Mignon's little heart now leapt for joy, that he had found the means of such a speedy deliverance; and eagerly climbing up the statue, he quickly unbound the magic fillet; which was no sooner done, but suddenly the bolts and bars of the brazen gates through which the giant used to pass to this his treasury, were all unloosed, and the folding-doors of their own accord flew open, grating harsh thunder on their massy hinges.At the same instant, stretched on his iron couch in the room adjoining to the hall, the giant gave a deadly groan.Here again the little Mignon's trembling heart began to fail; for he feared the monster was awakened by the noise,and that he should now suffer the cruellest torments his wicked malice could invent.Wherefore for a short space he remained clinging round the statue, till he perceived that all again was hushed and silent; when, getting down, he gently stole into the giant's chamber, where he found him still in a profound sleep.
But here, to the great mortification of Miss Jenny's attentive hearers, the hour of entertaining themselves being at an end, they were obliged to leave the poor little Mignon in the greatest distress and fright lest the giant should awake before he could fulfil the commands of the oracle, and to wait for the remainder of the story till another opportunity.
In the evening, as soon as school was over, the little company again met in their arbour, and nothing could be greater than their impatience to hear the event of Mignon's hazardous undertaking.Miss Dolly Friendly said that if the poor little creature was destroyed, she should not sleep that night.But they all joined in entreating Miss Jenny to proceed; which she did in the following manner:
A CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF THE
GIANTS.
Now, thought Mignon, is the lucky moment to fulfil the instructions of the oracle.And then cautiously getting up the side of the couch, with trembling hands he put the fillet round the monster's neck, and tied it firmly in a threefold knot; and again softly creeping down, he retired into a corner of the room to wait the wished event.In a few minutes the giant waked; and opening his enormous eyes, he glared their horrid orbs around (but without the least motion of his head or body) and spied the little Mignon where he lay, close shrinking to avoid his baleful sight.
The giant no sooner perceived his little page at liberty, but his heart sorely smote him, and he began to suspect the worst that could befall; for, recollecting that he had carelessly left open the little door leading from the dungeon to the great hall wherein was placed the fatal magic statue, hewas now entirely convinced that Mignon had discovered the secret charm on which his power depended; for he already found the magic of the fillet round his neck fully to operate, his sinews all relax, his joints all tremble; and when he would by his own hand have tried to free himself, his shivering limbs he found refused obedience to their office.Thus bereft of all his strength, and well nigh motionless, in this extremity of impotence he cast about within himself by what sly fraud (for fraud and subtlety were now his only refuge) he best might work upon the gentle Mignon to lend his kind assistance to unloose him.Wherefore with guileful words and seeming courtesy, still striving to conceal his cursed condition, he thus bespake his little captive:
'Come hither Mignon; my pretty gentle boy, come near me.This fillet thou has bound around my neck, to keep me from the cold, gives me some pain.I know thy gentle nature will not let thee see thy tender master in the least uneasiness, without affording him thy cheerful aid and kind relief.Come hither, my dear child, I say, and loose the knot which in thy kind concern (I thank thee for thy care) thou hast tied so hard, it somewhat frets my neck.'
These words the insidious wretch uttered in such a low trembling tone of voice, and with such an affectation of tenderness, that the little page, who had never before experience from him any such kind of dialect, and but too well knew his savage nature to believe that anything but guile or want of power could move him to the least friendly speech, or kind affection, began now strongly to be persuaded that all was as he wished, and that the power of the inhuman tyrant was at an end.He knew full well, that if the giant had not lost the ability of rising from the couch, he should ere now too sensibly have felt the sad effects of his malicious resentment, and therefore boldly adventured to approach him, and coming near the couch, and finding not the least effort in the monster to reach him, and from thence quite satisfied of the giant's total incapacity of doing farther mischief, he flew with raptures to the cell where Fidus lay confined.
Poor Fidus all this time was quite disconsolate; nor could he guess the cause why his little friend so long had kept away; one while he thought thegiant's stern commands had streightened him of all subsistence; another while his heart misgave him for his gentle friend, lest unawares his kind beneficence towards him had caused him to fall a sacrifice to the tyrant's cruel resentment.With these and many other like reflections the unhappy youth was busied, when Mignon, suddenly unbarred the cell, flew to his friend, and eagerly embraced him, cried out, 'Come Fidus, haste, my dearest friend; for thou and all of us are from this moment free.Come and behold the cruel monster, where he lies, bereft of all his strength.I cannot stay to tell thee now the cause; but haste, and thou shall see the dreadful tyrant stretched on his iron couch, deprived of all his wicked power.But first let us unbar each cell, wherein is pent some wretched captive, that we may share a general transport for this our glad deliverance.'
