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UNIVERSITY OF
j^ggTH CAROLINA
School of Library-
Science

Sheahan 128073_

T'op firelight fair:* "book

126673
Sheahan
The firelight fairy book

UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL

00022229134

This BOOK may be kept out TWO WEEKS
ONLY, and is subject to a fine of FIVE
CENTS a day thereafter. It was taken out on
the day indicated below:

i£-; ■ .

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2012 with funding from

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

http://archive.org/details/firelightfairybobest

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

The Prince begins his journey through the caverns.

The FIRELIGHT
FAIRY BOOK

By HENRY B. BESTON _■'•

ILLUSTRATIONS BY
MAURICE E. DAY

The ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS, Inc.
BOSTON

PRINTED IN THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FOREWORD

THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
Washington, September 7, 1922

Dear Henry: —

" Grown-ups" arrogate entirely too much to them-
selves. I know this is so. I discovered it for a fact
when I was not more than " knee-high to a grasshop-
per" myself. I knew, for example, that a certain
amount of dirt on my face and hands in no way
interfered with my enjoyment of my supper. The
fact that my finger nails were not all they should
have been had no bearing whatsoever upon the effi-
ciency of those same fingers. Washing not only took
time from other important pursuits, but also was
mildly unpleasant. Nevertheless, my mother was
not even open to reasonable argument on the mat-
ter. Arbitrarily, with the despotism of an early
Roman Emperor, she rendered a dictum to the effect
that I must wash, and soapy and submissive I had to
be before I could come to the table. Again, any
reasonable child can tell you that pleasure is the main
object of eating; therefore, in all logic, one should
eat if one feels like it at ten o'clock in the morning,
or at three o'clock in the afternoon, a jar of Guava
jelly, a pound of chocolates, a paper of ginger cook-
ies, or whatever may appeal to one's aesthetic taste.
This method of procedure, naturally, might necessi-
tate recourse to the brown-wood family medicine

closet. Certain discomfort might ensue. But was
not the pleasure worth it? Again my mother arbi-
trarily took the matter into her own hands, disagree-
ing with me on fundamentals. She maintained that
eating was not for pleasure simply, but for nourish-
ment. Sundry unfortunate remarks were made con-
taining references to gluttony. The pantry was
locked, and regular meals at regular periods were
prescribed. Indeed, poems with dreadful morals
for those who ate between meals were recited to me,
endeavor being made thereby to substitute terror
for inclination.

Any reasonable child will find many such parallel
instances of the assumed omnipotence of " grown-
ups." With this awful indictment before me, you
ask me, a " grown-up," to write an introduction for
the " Firelight Fairy Book," and thereby to assume
the responsibility for passing judgment upon it.
There is but one circumstance that makes me willing
to do so. I believe that where any nice " grown-up"
is concerned, if you crack the hard outside shell with
which circumstances have surrounded him, beneath
it you will find a child. Banking on this, I venture
to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the "Firelight
Fairy Book." I liked particularly the story of the
poor little prince, whose sneezing had such a disas-
trous effect; and the lost half hour is unquestionably
an accurate historical account, because no one could
have described so accurately, simply from imagina-

tion, what a lost temper looked like. What makes
me even more willing to advance my opinion is that
I do not stand alone. My conclusions are supported
by a jury of my peers, for I have given the book as a
Christmas gift, not only to my own children, but to
other people's children, and to one of the prominent
Senators of the United States. They have univer-
sally acclaimed it, and who can question the judg-
ment of such a jury?

Good luck to the " Firelight Fairy Book." May
it, like Scrooge's laugh in the "Christmas Carol,"
"be the father of a long, long line of brilliant" books
of a like nature for the enjoyment of all true chil-
dren, whether they be still at day school, or sitting
in the high places of the world.

Believe me,

Yours very truly,

Theodore Roosevelt

Henry Beston, Esq. ^ \ \ii \^'oli t iC

Topsfield, Mass.

HOW THE NEW FAIRY TALES
CAME TO BE WRITTEN

Some twenty years ago, in a pleasant old town by
the sea, lived a lad who was very, very fond of fairy
tales. When he had read all the fairy-books which
his parents and his uncles and his cousins and his
sisters and his aunts had been kind enough to give
him, he turned to the town library and read every
single fairy tale he could find mentioned in the cata-
logue. But there was an end even to this treasure;
and, finally, a day came when the fairy-tale lover
could find no new tales to read. Every Christmas he
would peek at the new books in the bookshops, only
to find the same old stories printed, with new pict-
ures, meant to please grown-ups. What could be the
matter? Had the fairies all gone away, or locked the
doors of Fairyland? Where, where, where were the
new stories, and why, why, why did n't people write
them?

Some years passed. One pleasant summer day, as
the fairy-tale lover sat reading a book beneath the
low spreading branches of an oak tree, he heard a
hum of wings, and looking up startled from his book,
he discovered the Fairy Goldenwand standing close
by.

"Are you still seeking new fairy tales?" said the
Fairy Goldenwand.

"Yes," said the reader.

" Will you write them down if I tell you some really
new ones?" said the Fairy.

"Oh yes, indeed/' said the reader. "And I'll put
them into a book; and next Saturday Mr. Day, the art-
ist, will come down; we shall have tea here under the
oak tree, — do you like hot buttered toast? — and you
must tell him all about the fashions in Fairyland."

"Oh, that will be fine!" said the Fairy Golden-
wand. "I knew you wouldn't mind my appearing
so suddenly. Ever so many things have happened
in Fairyland since the last books were written, and
we all think it's a dreadful shame that children
have n't heard about them. Just imagine boys and
girls not knowing about the adventures of the Prince
in Lantern Land! Shall I tell you the story?"

And that's the way the author heard about the
Shepherd of Clouds, Florian, Marianna, Giles, Bobo,
and all the other new friends. That you may long
enjoy their adventures is the wish of

Henry B. Beston

Maurice E. Day

The Fairy Goldenwand

The Parson Capen House
Topsfield, Massachusetts

CONTENTS

PAGE

THE QUEEN OF LANTERN LAND .... 1

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN ... 20

THE SELLER OF DREAMS 43

THE TREASURE CASTLE ...... 57

PRINCE SNEEZE 70

MARIANNA 89

.THE LOST HALF-HOUR 107

THE ENCHANTED ELM 127

THE BIRD -BOY 141

THE MASTER MARINER 154

THE MARVELOUS DOG AND THE

WONDERFUL CAT ...... 175

THE SHEPHERD OF CLOUDS .... 197

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA 218

ILLUSTRATIONS

THE QUEEN OF LANTERN LAND

The Prince begins his journey through the caverns .

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN

Over hill, over dale, F lor ian followed the magic ball .

THE SELLER OF DREAMS

iiHow much does a dream cost?'''' asked Peter

"A golden florin," answered the Seller of Dreams .

THE TREASURE CASTLE

The three rogues were locked in the flying room .

PRINCE SNEEZE

The chest of secrets was made of black stone .

MARIANNA

Into the world went Marianna and the yellow bird

THE LOST HALF- HOUR

Just as the dragon s mouth w>as at its widest ....

THE ENCHANTED ELM

The maiden watched the woodcutters coming through the wood

THE BIRD -BOY

Every year, on the Bird-Boy' 's birthday, a great gray bird was seen

THE MASTER MARINER

Splash! and the Master Mariner fell into the sea

THE MARVELOUS DOG AND THE WONDERFUL CAT

The Dog and the Cat studying their lessons .

THE SHEPHERD OF CLOUDS

It was Giles's task to open the door of the cloud-bowl .

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

For three days the merchant pursued the ship with the fiery sails

Frontispiece

108

127

142

159

175

197

218

THE QUEEN
OF LANTERN LAND

Once upon a time the youngest son of a king
became filled with the desire to go abroad and
see the world. He got his father's permission
to depart, kissed his parents good-bye, mounted
his black horse, and galloped away down the
high road. Soon the gray towers of the old
castle in which he was born hid themselves
behind him.

The Prince journeyed on, spending the days
in traveling, and the nights in little wayside
inns, till one day he found himself in the heart
of the Adamant Mountains. The great, red
granite crags of the surrounding peaks rose out
of the gleaming snow like ugly fingers, and the
slopes of giant glaciers sparkled in the sun like
torrents of diamonds. The Prince sat down by
some stunted trees whose tops had long before
been broken off by an avalanche, and began to
eat the bit of bread and cheese which he had

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

stored in his pocket. His black horse, mean-
while, ate the grass which grew here and there
along the mountain path. And as the Prince
sat there in the bright sun and the silence of
the mountains, he became aware of a low,
continuous roaring.

' There must be a waterfall near-by," said the
Prince to himself. \ I'll go and see it."

So, casting another look at his steed, who was
contentedly browsing, the Prince climbed up the
mountainside in the direction of the sound.

The Prince climbed and climbed, he went in
this direction and in that, yet the sound never
grew any louder or fainter. Suddenly he real-
ized that he was hopelessly lost. The little
path up which he had ridden had vanished
completely, and he had not the slightest idea
in which direction it lay. He called aloud, but
only the mountain echoes answered mockingly.

