into the ground in handsome Roman uncial letters.
Thereupon, he sprang from his horse, turned three Catherine wheels, and
said that he was charged by his gracious master, the Herr Baron
Porphyrio von Ockerodastes, called "Cordovanspitz," to present his
compliments to Herr Dapsul von Zabelthau, and to say, that if the
latter had no objection, the Herr Baron proposed to pay him a friendly
visit of a day or two, as he was expecting presently to be his nearest
neighbour.

Herr Dapsul looked more dead than alive, so pale and motionless did he
stand, leaning un his daughter. Scarcely had a half involuntary,
"It--will--give--me--much--pleasure," escaped his trembling lips, when
the little horseman departed with lightning speed, and similar
ceremonies to those with which he had arrived.

"Ah, my daughter!" cried Herr Dapsul, weeping and lamenting, "alas! it
is but too certain that this is the gnome come to carry you off, and
twist my unfortunate neck. But we will pluck up the very last scrap of
courage which we can scrape together. Perhaps it may be still possible
to pacify this irritated elementary spirit. We must be as careful in
our conduct towards him as ever we can. I will at once read to you, my
dear child, a chapter or two of Lactantius or Thomas Aquinas concerning
the mode of dealing with elementary spirits, so that you mayn't make
some tremendous mistake or other."

But before he could go and get hold of Lactantius or Thomas Aquinas, a
band was heard in the immediate proximity, sounding very much like the
kind of performance which children who are musical enough get up about
Christmas-time. And a fine long procession was coming up the street.
At the head of it rode some sixty or seventy little cavaliers on
little yellow horses, all dressed like the one who had arrived as
avant-courier at first, in yellow habits, pointed caps, and boots of
polished mahogany. They were followed by a couch of purest crystal,
drawn by eight yellow horses, and behind this came well on to forty
other less magnificent coaches, some with six horses, some with only
four. And there were swarms of pages, running footmen, and other
attendants, moving up and down amongst and around those coaches in
brilliant costumes, so that the whole thing formed a sight as charming
as uncommon. Herr Dapsul stood sunk in gloomy amazement. Aennchen, who
had never dreamt that the world could contain such lovely delightful
creatures as these little horses and peo