torn out of an old book; a book that ought not to
have been torn up, for it was full of poetry.

"Yonder lies some more of the same sort," said the huckster. "I gave an
old woman a few coffee berries for it; you shall have the rest for
sixpence if you will."

"Indeed I will," said the student. "Give me the book instead of the
cheese; I can eat my bread and butter without cheese. It would be a sin
to tear up a book like this. You are a clever man and a practical man,
but you understand no more about poetry than that cask yonder."

This was a very rude speech, especially against the cask, but the
huckster and the student both laughed, for it was only said in fun. The
goblin, however, felt very angry that any man should venture to say such
things to a huckster who was a householder and sold the best butter. As
soon as it was night, the shop closed, and every one in bed except the
student, the goblin stepped softly into the bedroom where the huckster's
wife slept, and took away her tongue, which of course she did not then
want. Whatever object in the room he placed this tongue upon,
immediately received voice and speech and was able to express its
thoughts and feelings as readily as the lady herself could do. It could
only be used by one object at a time, which was a good thing, as a
number speaking at once would have caused great confusion. The goblin
laid the tongue upon the cask, in which lay a quantity of old
newspapers.

"Is it really true," he asked, "that you do not know what poetry is?"

"Of course I know," replied the cask. "Poetry is something that always
stands in the corner of a newspaper and is sometimes cut out. And I may
venture to affirm that I have more of it in me than the student has,
even if I am only a poor tub of the huckster's."

Then the goblin placed the tongue on the coffee mill, and how it did go,
to be sure! Then he put it on the butter-tub, and the cash-box, and
they all expressed the same opinion as the waste-paper tub. A majority
must always be respected.

"Now I shall go and tell the student," said the goblin. With these words
he went quietly up the back stairs to the garret, where the student
lived. The student's candle was burning still, and the goblin peeped
through the keyhole and saw that he was reading in the torn book which
he had bought out of the shop. But how light the room was! From the book
shot forth a ray of light which grew broad and full like the stem of a
tree, from