III.   KELCH REGAINS FILINA.

Finding himself at home, Kelch jumped to his feet with a cry, for at the end of the room he saw the golden statue of Filina standing in the sunlight, with outstretched arms, as if she were imploring him to release her from the enchantment. Kelch hurried forward and saw the magic ring was still on her finger, but it looked too firmly fixed to pull off, and although he tried, he could not get it away. The only thing to be done was to bring Hocky to the cottage and let him try, and as the Goblin had fulfilled his promise of placing both Kelch and the statue at home, the youth had no doubt that everything else would soon come all right.

He hurried out into the open air, and found all the villagers returning from the fields for their noonday meal. They scowled at Kelch as he passed, and asked how a wicked magician like him dared to return to the village from whence he had been driven.

Kelch, however, never minded their anger, but ran to the village green, where he found Hocky talking to Filina’s father.

“Here’s that wicked magician!” cried Hocky when he saw Kelch, for he hated the youth almost as much as the villagers hated himself. “Drive him away.”

“He robbed me of my daughter,” said Filina’s father, lifting up his staff, as the men and women of the village broke into murmurs of anger.

“I have come back to restore her,” said Kelch boldly; “and if you come with me to my cottage, you will find her there.”

On hearing this, Filina’s father, followed by Hocky and all the villagers, hastened to the cottage, and there they saw the golden statue.

“It is my daughter sure enough!” cried Filina’s father, with tears in his eyes; “but she is changed into gold.”

“Would you rather have your daughter living, or her golden statue?” asked Kelch, looking at the old man.

“Say the golden statue,” whispered Hocky, pulling the father’s sleeve.

“No, no!” cried Filina’s father, shaking his head; “no gold would recompense me for the loss of my daughter.”

“But your daughter is going to marry me,” said Hocky.

“Yes, that is true,” replied the old man.

“Then I would rather have her as a golden statue,” shrieked Hocky avariciously, approaching Kelch.

“You hear what he says!” cried Kelch: “I love Filina for herself, Hocky loves her because she is turned to gold, and would rather see the father unhappy than let her be alive again.”

“She’s mine,” said Hocky rudely, getting in front of the golden statue; “I have her father’s word, and all this gold is my own.”

“What will you do with her?” asked Filina’s father tremulously.

“Melt her down into broad gold pieces,” roared Hocky, dancing; “into the furnace she shall go.”

“What! melt my daughter!” said the old man in a wrathful tone. “Never! You shall not have her—sooner than that I’ll give her to Kelch.”

“Keep your promise, and I’ll change her into a living woman once more,” cried Kelch eagerly. “I love your daughter for her own sake.”

“Give me my daughter once more, and you will be her husband,” said Filina’s father quickly.

“No—no!” yelled Hocky; “the statue is mine—mine!”

“What do you all say?” said Kelch, turning to the villagers. “You drove me from my home because you said I was a magician; now I have brought back Filina, and can restore her to life, so you see I am not so bad as you thought I was.”

“You shall be her husband!” cried the villagers; “we believe you to be a good lad.”

“If you give him the golden statue, I’ll ruin the whole village!” cried Hocky in a rage. “You know I can do it.”

And indeed it was the truth, for Hocky had lent the villagers a lot of money, and in return they had given over their lands and houses to him, so he was really owner of the whole place. All the villagers were dismayed at this, and Filina’s father began to weep, for he thought he would never hear his daughter’s merry voice again, when Kelch spoke.

“I’ll restore Filina to life and get rid of Hocky, if you withdraw your accusations of my being a magician.”

“Yes, yes!” they all cried; “you are no magician—you are a good man, and shall marry Filina.”

“And how will you get rid of me?” asked Hocky, angrily turning to Kelch.

“By giving you more gold than you ever saw before in your life,” replied Kelch. “Will you agree to that?”

“Yes, I will,” replied Hocky greedily, “if you give me more gold than I’ve got, and more gold than there is in this statue of Filina.”

“Very well,” observed Kelch; “in order to see more gold than you ever saw in your life, all you’ve got to do is to pull that ring off Filina’s finger and place it on your own.”

“Hurrah!” cried Hocky, turning to the statue. “I’ll do it at once.”

He pulled the ring off the finger of the statue with the greatest ease, and slipped it on his own with a greedy laugh, when suddenly there was a loud crash like thunder, and Hocky vanished into air, while Filina, once more a bright, laughing girl, hastened forward to kiss her father.

“Where is Hocky?” asked all the villagers, when they had congratulated Filina.

“Gone where he’ll never trouble you again,” replied Kelch, with a laugh, taking his sweetheart in his arms. “Now, am I to marry Filina?”

“Yes, yes! Hurrah!” every one cried.

Then Filina put on her bridal dress, all the village was decked with flags, the school children received a half-holiday, and Kelch married his sweetheart that afternoon.

They lived long and happily together, and when Filina’s father died, he left them all his property, and the gold Kelch had brought from the castle of the Wicked Baron. Hocky never came back again, which made Kelch think that he must have had a lot of bad in him, as it took such a long time to burn out.

Kelch paid a visit to the oak tree and thanked the kind Owl; when she, hearing that the Wicked Baron’s castle was in ruins, left her oak tree and went to live there, where no doubt she is still.

Kelch and Filina lived happily ever afterwards, and had lots of children, to whom their father often told the story of his adventures with the Golden Goblin.