arfully shaken to and fro by the fever of
passion and the stings of conscience. But at last, pressing the sword
and scarf to his heart, he cried out, "Oh! that fairest, most glorious
hour of my life! If I lose all other joys, I will hold fast that
brightest hour!"

"A bright, glorious hour!" said the figure from under its veil, like
an evil echo. "Dost thou know whom thou then conqueredst? A good old
friend, who only showed himself so sturdy to give thee the glory of
overcoming him. Wilt thou convince thyself? Wilt thou look?"

The dark garments of the little figure flew open, and the dwarf warrior
in strange armour, the gold horns on his helmet, and the curved spear in
his hand, the very same whom Sintram thought he had slain on Niflung's
Heath, now stood before him and laughed: "Thou seest, my youth,
everything in the wide world is but dreams and froth; wherefore hold
fast the dream which delights thee, and sip up the froth which refreshes
thee! Hasten to that underground passage, it leads up to thy angel
Helen. Or wouldst thou first know thy friend yet better?"

His visor opened, and the hateful face of the little Master glared upon
the knight. Sintram asked, as if in a dream, "Art thou also that wicked
enchantress Venus?"

"Something like her," answered the little Master, laughing, "or rather
she is something like me. And if thou wilt only get disenchanted, and
recover the beauty of Prince of Paris,--then, O Prince Paris," and his
voice changed to an alluring song, "then, O Prince Paris, I shall be
fair like thee!"

At this moment the good Rolf appeared above on the rampart; a
consecrated taper in his lantern shone down into the moat, as he sought
for the missing young knight. "In God's name, Sir Sintram," he called
out, "what has the spectre of whom you slew on Niflung's Heath, and whom
I never could bury, to do with you?"

"Seest thou well? hearest thou well?" whispered the little Master, and
drew back into the darkness of the underground passage. "The wise man
up there knows me well. There was nothing in thy heroic feat. Come, take
the joys of life while thou mayst."

But Sintram sprang back, with a strong effort, into the circle of light
made by the shining of the taper from above, and cried out, "Depart from
me, unquiet spirit! I know well that I bear a name on me in which thou
canst have no part."

Little Master rushed in fear and rage into the passage, and, yelling,
shut the iron door behind him. It