lity. He rehearses at length all Siegfried has to thank
him for, material necessities, education,--"With clever counsel
I made you clever, with subtle wisdom I taught you wit...." This
tale of benefactions has been gone over so often that the dwarf has
reached a fine glibness in it; the smooth air on which he enumerates
the instances of his kindness has a peculiar cast of hypocrisy. He
is so touched by the contemplation finally of his own goodness
and Siegfried's hardness of heart that he falls to weeping. "And
for all I have borne this is now the reward, that the hot-tempered
boy torments and hates me!"

Siegfried has been calmly gazing into Mime's eyes; trying through
these to get at the truth of him. Mime expresses surprise that
after so many unquestionable services the boy should hate him; and
the boy is not himself without a touch of wonder at the invincible
antipathy with which this creature inspires him, to whom yet he is
actually indebted for many good offices. "Much you have taught me,
Mime, and many a thing have I learned of you; but that which you
have most cared to teach me, never have I succeeded in learning:
how I could bear the sight of you! If you bring me food and drink,
disgust takes the place of dinner; if you spread an easy couch for
me, sleep on it becomes difficult; if you endeavour to teach me
wise conversation, I prefer to be dumb and dull. Whenever I set
eyes on you, I recognise as ill-done everything you do; whether I
watch you stand, or waggle and walk, ducking, nidnodding, blinking
with your eyes, my impulse is to catch the nidnodder by the scruff
of the neck, to hurl out of the way for good and all the odious
blinker! That is my manner, Mime, of being fond of you. Now, if
you are wise, help me to know a thing which I have vainly reflected
upon: I run into the woods to be rid of you; how does it happen
that I come back? All animals are dearer to me than you, trees
and birds, the fish in the stream, I am fonder of them all than
I am of you; then how does it happen that I still come back? If
you are wise, make clear to me this thing!" "My child," replies
Mime, "you are informed by that circumstance how near I lie to
your heart!" "I tell you I cannot bear you! Forget it not so soon!"
Mime argues that such a thing is impossible, is out of nature;
that what to the young bird is the old bird, which feeds it in the
nest until it is fledged, that is to Siegfried, inevitably, Mime!
This simile of Mi