n?' exclaimed Sister Helena; 'Oh! 'tis
impossible!'

'Impossible?' said the Porteress with a look of contempt and
exultation: 'Not at all: When I was a young Woman, I remember seeing
several of them myself.'

Theodore now put his instrument in proper order. He had read the story
of a King of England whose prison was discovered by a Minstrel; and He
hoped that the same scheme would enable him to discover Agnes, should
She be in the Convent. He chose a Ballad which She had taught him
herself in the Castle of Lindenberg: She might possibly catch the
sound, and He hoped to hear her replying to some of the Stanzas. His
Guitar was now in tune, and He prepared to strike it.

'But before I begin,' said He 'it is necessary to inform you, Ladies,
that this same Denmark is terribly infested by Sorcerers, Witches, and
Evil Spirits. Every element possesses its appropriate Daemons. The
Woods are haunted by a malignant power, called "the Erl- or
Oak-King:" He it is who blights the Trees, spoils the Harvest, and
commands the Imps and Goblins: He appears in the form of an old Man of
majestic figure, with a golden Crown and long white beard: His
principal amusement is to entice young Children from their Parents, and
as soon as He gets them into his Cave, He tears them into a thousand
pieces--The Rivers are governed by another Fiend, called "the
Water-King:" His province is to agitate the deep, occasion
ship-wrecks, and drag the drowning Sailors beneath the waves: He wears
the appearance of a Warrior, and employs himself in luring young
Virgins into his snare: What He does with them, when He catches them
in the water, Reverend Ladies, I leave for you to imagine--"The
Fire-King" seems to be a Man all formed of flames: He raises the
Meteors and wandering lights which beguile Travellers into ponds and
marshes, and He directs the lightning where it may do most
mischief--The last of these elementary Daemons is called "the
Cloud-King;" His figure is that of a beautiful Youth, and He is
distinguished by two large sable Wings: Though his outside is so
enchanting, He is not a bit better disposed than the Others: He is
continually employed in raising Storms, tearing up Forests by the
roots, and blowing Castles and Convents about the ears of their
Inhabitants. The First has a Daughter, who is Queen of the Elves and
Fairies; The Second has a Mother, who is a powerful Enchantress:
Neither of these Ladies are worth more than the Gen