d them; they were of no consequence, and
we could make more, some time or other, if we needed them.

A small storm-cloud began to settle down black over the castle, and the
miniature lightning and thunder began to play, and the ground to quiver,
and the wind to pipe and wheeze, and the rain to fall, and all the
people flocked into the castle for shelter. The cloud settled down
blacker and blacker, and one could see the castle only dimly through it;
the lightning blazed out flash upon flash and pierced the castle and set
it on fire, and the flames shone out red and fierce through the cloud,
and the people came flying out, shrieking, but Satan brushed them back,
paying no attention to our begging and crying and imploring; and in
the midst of the howling of the wind and volleying of the thunder the
magazine blew up, the earthquake rent the ground wide, and the castle's
wreck and ruin tumbled into the chasm, which swallowed it from sight,
and closed upon it, with all that innocent life, not one of the five
hundred poor creatures escaping. Our hearts were broken; we could not
keep from crying.

"Don't cry," Satan said; "they were of no value."

"But they are gone to hell!"

"Oh, it is no matter; we can make plenty more."

It was of no use to try to move him; evidently he was wholly without
feeling, and could not understand. He was full of bubbling spirits, and
as gay as if this were a wedding instead of a fiendish massacre. And
he was bent on making us feel as he did, and of course his magic
accomplished his desire. It was no trouble to him; he did whatever he
pleased with us. In a little while we were dancing on that grave, and
he was playing to us on a strange, sweet instrument which he took out
of his pocket; and the music--but there is no music like that, unless
perhaps in heaven, and that was where he brought it from, he said. It
made one mad, for pleasure; and we could not take our eyes from him, and
the looks that went out of our eyes came from our hearts, and their dumb
speech was worship. He brought the dance from heaven, too, and the bliss
of paradise was in it.

Presently he said he must go away on an errand. But we could not bear
the thought of it, and clung to him, and pleaded with him to stay; and
that pleased him, and he said so, and said he would not go yet, but
would wait a little while and we would sit down and talk a few minutes
longer; and he told us Satan was only his real name, and he was to be
k