Night came, and the Prince took shelter behind
a great rock. All the next day he labored to
find the path, but in vain. He grew very

THE QUEEN OF LANTERN LAND

hungry and cold. Every once in a while he
would hear the roaring of the waterfall, which
seemed to have grown louder.

Another day dawned, and another day again.
The Prince was getting very weak. He knew
that he was approaching the mysterious cata-
ract, for the noise of the water was now tremen-
dous, and heaven and earth were full of its
roar. The third night came, and the full moon
rose solemnly over the snow -clad summits
of the lonely and mysterious mountains. Sud-
denly the Prince, walking blindly on, stag-
gered through a narrow passage-way between
two splintered crags, and found himself face to
face with the mystery.

He stood on the snowy floor of a vast amphi-
theatre whose walls were the steep sides of the
giant mountains. Farthest away from him,
and opposite the moon, the wall of the bowl
appeared as a giant black precipice, whose top
seemed to reach almost to the moon-dimmed
stars; and over this precipice a broad river was

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

endlessly pouring, shining in the night like
the overflow of an ocean of molten silver.
Though now very weak from lack of food,
and dizzy with the roaring of the cataract, the
Prince made his way to the shore of the foaming
and eddying lake into which the water was fall-
ing. Great was his surprise to discover that
the overflow of this lake disappeared into the
earth through a long, low opening in the cliff
behind the fall. Greater still was his surprise
to see a strange many-colored light burning
within the cave.

The Prince made his way toward the light,
along a narrow beach of white sand lying be-
tween the wall of the cavern and the racing
waters of the mysterious river, and found that
the glow came from a magnificent lantern
studded with emeralds, topazes, amethysts,
and rubies, which hung by a chain from the
roof of the grotto. Directly under this lantern,
drawn up on the sand, lay a little boat with a
lantern fastened to the bow . The Prince pushed

THE QUEEN OF LANTERN LAND

the boat into the river, and got into it, and the
swift current seized him and hurried him away.

At first the cavern grew higher and wider;
then it shrank again, and the boat, borne along
with incredible speed, shot down a rocky pas-
sageway into the very heart of the earth. The
passageway broadened once more, and the boat
rode gently through monstrous caves whose
roofs were upheld by twisted columns taller
than the tallest tree. There were times when
all was so still that the Prince could easily have
imagined himself back in the solitude of the
mountains; there were times when the foaming
and roaring of the underground river grew so
deafening that the Prince feared lest he might
be approaching the brink of a subterranean
cataract.

Many hours passed. The Prince did not know
whether it was night or day. At length, while
the boat was gliding through a vast hall, he
fell asleep. When he awoke, he found that the
boat was floating on the black, glassy surface

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

of an immense underground ocean. All signs
of the cavern had disappeared. Far away, over
the edge of this ocean, a strange, beautiful glow
mounted into the starless sky of the under-
world. And while the Prince was gazing at the
glow, the boat swung into a new current, and
was borne swiftly toward the light. In a short
time the light grew so wide and bright that
one would have believed that a strange, golden
sun had risen. The boat passed between two
giant marble pillars supporting enormous crys-
tal globes filled with a golden fire, and the
Prince found himself in the harbor of Lantern
Land.

A city lay before him, a strange golden city
edging the shore of a vast, semi-circular bay.
Because in the centre of the earth there is neither
sun nor moon, the people have to be continually
burning lights; and so many and so great were
the lanterns of Lantern Land that the town
was as bright as day. The edge of the harbor
was marked with a row of golden lanterns;

THE QUEEN OF LANTERN LAND

there were immense lanterns at every six paces
along the streets; a lantern hung from every
house; and the church-towers, instead of hav-
ing bells in them, had great golden lamps
which illumined everything for some distance
about. Moreover, every inhabitant of Lantern
Land carried a lantern with him wherever he
went, the rich carrying golden lanterns set
with transparent precious stones, the poor car-
rying lights of ordinary glass.

Soon the Prince saw a magnificent ship com-
ing out to meet him. The prow was carved in
the shape of a dragon's head, and a beautiful
lantern hung from its jaws. Overcome by
hunger and fatigue, the poor Prince fell in-
sensible to the floor of his little boat. When he
came to his senses again, he was lying between
sheets of the whitest, most delicate linen in a
great four-poster bed, in a room in the royal
palace.

Thanks to his kind hosts, the Prince soon
recovered his strength. When he was com-

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

pletely himself again, he was summoned to an
audience with the Queen of Lantern Land.

The Queen, a very beautiful young woman,
wearing a wonderful lantern crown, sat on an
ebony throne. On each side of the throne
stood a tall soldier, clad in scarlet and holding
a long ebony staff surmounted by a round
lantern lit by a golden flame.

The Prince dropped on his knee, and thanked
the Queen for her kindness and hospitality.

"You are the first stranger to come to Lan-
tern Land for a thousand years/' said the
young Queen. If it is not asking too much
from a guest, pray how did you happen to find
the river of the underworld?"

So the Prince told her that he was a king's son,
and described his adventures in the mountains.
You may be sure the Queen was glad to hear
of his royal birth, for she had fallen in love
with him at first sight.

A month passed. The Prince remained a
guest in the palace. All kinds of festivities

THE QUEEN OF LANTERN LAND

were given in his honor; there were wonderful
dances, masquerades, picnics, and theatricals
going on all the time. One day the Prince
and the Queen, accompanied by a little group
of courtiers, rode to the frontier of Lantern
Land. The lovers galloped ahead of the party
and reached a little hill beyond which there
were no more lanterns. Ahead of them the
rolling land, sweeping farther and farther away
from the light, grew darker and darker, till it
finally plunged into the eternal night of the
underworld.

The Prince looked at the Queen, and saw that
she was weeping.

Dear love, why do you weep?" asked the
Prince, who felt sad to see tears in his lady's
lovely eyes.

I weep to think that in spite of our love we
must soon part forever," said the Queen.

Part forever? Dear lady, what can you
mean?" said the anxious Prince.
' A cruel fate hangs over us," replied the lady.

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

'Know, dear Prince, that I am promised in
marriage to the Enchanter Dragondel, and
that in exactly eight days, he will come here to
claim my hand."

'The Enchanter Dragondel — who is he?"
said the Prince.

'Alas," said the Queen, "the Enchanter Drag-
ondel is the most powerful magician of all the
underworld. He is about eight feet tall, has
cruel sunken eyes that burn like dull fires, and
dresses entirely in black. We met -at a ball
given by the King of the Goblins. Dragondel
pursued me with compliments. A few days
afterwards, an iron boat arrived in the port of
Lantern Land, having on board a giant blue
dog who is Dragondel's younger brother. This
terrible animal, from whose sight the people of
Lantern Land fled screaming, made his way
to the palace, and dropped at my feet a jeweled
casket, which he carried between his jaws. The
casket contained Dragondel's request for my
hand, and added that, were I to refuse him, he

THE QUEEN OF LANTERN LAND

would let loose a legion of ghosts and other
winged spirits against the lanterns of Lantern
Land. I had a vision of Lantern Land in
darkness; of my poor subjects dying of fear
and starvation. Rather than let this vision
come true, I accepted the Enchanter. Soon I
shall never see you again, for Dragondel will
come and take me to his awful castle which lies
on an island in the dark ocean. Nor will you
ever be able to save me, for Dragondel has so
bewitched the waves that a terrible whirlpool
forms on the sea when a boat approaches the
enchanted castle, and engulfs it."

But I can fight Dragondel," said the Prince,
like the brave youth that he was.

'That would be of little use," replied the
Queen, for you would be changed into a stone
the instant you crossed swords with him. To-
morrow, the blue dog arrives to remind me of
my obligation, and to carry back to the island
some of the palace servants who are to make
Dragondel's castle ready for my coming."

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

The other members of the party now rode up,
and the Queen dabbed her eyes with her hand-
kerchief, and pretended not to have been cry-
ing. The Prince and the Queen felt very un-
happy as they rode home.

On the next day, sure enough, the iron boat
arrived, and the blue dog, who was as large as
a lion, went to the Queen's palace, and bade
her make ready for the coming wedding. A
dozen of the Queen's servants were then or-
dered to go with the blue dog to Dragondel's
castle. Among these servants, disguised as a
kitchen lad, was the Prince; for he had deter-
mined to see if there was not some way in which
the young Queen could be rescued from the
wicked magician.

The boat neared the island, but no terrible
whirlpool formed in the enchanted sea. At
last the boat reached DragondeFs castle. It
stood on the top of a high lonely rock against
whose steep sides the waves of the underground
ocean were forever foaming and breaking, and

THE QUEEN OF LANTERN LAND

it was half in ruins and was very poorly lighted.

The Prince took his place in the kitchen, and
sought for an opportunity to prevent the mar-
riage of Dragondel and the Queen.

For four days of the precious week, however,
the poor Prince was kept so busy baking and
making pastries for the coming of the bride
that he did not have an instant to ask ques-
tions or do anything else.

In the morning hours of the fifth day there
was a terrible moaning and roaring outside,
and the cooks rushed to the kitchen windows.
An unhappy fishing boat had been swept by
the wind too near Dragondel's castle, the en-
chanted whirlpool had formed, and caught the
boat in its awful circle. Now it went slowly
round the outer edge, now, going faster and
faster, it slid down the side of the awful funnel,
and finally it vanished. An instant later, the
whirlpool had disappeared, leaving the sea
roaring and foaming.

