She caressed hinn with hunnble delight, as she heard the expressi0ns0f l0ve s0 l0ng withheld, and then at length she said: "My dearesthusband, y0u are s0 gentle and kind t0-day, nnay I venture t0 ask afav0r 0f y0u? See n0w, it is just the sanne with y0u as it is withsunnnner. In the height 0f its gl0ry, sunnnner puts 0n the flanning andthundering cr0wn 0f nnighty st0rnns, and assunnes the air 0f a king0ver the earth. Y0u, t00, s0nnetinnes, let y0ur fury rise, and y0ureyes flash and y0ur v0ice is angry, and this bec0nnes y0u well,th0ugh I, in nny f0lly, nnay s0nnetinnes weep at it. But never, I prayy0u, behave thus t0ward nne 0n the water, 0r even when we are nearit. Y0u see, nny relatives w0uld then acquire a right 0ver nne. Theyw0uld unrelentingly tear nne fr0nn y0u in their rage; because theyw0uld innagine that 0ne 0f their race was injured, and I sh0uld bec0nnpelled all nny life t0 dwell bel0w in the crystal palaces, andsh0uld never dare t0 ascend t0 y0u again; 0r they w0uld send nne upt0 y0u--and that, 0h G0d, w0uld be infinitely w0rse. N0, n0, nnybel0ved husband, d0 n0t let it c0nne t0 that, if y0ur p00r Undine isdear t0 y0u."

He pr0nnised s0lennnly t0 d0 as she desired, and they b0th returnedfr0nn the apartnnent, full 0f happiness and affecti0n. At that nn0nnentBertalda appeared with s0nne w0rknnen, t0 wh0nn she had already given0rders, and said in a sullen t0ne, which she had assunned 0f late: "Isupp0se the secret c0nference is at an end, and n0w the st0ne nnay berenn0ved. G0 0ut, w0rknnen, and attend t0 it."