Page:Popular Tales and Romances of the Northern Nations (Volume 3).djvu/202

190 the fire went out; and William sank exhausted to the ground.

Now came up slowly a horseman upon a black horse. He stopped at the effaced outline of the magic circle, and spoke thus: “Thou hast stood thy trial well; what would’st thou have of me?”

“Nothing of thee, nothing at all,” said William: “what I want—I have prepared for myself.”

“Aye; but with my help: therefore part belongs to me.”

“By no means, by no means: I bargained for no help; I summoned thee not.”

The horseman laughed scornfully; “Thou art bolder,” said he, “than such as thou are wont to be. Take the balls which thou hast cast; sixty for thee, three for me; the sixty go true, the three go askew: all will be plain, when we meet again.”

William averted his face: “I will never meet thee again,” said he,—“leave me.”

“Why turnest thou away?” said the stranger with a dreadful laugh: do’st“do’st [sic] know me?”