the brave men who are slain to the city of the gods. But I was disobedient to his word, and gave victory to one whom he did not favor. Therefore he cast a deep sleep upon me, and placed me within this circle of fire. And this punishment is laid upon me, that never more shall I 5 choose the slain; that now I am mortal and must suffer woe, even as the children of men; that I shall wed but a mortal and bear the bitter things of life. But this have I vowed since I must wed-I will lay my hand only in that of a man who knows no fear."

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"Surely," said Siegfried, "thou art both fair and wise. Tell me of wisdom and love during this day that I may spend with thee." And Brynhild told him of the secret wisdom of the gods and of many things hidden from men. Through this and through his knowledge of bird-speech 15 became Siegfried wise above all men.

Now, when the day was ended, the Volsung stood before the Valkyr, and in his deep voice, like unto the music of a mountain torrent, said: "I am he that knoweth no fear. I swear that thou, Brynhild, art near to my heart, 20 and none will I wed but thee." And by the two hands he held her, looking deep into her eyes, as she answered, “Thee do I choose before all the sons of men, O Siegfried."

So he set upon her finger the red-gold ring of Andvari. And thus began the Valkyr's sorrow; yet, having the love 25 of the best of the Volsungs, she would not change it for mortal joy.

Now when the new day was come, Siegfried arose and clad him in the golden armor of the Hoard, whereon was drawn the image of that dragon which he slew, and upon his red-gold hair he set the helmet with its dragon crest. 5 "Fair love!" he said, kissing Brynhild between the eyes, "I must go forth to do the deeds that await me and to meet the fate that is set. Yet ere long will I seek thee in thy sister's home, and at my coming shall we have much joy."

10 But Brynhild sorrowed and answered low, "Woe is me, my hero; for thee and me will be no bridal until our death-day join us. Thou wilt wed a daughter of the Southland folk. We must go our ways apart."

Then Siegfried laughed and kissed her, saying: "Sweet15 heart, thou art sad at our parting. Thou, daughter of the gods, knowest full well that what will be must be, and naught can mortals change when the fates have spoken." KATHARINE T. BOULT: Heroes of the Norselands.

1. Tell in your own words the story of Siegfried's fight with the dragon. 2. What did the dragon foretell would befall Siegfried? Notice if the prophecy is fulfilled. 3. What advice did the woodpeckers give him? 4. Describe how he found Brynhild. How was her castle guarded? 5. What was a Valkyr? What was her duty? 6. What punishment had Odin inflicted upon Brynhild? Why?

Punctuation: Comma in Address. - See how many examples of the comma used in address you can find in Lesson 38. Write ten sentences of your own, addressing your father, mother, brother, sister, teacher, and classmates.

Common Errors. - 1. "Who waketh me?" asked Brynhild. 2. "It is I," answered Siegfried.

Read merely the question in the first sentence. What answer does Siegfried make?

To questions like the one above do not answer, "It is me," or "It is her," or "It is him." That is the same as if you said, "Me waked you," or "Her waked you," or "Him waked you."

Which is correct in answer to the question, "Who did the work?" "John and I," or "John and me?" Would you say, "I did it," or "Me did it "?

Fill in the blanks in the following sentences either with I or

Written Exercise. - Write three questions that are correctly answered by I; three that are correctly answered by he; three, by she; three, by they.

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SIEGFRIED THE VOLSUNG (Concluded)

IN the heart of the Rhineland lay the mighty city of Worms, home of the Niblung race. There in her rose garden dwelt the fair Gudrun, with her mother, Grimhild,

and her three brothers, one of whom was Gunnar, the King of the Niblungs. Gunnar was powerful and rich, having hoards of gold and many brave warriors at his command; but chief of his treasures was his sister, 5 Gudrun, the white-armed.

In quiet she walked one day, with her maid, in the rose garden beside the swirling river, when there came from the city a noise of great shouting. "Go, maid," she said, "and learn what this may mean. To me it 10 seemeth a cry of joy."

The maid went, and returned quickly, saying: "It is Siegfried, the golden hero of the Volsungs. Thy brethren ride forth to greet him at the northern gate. Come, that I may braid thy brown hair, and array thee in the gold 15 of the Niblungs, for there will be feasting and welcome in the high hall this night."

Then throughout the Rhineland flew the word: "The hero of the ages hath come;" and from far and wide came folk to greet the dragon slayer, master of Andvari's 20 hoard, that hoard long since stolen, but now returned once more to its Rhineland home.

In the high hall, Gunnar, the king, held a feast, and near him sat his mother. Her bright witch eyes looked upon Siegfried, and she pondered: "This man must wed 25 my daughter, even though he is betrothed to Brynhild. Have I not witch lore to make him forget her? Then shall we keep the golden hoard here in the Rhineland

forever." So all that summer, while Siegfried hunted, played, rode, and waged war for the Niblungs, did Grimhild wander among the mountains, brewing the magic draught of forgetfulness.

And the brethren loved Siegfried, and with all their 5 lords was he in fellowship, save only with Hagen of Hunland, whose deeds were evil, and who hated all that was brightest and best. So when the king prayed the hero to tarry throughout the winter, he agreed, thinking, "In the spring will I fetch my Valkyr maiden home."

But one autumn night, when all were weary with hunting and with the feast, came Grimhild, bearing an ancient cup of gold to Siegfried, and, gazing with witch eyes that faltered not into the keenness of his eyes, said:

"In this cup I pledge thee, thou hero that shalt be my fourth son. Drink, and see the desire of thy life."

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And Siegfried looked straight at her with his guileless glance, and, taking the cup, drained it to the bottom. Then fell a grayness upon his face, and all men were 20 silent. He stood up and gazed around, unseeing; then, as one unmindful of his fellows, strode from the hall and was seen no more that night. But Grimhild rejoiced, for she knew that her spell was strong.

In the morning, as Gudrun plucked the berries and 25 late roses in her garden, there came to her the Volsung, as one in a dream. She was pale with the thought of his