imaginable with a little gnome, whilst a similar result followed in
the case of a sylph and the young Gertrude, a nun in Kloster Nazareth,
near Cologne. But, then, think of the learned pursuits of those
ecclesiastical ladies and of your own; what a mighty difference.
Instead of reading in learned books you are often employing your time
in feeding hens, geese, ducks, and other creatures, which simply molest
and annoy all cabbalists; instead of watching the course of the stars,
the heavens, you dig in the earth; instead of deciphering the traces of
the future in skilfully-constructed horoscopes you are churning milk
into butter, and putting sauerkraut up to pickle for mean everyday
winter use; although, really, I must say that for my own part I should
be very sorry to be without such articles of food. Say, is all this
likely, in the long run, to content a refined philosophic elementary
spirit? And then, oh Anna! it must be through you that the Dapsulheim
line must continue, which earthly demand upon your being you cannot
refuse to obey in any possible case. Yet, in connection with this ring,
you in your instinctive way felt a strange irreflective sense of
physical enjoyment. By means of the operation in which I was engaged, I
desired and intended to break the power of the ring, and free you
entirely from the gnome which is pursuing you. That operation failed,
in consequence of the trick played me by the little student in the
nut-shell. And yet, notwithstanding, I feel inspired by a courage such
as I never felt before to do battle with this elementary spirit. You
are my child, whom I begot, not indeed with a sylphide, salamandress,
or other elementary spirit, but of that poor country lady of a fine old
family, to whom the God-forgotten neighbours gave the nickname of the
'goat-girl' on account of her idyllic nature. For she used to go out
with a flock of pretty little white goats, and pasture them on the
green hillocks, I meanwhile blowing a reed-pipe on my tower, a
love-stricken young fool, by way of accompaniment. Yes, you are my own
child, my flesh and blood, and I mean to rescue you. Here, this mystic
file shall befree you from the pernicious ring."

With this, Herr Dapsul von Zabelthau took up a small file and began
filing away with it at the ring. But scarcely had he passed it once or
twice backwards and forwards when Fraeulein Aennchen cried aloud in
pain, "Papa, papa, you're filing my finger off!" And actually ther