" So saying, the King of the Golden River turned away, and
deliberately walked into the centre of the hottest flame of the furnace.
His figure became red, white, transparent, dazzling,--a blaze of intense
light,--rose, trembled, and disappeared. The King of the Golden River
had evaporated.
"Oh!" cried poor Gluck, running to look up the chimney after him; "O
dear, dear, dear me! My mug! my mug! my mug!"
III.
The King of the Golden River had hardly made his extraordinary exit
before Hans and Schwartz came roaring into the house, very savagely
drunk. The discovery of the total loss of their last piece of plate had
the effect of sobering them just enough to enable them to stand over
Gluck, beating him very steadily for a quarter of an hour; at the
expiration of which period they dropped into a couple of chairs, and
requested to know what he had got to say for himself. Gluck told them
his story, of which of course they did not believe a word. They beat him
again, till their arms were tired, and staggered to bed. In the morning,
however, the steadiness with which he adhered to his story obtained him
some degree of credence; the immediate consequence of which was, that
the two brothers, after wrangling a long time on the knotty question
which of them should try his fortune first, drew their swords, and began
fighting.
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