Year: 1874

servants. The honest and sleeplessly vigilant
porter although most foolish, gave me least
care of ALL The poor Ounce had only one ar
dent wish-to wear red coat, such as he
had once seen on fox hunter. After that
l believe the already devoted fellow was ready
to 20 through fire and water for me.


My game.keeper, though almost dangerous
if any one else presumed to order him-the
King of Lapland. as he imagined himself to
be-yet bowed in humble submission before
me, whom I made him believe me to be the
Car of Russia.


Nv steward was such learned and useful
man that resolved on q heroic cure OF his
monomania. drought gas-pipes from Pesth'
and endeavored to bargain with him to sup
ply the castle with gas from his breath. The
Shock occasioned by my proposition threw
him into severe illness, but he arose from 1t
an entirely sane man.


There were only two remaining in the
house, who had not been, at least in measure,
benefited by my system of cure: one was my
invisible siren, and the other was myself, who
was in love with her.


AS soon as daylight was gone her song be-
gan-a song of the lark from human lips; 1t
came and went, sometimes soothing me to
sleep, and sometimes waking me, but could
never discover whence it came.


Nay, more-when slept she came and
went to my room, often remaining hours.
had several means of knowing this: | always
left lamp burning on my table. When l
woke it was always extinguished, and being
turned down instead of blown out, had evl-
dently been touched by human hand. This
was to prevent my seeing her should / sud-
denly awake. A gain, there was clock near
my bed; this I wound up myself before retlr,
ing. If fell asleep at eleven o'clock, and
awoke at four or FIVE, the clock would stand
at one or two, and yet it went correctly In
the daytime My invisible caller stopped
the clock, so that it's striking should not
awaken me, and started it again when she
left. By this means I could tell how long
she remained.


And yet could find no trace Of her means
of gaining admission. myself locked the
doors, and left the keys in the locks on the
inside. My windows were protected with iron
grating. There could be no trap-door in the
floor, for the carpet was of one piece, and
nailed down around the edges of the wall. l
tried the walls, too, but nowhere was any
trace of hidden door. took down the pic
ture, but was rewarded with nothing but cob
webs Then I examined the roof of the cas-
tie, but found only an immense quantity OF
seed corn spread out directly over my room.
Neither could I discover any door leading to
the part of the castle which she occupied, and
her windows we're doubly secured with iron
gratings Why did this strange creature ate
and drink? Is she really a spirit that exists
without food or raiment?


questioned my servants. The steward
knew nothing of the secret, but he assisted
me in my researches, and was as much aston
ished as myself at what I related. The coach
man crossed himself, told story of a ghost,
and prayed I allow masses to be said for the
repose of her soul.


NY valet, Louis, said it was wonderfully
beautiful, enchanted girl, who dressed in gold
and silver, who drank only dew and lived on
the nectar of flowers, like butterfly. At will
she could change into air, and pass invisibly
through doors. When it should come winter
must notice the frost-pictures on my win
dows. IF should find round, melted spot
among the flowers, that would be the spot
which she had vanished. He had,
at least, poetical idea of the matter. Not
so the little gnome-like game-keeper, who de-
clared it to be no good spirit. At night she
changed into werewolf, and ate little chill.
dren. He claimed to have met her often in
the forest, and tried to shoot her, but she
seemed bullet-proof.


In vain I tried feigning sleep. She seemed
to understand my stratagem, and could even
hear her laughing, somewhere near me, sure
ly, but where?


pictured her tall and graceful, with blonde
hair reaching to the floor and glittering like
gold in the sunshine, complexion transparent,
long black eyelashes, and melancholy, lustrous
sapphire eyes, and the delicate lips marked
with faint line of pink.


My days were spent in the care of my es-
tate, but they were filled with impatience for
the return Of evening and my fairy enchant-
ress.


At last dreamed of sitting with her under
the shade of pomegranate-tree, while the
sun, mirrored in the lake before US, threw its
reflection upon her angelic face. In my
dream gave her an apple which she pro-
nounced sour. I then took one myself, and
putting it between my lips, told her it was
sweet, and that she must take a bite of it.
Oh .! the absurd ideas we have in dreams
She leaned over me, smiling, looked at me
with her glorious blue eyes, and came nearer
and nearer to the red kernel. Then suddenly
she passionately pressed her lips to mine, not
like spirit or dream-picture, but as a real
human being. Beside myself with unspeaka-
bic rapture, quickly threw both arms around
her-and at chat instanta sharp outcry awoke
me.


No, all that could not be merely dream.
1t was human kiss, real embrace, living
outcry. And yet there was no one in the
room.


A thought came into my head sprang
up and rushed to the chimney. Then | was
ashamed to have imagined that my fairy could
have come through the hue! And to render
the idea utterly absurd, the CRATE was still
full of glowing cinders, and it was, besides,
shut in with iron bars.


My heart was still beating from the en-
brace, and my lips burning from the kiss.


As l relighted my lamp, and feverishly be-
gan t. pace up and down the ROOM, a strange
object suddenly met my sight-a tiny en-
broidered slipper so fine and delicate that it
might we'll have been worn by no earthly foot.
At last had proof that she had been in my
room, had sat by me, and fled in haste, losing
the slipper, which she had no time to pick up.
dashed pitcher of cold water over my
head in order to make assurance doubly sure,
and then l locked this wonderful little slipper
in drawer, still feeling that it would not be
there in the morning, for men often dream
that they have found treasures of gold, and
have locked it in an iron chest, to find, on
awakening that it was only a tantalizing
dream.