A FEW large lizards2 were running nimbly about in the

　　clefts of an old tree; they could understand one another very

　　well, for they spoke3 the lizard1 language.

　　"What a buzzing and a rumbling4 there is in the elfin

　　hill," said one of the lizards; "I have not been able to close

　　my eyes for two nights on account of the noise; I might just

　　as well have had the toothache, for that always keeps me

　　awake."

　　"There is something going on within there," said the other

　　lizard; "they propped5 up the top of the hill with four red

　　posts, till cock-crow this morning, so that it is thoroughly

　　aired, and the elfin girls have learnt new dances; there is

　　something."

　　"I spoke about it to an earth-worm of my acquaintance,"

　　said a third lizard; "the earth-worm had just come from the

　　elfin hill, where he has been groping about in the earth day

　　and night. He has heard a great deal; although he cannot see,

　　poor miserable6 creature, yet he understands very well how to

　　wriggle and lurk7 about. They expect friends in the elfin hill,

　　grand company, too; but who they are the earth-worm would not

　　say, or, perhaps, he really did not know. All the

　　will-o'-the-wisps are ordered to be there to hold a torch

　　dance, as it is called. The silver and gold which is plentiful

　　in the hill will be polished and placed out in the moonlight."

　　"Who can the strangers be?" asked the lizards; "what can

　　the matter be? Hark, what a buzzing and humming there is!"

　　Just at this moment the elfin hill opened, and an old

　　elfin maiden8, hollow behind, came tripping out; she was the

　　old elf king's housekeeper9, and a distant relative of the

　　family; therefore she wore an amber10 heart on the middle of her

　　forehead. Her feet moved very fast, "trip, trip;" good

　　gracious, how she could trip right down to the sea to the

　　night-raven11.

　　"You are invited to the elf hill for this evening," said

　　she; "but will you do me a great favor and undertake the

　　invitations? you ought to do something, for you have no

　　housekeeping to attend to as I have. We are going to have some

　　very grand people, conjurors, who have always something to

　　say; and therefore the old elf king wishes to make a great

　　display."

　　"Who is to be invited?" asked the raven.

　　"All the world may come to the great ball, even human

　　beings, if they can only talk in their sleep, or do something

　　after our fashion. But for the feast the company must be

　　carefully selected; we can only admit persons of high rank; I

　　have had a dispute myself with the elf king, as he thought we

　　could not admit ghosts. The merman and his daughter must be

　　invited first, although it may not be agreeable to them to

　　remain so long on dry land, but they shall have a wet stone to

　　sit on, or perhaps something better; so I think they will not

　　refuse this time. We must have all the old demons12 of the first

　　class, with tails, and the hobgoblins and imps13; and then I

　　think we ought not to leave out the death-horse, or the

　　grave-pig, or even the church dwarf14, although they do belong

　　to the clergy15, and are not reckoned among our people; but that

　　is merely their office, they are nearly related to us, and

　　visit us very frequently."

　　"Croak," said the night-raven as he flew away with the

　　invitations.

　　The elfin maidens16 we're already dancing on the elf hill,

　　and they danced in shawls woven from moonshine and mist, which

　　look very pretty to those who like such things. The large hall

　　within the elf hill was splendidly decorated; the floor had

　　been washed with moonshine, and the walls had been rubbed with

　　magic ointment17, so that they glowed like tulip-leaves in the

　　light. In the kitchen were frogs roasting on the spit, and

　　dishes preparing of snail18 skins, with children's fingers in

　　them, salad of mushroom seed, hemlock19, noses and marrow20 of

　　mice, beer from the marsh21 woman's brewery22, and sparkling

　　salt-petre wine from the grave cellars. These were all

　　substantial food. Rusty23 nails and church-window glass formed

　　the dessert. The old elf king had his gold crown polished up

　　with powdered slate-pencil; it was like that used by the first

　　form, and very difficult for an elf king to obtain. In the

　　bedrooms, curtains were hung up and fastened with the slime of

　　snails; there was, indeed, a buzzing and humming everywhere.

　　"Now we must fumigate24 the place with burnt horse-hair and

　　pig's bristles25, and then I think I shall have done my part,"

　　said the elf man-servant.

　　"Father, dear," said the youngest daughter, "may I now

　　hear who our high-born visitors are?"