The Prince shuddered.

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

" Well you may shudder/' said the chief cook',
"for such would have been your fate if our
master's brother had not carried with him the
talisman which rules the whirlpool."

Talisman ? What talisman ? ' ' said the Prince
affecting stupidity.

" Why the little golden hand, you fool/' said
the chief cook.

'My! it must be a great big hand to be able
to quiet that whirlpool/' said the Prince.

"Big indeed, you ninny!" growled the cook.
"Why, the magic hand is only as big as a baby's
hand. I've seen it many times. The master
carries it in his pocket, and puts it under his
pillow while he sleeps."

So, later on, when his work was done, and
everybody had gone to bed, the Prince, in the
hope of stealing the talisman, tried to make
his way to Dragondel's bedchamber. But when
he reached the foot of the stairs which led to
the Enchanter's room, he found it guarded by
two black panthers which stared at him with

THE QUEEN OF LANTERN LAND

insolent yellow eyes and switched their long
tails. The Prince went outdoors, to see if there
was any hope of climbing to the room along
the outer wall, and found that the windows of
DragondePs chamber overlooked a cliff falling
thousands of feet sheer to the dark sea. Far,
far away, the Prince saw the glow of Lantern
Land. Only a short time remained to him in
which to save his beloved lady of the lanterns.

As he wandered about, very sick at heart, he
saw a little black cat running madly back and
forth along the edge of a steep cliff from one of
whose crevices came a persistent, unhappy
mewing. The poor cat was a mother-cat, and
was trying to rescue a kitten of hers that had
fallen down between the rocks. At great risk
of being dashed to pieces himself, the brave
Prince climbed down the precipice, rescued the
kitten, and gave it back to its anxious mother.

" Thank you, brave youth," said the old cat.

' May it some day be within my power to help
you as you have helped me."

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

You can help me this very moment ," said
the Prince. And he told the cat who he was,
why he had come to the castle, and of his desire
to get possession of the talisman.

I will help you get the talisman/' said the
cat. The panthers will let me pass, for they
are cousins of mine. But you must make an-
other little golden hand to take the place of the
one I shall steal; for if Dragondel misses the
golden hand, he will summon his demons to
find it, and we shall both lose our lives. Go
now to the kitchen, carve a small hand with
the fingers close together and the thumb lying
close to the fingers, gild it over with the gold
dust you have had given you for the pastry
icings, and bring it to me to-morrow night at
this very hour."

So the Prince worked the rest of the night
carving and gilding the little golden hand, and
on the next night he gave it to the cat. The
cat took it in her mouth as she would have
a mouse, walked coolly by the panthers, and

THE QUEEN OF LANTERN LAND

entered Dragondel's room. She had just suc-
ceeded in getting the true hand out from under
the magician's pillow when Dragondel woke
up. The cat was clever enough to pretend to be
engaged in a mouse-hunt, so the Enchanter
paid no attention to her and fell asleep once
more. When the cat, however, got under Drag-
ondeTs couch again, the two hands lay side by
side and she could not remember just which one
was the talisman and which one the false hand.
So because she had to act quickly, she put one
of the hands under the pillow, brought the
other to the Prince and told him her story. But
so well matched were the little hands, that even
the Prince was far from certain that he had not
got his own hand back again.

And now came the seventh day, the day on
which Dragondel, the blue dog, and all the
wicked Enchanter's friends were to sail to
Lantern Land for the marriage ceremony. The
iron ship, made gay with a thousand small
scarlet lanterns, stood ready to carry them

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

over. The Enchanter and his company got in,
and the vessel left the island.

The Prince stood watching the ship from the
top of the cliffs. What anxiety was in his
heart! If Dragondel still possessed the true
talisman, he would cross the whirlpool safely,
and marry the beautiful Queen of Lantern
Land.

The vessel sped on. It was now at some dis-
tance from the island.

' All is lost/' thought the Prince with a sink-
ing heart; ' Dragondel has the true talisman."
And in his bitterness he was about to throw
the little golden hand which lay in his pocket
down into the sea.

Suddenly the air became filled with a terrible
moaning; the sea became troubled; the whirl-
pool awoke. And the Prince saw the red lights
of the Enchanter's ship whirled round and
round, faster and faster, till they disappeared
forever in the waters of the sunless sea.

As for the Prince, he soon found another boat,

THE QUEEN OF LANTERN LAND

and taking with him the talisman, his fellow
servants, and the black cat and her kittens, he
returned to Lantern Land, married the Queen,
and lived happily ever after.

THE ADVENTURES OF
FLORIAN

Once upon a time there lived in an old and
ruinous house by the shore of the wild sea, a
widowed nobleman and his only child, a daugh-
ter named Isabella. They were very poor in
spite of their high birth, so poor that one by
one the fields and woods of their little domain

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN

had been sold in order to buy the bare necessi-
ties of life. Knowing that his death would
leave Isabella quite alone in the world and
practically penniless, her father brought her up
more like a boy than a girl; she could ride a
horse as gracefully as an Amazon, she could
swim like a born mermaid, and even outdo her
father in his favorite sport of fencing. Yet so
sweet was the gentle nature which the girl had
inherited from her mother, that this strange
upbringing never spoiled her in the least.

Late one October evening, when the fierce
gusts of wind from the sea shook the old house
to its very foundation and set the ragged tap-
estries swaying on the walls, Isabella's father
died, leaving her only the ruinous house, a
handful of copper pence, and a single golden
florin. The sum of money was enough to keep
body and soul together for a few weeks, but
what was Isabella to do when the little pittance
was gone? Her father had once counseled her
to go to the King and ask for his protection;

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

but the King's castle was hundreds of miles
distant, and Isabella shrank from begging on
the highway.

At last the brave girl resolved to make her
own way in the world. Taking the golden
florin with her, she went to a neighboring town,
and purchased a suit of clothes such as pages
and squires wear who are in the service of
noblemen. She then caused her black hair to
be cut short, boy-fashion, put on the boy's
clothes she had purchased, and went into the
market-place to see if she could not find a situ-
ation in the service of some great family.

Now, it was the custom in those days for
masters and servants to meet by a fountain in
the market-place, the masters who were in need
of servants standing on one side of the foun-
tain, the servants who were in search of masters
on the other.

When Isabella came into the market-place,
there was no one standing on the masters' side
of the fountain, but on the other side, ready

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN

for the first master who should appear, was a
little group of noisy and impudent squires and
pages. Isabella, or, as she now called herself,
Florian, strode boldly over and joined this
group, her heart beating high with the thrill
of the great adventure.

Suddenly a black knight, mounted on a black
horse and leading another horse by the bridle,
clattered over the cobble-stones of the square,
and taking his place by the fountain, called on
the pages to come to him. In spite of the
horseman's summons, however, the pages paid
no attention to him at all. Curious to know
the reason of this disdain, Florian questioned
a fellow page, and was told that the knight was
no other than the Enchanter of the Black Rock,
and that no page or squire would take service
with him because his castle was haunted by
goblins, ghosts, and all manner of terrifying
spirits.

Now, Florian was no coward, and, as the say-
ing is, beggars cannot be choosers. So, much

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

to the astonishment of the pages, Florian
walked over to the Enchanter, who sat fuming
with anger and impatience, and offered to go
with him. The Knight bade Florian mount
the horse which he was holding; and amid the
cat-calls and hooting of the pages, master and
boy galloped away.

All day long they rode, and when it was near
the end of the afternoon Florian found himself
at the edge of a wild and desolate moor. Within
the great circle of the horizon, under the pale
sky, not a tree, not a house, not a shepherd's hut
even was to be seen — nothing but the great
barren waste rolling, rising and falling to the
very edge of the world. Lower and lower sank
the sun; it grew cold, and a blue mist fell.
Twilight came, a green, mysterious twilight.

Suddenly, from a hillock of the moor, Florian
beheld afar the enchanted dwelling. A great
sunken marsh lay before him, beginning at the
foot of the little hill and stretching away,
league after league, till its farther shore was

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN

hidden in the gathering darkness . The autumn
wind stirred the dead sedges at its brim, and
though the dying twilight was still gleaming
in the sky, the great bog had caught little of
its glow, and lay full of coiling blue mists, pale
quagmires, and islands of mysterious dark-
ness. A dreadful moaning cry, uttered by
some demon of the moor, sounded through the
mist, chilling the blood in Florian's veins; and
as if in answer to the cry, thousands upon
thousands of will-o'-the-wisps appeared, dart-
ing and dancing. In the very heart of this ter-
rible marsh a great black rock uprose, and on
this rock, its turrets and battlements outlined
against the burning face of the moon, stood the
castle. Ghostly lights, now green, now blue,
flickered in its windows.

The Enchanter reined up his horse at the
brink of the mire, and cried, —

"List! List!
Will-o'-the-Wisp,
Lend me your light."
25

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Scarcely had the last word fallen from the
Enchanter's mouth, when the dancing witch-
fires hurried toward him from all sides of the
marsh. Soon a pale road leading across the bog
to the castle stood revealed, an enchanted road
which melted away behind the riders as smoke
melts into the winter air. To the very gates of
his castle did the ghost-fires accompany the
Enchanter; then, rising swiftly high into the air,
they fled like startled birds, in every direction.

