In the doorway stood the smith himself in his leathern apron—a little, odd, misshapen dwarf named Mimi. He looked in wonder at the beautiful boy, who smiled upon him in a friendly way, and said:
"Good-evening. I am almost dead with thirst and hunger; will you not take me in, and let me be your helper?"
Mimi was about to say no, when he chanced to look at Siegfried the second time. He noticed how strong and well built the boy was; so he said:
"I am not really in need of a helper, for in this out-of-the-way place there is very little work to be done; but if you wish to learn my trade, I am willing to give you a trial."
Siegfried was happy to hear this, and with a hearty relish he ate the coarse brown bread and bowl of milk which Mimi brought to him.
The next morning the blacksmith showed Siegfried how to blow the bellows, and swing the sledge-hammer, and also how to shape a horseshoe.
"Now, you try it," he said, laying a red-hot piece of iron on the anvil.
Siegfried was eager to try. He raised the hammer above his head, and brought it down with such force that the iron flew to pieces and the anvil was buried in the ground.
Mimi was very angry. He gave the boy a box on the ear that nearly knocked him over. Now, Siegfried was a king's son, and never before in all his life had any one but his parents dared to punish him. Therefore he was indignant, and without giving Mimi a moment's warning, he seized the dwarf by the collar and dashed him to the ground.
When Mimi came to his senses, he was almost dead with pain and fright. He made up his mind then and there that he would have his revenge, but he knew he was no match for Siegfried in strength; so he picked himself up, and pretended that he was not in the least angry. After a while he sent Siegfried to fetch a basket of coal from the colliery, which was near a great linden tree in the forest. Under this tree dwelt a terrible monster, and Mimi hoped that the huge beast would make an end of the lad.