t is always dark and gloomy where there
is no love. What is that strange cry I hear?"

"Ho, Mimi, is that you?" said Loki.

"Leave me alone!" cried Mimi.

"Then tell me what you are crying about?"

"Oh," replied Mimi, "that wretched Alberich, with his ring of gold, has
made us all his slaves! With it he drives us down into the earth to dig
more gold. What we get is all his. We slave for him both day and night.

"This curse of gold has filled our cavern with despair. Lately he made
me forge a wishing-cap for him. With it he makes himself so none can see
him. Now we slaves can never rest. _Sh! sh!_ He is coming now!"

Wotan and Loki, peering through the darkness, could see him now and then
as he passed under the light of a flaring torch.

He was driving a swarm of bent black slaves who were carrying great
packs of gold and silver and precious ore upon their backs.

The helmet was hanging at his waist.

In his hand he was swinging a whip and the giants could hear him
yelling:--

"Pile up the gold! Hurry! Hurry, you lazy rogues!"

THE BOASTER

Suddenly Alberich saw the giants.

"Who is this that dares come into my cave?" he cried. "Mimi, get back to
your work!"

Then to all the other slaves he called:--

"Get below, every one of you! Crawl into your dingy shafts and dig the
gold! Begone, I say! You must obey the master of the ring!"

As soon as the black swarm had crept away, Alberich spoke angrily to
Wotan and Loki. "What do you want in here?"

"We just came to see you," said Wotan. "We hoped you might be glad to
have us. We think you must be a very clever man. We have heard a great
deal about the wonderful things you can do."

This pleased Alberich. He grew very proud and began to boast.

"See all this gold of mine!" he said.

"Yes," answered Loki; "it is the most gold I have ever seen, but what
use is it? It does no one any good in here where nothing useful can be
bought with it."

"I am heaping it up," said Alberich. "Some day, with this same treasure,
heaped and hid, I hope to work some wonders. You shall see! I shall be
master of the whole wide world! Ha! the smoke of Alberich's kingdom
shall smudge even your flowery mountain-sides and your sparkling rivers.
Everybody shall be my slave! Beware of this black Nibelung, I say, for
he shall rule the world!"

THE WISHING-CAP

Loki was very sly and cunning. While Alberich boasted, he was planning
how he might trick the dwarf and take his go