blooming girl, dreaming of him whom she loved so, and who was now, she
supposed, travelling far away over mountain and sea. Her wicked brother
stopped over her, and laughed hideously, as fiends only can laugh. The dry
leaf fell out of his hair upon the counterpane; but he did not notice it, and
went to get a little sleep during the early morning hours. But the elf slipped
out of the withered leaf, placed himself by the ear of the sleeping girl, and
told her, as in a dream, of the horrid murder; described the place where her
brother had slain her lover, and buried his body; and told her of the linden-
tree, in full blossom, that stood close by.
“That you may not think this is only a dream that I have told you,” he
said, “you will find on your bed a withered leaf.”
Then she awoke, and found it there. Oh, what bitter tears she shed! and
she could not open her heart to any one for relief.
The window stood open the whole day, and the little elf could easily have
reached the roses, or any of the flowers; but he could not find it in his heart
to leave one so afflicted. In the window stood a bush bearing monthly roses.
He seated himself in one of the flowers, and gazed on the poor girl. Her
brother often came into the room, and would be quite cheerful, in spite of
his base conduct; so she dare not say a word to him of her heart’s grief.
As soon as night came on, she slipped out of the house, and went into the
wood, to the spot where the linden-tree stood; and after removing the leaves
from the earth, she turned it up, and there found him who had been
murdered. Oh, how she wept and prayed that she also might die! Gladly
would she have taken the body home with her; but that was impossible; so
she took up the poor head with the closed eyes, kissed the cold lips, and
shook the mould out of the beautiful hair.
“I will keep this,” said she; and as soon as she had covered the body
again with the earth and leaves, she took the head and a little sprig of
jasmine that bloomed in the wood, near the spot where he was buried, and
carried them home with her. As soon as she was in her room, she took the
