Without lifting his head, the goblin glanced up from the book as the two approached, and raised his eyebrows. The spider crept away. "Good evening," said the goblin. "I am Wistik. Who are you?" "My name is Johannes. I am very happy to make your acquaintance. What are you reading?" "This is not intended for your ears," said Wistik. "It is only for spiders." "Let me have just a peep at it, dear Wistik!" said Johannes. "I must not. It is the Sacred Book of the spiders. It is in my keeping, and I must never let it out of my hands. I have the Sacred Book of the beetles and the butterflies and the hedgehogs and the moles, and of everything that lives here. They cannot all read, and when they wish to know anything, I read it aloud to them. That is a great honor for me--a position of trust, you know." The mannikin nodded very seriously a couple of times, and raised a tiny forefinger. "What were you reading just now?" "The history of Kribblegauw,[2] the great hero of the spiders, who lived a long while ago. He had a web that stretched over three trees, and that caught in it millions of flies in a day. Before Kribblegauw's time, spiders made no webs, and lived on grass and dead creatures; but Kribblegauw was a clever chap, and demonstrated that living things also were created for spider's food. And by difficult calculations, for he was a great mathematician, Kribblegauw invented the artful spider-web. And the spiders still make their webs, thread for thread, exactly as he taught them, only much smaller; for the spider family has sadly degenerated." "Kribblegauw caught large birds in his web, and murdered thousands of his own children. There was a spider for you! Finally, a mighty storm arose, and dragged Kribblegauw with his web, and the three trees to which it was fastened, away through the air to distant forests, where he is now everlastingly honored because of his nimbleness and blood-thirstiness." "Is that all true?" asked Johannes. "It is in this book," said Wistik. "Do you believe it?" The goblin shut one eye, and rested his forefinger along the side of his nose. "Whenever Kribblegauw is mentioned, in the Sacred Books of the other animals, he is called a despicable monster; but that is beyond me." "Is there a Book of the Goblins, too, Wistik?" Wistik glanced at Johannes somewhat suspiciously. "What kind of being are you, really, Johannes? There is something about you so--so human, I should say." "No, no! Rest assured, Wistik," said Windekind then. "We are elves; but Johannes has seen, formerly, many human beings. You can trust him, however. It will do him no harm." "Yes, yes, that is well and good; but I am called the wisest of the goblins, and I studied long and hard before I learned what I know. Now I must be prudent with my wisdom. If I tell too much, I shall lose my reputation." "But in what book, then, do you think the truth is told?"