y
properly claims that such a spirit as mine has it imposed upon it as
public duty to take care of itself for the world's benefit, and
preserve itself by every possible means. The sword of the poet is the
word--the song. I will attack my rival with Tyrtaean battle-songs;
strike him to earth with sharp-pointed epigrams; hew him down with
dithyrambics full of lover's fury. Such are the weapons of a true,
genuine poet, powerful to shield him from every danger. And it is so
accoutred that I shall appear, and do battle--victorious battle--for
your hand, oh, Anna!

"Farewell. I press you once more to my heart. Hope all things from my
love, and, especially, from my heroic courage, which will shun no
danger to set you free from the shameful nets of captivity in which, to
all appearance, you are entangled by a demoniacal monster."

Fraeulein Aennchen received this letter at a time when she was playing a
game at "Catch-me-if-you-can" with her royal bridegroom elect, King
Daucus Carota the First, in the meadow at the back of the garden, and
immensely enjoying it when, as was often the case, she suddenly ducked
down in full career, and the little king would go shooting right away
over her head. Instead of reading the letter immediately (which she had
always done before), she put it in her pocket unopened, and we shall
presently see that it came too late.

Herr Dapsul could not make out at all how Fraeulein Aennchen had changed
her mind so suddenly, and grown quite fond of Herr Porphyrio von
Ockerodastes, whom she had so cordially detested before. He consulted
the stars on the subject, but as they gave him no satisfactory
information, he was obliged to come to the conclusion that human hearts
are more mysterious and inscrutable than all the secrets of the
universe, and not to be thrown light upon by any constellation. He
could not think that what had produced love for the little creature in
Anna's heart was merely the highness of his nature; and personal beauty
he had none. If (as the reader knows) the canon of beauty, as laid down
by Herr Dapsul, is very unlike the ideas which young ladies form upon
that subject, he did, after all, possess sufficient knowledge of the
world to know that, although the said young women hold that good sense,
wit, cleverness and pleasant manners are very agreeable fellow-lodgers
in a comfortable house, still, a man who can't call himself the
possessor of a properly-made, fashionable coat--were he a S