confusion.
The goblin laid the tongue upon the cask, in which lay a quantity of
old newspapers.

"Is it really true," he asked, "that you do not know what poetry
is?"

"Of course I know," replied the cask: "poetry is something that
always stand in the corner of a newspaper, and is sometimes cut out;
and I may venture to affirm that I have more of it in me than the
student has, and I am only a poor tub of the huckster's."

Then the goblin placed the tongue on the coffee mill; and how it
did go to be sure! Then he put it on the butter tub and the cash
box, and they all expressed the same opinion as the waste-paper tub;
and a majority must always be respected.

"Now I shall go and tell the student," said the goblin; and with
these words he went quietly up the back stairs to the garret where the
student lived. He had a candle burning still, and the goblin peeped
through the keyhole and saw that he was reading in the torn book,
which he had brought out of the shop. But how light the room was! From
the book shot forth a ray of light which grew broad and full, like the
stem of a tree, from which bright rays spread upward and over the
student's head. Each leaf was fresh, and each flower was like a
beautiful female head; some with dark and sparkling eyes, and others
with eyes that were wonderfully blue and clear. The fruit gleamed like
stars, and the room was filled with sounds of beautiful music. The
little goblin had never imagined, much less seen or heard of, any
sight so glorious as this. He stood still on tiptoe, peeping in,
till the light went out in the garret. The student no doubt had
blown out his candle and gone to bed; but the little goblin remained
standing there nevertheless, and listening to the music which still
sounded on, soft and beautiful, a sweet cradle-song for the student,
who had lain down to rest.

"This is a wonderful place," said the goblin; "I never expected
such a thing. I should like to stay here with the student;" and the
little man thought it over, for he was a sensible little spirit. At
last he sighed, "but the student has no jam!" So he went down stairs
again into the huckster's shop, and it was a good thing he got back
when he did, for the cask had almost worn out the lady's tongue; he
had given a description of all that he contained on one side, and
was just about to turn himself over to the other side to describe what
was there, when the goblin entered and restored the tongue to the
l