"O my stars!" he said again, surprised; it had never struck him. Imps are usually egoists; that is to say they think _first_ of themselves. There are exceptions, but this is the rule. He went rapidly from stall to stall and returned with his arms full of parcels done up in pink paper which he presented to Kaethchen with a low bow. She accepted them with much delight and they fell to munching chocolate together; it was a real bond of union, and they were not the first sweethearts who discovered it. They reached the end of the street and suddenly found themselves alone once more on the slopes of the Altenhainer Thal or Valley. Green Ears sat down by Kaethchen, and squeezed himself up closely to her. "Give me your pretty little hand," he said. "_Do_ you know which is the right finger?" "O yes!" Kaethchen knew that quite well, though I have heard that it is a disputed point in Germany. She stuck out her little hard-worked fingers, and he put the gold ring on the third finger of the left hand. It fitted exactly and with a cry of joy Kaethchen put the other on his long brown finger. Then both the children laughed and clapped their hands, and danced merrily about. "Now we are engaged," they cried, "really engaged to be married!" They made such a noise that the squirrels were cross and threw sticks at them for disturbing their early-morning sleep. Then, goodness knows why--let us call it reaction--Kaethe began to cry again, great, big drops. Green Ears was much puzzled. "You _are_ clever, now I can't do that," he said. "You must stay with me always, and live with me in the woods, and be my own little sweetheart." "O no," said Kaethe, "I should never be allowed to do that; I must go to school every day, and then I have my exercises to do, and to help mother with the housework; the baby to mind; and--O I am always so busy." "I will come and help you," said Green Ears. "But you _can't_, you are not _real_, you know," said Kaethe and began to cry again. "Kaethchen," said Green Ears, and he looked quite serious and thinky all at once. "Listen to me. I will go to the Old King; he is the ruler of all the fairies here, and I will beg him to teach me how to become human. It may be years before we meet again, for the way into your world is very hard for me to find. Yes it is easier for you to find the way into our world, than for us to enter yours; but cheer up, I will dare it and do it for your sake! but O sweetheart wait for me; O wait for me!" "Wait for me, my little sweetheart, Till I come to you again, Win the world for you, my sweetheart, With its joy and with its pain. Wait for me, my little sweetheart, For when falling on the ground I beheld those curious dewdrops To your heart my heart was bound. All my fairy life is nothing, All my fairy joy I give, Just to hold your hands, my sweetheart, In your world with you to live.