Page:Story of the bitter wedding (1).pdf/19

 19 that the whole company leaped up from their benches and began dancing as if they were mad. "Heigh, heigh! shouted the people. ' There is a fiddle !' and every one capered and while through the wedding chamber as if they danced for a wager. The young people led out the dance, and the old ones hobbled as fast after them as they could; and nobody stood idle but Siegelind---who wished herself ten thousand miles away from the inerriment--and Berthold, who gazed stedfastly and sorrowfully upon his beloved. In the midst of his fiddling, Master Almerich beckoned to the beautiful bride to step near him ; There stands a little bottle yonder where your bridegroom has been seated, and some old cheese with it, I dare say it will not be the worst in the house ---I would taste a little of it ---this playing makes me a little nice in the palate.? The good natured bride brought the bottle and cheese, and placed them on a chair beside him, knowing no reasonable objection to the old man's taking as much as he could cat. The dwarf quickly laid his fiddle aside, raised the bewitched bottle in his right hand, and the cheese in his left, and exclaimed with a loud voice, Well, my good people, well, here's the health of that beautiful bride there and her sweetheart; may she live long and joy fully!'