child.

'You have found her, you have found my little one!' he cried
reproachfully. 'Why did you not hasten to tell me she was found, Sir
Knight?'

Then Huldbrand was ashamed, though, as he told the old man, it was but
a little while since his search had ceased.

'Bring her without more delay to the mainland!' shouted the fisherman,
when he had listened to the sorry excuse which was all the knight
could offer.

But Undine had no wish to go home. She would rather stay with the
knight in the forest than go back to the cottage, for there, so she
said, no one would do as she wished.

Then, flinging her arms around the knight, she clung to him and
begged him to stay with her in the forest.

The old fisherman wept as he heard her words, yet Undine did not seem
to notice his tears. But the knight could not help seeing the old
man's grief, and he was troubled.

'Undine,' he cried, 'the tears of your foster-father have touched my
heart. We will return to him.'

The blue eyes of the maiden opened wide with surprise, yet she
answered gently, 'Sir Knight, if this is indeed your will, we shall
return to the mainland. There you must make the old man promise to