Believe me, my parents, could they know, would wish us to use the
rings they entrusted to my care when I was but a child.'

She ran quickly from the room, and when she came back she held in her
hand two radiant rings, one of which she gave to the knight, while the
other she kept for herself.

Her foster-parents looked at Undine in surprise, for they had neither
seen the rings nor known that their foster-child had any jewels in her
possession.

Then the maiden, seeing their astonishment, told how her parents had
stitched the rings into the little garments she had worn when first
she came to them, a tiny child. 'They bid me also tell no one that
they had given me these precious gems until the evening of my
wedding-day.'

Meanwhile the priest had clad himself again in his own garments, and
lighting the candles, he called to Huldbrand and the maiden to come
and kneel before him.

[Illustration: In the little cottage were heard the solemn words of
the marriage service]

Gladly they obeyed, and then in the little cottage were heard the
solemn words of the marriage service, and Undine became the wife of
Huldbrand, the knight of Ringstetten.

The maiden had been unusually quiet as she listened to the solemn
words of the marriage service, but now a spirit of mischief seemed to