Doors opened of their own will, strange gob-
lins and ghostly creatures passed, and bright,
whirling globes of fire fled hissing across the
castle courtyard. Just as they were about to
enter the castle itself, the Enchanter turned,
and fastened his burning eyes on Florian.

"Boy," said he, let nothing that you hear
or see make you afraid. Be assured that no
power or spirit can harm you. There is only
one demon in the world whose power is greater
than mine, and that is Fear himself. Be brave,
keep the doors of your heart locked against

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN

Fear; be faithful, and you shall never have
cause to regret your coming."

So Florian, who was by nature brave, felt
ashamed of having allowed the demon Fear to
knock at the door of his heart, and resolved
never to let his courage fail, no matter what
might happen. And true to this resolve the
lad remained during the years he spent in the
service of the Enchanter. At first, to be sure,
he had to struggle to conquer his fear of some
of the goblins; but as time passed and no ghost
or goblin ever ventured to annoy him, he grew
accustomed to their presences and ended by
paying no more attention to them than he
paid to the great ravens who flew croaking
over the mire. So faithful and courageous was
the little page that, when his year was up, the
Enchanter begged him to remain yet another
year, promising him rich rewards if he stayed.
When this second year was up, however, Florian
felt a longing to see the world again, and told
the Enchanter that he must be going.

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Very well, ' ' said the Enchanter, who respected
the courage of the brave page, "thou shalt do
as thou desires t. Thou art a brave and faith-
ful lad. Here is a purse of gold for thy wages,
and here are three gifts to reward thy courage
and good- will." He opened a copper casket
and took forth a little golden bird with out-
stretched wings hanging from a fine golden
chain, a golden key, and a scarlet sphere marked
with a band of white. "This little bird," con-
tinued the Enchanter, "will protect you from
the spells of any sorcerer whose power is less
than mine, and will sing when you fare into
hidden danger; this key will open every door
in the world; and should you ever lose your
way, you have but to put this sphere on the
ground, and it will roll home of its own accord.
Moreover, if you are ever yourself in deadly
peril, call upon me, and I will come and help
you."

So Florian thanked the Enchanter, and tak-
ing his gifts, went back into the world again.

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN

But so gentle and kind was he that he soon
gave away to the unfortunate all the gold he
had earned, and was forced to go in search of
another situation. At length he entered the
service of the King and Queen of the Twelve
Towers.

This royal couple , who were renowned in
Fairyland as much for their goodness and gen-
erosity as for their wealth and magnificence,
had but one son, Prince Florizel. No braver
or more gallant prince ever drew breath. He
had driven the dragon of the blue cavern out
of his father's kingdom; he had fought three
wicked ogres one after the other, and finished
each one; he had delivered the diamond castle
of a terrible spell which lay upon it.

When Florian entered the service of the King
and Queen, these excellent parents were send-
ing their son on a visit to his uncle, the Emperor
of the Plain, and Florian was ordered to join
the gay company of lords and ladies, knights
and soldiers, who were to make the journey.

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

According to the gossip of the company, Prince
Florizel was being sent to his uncle's in the
hope that he would fall in love with his uncle's
Ward, the beautiful Princess Rosamond.

Now in some way or other, after the company
had been a few days on the road, Prince Florizel,
who watched over the company as carefully as
a good captain does over his soldiers, became
aware of the bravery, trustworthiness, and
modest bearing of Florian, the little page, and
promoted him to be his own personal squire.
Alas! no sooner had he been advanced, than
Florian the little page, though remaining out-
wardly a page, became at heart the runaway
girl, Isabella. Though she fought as hard as
she could against her own heart, it was of
little use, and she knew herself to be deeply in
love with the gallant Florizel. Yet she suffered
no word or sign of her affection to escape her,
for Prince Florizel thought her only a little
page, and to speak would be to betray the se-
cret she had so long and successfully guarded.

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN

One morning, as the cavalcade was riding
through a charming country, Florian, for so
we must still continue to call Isabella, was fol-
lowing close behind his master, when the Prince
caught sight of a wonderful scarlet flower,
something like a scarlet lily, blooming by the
roadside. At the same moment, the little
golden bird that Florian wore round his neck
sang a few clear notes as if it were alive.

" What a pretty flower !" said the Prince. "I
must have it."

And he was about to dismount and pick the
flower, when Florian spurred on ahead of him,
grasped the enchanted flower, and tossed it
into a ditch.

Fie, what a naughty page !" cried the lords
and ladies.

The company rode on a few miles more, and
suddenly the Prince caught sight of a beautiful
jeweled dagger lying in the highway. At the
same moment the little golden bird sang a few
clear notes of warning.

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

"What a fine dagger!" cried the Prince, "I
must have it."

And he was about to dismount and pick up
the dagger, when Florian spurred on ahead of
him, seized the dagger, and tossed it into a
ditch.

"Fie, what a naughty page!" cried the lords
and ladies.

The company now rode on for a few miles
more, and the Prince saw by the roadside a
beautiful enchanted garden. Birds of many
colors sang in the branches of the trees, foun-
tains sparkled and danced in the sunlight, and
the sweetest of music was heard. At the same
moment the golden bird sang louder and longer
than ever.

"What a beautiful garden!" cried the Prince.
"Let us ride in and look about."

So Florian hurried to the Prince's side, and
implored him not to enter, saying that the
garden was enchanted and that some harm
would certainly befall him.

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN

At this, all the lords and ladies, who were a
little jealous, perhaps, that a page should know
more than they, laughed at poor Florian, and
even Florizel smiled at him and said, All that
is only fancy, little Florian/ ' and dashed in
through the garden gate. For a minute or
so nothing happened, and the first to enter
mocked at Florian again; but when the whole
company had entered the garden, • there was
a clap of thunder, and everybody except the
Prince and Florian, who was protected by the
Enchanter's charm, was turned into stone.
The echoes of the thunder had hardly ceased
rolling when two frightful demons with lions'
heads rushed towards them through the gar-
den, seized the Prince, and hurried him away.
Florian was left alone in the garden. Night
was fast approaching.

Now, the owner of the enchanted garden was
a witch, who had a daughter so frightfully
ugly that even her mother's powerful magic
could not make her beautiful. In spite of her

. 33

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

ugliness, however, the witch's daughter con-
sidered herself quite beautiful, and was always
importuning her mother to invite to the castle
princes whom she considered worthy of her
hand. So the old witch gave wonderful dances
and parties, to which all the eligible young
kings and princes of the neighborhood were in-
vited; but just as soon as the witch's daughter
appeared with a horrid smirk on her ugly face,
the young men were sure to make their excuses
and ride away.

At length the old witch, who had just had a
severe tongue - lashing from her daughter for
not punishing the Prince of Zagabondiga after
that prince had failed to ask her for a dance,
could endure her daughter's scolding no longer,
and resolved to catch the first prince who came
past her garden, and force him, willy nilly, to
accept her ugly daughter. Into her trap poor
Florizel had walked, and the witch, hoping to
bend him to her will by terrifying him, had
thrown him into a deep dungeon. The ugly

34 .

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN

daughter had immediately peeked through the
key-hole of the prison, and fallen in love with
Florizel at first sight.

The witch was just considering what to do
next, when her lion-headed servitors informed
her that one of the company had resisted her
enchantment, and was wandering about the
garden. So the witch put on her cloak of in-
visibility, and going down to the garden, found
poor Florian wandering disconsolately under
the trees. She saw at once that it was the
little golden bird which had protected him from
her magic; and being afraid of the charm and
yet unable to work the poor lad any harm
while the bird was in his possession, she de-
cided to rid herself of Florian by transporting
her castle, gardens and all, over to the other
side of the world. So she uttered a spell, and
everything disappeared.

When Florian woke the next morning, and
found that the castle was gone, his heart sank.
Nevertheless, he did not despair, but taking

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

from his pocket the little scarlet ball which his
master the Enchanter had given him, he put
it on the ground, and bade it guide him back
to the Enchanted Garden.

The little ball immediately began rolling
ahead at Florian's own pace; at night it glowed
with a scarlet fire. Day after day, month after
month, the scarlet ball rolled on; it led Florian
over hill and down dale, through the land of
the men who have only one eye, through the
country of the dwarfs, and the valley of the
talking trees, never stopping till it reached the
gate of the witch's garden.

A year, meanwhile, had gone by, and during
that year the witch had done everything she
could to induce Prince Florizel to accept her
ugly daughter. First she had tried frightening
him, then she had tried to win him by giving
splendid fetes, then she had tried terrifying
him again; but as the Prince was neither to be
terrified nor cajoled, she came to her wits' end.
Finally she told the Prince that, if he were not

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN

willing to accept her daughter in marriage on
the very next day, she would turn him into a
hare and set her dogs upon him. The Prince
made no answer to her terrible threat, and the
witch went ahead and made preparation for
the grandest of weddings. On that night,,
Florian arrived at the garden.

When it was very late, and the moon, which
was a quarter full, had disappeared behind a
bank of clouds, Florian crept unobserved to
the door of Florizel's prison; for the witch had
locked him up so securely that she had not
taken the trouble to find a watchman. Alas!
the poor Prince lay at the top of a high tower,
and twenty different doors, each one opened
by a different key, stood between him and the
ground.

