The Wagner Story Book | Page 5

of the castle.
"Well, to be sure, they are all in a fine state of excitement. The giants
are big, dreadful-looking fellows, with clubs made of the trunks of trees,
and the poor goddess does not want to go with them in the least. All the
other gods declare, too, that she shall not go with them, and the giants
insist that she shall. The Thunder God is there and he has a wonderful
hammer, a blow of which is like a stroke of lightning. He is about to
strike the giants with it, and that, you may be sure, would settle the
whole matter, big as they are, but the Father of the Gods will not let
him harm them. He has promised, and whatever happens he cannot
break his word.
"While everything is in this dreadful state, the Fire God comes back
from his search. It is not a very cheering story that he has to tell. He has
been through all the world, he says, and he has asked everywhere what
there is that is as good for gods or giants, or anybody else, as the love
of a woman, which makes those who have it always young. But the
people in those days knew more than a good many of the people in
these days, and everywhere they laughed at him and told him that he
might as well give up his search, for he would never find what he
sought."
"What do you mean by 'the people in those days'?" the child asked; "I
thought you said you could see them right here in the fire now."
"So I can, but it is the beauty of these pictures in the fire that I can see
things that happened years ago, thousands of years ago, if I like, just as
well as things that happen now, and perhaps a little better. So you see
the Fire God has not had very good luck, but as he was coming back,
he says, he passed near where the river nymphs were, and they called to
him, telling him that their beautiful gold had been stolen, and begging
him to ask the Father of the Gods to get it back for them. They told him,
too, about the wicked dwarf who stole it, and how, before he could
steal it, he had to swear never again, as long as he lived, to love
anybody or anything. The Fire God seems to have heard about the
dwarf somewhere else, too, for he says that he has already made the
magic ring out of the gold, that by the help of the ring he has compelled
all the other dwarfs to obey him and serve him, and has piled up such a

treasure of gold and jewels as was never seen before; and finally, that,
if the gods are not careful, the dwarf will soon rule over them and the
whole world besides.
"So it seems that there is one person in the world who has found
something which he thinks is worth more than love. And there are at
least two others who are as foolish as he, though they may not be quite
so wicked. And these are the giants, for when they hear the Fire God
tell of the wonderful treasure that the dwarf has heaped together, they
say to the gods that they think the dwarf is quite right, they would
rather have all that gold than the love of any woman, and, if the gods
will get it for them, they may keep their Goddess of Love and Youth.
The Father of the Gods hesitates; how can he get the treasure? he asks.
"'You can find some way to get it, if you like,' the giants reply.
"'I will not get it for you; you shall not have it,' says the Father of the
Gods.
"'Then we will hold to our first bargain,' they answer, 'and take your
Love Goddess with us. To-night we will bring her back; if you have the
treasure ready for us, then you may keep her; if not, then you have lost
her forever.' And they seize her and stride away, dragging her with
them, while the gods look on in grief and fear. And well they may fear
at the change that comes as soon as the beautiful goddess is gone. You
can see the change yourself in the fire. If it did not fit the story that I
am finding in it so well, I should say that the fire needed more wood,
for it seems almost out; see how the blackened sticks are smouldering
and smoking, with scarcely any bright flames at all. The smoke is
spreading like an ugly gray cloud over everything; the trees and the
flowers