The Lord of Falkenstein and his daughter had beheld Kuno’s journey up the rugged path from the windows of the tower, and the father demanded for what purpose he had come thither.  With a passionate glance at the blushing maid, the knight of Sayn declared that he had come to ask the noble lord for his daughter’s hand in marriage.  After meditating on the knight’s proposal for some time, the Lord of Falkenstein pretended to be willing to give his consent—­but he attached a condition.  “I desire a carriage-drive to be made from the lowland beneath to the gate of my castle, and if you can accomplish this my daughter’s hand is yours—­but the feat must be achieved by to-morrow morning!”

The knight protested that such a task was utterly impossible for anyone to perform, even in a month, but all to no purpose.  He then resolved to seek some way whereby he could outwit the stubborn lord, for he would not willingly resign his lady-love.  He left the tower, vowing to do his utmost to perform the seemingly impossible task, and as he descended the rocky declivity his beloved waved her handkerchief to encourage him.

Now Kuno of Sayn possessed both copper and silver mines, and arriving at his castle he summoned his overseer.  The knight explained the nature of the task which he desired to be undertaken, but the overseer declared that all his miners, working day and night, could not make the roadway within many months.

Dismayed, Kuno left his castle and wandered into a dense forest, driven thither by his perturbed condition.  Night cast dusky shadows over the foliage, and the perplexed lover cursed the obstinate Lord of Falkenstein as he forced his way through the undergrowth.

Suddenly an old man of strange and wild appearance stood in his path.  Kuno at once knew him for an earth-spirit, one of those mysterious guardians of the treasures of the soil who are jealous of the incursion of mankind into their domain.

“Kuno of Sayn,” he said, “do you desire to outwit the Lord of Falkenstein and win his beauteous daughter?”

Although startled and taken aback by the strange apparition, Kuno hearkened eagerly to its words as showing an avenue of escape from the dilemma in which he found himself.

“Assuredly I do,” he replied, “but how do you propose I should accomplish it?”

“Cease to persecute me and my brethren, Kuno, and we shall help you to realize your wishes,” was the reply.

“Persecute you!” exclaimed Kuno.  “In what manner do I trouble you at all, strange being?”

“You have opened up a silver mine in our domain,” said the earth-spirit, “and as you work it both morning and afternoon we have but little opportunity for repose.  How, I ask you, can we slumber when your men keep knocking on the partitions of our house with their picks?”

“What, then, would you have, my worthy friend?” asked Kuno, scarcely able to suppress a smile at the wistful way in which the gnome made his complaint.  “Tell me, I pray you, how I can oblige you.”