“But we must part,” said the young man; “your brother does not like our
engagement, and therefore he sends me so far away on business, over
mountains and seas. Farewell, my sweet bride; for so you are to me.”
And then they kissed each other, and the girl wept, and gave him a rose;
but before she did so, she pressed a kiss upon it so fervently that the flower
opened. Then the little elf flew in, and leaned his head on the delicate,
fragrant walls. Here he could plainly hear them say, “Farewell, farewell;”
and he felt that the rose had been placed on the young man’s breast. Oh,
how his heart did beat! The little elf could not go to sleep, it thumped so
loudly. The young man took it out as he walked through the dark wood
alone, and kissed the flower so often and so violently, that the little elf was
almost crushed. He could feel through the leaf how hot the lips of the young
man were, and the rose had opened, as if from the heat of the noonday sun.
There came another man, who looked gloomy and wicked. He was the
wicked brother of the beautiful maiden. He drew out a sharp knife, and
while the other was kissing the rose, the wicked man stabbed him to death;
then he cut off his head, and buried it with the body in the soft earth under
the linden-tree.
“Now he is gone, and will soon be forgotten,” thought the wicked
brother; “he will never come back again. He was going on a long journey
over mountains and seas; it is easy for a man to lose his life in such a
journey. My sister will suppose he is dead; for he cannot come back, and
she will not dare to question me about him.”
Then he scattered the dry leaves over the light earth with his foot, and
went home through the darkness; but he went not alone, as he thought,-the
little elf accompanied him. He sat in a dry rolled-up linden-leaf, which had
fallen from the tree on to the wicked man’s head, as he was digging the
grave. The hat was on the head now, which made it very dark, and the little
elf shuddered with fright and indignation at the wicked deed.
It was the dawn of morning before the wicked man reached home; he
took off his hat, and went into his sister’s room. There lay the beautiful,
