which bright rays spread upward and over the student's head.
Each leaf was fresh, and each flower was like a beautiful female
head--some with dark and sparkling eyes and others with eyes that were
wonderfully blue and clear. The fruit gleamed like stars, and the room
was filled with sounds of beautiful music. The little goblin had never
imagined, much less seen or heard of, any sight so glorious as this. He
stood still on tiptoe, peeping in, till the light went out. The student
no doubt had blown out his candle and gone to bed, but the little
goblin remained standing there, listening to the music which still
sounded, soft and beautiful--a sweet cradle song for the student who had
lain down to rest.

"This is a wonderful place," said the goblin; "I never expected such a
thing. I should like to stay here with the student." Then the little man
thought it over, for he was a sensible sprite. At last he sighed, "But
the student has no jam!" So he went downstairs again to the huckster's
shop, and it was a good thing he got back when he did, for the cask had
almost worn out the lady's tongue. He had given a description of all
that he contained on one side, and was just about to turn himself over
to the other side to describe what was there, when the goblin entered
and restored the tongue to the lady. From that time forward, the whole
shop, from the cash-box down to the pine-wood logs, formed their
opinions from that of the cask. They all had such confidence in him and
treated him with so much respect that when, in the evening, the huckster
read the criticisms on theatricals and art, they fancied it must all
come from the cask.

After what he had seen, the goblin could no longer sit and listen
quietly to the wisdom and understanding downstairs. As soon as the
evening light glimmered in the garret, he took courage, for it seemed to
him that the rays of light were strong cables, drawing him up and
obliging him to go and peep through the keyhole. While there, a feeling
of vastness came over him, such as we experience by the ever-moving sea
when the storm breaks forth, and it brought tears into his eyes. He did
not himself know why he wept, yet a kind of pleasant feeling mingled
with his tears. "How wonderfully glorious it would be to sit with the
student under such a tree!" But that was out of the question; he must be
content to look through the keyhole and be thankful for even that.

There he stood on the cold landing, with the