　　"Well, I suppose I must tell you now," he replied; "two of

　　my daughters must prepare themselves to be married, for the

　　marriages certainly will take place. The old goblin from

　　Norway, who lives in the ancient Dovre mountains, and who

　　possesses many castles built of rock and freestone, besides a

　　gold mine, which is better than all, so it is thought, is

　　coming with his two sons, who are both seeking a wife. The old

　　goblin is a true-hearted, honest, old Norwegian graybeard;

　　cheerful and straightforward26. I knew him formerly27, when we

　　used to drink together to our good fellowship: he came here

　　once to fetch his wife, she is dead now. She was the daughter

　　of the king of the chalk-hills at Moen. They say he took his

　　wife from chalk; I shall be delighted to see him again. It is

　　said that the boys are ill-bred, forward lads, but perhaps

　　that is not quite correct, and they will become better as they

　　grow older. Let me see that you know how to teach them good

　　manners."

　　"And when are they coming?" asked the daughter.

　　"That depends upon wind and weather," said the elf king;

　　"they travel economically. They will come when there is the

　　chance of a ship. I wanted them to come over to Sweden, but

　　the old man was not inclined to take my advice. He does not go

　　forward with the times, and that I do not like."

　　Two will-o'-the-wisps came jumping in, one quicker than

　　the other, so of course, one arrived first. "They are coming!

　　they are coming!" he cried.

　　"Give me my crown," said the elf king, "and let me stand

　　in the moonshine."

　　The daughters drew on their shawls and bowed down to the

　　ground. There stood the old goblin from the Dovre mountains,

　　with his crown of hardened ice and polished fir-cones. Besides

　　this, he wore a bear-skin, and great, warm boots, while his

　　sons went with their throats bare and wore no braces28, for they

　　were strong men.

　　"Is that a hill?" said the youngest of the boys, pointing

　　to the elf hill, "we should call it a hole in Norway."

　　"Boys," said the old man, "a hole goes in, and a hill

　　stands out; have you no eyes in your heads?"

　　Another thing they wondered at was, that they were able

　　without trouble to understand the language.

　　"Take care," said the old man, "or people will think you

　　have not been well brought up."

　　Then they entered the elfin hill, where the select and

　　grand company were assembled, and so quickly had they appeared

　　that they seemed to have been blown together. But for each

　　guest the neatest and pleasantest arrangement had been made.

　　The sea folks sat at table in great water-tubs, and they said

　　it was just like being at home. All behaved themselves

　　properly excepting the two young northern goblins; they put

　　their legs on the table and thought they were all right.

　　"Feet off the table-cloth!" said the old goblin. They

　　obeyed, but not immediately. Then they tickled29 the ladies who

　　waited at table, with the fir-cones, which they carried in

　　their pockets. They took off their boots, that they might be

　　more at ease, and gave them to the ladies to hold. But their

　　father, the old goblin, was very different; he talked

　　pleasantly about the stately Norwegian rocks, and told fine

　　tales of the waterfalls which dashed over them with a

　　clattering noise like thunder or the sound of an organ,

　　spreading their white foam30 on every side. He told of the

　　salmon that leaps in the rushing waters, while the water-god

　　plays on his golden harp31. He spoke of the bright winter

　　nights, when the sledge32 bells are ringing, and the boys run

　　with burning torches across the smooth ice, which is so

　　transparent that they can see the fishes dart33 forward beneath

　　their feet. He described everything so clearly, that those who

　　listened could see it all; they could see the saw-mills going,

　　the men-servants and the maidens singing songs, and dancing a

　　rattling dance,- when all at once the old goblin gave the old

　　elfin maiden a kiss, such a tremendous kiss, and yet they were

　　almost strangers to each other.

　　Then the elfin girls had to dance, first in the usual way,

　　and then with stamping feet, which they performed very well;

　　then followed the artistic34 and solo dance. Dear me, how they

　　did throw their legs about! No one could tell where the dance

　　begun, or where it ended, nor indeed which were legs and which

　　were arms, for they were all flying about together, like the

　　shavings in a saw-pit! And then they spun35 round so quickly

　　that the death-horse and the grave-pig became sick and giddy,

　　and were obliged to leave the table.

　　"Stop!" cried the old goblin," is that the only

　　house-keeping they can perform? Can they do anything more than

　　dance and throw about their legs, and make a whirlwind?"

