," his "heart's jewel." But at last the diamonds,
sapphires, and rubies were all gone; and she was also losing the power
of shedding gold-dust. Then her husband frowned on her, and no longer
called her his "heart's jewel," or his "dear Moneta."

At length she presented him with a little daughter as lovely as a
water-sprite, with hair like threads of gold. Now the father watched
the babe with a greedy eye; for its mother had wept precious tears of
molten gold before she received the gift of human grief, and he hoped
her child would do the same; but, when he found it was only a common
mortal, he shut his heart against the babe. Moneta was no longer
yellow and ugly, but very beautiful; with deep eyes, out of which
looked a sweet soul: yet she had lost her fairy gifts, and her husband
had ceased to love her. The good woman mourned in secret; and would
have wished to die, only her precious child comforted her heart.

One day, as she was sitting by the shore of the lake, a water-kelpie
saw her weeping, and came to her in the form of a white-haired old
man, saying,--

"Charming lady! why do you weep? Come with me to my kingdom under the
waters. My people are always happy."

Then she looked where he bade her, and saw, afar down under the
waters, a beautiful city, whose streets were paved with red and white
coral.

The kelpie said, "Will you go down?"

"No," sighed Moneta, thinking of the kind words her husband had
sometimes spoken to her: "I cannot go yet."

But the kelpie came every day, repeating the question, "Will you go
now?" and she answered, "I cannot go yet."

But at last her husband said,--

"How often the thought comes to me, If I had no wife and child, all
this gold would be mine!" and he knitted his brows with a frown.

Then Moneta looked in his face, and said,--

"Dear Ivan, I have loved you truly; but you no longer care for Moneta.
I will go away with the little child, and all our gold shall be yours.
Farewell!"

Then she embraced him with falling tears. His heart was stirred within
him; and he would have followed her, only he knew not which way she
had gone.

Soon the water-kelpie came to him in the form of a horse; and ran
before him, neighing fiercely, and breathing fire from his mouth. This
is the way kelpies take to announce the fact that some one has gone
under the water.

So the man followed the kelpie. His heart was swelling with grief;
and all his love for his wife and child had come ba