ght felt the sense of her words far more than he regarded
their meaning, and it was the sense alone to which he replied.
Presently the wagoner suddenly shouted with a loud voice. "Up, my
grays, up with your feet, keep together! Remember who you are!" The
knight leaned out of the wagon and saw that the horses were stepping
into the midst of a foaming stream or were already almost swimming,
while the wheels of the wagon were rushing round and gleaming like
mill-wheels, and the wagoner had climbed up in front in consequence of
the increasing waters.

"What sort of a road is this? It goes into the very middle of the
stream," cried Huldbrand to his guide.

"Not at all, sir," returned the other laughing, "it is just the
reverse; the stream goes into the very middle of our road. Look round
and see how every thing is covered by the water."

The whole valley indeed was suddenly filled with the surging flood,
that visibly increased. "It is Kuehleborn, the evil water-spirit, who
wishes to drown us!" exclaimed the knight. "Have you no charm against
him, my friend?"

"I know indeed of one," returned the wagoner, "but I cannot and may
not use it until you know who I am."

"Is this a time for riddles?" cried the knight. "The flood is ever
rising higher, and what does it matter to me to know who you are?"

"It does matter to you, though," said the wagoner, "for I am
Kuehleborn." So saying, he thrust his distorted face into the wagon
with a grin, but the wagon was a wagon no longer, the horses were not
horses--all was transformed to foam and vanished in the hissing waves,
and even the wagoner himself, rising as a gigantic billow, drew down
the vainly struggling horse beneath the waters, and then, swelling
higher and higher, swept over the heads of the floating pair, like
some liquid tower, threatening to bury them irrecoverably.

Just then the soft voice of Undine sounded through the uproar, the
moon emerged from the clouds, and by its light Undine was seen on
the heights above the valley. She rebuked, she threatened the floods
below; the menacing tower-like wave vanished, muttering and murmuring,
the waters flowed gently away in the moonlight, and, like a white
dove, Undine flew down from the height, seized the knight and
Bertalda, and bore them with her to a fresh, green, turfy spot on the
hill, where with choice refreshing restoratives she dispelled their
terrors and weariness; then she assisted Bertalda to mount the white
p