A smile shines in the midst of tears, and a smile calls forth tears from their dwelling-place." She looked up at Huldbrand, smiling and weeping, and he again felt within his heart all the magic of his former love.

She perceived it, and pressed him more tenderly to her, while with tears of joy she went on thus: "When the disturber of our peace would not be dismissed with words, I was obliged to shut the door upon him; and the only entrance by which he has access to us is that fountain.

His connection with the other water-spirits here in this region is cut off by the valleys that border upon us; and his kingdom first commences farther off on the Danube, in whose tributary streams some of his good friends have their abode.

For this reason I caused the stone to be placed over the opening of the fountain, and inscribed characters upon it, which baffle all the efforts of my suspicious uncle; so that he now has no power of intruding either upon you or me, or Bertalda.

Human beings, it is true, notwithstanding the characters I have inscribed there, are able to raise the stone without any extraordinary trouble; there is nothing to prevent them.