with a roar of wind, came suddenly sweeping on in rapid pursuit, she
raised her finger with a merry menace toward the dark mass of clouds,
and cried:

"You cloud, you cloud, have a care! beware how you wet us; we are
some way from shelter yet."

The old man reproved her for this sally, as a sinful presumption; but
she laughed to herself softly, and no mischief came from her wild
behaviour. Nay more, what was beyond their expectation, they reached
their comfortable hearth unwet, with their prize secured; but the
cask had hardly been broached, and proved to contain wine of a
remarkably fine flavour, when the rain first poured down unrestrained
from the black cloud, the tempest raved through the tops of the
trees, and swept far over the billows of the deep.

Having immediately filled several bottles from the cask, which
promised them a supply for a long time, they drew round the glowing
hearth; and, comfortably secured from the tempest, they sat tasting
the flavour of their wine and bandying jests.

But the old fisherman suddenly became extremely grave, and said: "Ah,
great God! here we sit, rejoicing over this rich gift, while he to
whom it first belonged, and from whom it was wrested by the fury of
the stream, must there also, it is more than probable, have lost his
life."

"No such thing," said Undine, smiling, as she filled the knight's cup
to the brim.