where Orm and Aslog lived.  At last they reached it and arranged themselves in a circle around a large stone not far from the shore, and which Orm well knew.  What was his surprise when he saw that the stone had now completely assumed the form of a man, though of a monstrous and gigantic one!  He could clearly perceive that the little blue lights were borne by dwarfs, whose pale clay-coloured faces, with their huge noses and red eyes, disfigured, too, by birds’ bills and owls’ eyes, were supported by misshapen bodies.  They tottered and wobbled about here and there, so that they seemed to be, at the same time, merry and in pain.  Suddenly the circle opened, the little ones retired on each side, and Guru, who was now much enlarged and of as immense a size as the stone, advanced with gigantic steps.  She threw both her arms about the stone image, which immediately began to receive life and motion.  As soon as the first sign of motion showed itself the little ones began, with wonderful capers and grimaces, a song, or, to speak more properly, a howl, with which the whole island resounded and seemed to tremble.  Orm, quite terrified, drew in his head, and he and Aslog remained in the dark, so still that they hardly ventured to draw their breath.

The procession moved on towards the house, as might be clearly perceived by the nearer approach of the shouting and crying.  They were now all come in, and, light and active, the dwarfs jumped about on the benches, and heavy and loud sounded, at intervals, the steps of the giants.  Orm and his wife heard them covering the table, and the clattering of the plates, and the shouts of joy with which they celebrated their banquet.  When it was over, and it drew near to midnight, they began to dance to that ravishing fairy air which charms the mind into such sweet confusion, and which some have heard in the rocky glens, and learned by listening to the underground musicians.  As soon as Aslog caught the sound of the air she felt an irresistible longing to see the dance, nor was Orm able to keep her back.

“Let me look,” said she, “or my heart will burst.”

She took her child and placed herself at the extreme end of the loft whence, without being observed, she could see all that passed.  Long did she gaze, without taking off her eyes for an instant, on the dance, on the bold and wonderful springs of the little creatures who seemed to float in the air and not so much as to touch the ground, while the ravishing melody of the elves filled her whole soul.  The child, meanwhile, which lay in her arms, grew sleepy and drew its breath heavily, and without ever thinking of the promise she had given to the old woman, she made, as is usual, the sign of the cross over the mouth of the child, and said—­

“Christ bless you, my babe!”

The instant she had spoken the word there was raised a horrible, piercing cry.  The spirits tumbled head over heels out at the door, with terrible crushing and crowding, their lights went out, and in a few minutes the whole house was clear of them and left desolate.  Orm and Aslog, frightened to death, hid themselves in the most retired nook in the house.  They did not venture to stir till daybreak, and not till the sun shone through the hole in the roof down on the fire-place did they feel courage enough to descend from the loft.