visitors
through the cool caverns that wind amidst the mountains of the Rhine.
There, a thousand wonders awaited the eyes of the fairy queen. I speak
not of the Gothic arch and aisle into which the hollow earth forms
itself, or the stream that rushes with a mighty voice through the dark
chasm, or the silver columns that shoot aloft, worked by the gnomes from
the mines of the mountains of Taunus; but of the strange inhabitants
that from time to time they came upon. They found in one solitary
cell, lined with dried moss, two misshapen elves, of a larger size than
common, with a plebeian working-day aspect, who were chatting noisily
together, and making a pair of boots: these were the Hausmannen or
domestic elves, that dance into tradesmen's houses of a night, and play
all sorts of undignified tricks. They were very civil to the queen,
for they are good-natured creatures on the whole, and once had many
relations in Scotland. They then, following the course of a noisy
rivulet, came to a hole from which the sharp head of a fox peeped out.
The queen was frightened. "Oh, come on," said the fox, encouragingly, "I
am one of the fairy race, and many are the gambols we of the brute-elves
play in the German world of romance." "Indeed, Mr. Fox," said the
prince, "you only speak the truth; and how is Mr. Bruin?" "Quite well,
my prince, but tired of his seclusion; for indeed our race can do
little or nothing now in the world; and lie here in our old age,
telling stories of the past, and recalling the exploits we did in our
youth,--which, madam, you may see in all the fairy histories in the
prince's library."

"Your own love adventures, for instance, Master Fox," said the prince.

The fox snarled angrily, and drew in his head.

"You have displeased your friend," said Nymphalin.

"Yes; he likes no allusions to the amorous follies of his youth. Did you
ever hear of his rivalry with the dog for the cat's good graces?"

"No; that must be very amusing."

"Well, my queen, when we rest by and by, I will relate to you the
history of the fox's wooing."

The next place they came to was a vast Runic cavern, covered with dark
inscriptions of a forgotten tongue; and sitting on a huge stone they
found a dwarf with long yellow hair, his head leaning on his breast, and
absorbed in meditation. "This is a spirit of a wise and powerful race,"
whispered Fayzenheim, "that has often battled with the fairies; but he
is of the kindly tribe."

Then