“Are you also angry, dear friend?”

The knight pressed her soft hand, and tenderly stroked her locks.  He was unable to utter a word, for his vexation, arising from the old man’s severity towards Undine, closed his lips; and thus the two couples sat opposite to each other, at once heated with anger and in embarrassed silence.

In the midst of this stillness a low knocking at the door startled them all; for there are times when a slight circumstance, coming unexpectedly upon us, startles us like something supernatural.  But there was the further source of alarm, that the enchanted forest lay so near them, and that their place of abode seemed at present inaccessible to any human being.  While they were looking upon one another in doubt, the knocking was again heard, accompanied with a deep groan.  The knight sprang to seize his sword.  But the old man said, in a low whisper: 

“If it be what I fear it is, no weapon of yours can protect us.”

Undine in the meanwhile went to the door, and cried with the firm voice of fearless displeasure:  “Spirits of the earth! if mischief be your aim, Kuhleborn shall teach you better manners.”

The terror of the rest was increased by this wild speech; they looked fearfully upon the girl, and Huldbrand was just recovering presence of mind enough to ask what she meant, when a voice reached them from without: 

“I am no spirit of the earth, though a spirit still in its earthly body.  You that are within the cottage there, if you fear God and would afford me assistance, open your door to me.”

By the time these words were spoken, Undine had already opened it; and the lamp throwing a strong light upon the stormy night, they perceived an aged priest without, who stepped back in terror, when his eye fell on the unexpected sight of a little damsel of such exquisite beauty.  Well might he think there must be magic in the wind and witchcraft at work, when a form of such surpassing loveliness appeared at the door of so humble a dwelling.  So he lifted up his voice in prayer: 

“Let all good spirits praise the Lord God!”

“I am no spectre,” said Undine, with a smile.  “Do I look so very frightful?  And you see that I do not shrink from holy words.  I too have knowledge of God, and understand the duty of praising Him; every one, to be sure, has his own way of doing this, for so He has created us.  Come in, father; you will find none but worthy people here.”

The holy man came bowing in, and cast round a glance of scrutiny, wearing at the same time a very placid and venerable air.  But water was dropping from every fold of his dark garments, from his long white beard and the white locks of his hair.  The fisherman and the knight took him to another apartment, and furnished him with a change of raiment, while they gave his own clothes to the women to dry.  The aged stranger thanked them in a manner the most humble and courteous; but on the knight’s offering him his splendid cloak to wrap round him, he could not be persuaded to take it, but chose instead an old grey coat that belonged to the fisherman.