But Florian was not to be daunted, and
drawing from his bosom the key which the
Enchanter had given him, he opened one door
after the other till he arrived in the cell occu-
pied by the Prince.

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

The poor Prince lay chained on a bed of straw,
trying to read a book by the light of a single
candle. He was very unhappy, for he had
resolved to let himself be torn in pieces rather
than marry the ugly witch maiden. You may
be sure he was glad to see Florian.

Dear Florian/ ' said the unhappy Prince, "if
I had only obeyed your counsel, all would
have been well." And he begged Florian to
tell him where he had been all the long year.

So Florian told the Prince of his adventures.

Now, the chains which the Prince wore were
riveted cruelly upon him, and since there was
no lock to them, the magic key was of no avail.
At length, however, Florizel managed to work
them off; but in doing so, he injured his foot,
and found to his dismay that he could only
limp along.

Little by little the freshened air and the stir
of leaves began to foretell the coming of the
dawn. Finally, just as the dawn -star began
to pale, Florizel and Florian hurried out of the

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN

prison through the twenty doors, and fled to
the highroad,

But they had traveled only a few miles, when
the wicked witch discovered Florizel's flight,
and, dreadfully enraged, commanded that her
dragon car be got ready in order that she might
go in pursuit of him. So the car was brought
forth, and into it the witch leaped, and
mounted into the sky. Hearing the hissing
and roaring of the dragons in the air, Florian
and Florizel tried to hide under some trees;
but the witch instantly saw them, and pro-
nounced a spell to turn them into hares. But
though the hate of the witch was quick, the
woman's heart of Isabella was quicker, and
sacrificing herself for the man she loved, she
threw the chain and the golden bird over the
Prince's head. An instant later she had turned
into a little gray hare crouching at Florizel's
feet. At the same moment, the cruel witch,
who had arrived at her castle, let loose her pack
of fierce hunting dogs, who soon took up the

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

trail of the hare and came bounding toward
her in full cry.

The poor Prince picked up the hare and hob-
bled forward as fast as he could go, forgetting
the dreadful pain it caused him; but the dogs
were running a hundred times faster than he.
Nearer and nearer came the pack, their red
tongues lolling from their black throats. By
good fortune, just as the leader of the pack was
not more than fifty feet away, Isabella had wit
enough to remember the promise which the
Enchanter had made her, and called upon him.
Immediately a strong glass wall, as high as a
castle tower, shot up from the ground behind
Isabella and the Prince; and the pack, hurry-
ing forward, found themselves baulked of their
prey. Snarling and yelling, they threw them-
selves against the magic wall; but in vain.

In another instant, the Enchanter himself
stood before them, and touching the hare with
his wand, restored Isabella to her human form.
She still wore the garments of Florian, how-

THE ADVENTURES OF FLORIAN

ever, and the Prince still thought her a boy.

Suddenly a shadow fell on the ground near
them, and looking up, all beheld the wicked
witch and her ugly daughter, who had ridden
out in the dragon car to enjoy Florizel's cruel
death. The Enchanter immediately caused the
dragon car to vanish, and the witch and her
daughter fell tumbling through the air into a
pond, and were changed into ugly little fishes.
Then the Enchanter carried Florizel and Florian
back to the witch's castle, where they found the
tables spread and the dinner being prepared
which was to celebrate the wedding of Florizel
and the witch's daughter. Last of all, he
released Florizel's company from the witch's
spell.

Now, one of the ladies, when she heard how
the witch had tried to match Florizel with her
daughter, and saw the preparations for the
wedding, told the Prince that it was a pity that
the Princess Rosamond were not at hand, so
that there might be a wedding after all.

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

"A wedding? No," said Florizel, 'not till I
have found a wife who shall have proved herself
as faithful and true as little Florian."
* "She is already here/' said the Enchanter.
And he touched Florian with his wand.

Immediately there was a flash of flame, and
out of it, Florian no longer, but her own self,
appeared Isabella. Her hair had grown long
again, and the Enchanter had clad her in the
most magnificent of gowns. Never was there
a lovelier girl to be seen on earth. You may
be sure that the Prince stepped forward, took
her by the hand, and claimed her for his bride.

Soon the parents of Florizel, who had been
summoned by the Enchanter, arrived, ' and
there was a wedding after all. When the merry-
making was over, the Enchanter went back to
his castle on the Black Rock, while Florizel and
Isabella returned to their own country, and
lived there happily to a good old age.

THE SELLER OF
DREAMS

Once upon a time a mother called her only
son into the kitchen, gave him a basket of fine,
fresh eggs, and bade him carry them to his
Aunt Jane, who lived a few miles down the
valley. The son, a lively lad about twelve years
of age, obeyed his mother with joy, and clap-
ping his little green hat on his head, stepped
forth into the road. It was a beautiful clear
morning in the spring, and the earth, released
from the icy chains of winter, was rejoicing in
her freedom and the return of the sun. A few
birds, just back from the southland, rocked on
twigs swollen with bursting buds, a thousand
rills flowing from everywhere and in every di-
rection sparkled and sang, and the air was
sweet with the odor of ploughed fields.

The boy, whose name was Peter, walked along
whistling. Suddenly he saw a spot on the road
shining as dazzlingly as if a bit of the sun itself

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

had fallen to the earth. A bit of glass ,"
thought Peter. But it was not a bit of glass
after all, but a fine golden florin which must
have dropped from somebody's purse.

Peter stooped, picked up the gold piece, put
it in his pocket, and walked off whistling louder
than ever. In a little while he came to a place
where the road wound down a little hill, and
Peter saw, trudging up this hill, a very strange-
looking old man. He was a very old man; his
face was puckered up into a thousand wrinkles
like the skin of a shrunken apple, and he had
long, snow-white hair and a white beard which
reached almost to his waist. Moreover, he
was strangely dressed in a robe of cherry scarlet,
and wore golden shoes. From a kind of belt
hung two horns on silver chains, one an ordi-
nary cow's horn, the other a beautiful horn
carved of the whitest ivory, and decorated with
little figures of men and animals.

' Dreams to sell! Dreams to sell!" called out
the old man as soon as he caught sight of

THE SELLER OF DREAMS

Peter. Don't you want to buy a dream,
young man?"

What kind of dreams have you?" asked
Peter.

Good, bad, true, false — all kinds," replied
the seller of dreams. ' I have even a few thrill-
ing nightmares. Dreams to sell! Dreams to
sell!"

How much does a dream cost?" asked Peter.

A golden florin," answered the merchant.

I '11 have one, please," said Peter; and he
handed over the florin he had found.

The old man took a kind of wonderful sugar-
plum out of the ivory horn, and gave it to Peter
to eat.

You will have the dream next time you
sleep," said he, and trudged on.

So Peter continued his journey, stopping
every once in a while to look back at the strange
old man, who was slowly climbing the hill.
At length Peter came to a little quiet grove of
pines, and there he sat down on a big stone

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

and ate the luncheon which his mother had
prepared for him. The sun was high in the
heavens; it was close on to high noon. Now,
as Peter was contentedly munching his bread
and cheese, he heard, at first far away, then
quite near at hand, the clear notes of a coach-
man's horn. The notes of the second call died
away in a great pattering of hoofs and tinkling
of little bells, and suddenly, arriving in a
great swirl of yellow dust, came a magnificent
coach drawn by twelve white horses. A lady,
very richly dressed and wearing many spark-
ling diamonds, sat within the coach. To Pe-
ter's astonishment, the lady was his Aunt Jane.

The coach stopped with a great jingling of
the twelve harnesses, and Aunt Jane leaned
out of the window, and said to Peter, 'What
are you doing here, child?"

I was on my way to your cottage with a
basket of fine fresh eggs," answered Peter.

"Well, it 's fortunate I found you," said Aunt
Jane, ''for I have given up living in the cot-

THE SELLER OF DREAMS

tage, and have now got a castle of my own.
Jump in, Peter, and don't forget your basket."
So Peter climbed into the coach, closed the
door behind him, and was driven away. The
coach went over hill and down dale; it went
through strange forests from whose branches
green parrots whooped and shrieked; it rolled
through valleys in strange shining mountains.
Peter stole a look at Aunt Jane and saw that
she was wearing a crown.

Are you a queen, Aunt Jane?" he asked.
1 Indeed, I am/' replied his aunt. 'You see,
Peter, two days ago, while I was looking for
my white cow who had strayed away, I came
upon the magnificent castle to which we are
now going. It has four beautiful towers, and
a door set with diamonds.

Whose castle is this?' I said to the lodge-
keeper.

It 's nobody's, marm,' said he.

What,' said I; do you mean to say that
nobody owns this fine castle?'

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

That's just what I mean to say, marm,'
answered he; 'the castle belongs to any one
who wants it.'

( So into the castle I walked, and I did n't go
out, you may be sure, till I had been into every
room that I could find. Then I put on these
clothes and these diamonds, which I found in
a cupboard, and went down and told the
servants I intended to be queen. You see,
Peter dear, there 's nothing that a woman of
determination and energy can't accomplish."

