breathe upon the silver veins of the earth, that they may keep
nicely fresh, and in good growth. But an thou wilt hold faith with us,
hear my proposal. Come hither again to-morrow evening, and strike with
that sprig of yew, that hangs down below thee, into the well water. So,
perchance, shalt thou learn what is best to do. Quick, yea or nay?'

"'There can be little harm in that!' returned the farmer. 'I
answer--_yea!_'

"'Brrrr----!' snarled and whizzled behind him all over the cart. The
dwarfs tumbled down from every twig, bough, spoke, and felloe, and
vanished in one large pointed flame, that could be seen for a second
blazing from the well.

"Baldface took fright, tore from the spot, and galloped as if for life
and death, over stock and stone, until the village was reached. As for
Klaus, he did not recover his senses until he found himself again in his
own farmyard.

"It was with solicitude and a beating heart that Nicholas awaited the
arrival of the next evening. In the meanwhile, he took another and more
exact survey of his already half-ruined house; and the result was so
melancholy that he felt he must stake life itself for the chance of
bettering his fortune. There was not a beam, a board, a rafter, a lath,
in the whole house that was not ready, upon the slightest assault, to go
to wreck. Of glass windows the rumour was long since extinct. All stood
open; and had Klaus been a student of meteorology, a better observatory
than his loopholed, tumble-down homestead could not have been to be had.
He returned from his tour of inspection more firmly resolved than ever
to risk his adventure; and as soon as the sun was set, and the moon
traced darker shadows upon the ground, he took his yew-branch and
dwarfs' shoes, and set out.

"Klaus made a long circuit, and lingered a long time in the fields,
before he could summon courage to approach the spring. He plucked up a
heart at last, struck a light, and lit his pipe. Thus armed, he advanced
to the well. The yew-twig struck the bright motionless water, and
strongly agitated it. The stream exundated on every side; kindled as it
mounted, and, tumbling and commingling, in a few seconds, like an
enormous flame of fire, rolled forwards and backwards round the margin
of the fountain.

"Klaus steadily regarded the mysterious phantasm. The flame enringed the
whole well, and at length falling back, in an incomprehensible manner,
into itself, began to darken, and to emit vapour.