, young sir, quoth he, enough and to spare of that trash have I myself, asforthwith I will show you. Thereupon of a suddenit appeared to me as if the solid ground were as trans-parent as green glass, and the smooth earth were around ball, wherein a multitude of goblins made sportwith silver and gold. Heads up and heads down theyrolled hither and thither, pelting one
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