11
---'Thank you my son.' Thus the conversation proceeded. The niggard sees the old man comfortably enjoying his repast; so he sets himself down beside him and takes a share. There they eat, and eat for about an hour,---but the wine never gets less, and the cheese is never done, and both behold the miracle till their hair stands on end.
'All was now over, Master fiddler, and poor Berthold was undone!
'Hildebrand chose words which went down with Bernhard as smoothly as honey, and the long and the short of the matter was, my dear sweet Siegelind was promised to the rich miser, with the marvellous cheese for her dowry. The old man was now quite beside himself,---the young man talked finely---they were to outdo the whole village, and keep their secret to themselves; I was called a miserable wretch, and the spirit of mischief just brought me into their way in time to hear the whole sad story.'
'Ah, good heavens,' exclaimed Almerich again, 'I am undone with cold; it is turning a chill rainy day, and my bones are so naked!---Hew, hew, how the storm blows into my very soul! This day will be the death of me.---I thought so before. Take your way, my son, I give you my fiddle in a present, leave me the wallet here, I will stretch myself out to die upon it.'
