sorrow, though she knew not what had befallen him, and, letting fall her flowers, she held out to him her two white hands. Then he, seeing how fair she was, and Brynhild having passed from his mind, felt that with this maiden 5 to love him, this strange, nameless trouble of his mind would pass, and all would be well. Therefore he took her hands, saying: "Gudrun, if troth may be plighted between us, here will I abide. But if, Daughter of the Niblungs, thou hast no love for me, then will I ride hence 10 to-day. Say thou, shall I stay?"

And she, bending down her rose-flushed face, bade him stay, and he swore a mighty oath that never, while life was in him, would he forget her love. So, hand in hand, they passed to the hall of the Niblungs, and a shout of 15 joy went up from the chiefs of the land. And Gunnar swore brotherhood with Siegfried, and they made haste to set forth the wedding feast. Then did the crafty queen rejoice that all had fallen out according to her plan, and that the stolen Rhine gold was once more safe in the 20 Rhineland.

Then came Brynhild to Rhineland, and learned the truth and vowed that she would revenge herself on Siegfried. And she feigned friendship to Gudrun, and thus learned of the spot between Siegfried's shoulders where 25 the dead leaf had lodged when Fafnir's blood gushed over him. Only in that spot could he be wounded. Then Brynhild sought out Hagen, and begged him

to slay Siegfried, and he, greedy for the Rhine gold, consented.

So one day, when the hunt went on in the wildwood, Hagen kept at Siegfried's back, biding his time to strike. 5 But Gunnar, feeling something amiss, kept ever by his side also. Then it chanced that, heated with the chase, they came to a running stream, and Siegfried leaped to earth to drink. As he stooped, Gunnar came up, being also athirst, and Siegfried drew back that the king should 10 drink first.

"Nay, Brother Siegfried," quoth the great king, "drink thou with me as brethren should." So they stooped and drank together, and the evil Hagen, stealing up behind, with one stroke of his spear laid low the glory of the 15 world, the Golden Siegfried.

Then rang through the wood a wild and terrible cry, the cry of King Gunnar for his brother foully slain. And the hunters came together in grief and pain, and, raising the body of their hero, they laid it on a bed of spears, and 20 bore it back in gloom to the city. And as they passed along in silence, a chill wind moaned through the pine tops, the robin ceased its autumn song, the ruddy leaves fell swift and thick from the beech trees, winter came in one breath over the land, and all things living mourned 25 Siegfried, dead, even as they had mourned Baldur, the shining god.

So died Siegfried, hero of the ages, king of the true

heart. But his name and his deeds passed not away, nor ever shall so long as the earth endures. But the hoard did the brethren of Gudrun sink into the Rhine, and thus it came back at last to the arms of the waiting Rhine daughters. And even unto this day, at times, may their 5 sweet song of joy be heard as they float, watching over the treasure of Siegfried.

- KATHARINE F. BOULT: Heroes of the Norselands. pon'dered, thought deeply; fel'low ship, companionship; guile 'less, without guile or trickery; feigned, pretended; a miss', wrong.

1. Find on your maps the home of the Niblung race — the Rhineland and the city of Worms. 2. What magic draught did Grimhild give Siegfried? What was its effect upon him? 3. How did Brynhild revenge herself upon Siegfried for his marriage with Gudrun? 4. Describe Siegfried's death. 5. Have you ever heard of the Greek hero who, like Siegfried, had only one spot where he could be wounded? If not, find out about Achilles, and compare his death with that of Siegfried.

Sentence Study. Enlarge the following sentences by any method you think best-either by combining several into one, or by adding words or groups of words to make the meaning clearer:

was told in many old German poems.

Siegfried was a great German hero. The story of his deeds He once killed a dragon. The blood of the dragon poured over him. It touched every part of his body except one spot. This was on his back. The dragon's blood made him invulnerable. Long afterward he was killed by a spear thrown from behind. It struck the vulnerable spot.

Word Study: lie, lay, laid. 1. The golden hoard lies hidden. in the Rhine. 2. There lay the fairest woman he had ever seen. 3. They laid their hero on a bed of spears.

Which of the first two sentences refers to the present? Is lie or lay used? Which refers to the past? Which word is used here?

Rule. We use lie when we speak of resting or reclining in the present time.

In speaking of something you did in the past, do not say, “I laid down"; say instead, "I lay down." If you use the word laid, you must use another word with it to show what you laid the third sentence given above.

Lay has two distinct meanings:

as in

First, lay is used to express rest taken in the past, as in the second sentence.

Second, lay is used with another word after it when it means to place, as, "Lay the book on the desk."

Copy the following sentences and fill in the blanks with the proper form, lie, lay, or laid:

1. And the lion shall

down with the lamb. 2. I

the sands and watched the ocean waves. 3.

cradle. 4. The soldiers

upon

the baby in the

about the camp fire, talking and dream

ing of home. 5. Full knee-deep the winter snow. 6. still and hush thee, baby mine. 7. A cloud - cradled near the setting sun. 8. Slowly, sadly, we

him down.

30

BEOWULF AND THE DRAGON

[Our own ancient ancestors, who came to England from the lowlands which are now Holland and Germany and Denmark, had their myths also, but only one has come down to us. This is the tale of Beowulf, the mighty chieftain of the Goths, who first as a youth slew two huge man-eating monsters of the sea, and in old age found his death, as you will now read, in fighting a fiery dragon. The story is preserved in an old English poem, Beowulf, from which the following selection has been retold in prose.]

IN olden times there was a band of comrades who had gathered together, in many adventures both by land and