The coach rolled on, and soon Peter caught
sight of Aunt Jane ' s castle . It was rather large ,
and had an enormous round tower at each
corner — a thing which brought to Peter's
mind the picture of an elephant lying on its
back. Peter and Aunt Jane, accompanied by
a train of servants dressed in blue-and-buff
livery, walked into the castle through the
diamond - studded door.

' Do you think you could eat a little more of
something?" said Aunt Jane, taking off her

THE SELLER OF DREAMS

white-kid gloves; ' because if you can I '11 have
a place set for you at the luncheon table."

And Peter, who like all boys, could eat a little
more anywhere and at any time, readily an-
swered, Yes."

So Peter and Aunt Jane sat down to a won-
derful little table covered with a snow-white
cloth.

"Draw your chair nearer, Peter dear," said
Aunt Jane.

".I can't" said Peter, 'it's stuck to the
floor."

And so it was; the chair was stuck to the floor,
and no amount of pushing or pulling could
budge it.

"That 's odd," said Aunt Jane; "but never
mind, I'll push the table over to the chair."

But like the chair, the table refused to budge.
Peter then tried to slide his plate of soup closer
to him, but the plate, which the servant had
placed on the cloth but an instant before, had
evidently frozen to the table in some extra-

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

ordinary manner and could not be moved an
inch. The soup in the plate, however, was not
fastened to the dish, nor were the wonderful
strawberry-cakes and the delicious ices with
which the dinner closed.

' You don't suppose this castle is enchanted,
do yc . Aunt Jane?" asked Peter.

"JV a bit of it," replied Aunt Jane. "And
even if it were," she continued recklessly, "I
should n't mind, for there 's nothing that a
woman of determination and energy can't
accomplish." There was a pause, and then
Aunt Jane added, I am going to have some
guests to dinner this evening, so run round and
amuse yourself as well as you can. There's
ever so much to see in the castle, and in the
garden there 's a pond with swans in it."

Attended by her servants, Aunt Jane majes-
tically walked away. Peter spent the after-
noon exploring the castle. He went through
room after room; he scurried through the attics
like a mouse, and was even lost for a while in

THE SELLER OF DREAMS

the cellars. And everywhere he went, he found
everything immovable. The beds, tables, and
chairs could neither be moved about nor lifted
up, and even the clocks and vases were mys-
teriously fastened to their places on the
shelves.

The night came on. Coach after coach oiled
up to the diamond vloor, which sparked ;U the
moonlight. When the guests had all arrived,
a silver trumpet sounded, and Aunt Jane,
dressed in a wonderful gown of flowering bro-
cade edged with pearls, came solemnly down
the great stairway of the castle hall. Two little
black boys, dressed in oriental costume and
wearing turbans, held up her gorgeous train,
and she looked very grand indeed. Peter, to
his great surprise, found himself dressed in a
wonderful suit of plum-colored velvet.

' Welcome, my friends," said Queen Jane, who
had opened a wonderful ostrich-feather fan.

Are we not fortunate in having so beautiful
a night for our dinner?"

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

And the Queen, giving her arm to a splendid
personage in the uniform of an officer of the
King's dragoons, led the way to the banquet-
hall.

The wonderful party, all silks and satins, and
gleaming with jewels, swept like a peacock's
tail behind her. Soon dinner was over, and
the guests began to stray by twos and threes
to the ballroom. Aunt Jane and the soldier
led off the grand march; then came wonder-
ful, stately minuets, quadrilles, and sweet old-
fashioned waltzes. The merriment was at its
height when somebody ran heavily up the great
stairs leading to the ballroom, and the guests,
turning round to see whence came the clatter,
saw standing in the doorway a strange old
man dressed in a robe of cherry scarlet and
wearing golden shoes. It was the seller of
dreams. His white hair was disheveled, his
robe was awry, and there was dust on his
golden shoes.

Foolish people!" screamed the old seller of

THE SELLER OF DREAMS

dreams, his voice rising to a shriek, Run for
your lives! This castle lies under a terrible
enchantment; in a few minutes it will turn
upside-down. Have you not seen that every-
thing is fastened to the floor? Run for your
lives!"

Immediately there was a great babble of
voices, some shrieks, and more confusion, and
the guests ran pell-mell down the great stairs
and out the castle door. To Peter's dismay,
Aunt Jane was not among them. So into the
castle he rushed again, calling at the top of
his voice, Aunt Jane! Aunt Jane!" He ran
through the brilliantly lit and deserted ball-
room; he saw himself running in the great mir-
rors of the gallery. Aunt Jane!" he cried; but
no Aunt Jane replied.

Peter rushed up the stairs leading to the castle
tower, and emerged upon the balcony. He
saw the black shadow of the castle thrown upon
the grass far below by the full moon; he saw
the great forest, so bright above and so dark

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

and mysterious below, and the long snow -clad
range of the Adamant Mountains. Suddenly
a voice, louder than the voice of any human
being, a voice deep, ringing, and solemn as the
sound of a great bell, cried, —

"'T is time!"

Immediately everything became as black as
ink, people shrieked, the enchanted castle
rolled like a ship at sea, and leaning far to one
side, began to turn upside-down. Peter felt the
floor of the balcony tip beneath him; he tried
to catch hold of something, but could find
nothing; suddenly, with a scream, he fell. He
was falling, falling, falling, falling, falling.

When Peter came to himself, instead of its
being night, it was still noonday, and he was
sitting on the same stone in the same quiet
roadside grove from which he had caught sight
of his Aunt Jane in her wonderful coach. A
blue jay screamed at him from overhead. For
Aunt Jane, the coach, and the enchanted castle

How much does a dream cost ? ' ' asked Peter.
A golden florin," answered the Seller of Dreams

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

had been only a dream. Peter, you see, had
fallen asleep under the pines, and while he
slept, he had dreamed the dream he purchased
from the seller of dreams.

Very glad to be still alive, Peter rubbed his
eyes, took up his basket of eggs, and went down
the road whistling.

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THE TREASURE CASTLE

Once upon a time a hunter was roaming
through the wildwood when he heard a voice
crying piteously for aid. Following the sound,
the hunter plunged ahead, and discovered a
dwarf caught in a pit which had been dug to
trap wild animals.

After the hunter had rescued the dwarf from

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

his prison, the little man said to him: Go ten
leagues to the north till you arrive at a gigantic
pine; then turn to the east, and go ten leagues
more till you come to a black castle. Enter the
castle without fear, and you will discover a
round room in which stands a round ebony
table laden with gold and j ewels . Help yourself
to the treasure, and return home at once. And
do not — now mark me well — go up into the
turret of the castle; for if you do, evil will come
of it."

So the hunter thanked the dwarf, and after
making sure that he had plenty of bread and
cheese in his knapsack, hurried northwards as
fast as his legs could carry him. Through
bramble and brier, through valley and wooded
dale went he, and at dusk he came to a gigantic
pine standing solitary in a rocky field. Wearied
with his long journey, the hunter lay down
beneath the pine and slept.

When it was dawn he woke refreshed, and
turning his eyes toward the level rays of the

THE TREASURE CASTLE

rising sun, began his journey to the east. Pres-
ently he reached a height in the forest, and from
this height, he saw, not very far away, a black
turret rising over the ocean of bright leaves.
At high noon he arrived at the castle. It was
ruinous and quite deserted; grass grew in the
courtyard and between the bricks of the terrace,
and the oaken door was as soft and rotten as
a log that has long been buried in mire.

Entering the castle, the hunter soon discov-
ered the round room. A table laden with won-
derful treasures stood in the centre of the cham-
ber, directly under a shower of sunlight pouring
through a half-ruined window in the mildewed
wall. How the diamonds and precious stones
sparkled and gleamed!

Now, while the hunter was filling his pockets,
the flash of a jewel lying on the floor happened
to catch his eye, and looking down, he saw that
a kind of trail of jewels lay along the floor lead-
ing out of the room. Following the scattered
gems, — which had the appearance of having

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

been spilled from some treasure-casket heaped
too high, — the hunter came to a low door,
and opening this door, he discovered a flight of
stone steps leading to the turret. The steps
were strewn carelessly with the finest emeralds,
topazes, beryls, moonstones, rubies, and crys-
tal diamonds.

Remembering the counsel of his friend the
dwarf, however, the hunter did not go up the
stairs, but hurried home with his treasure.

When the hunter returned to his country, the
wonderful treasures which he had taken from
the castle in the wood made him a very rich
man, and in a short time the news of his pros-
perity came to the ears of the King. This King
was the wickedest of rogues, and his two best
friends, the Chamberlain and the Chancellor,
were every bit as unscrupulous as he. They
oppressed the people with taxes, they stole from
the poor, they robbed the churches; indeed
there was no injustice which they were not ready
to commit. So, when the Chamberlain heard

THE TREASURE CASTLE

of the hunter's wealth, he — being a direct,
straightforward rascal — declared that the sim-
plest thing to do would be to kill the hunter
and take his money.

The Chancellor, who was somewhat more cun-
ning and worldly, declared that it would be
better to throw the hunter into a foul, dark
dungeon till he was ready to buy his freedom
with all his wealth.

The King, who was the wickedest and wisest
of the precious three, declared that the best
thing to do was to find out whence the hunter
had got his treasure, so that, if there happened
to be any left, they could go and get it. Then
of course, they could kill the hunter and take
his treasure too.

