ether in the most manifold groupings, hardly to be made out
with the naked eye at first, so microscopically minute were they. But
when one looked at them closely for a little while they appeared to
grow bigger and more distinct, and to come to life, and dance in pretty
combinations. And the fire of the gem was of such a remarkable water
that the like of it could not have been found in the celebrated Dresden
collection.

"Who knows," said the maid, "how long this beautiful ring may have been
underground? And it must have got shoved up somehow, and then the
carrot has grown right through it."

Fraeulein Aennchen took the ring off the carrot, and it was strange how
the latter suddenly slipped through her fingers and disappeared in the
ground. But neither she nor the maid paid much heed to this
circumstance, being lost in admiration of the beautiful ring, which the
young lady immediately put on the little finger of the right hand
without more ado. As she did so, she felt a stinging pain all up her
finger, from the root of it to the point; but this pain went away again
as quickly as it had come.

Of course she told her father, at mid-day, all about this strange
adventure at the carrot-bed, and showed him the beautiful ring which
had been sticking upon the carrot. She was going to take it off that he
might examine it the better, but felt the same stinging kind of pain as
when she put it on. And this pain lasted all the time she was trying to
get it off, so that she had to give up trying. Herr Dapsul scanned the
ring upon her finger with the most careful attention. He made her
stretch her finger out, and describe with it all sorts of circles in
all directions. After which he fell into a profound meditation, and
went up into his tower without uttering a syllable. Aennchen heard him
giving vent to a very considerable amount of groaning and sighing as he
went.

Next morning, when she was chasing the big cock about the yard (he was
bent on all manner of mischief, and was skirmishing particularly with
the pigeons), Herr Dapsul began lamenting so fearfully down from the
tower through the speaking trumpet that she cried up to him through her
closed hand, "Oh papa dear, what are you making such a terrible howling
for? The fowls are all going out of their wits."

Heir Dapsul hailed down to her through the speaking trumpet, saying,
"Anna, my daughter Anna, come up here to me immediately."

Fraeulein Aennchen was much astonished a