The water god was very grateful to the good nurse for saving his wife; so he bade her help herself. The old woman gazed upon the jewels longingly. How well she could use them to help the poor! She remembered, however, what the beautiful golden haired lady had told her. So she selected only a small fee such as she always received. The mysterious man urged her to take more, but she firmly refused.
Then the great water god took her by the hand and led her through a long dark corridor. Suddenly she found herself again in the cold water of the Rhine. Slowly he rose with her through the dark flood. Up and up they went until she found herself, dripping but safe, on the shore near her own house. As he beckoned adieu to her, Father Rhine flung a whole handful of gold into her lap. Then he plunged into the river again and was gone.
Ever since that time the little people of the village have loved to hear of the wonders of the crystal palace beneath the flood. So the good nurse tells it over and over again. And she never forgets to show the handful of gold which, she says, is the same Father Rhine gave her.
THE ANGEL PAGE
A handsome lad once sought a brave and noble knight, asking leave to serve him as page. The knight was greatly charmed by the graceful manners of the young lad, and was pleased with his unusual request. He granted the lad’s prayer, and never once did he have cause to regret it.
The little page did every duty with great cheerfulness and skill. He was so devoted to his master that he was able to foresee almost every wish. It was not long before he had won his master’s love, and the two became constant comrades.
The years passed swiftly by. The knight had never before been so happy, and never so successful. Everything seemed to turn out just as he wished it. Nothing had gone wrong since the day that the little page had entered his gate.
One day as the two were riding along the banks of the Rhine, they noticed a band of robbers coming toward them. These men had often sought to harm the good knight. The band was so large that it was easy to see that the brave knight could make no headway against them. There seemed to be no way of escape.