Thus it came to pass that by a royal order the
hunter was thrown into a horrible prison, and
told that his only hope of release lay in reveal-
ing the origin of his riches. So, after he had
been slowly starved and cruelly beaten, he told
of the treasure castle in the wood.

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

On the following morning, the King, the
Chamberlain, and the Chancellor, taking with
them some strong linen bags and some pack-
mules, rode forth in quest of the treasure.
Great was their joy when they found the treas-
ure castle and the treasure room just as the
hunter had described. The Chancellor poured
the shining gems through his claw-like fingers,
and the King and the Chamberlain threw their
arms around each others' shoulders and danced
a jig as well as their age and dignity would
permit. The first fine careless rapture over,
they began pouring the treasure into the linen
sacks they had brought with them, and these,
filled to the brim, they carried to the castle
door.

Soon not the tiniest gem was left on the table.
Suddenly the Chamberlain happened to catch
sight of the gems strewn along the floor.

" See, see!" he cried, his voice shrill and greedy.

There is yet more to be had!"

So the three rogues got down on their hands

THE TREASURE CASTLE

and knees and began stuffing the stray jewels
into their bulging pockets. The trail of jewels
led them across the hall to the little door open-
ing on the stairway, and up this stairway they
scrambled as fast as they could go.

At the top of the stair, in the turret, they found
another round room lit by three narrow, barred
windows, and in the centre of this turret cham-
ber, likewise laden with gold and jewels, they
found another ebony table. With shrieks of
delight, the King and the Chancellor and the
Chamberlain ran to this second treasure, and
plunged their hands in the glittering golden
mass.

Suddenly, a great bell rang in the castle, a
great brazen bell whose deep clang beat about
them in throbbing, singing waves.

What's that?" said the three rogues in one
breath, and rushed together to the door.

It was locked! An instant later there was a
heavy explosion which threw them all to the
floor, tossing the treasure over them; and then,

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

wonder of wonders, the castle turret, with the
three rogues imprisoned in it, detached itself
from the rest of the castle, and flew off into the
air. From the barred windows, the King, the
Chamberlain, and the Chancellor saw league
upon league of the forest rushing by beneath
them. Suddenly the flying room began to
descend swiftly, and landed lightly as a bird
in the middle of a castle courtyard. Strange-
looking fellows with human bodies and heads
of horses came rushing toward the enchanted
turret, and seized its prisoners. In a few mo-
ments they were brought before the King to
whom the treasure belonged.

Now this King was a brother of the dwarf
whom the hunter had rescued from the pit.
He had a little gold crown on his head, and
sat on a little golden throne with cushions of
crimson velvet.

With what are these three charged ?" said
the Dwarf-King.

With having tried to rob the treasure castle,

THE TREASURE CASTLE

Your Majesty/' replied one of the horse-headed
servitors in a firm, stable tone.

Then send for the Lord Chief Justice at once,"
said the Dwarf-King.

The three culprits were left standing uneasily
in a kind of cage. They would have tried to
speak, but every time they opened their mouths,
one of the guards gave them a dig in the ribs.

For a space of five minutes there was quiet in
the crowded throne-room, a quiet broken now
and then by a veiled cough or the noise of
shuffling feet. Presently, from far away, came
the clear, sweet call of silver trumpets.

He's coming! He's coming!" murmured
many voices. A buzz of excitement filled the
room. Several people had to be revived with
smelling salts.

The trumpets sounded a second time. The
excitement increased.

The trumpets sounded a third time, near at
hand. A man's voice announced in solemn
tones, ' ' The Lord Chief Justice approaches . ' '

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

The audience grew very still. Hardly a rustle
or a flutter was heard. Suddenly the great
tapestry curtains which overhung the door
parted, and there appeared, first of all, an
usher, clad in red velvet and carrying a golden
wand; then came two golden-haired pages, also
clad in red velvet and carrying a flat black-
lacquer box on a velvet cushion. Last of all
came an elderly man dressed in black, and
carrying a golden perch on which sat a fine
green parrot. On reaching the centre of the
hall, the parrot flapped its wings, arranged an
upstart feather or two, and then resumed that
solemn dignity for which birds and animals
are so justly famous.

With great ceremony the gentleman in black
placed the Lord Chief Justice on a lacquer
stand close by the throne of the Dwarf-King.

Trumpets sounded. Two servitors hurried
forward with the captive King.

Your Venerability," spoke the Dwarf-King
to the parrot, who watched him intently out

THE TREASURE CASTLE

of its round yellow eye, and nodded its head,

'this rascal has been taken in the act of rob-
bing the treasure castle. What punishment
do you suggest?"

At these words, the two golden-haired pages,
advancing with immense solemnity, lifted the
lacquer box to within reach of the parrot's
beak. The box was full of cards. Over them,
swaying from one leg to the other as he did so,
the parrot swept his head.

An icy silence fell over the throng. The King,
the Chancellor, and the Chamberlain quaked
in their shoes. Presently the parrot picked out
a card, and the gentleman in black handed it
to the Dwarf-King.

Prisoner," said the Dwarf-King to the other
King, the Lord Chief Justice condemns you
to be for the rest of your natural life Master
Sweeper of the Palace Chimneys."

Discreet applause was heard. The Chancellor
was then hurried forward, and the bird picked
out a second card.

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Prisoner/' said the Dwarf-King, the Lord
Chief Justice condemns you to be for the rest
of your natural life Master Washer of the
Palace Windows."

More discreet applause was heard. And now
the Chamberlain was brought to the bar. The
parrot gave him quite a wicked eye, and hesi-
tated for some time before drawing a card.

Prisoner," said the Dwarf-King, reading the
card which the parrot had finally chosen, "the
Lord Chief Justice condemns you for the rest
of your natural life to be Master Beater of the
Palace Carpets."

Great applause followed this sage judgment.

So the three rogues were led away, and unless
you have heard to the contrary, they are still
making up for their wicked lives by enforced
diligence at their tasks. The palace has five
hundred and ninety-six chimneys, eight thou-
sand, seven hundred and fifty-three windows,
and eleven hundred and ninety-nine large dust-
gathering carpets, and the chimneys, windows,

THE TREASURE CASTLE

and carpets have to be swept, washed, and
beaten at least once a week.

Now when the King, the Chancellor, and the
Chamberlain failed to return, the people took
the hunter out of his prison and made him
king, because he was the richest and most
powerful of them all.

As for the treasure of the treasure castle, it is
still there, packed in the linen sacks, lying just
inside the great door.

Perhaps some day you may find it. If you
do, don't be greedy, and don't go up to the
turret chamber.

PRINCE SNEEZE

Once upon a time a king and a queen gave a
magnificent party in honor of the christening
of their new-born son, Prince Rolandor. To
this party the royal parents took good care to
invite every single fairy in Fairyland, for they
knew very well the unhappy consequences of
forgetting to invite fairies to christenings.

PRINCE SNEEZE

When all the invitations had been sent out, the
Queen went down to the kitchen to superin-
tend the cooking of the master-dainty of the
feast, a huge strawberry-tart.

The morning on which the grand ceremony
was to take place arrived. At half-past ten
the Court Astrologer, who was master of cere-
monies, gave the order to form in line; and at
ten minutes to eleven the splendid procession
started for the church. The road was lined
with the King's vassals shouting, Hurrah,
hurrah!" Countless little elves with gauzy
wings watched from the branches of the trees;
and the great cathedral bells went clang, bang,
clang, as merrily as could be.

Just behind the royal body-guard came the
King's gold-and-diamond coach shining in the
sunlight of June, with the King and the Queen
in it on one side and the Court Astrologer and
the fairy Titania, prospective godparents of
the little Prince, on the other. The Prince him-
self, swathed in a wonderful silk mantle edged

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

with pearls and turquoises, slept in the Astrol-
oger's arms.

The procession entered the church, where the
venerable Lord Archbishop, surrounded by a
magnificent choir, was awaiting its coming.
A hush went over the great assembly as the
parents and the godparents advanced to the
flower-decked font, and the silence lasted until
His Eminence had sprinkled the Prince and
given him the name of Rolandor. Then the
bells rang again, the organ roared so that the
windows shook in their casements, and the
choristers sang like birds on a summer after-
noon.

The christening over, the procession went
back to the castle, past the waiting rows of
bystanders, not one of whom had changed his
place or gone away, so superb had been the
spectacle.

The christening banquet was laid in the great
hall of the castle, and, thanks to the Court
Astrologer, things went off beautifully. It was

PRINCE SNEEZE

the only large banquet ever known in the his-
tory of the world where courses were served all
at one time, and while one person was finish-
ing an ice, another was not beginning with the
soup. Nor was the menu mixed, which hap-
pens so frequently to-day that you are apt to
have soup, ice, cake, roast, soup, and a roast
again. No, from soup to ice the banquet was
a huge success; but, alas, disaster came with
the strawberry-tart.

As the Queen was chatting with the Lord
Chancellor of the Enchanted Islands, she hap-
pened to notice — for like a good hostess she
had been keeping an eye to the comfort of her
guests — that nobody on the right-hand side
of the hall had been served with strawberry-
tart. Almost at the same moment, the chief
cook, looking rather pale and worried, bustled
through the throng and whispered in her ear,

Your Majesty, the strawberry-tart has given
out!"

