'"I do not wish your gold," he grumbled. "I have gold enough and to
spare, as you shall soon see."

'As he spoke a strange thing happened. The beautiful green ground
seemed to change into clear green glass. I looked through the glass
and saw in a great cavern a group of little goblins.

'They were playing at ball, these little goblins, and I noticed that
all their toys were made of silver or gold. Merry little creatures
they were, running swiftly hither and thither after the ball, nor was
it easy to see whether they were standing on their heads or on their
heels, or whether they were running on their hands or on their feet.
No sooner was their game ended than they pelted each other with their
playthings, then in a mad frolic lifted handfuls of gold dust and
flung it each in the other's eyes.

'All this time the ugly little man was standing half on the ground and
half within the great cavern where the tiny goblins played their
games. Now I heard him call to the mischievous imps to give him
handfuls of gold.

[Illustration: 'I saw in a great cavern a group of little goblins']

'This they did, and then he, laughing in my face, showed the gold to
me ere he flung it back again into the cavern.

'Then the ugly little man called to the tiny goblins to stop their
pranks and look at the coins I had given to him. When they caught
sight of them they held their little sides, shaking with laughter;
then all at once they turned and hissed at me.