at
in starry showers discharged itself around him.

"At the end of a short quarter of an hour, the bags were bursting in
Simon's hands. The Dwarf wriggled with delight, and played on--on--on;
and the old farmer, intoxicated and insane, jumped till his hoary and
fated skull struck against the ceiling. Now his joints cracked under the
weight of gold that he bore; but he could not put it from him, for the
bags stuck to his hands, as though they had grown to them. His strength
decayed; his thoughts languished. He tried to speak; but he could not
stammer out a word.

"'Gos-en-o, Kl-kl-oh-oh-oh'--

"The Dwarf kicked his feet with pleasure, and laughed again like a bear.
He never played in right earnest until now. He scraped with all his
might and main. Poor Twirling-stick Mike groaned, and his unhappy head
dropped exhausted upon his breast. Miserable man, his last capers were
cut! His dancing was no longer worth mentioning. He went up a little
way, like a baby's shuttlecock, and came down again feebly and dull. The
ducats poured out. The bags swelled; playing and dancing--dancing, such
as it was--went forward, and one terrible hour passed away. At last the
wrists of the farmer snapped asunder; his hands and the bags of gold
fell to the ground together. The dancer gave one desperate and
convulsive leap into the air. Klaus stopped his violin; and, in the next
instant, Simon lay dead upon the floor. Will it be believed that the
rascally Dwarf had fiddled every hair of the poor devil's head, and
brought them all down to his feet in the shape of ducats! Simon's skull
was as smooth and clean as if it had been shorn.

"The Dwarf put his fiddle up; quietly possessed himself of the
money-bags, and then grinned at the corpse before him.

"'Well, you old fool!' said he. 'Have I shaved your ugly jobber-nowl
clean enough? I don't want any of your tiresome barbers to do my work!
Are we quits, gossip? Can we wipe off the old scores yet, friend Simon?
No, no! We have something to do still! Let your boy look well to
himself, and get reconciled to my people whilst there is yet time!'"

* * * * *

Early in the morning, Simon was found lying dead on the floor. The
hairs of the unfortunate man, plucked out, and scattered over the
boards, in part confirmed the vehement declaration of the servants; viz.
that their master had wrestled with the devil, and had got the worst of
the bout. Young Klaus, however, shak