g lovely, but at the same time something most
awful, about a soul. In the name of God, holy man, were it not better
that we never shared a gift so mysterious?"

Again she paused, and restrained her tears, as if waiting for an
answer. All in the cottage had risen from their seats, and stepped
back from her with horror. She, however, seemed to have eyes for no
one but the holy man; an awful curiosity was painted on her features,
which appeared terrible to the others.

"Heavily must the soul weigh down its possessor," she pursued, when no
one returned her any answer--"very heavily! for already its
approaching image overshadows me with anguish and mourning. And alas,
I have till now been so merry and light-hearted!" and she burst into
another flood of tears and covered her face with her veil.

The priest, going up to her with a solemn look, now addressed himself
to her, and conjured her, by the name of God most holy, if any spirit
of evil possessed her, to remove the light covering from her face. But
she sank before him on her knees, and repeated after him every sacred
expression he uttered, giving praise to God, and protesting that she
"wished well to the whole world."

The priest then spoke to the knight: "Sir bridegroom, I leave you
alone with her whom I have united to you in marriage. So far as I can
discover there is nothing of evil in her, but assuredly much that is
wonderful. What I recommend to you is prudence, love, and fidelity."

Thus speaking, he left the apartment; and the fisherman with his wife
followed him, crossing themselves.

Undine had sunk upon her knees. She uncovered her face, and exclaimed,
while she looked fearfully round upon Huldbrand, "Alas, you will now
refuse to look upon me as your own; and I still have done nothing
evil, poor unhappy child that I am!" She spoke these words with a look
so infinitely sweet and touching, that her bridegroom forgot both the
confession that had shocked and the mystery that had perplexed him;
and hastening to her, he raised her in his arms. She smiled through
her tears; and that smile was like the morning light playing upon a
small stream. "You cannot desert me!" she whispered confidingly, and
stroked the knight's cheeks with her little soft hands. He turned away
from the frightful thoughts that still lurked in the recesses of his
soul, and were persuading him that he had been married to a fairy, or
some spiteful and mischievous being of the spirit world. Onl