　　"You shall soon see what they can do," said the elf king.

　　And then he called his youngest daughter to him. She was

　　slender and fair as moonlight, and the most graceful36 of all

　　the sisters. She took a white chip in her mouth, and vanished

　　instantly; this was her accomplishment37. But the old goblin

　　said he should not like his wife to have such an

　　accomplishment, and thought his boys would have the same

　　objection. Another daughter could make a figure like herself

　　follow her, as if she had a shadow, which none of the goblin

　　folk ever had. The third was of quite a different sort; she

　　had learnt in the brew-house of the moor38 witch how to lard

　　elfin puddings with glow-worms.

　　"She will make a good housewife," said the old goblin, and

　　then saluted39 her with his eyes instead of drinking her health;

　　for he did not drink much.

　　Now came the fourth daughter, with a large harp to play

　　upon; and when she struck the first chord, every one lifted up

　　the left leg (for the goblins are left-legged), and at the

　　second chord they found they must all do just what she wanted.

　　"That is a dangerous woman," said the old goblin; and the

　　two sons walked out of the hill; they had had enough of it.

　　"And what can the next daughter do?" asked the old goblin.

　　"I have learnt everything that is Norwegian," said she;

　　"and I will never marry, unless I can go to Norway."

　　Then her youngest sister whispered to the old goblin,

　　"That is only because she has heard, in a Norwegian song, that

　　when the world shall decay, the cliffs of Norway will remain

　　standing like monuments; and she wants to get there, that she

　　may be safe; for she is so afraid of sinking."

　　"Ho! ho!" said the old goblin, "is that what she means?

　　Well, what can the seventh and last do?"

　　"The sixth comes before the seventh," said the elf king,

　　for he could reckon; but the sixth would not come forward.

　　"I can only tell people the truth," said she. "No one

　　cares for me, nor troubles himself about me; and I have enough

　　to do to sew my grave clothes."

　　So the seventh and last came; and what could she do? Why,

　　she could tell stories, as many as you liked, on any subject.

　　"Here are my five fingers," said the old goblin; "now tell

　　me a story for each of them."

　　So she took him by the wrist, and he laughed till he

　　nearly choked; and when she came to the fourth finger, there

　　was a gold ring on it, as if it knew there was to be a

　　betrothal. Then the old goblin said, "Hold fast what you have:

　　this hand is yours; for I will have you for a wife myself."

　　Then the elfin girl said that the stories about the

　　ring-finger and little Peter Playman had not yet been told.

　　"We will hear them in the winter," said the old goblin,

　　"and also about the fir and the birch-trees, and the ghost

　　stories, and of the tingling40 frost. You shall tell your tales,

　　for no one over there can do it so well; and we will sit in

　　the stone rooms, where the pine logs are burning, and drink

　　mead out of the golden drinking-horn of the old Norwegian

　　kings. The water-god has given me two; and when we sit there,

　　Nix comes to pay us a visit, and will sing you all the songs

　　of the mountain shepherdesses. How merry we shall be! The

　　salmon will be leaping in the waterfalls, and dashing against

　　the stone walls, but he will not be able to come in. It is

　　indeed very pleasant to live in old Norway. But where are the

　　lads?"

　　Where indeed were they? Why, running about the fields, and

　　blowing out the will-o'-the-wisps, who so good-naturedly came

　　and brought their torches.

　　"What tricks have you been playing?" said the old goblin.

　　"I have taken a mother for you, and now you may take one of

　　your aunts."

　　But the youngsters said they would rather make a speech

　　and drink to their good fellowship; they had no wish to marry.

　　Then they made speeches and drank toasts, and tipped their

　　glasses, to show that they were empty. Then they took off

　　their coats, and lay down on the table to sleep; for they made

　　themselves quite at home. But the old goblin danced about the

　　room with his young bride, and exchanged boots with her, which

　　is more fashionable than exchanging rings.

　　"The cock is crowing," said the old elfin maiden who acted

　　as housekeeper; now we must close the shutters41, that the sun

　　may not scorch42 us."

　　Then the hill closed up. But the lizards continued to run

　　up and down the riven tree; and one said to the other, "Oh,

　　how much I was pleased with the old goblin!"

　　"The boys pleased me better," said the earth-worm. But

　　then the poor miserable creature could not see.

　　THE END