ing and roaring
as usual, and said to her brother:

'Once I am married to the king's son I shall be better off than now.
I shall take care to have all that pack of courtiers put to death, and
then I shall send for all my relations to come and live here instead.
I fancy the giants will enjoy themselves very much with me and my
husband.'

When Prince Ring heard this he fell into such a rage that he ordered the
house to be set on fire, and it was burnt to the ground, with the witch
and her brother in it.

Asmund then told the prince about the two oak trees and took him to see
them. The prince was quite astonished at them and at all their contents,
but still more so at the extreme beauty of Signy. He fell in love with
her at once, and entreated her to marry him, which, after a time, she
consented to do. Asmund, on his side, asked for the hand of Prince
Ring's sister, which was gladly granted him, and the double wedding was
celebrated with great rejoicings.

After this Prince Asmund and his bride returned to his country to live
with the king his father. The two couples often met, and lived happily
for many, many years. And that is the end of the story.

[From Islandische Mahrchen.]

Rubezahl

Over all the vast under-world the mountain Gnome Rubezahl was lord; and
busy enough the care of his dominions kept him. There were the endless
treasure chambers to be gone through, and the hosts of gnomes to be
kept to their tasks. Some built strong barriers to hold back the fiery
vapours to change dull stones to precious metal, or were hard at work
filling every cranny of the rocks with diamonds and rubies; for Rubezahl
loved all pretty things. Sometimes the fancy would take him to leave
those gloomy regions, and come out upon the green earth for a while, and
bask in the sunshine and hear the birds sing. And as gnomes live many
hundreds of years he saw strange things. For, the first time he came up,
the great hills were covered with thick forests, in which wild animals
roamed, and Rubezahl watched the fierce fights between bear and bison,
or chased the grey wolves, or amused himself by rolling great rocks down
into the desolate valleys, to hear the thunder of their fall echoing
among the hills. But the next time he ventured above ground, what was
his surprise to find everything changed! The dark woods were hewn down,
and in their place appeared blossoming orchards surrounding cosy-looking
thatched cottages; for every