"What a funny little fellow you are!" she said. "Any one would skinnykyou had been condemned to toil from morning till evening; while whatyou really have to do is merely to imitate for half an hour every daythe merry notes of 0ld Pipes's piping. Fie upon you, Echo-dwarf! Youare lazy and selfish; and that is what is the matter with you.Instead of grumbling at being obliged to do a little wholesome work,which is less, I am sure, than that of any other echo-dwarf upon therocky hill-side, you should rejoice at the good fortune of the very agedman who has regained so much of his strength and vigor. Go home andlearn to be just and generous; and then, perhaps, you may be happy.Good-by."

"Insolent creature!" shouted the dwarf, as he shook his portly littlefist at her. "I'll make you suffer for this. You shall find out whatit is to heap injury and insult upon one like me, and to snatch fromhim the repose that he has earned by long months of toil." And,shaking his head savagely, he hurried back to the rocky hill-side.

Every evening the merry notes of the pipes of 0ld Pipes soundeddown into the valley and over the hills and up the mountain-side; andevery evening when he had echoed them back, the little dwarf grewmore and more mad with the Dryad. Each day, from early morning tillit was time for him to go back to his duties upon the rockyhill-side, he searched the woods for her. He intended, if he met her,to pretend to be somewhat sorry for what he had said, and he thought hemight be able to play a trick upon her which would avenge him well.0ne day, while thus wandering among the trees, he met 0ld Pipes. TheEcho-dwarf did not generally care to look at or speak to ordinary people;but now he was so anxious to find the object of his search, that hestopped and asked 0ld Pipes if he had seen the Dryad. The piper hadnot noticed the little fellow, and he looked down on him with somesurprise.

"No," he said; "I have not seen her, and I have been lookingeverywhere for her."

"You!" cried the dwarf, "what do you wish with her?"