The Queen turned pale. At length she man-

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

aged to ask in a weak voice, 'Have you plenty
of other pastries?"

" Yes, Your Majesty," replied the cook.
Then let them be served at once."

The cook withdrew, and the Queen, though
somewhat shaken, took up the conversation
again. Ten minutes passed, and she was be-
ginning to forget her start, when a voice, rising
clear and rasping over the hubbub of the hall,
said suddenly, Where's my piece of straw-
berry-tart?"

Everybody turned toward the speaker, an
elderly fairy from the Kingdom of the Black
Mountains, named Malvolia. She stood up
in her place, her arms akimbo, glowering at
her plate, on which an attendant had just de-
posited a small chocolate eclair.

" Where's my piece of strawberry-tart ?" she
repeated.

The Queen rose. 'I am very sorry, Madam
Malvolia," said she in her sweetest voice, but
the strawberry-tart has given out."

PRINCE SNEEZE

Hoity-toity/' answered Malvolia rudely;

you mean that you only baked enough for
your own personal friends."

At this several guests cried, Sh! Sh!" and
the King began to look worried.

"We will send for some at once/' announced
His Majesty.

"Oh yes, — strawberry-tart baked by the
Queen's own hands for her own dear friends,"
said Malvolia sneeringly; but for me, a fairy
of age and distinction, an ordinary, low baker's
eclair. The Kingdom of the Black Mountains
has been deliberately insulted in my person!"

"No, no, no, no!" cried the King and the
Queen. We assure you, madam, that it was
a simple mischance."

"Pish and tush!" replied Malvolia, who, like
a great many people, secretly enjoyed feeling
herself aggrieved. I consider the affair an
affront, a deliberate affront. And you shall
pay dear for this humiliation," she screamed,
quickly losing control of her temper. Every

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

time the Prince sneezes something shall change
until— "

At this very moment, alas, a northeast wind
blew gustily through the open windows of the
hall, shaking the tapestries from the walls,
and carrying away the last of Malvolia's sen-
tence. The angry fairy turned herself into a
great black raven and flew, cawing hoarsely,
over the heads of the banqueters and out of the
window with the wind.

A baby's cry was heard, and the King and the
Queen rushed panic-stricken to where their
little son lay in his cradle on a raised platform
at the head of the hall. The little Prince's fat,
pink face was twisted into dreadful lines; he
opened his mouth wide several times and half
closed it again; then, opening it wider than
ever, he sneezed a terrible sneeze.

There came a loud clap of thunder. When
the confusion was over, the Court Astrologer
was found to have turned into an eight-day
clock, with a sun, moon, and stars arrange-

PRINCE SNEEZE

ment, a planetary indicator, and a calendar
calculated for two thousand years. The ban-
quet ended rather gloomily, although the gifts
of the other fairies, such as health, wealth, and
beauty, managed to make everyone a little
more cheerful.

When the guests were gone, the King and
Queen sent for Doctor Pill, the court physician,
to consult him in regard to the measures which
ought to be taken to prevent the Prince's
sneezing. As for the poor Court Astrologer, he
was hung up in the sacristy of the cathedral,
and every eight days his wife wound him up,
with tears.

' What shall we do, doctor?" asked the King
rather mournfully.

The Prince must be preserved from the
things which cause sneezing," said the doctor
sagely.

"Such as draughts?" suggested the King.
Draughts, head-colds, snuff, and pepper,"
answered the leech. Let his little highness be

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

put into a special suite of rooms; admit no
person to them until he has been examined for
head-cold, and has put on germ-proof garments;
and as his little highness grows older, forbid
the use of pepper in his food. Better still, if
Your Majesty has a castle in the mountains,
let the Prince be taken there for the sake of the
purer air."

There is the tower on the Golden Mountain, ' •
said the King.

At this the Queen began to weep again, for
she, quite naturally, did not wish to part with
her child.

But, my dear, we can't have him sneezing,
and things changing all the time," said the
King.

"I beg Your Majesty to consider the danger
of a head-cold," put in the doctor.

"Yes, think of the danger of a head-cold,"
echoed the King, who saw clearer than the
Queen the chaos that might result if the Prince
was attacked by a prolonged fit of sneezing.

PRINCE SNEEZE

People with head-colds may sneeze ten or
fifteen times a day."

' Or fifty," said the doctor.
Or fifty," echoed the King again, shaking
his head, for he was torn between paternal love
and kingly duty. " Imagine fifty enchant-
ments in a day! By eventide the whole king-
dom would be upset, undone, and the people
plotting a revolution."

The tower on the Golden Mountain is in a
fine healthful locality," said the doctor, and
the Prince could be brought up as happily
there as in the palace."

So at length the Queen consented. In a few
days the little Prince, who had not sneezed a
second time, was removed to the tower on the
Golden Mountain. His room, designed by
Doctor Pill, was completely protected from
draughts, and every breath of air that entered
it was tri-bi-sterilized. Mrs. Pill, who had
been a hospital nurse, took care of him. Three
times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Fridays, his royal parents rode out to the
tower, and after putting on germ-proof gar-
ments, were admitted to the nursery of their
infant son.

And so the years went by. Nobody was
found able to break Malvolia's spell, and the
clue to its undoing had been carried away by
the wind. Malvolia herself had disappeared.

The Prince became a handsome little boy.
Accomplished teachers taught him history,
music, drawing, dancing, and all the other
things that a prince ought to know. But of
real life he knew almost nothing at all.

His most faithful friend during these lonely
years was a French poodle, who spoke both
French and English exceedingly well. Of
course, he had a marked canine accent, rather
growling his g's and howling the aw's and the
ow's, but his words were well chosen and his
vocabulary extensive. Never was seen a more
friendly, wise, and devoted animal.

When the King decided to have him sent away

PRINCE SNEEZE

for a while, for he feared that his son was get-
ting a touch of Poldo's barky manner of speak-
ing, from too close an association, the little
Prince became really ill from grief, and the
King was forced to alter his decision.

During his imprisonment in the tower, in
spite of all precautions, the Prince sneezed three
times. At the first sneeze, all the dogs in the
kingdom except Poldo changed into cats, and
all the cats into dogs. Though this was not
a serious trouble, the change was certainly
inconvenient. All the dog-cats came out meow-
ing at people as the dogs used to bark at them,
and they chased people down the street; the
cat-dogs, on the other hand, stayed in the
kitchen under the stove, and watched for mice
in the pantry. Great St. Bernards might be
seen licking their paws and rubbing them over
their foreheads, and fat, old cat-lap-dogs used
to try to purr.

At the second sneeze, all the elderly gentle-
men over seventy changed into elm trees, a

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

proceeding that caused a terrible lot of trouble.

At the third sneeze, all the people in the pic-
tures at the Art Museum became alive, and for
a week the soldiers of the royal guard spent
most of their time rescuing poor, bewildered
fauns, satyrs, nymphs, Roman senators, and
long dead celebrities and historical person-
ages from the worst destitution. The King
finally had to build a special castle for them.

As the Prince's twenty-first birthday drew
near, he began to feel very sad at the idea of
having to stay shut up in the tower all his
life. Though he was a very brave and very
manly young man, he lay down on his couch
and wept in sorrow.

Suddenly, standing with his forepaws on the
coverlet, Why do you weep, dear master?' '
said the little dog.

At my fate," replied the poor Prince. I
cannot bear to think that I may have to spend
all my days in this tower, and never see the
great wide world."

PRINCE SNEEZE

The poodle was silent for a few minutes. At
length he said, Dear Prince Rolandor, do not
give up hope. Have you ever thought of con-
sulting my old master, the Giant of the North
Pole? He has a large chest in his palace full
of secrets which the winds have overheard, and
perhaps the key to Malvolia's spell is among
them. If you will have a warm fur coat and
four fur boots made for me, I will go to the
Giant and ask him."

The Prince gave his consent, and on the next
day the royal tailor made the poodle a mag-
nificent sealskin coat and four splendid fur-
lined boots. Then the King wished him good
speed, the Queen cried over him, and the
Prince, who could see from his high tower
every corner of the kingdom, watched him till
he disappeared over the hills and far away.

Straight north the poodle ran. Soon he had
left the fertile plains behind him, and entered
great, black pine forests where never a road
was to be seen. The cold wind howled through

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

the trees, and at night the brilliant stars
sparkled over the dark and waving branches.
Hungry wolves and savage bears often pur-
sued him, but somehow he always managed to
escape them all. At the end of the forest he
found the frozen ocean lit by the shuddering
light of the aurora, flashing in a great fan from
east to west. Past white-tusked walruses and
sleepy penguins he flew, till on the eleventh day
he saw the green, icy pinnacles of the Giant's
palace against the waving curtain of the Polar
lights. On the evening of the twelfth day he
entered the castle.

The Giant of the North Pole was a tall,
strong, yellow-haired fellow wearing a crown
of ice and a great sweeping mantle made from
the white fur of the polar bear. His servants
were the Gusts, — strange, supple, shadowy
creatures moving quickly to and fro, — and his
courtiers were the whirlwinds and the storms.
The Giant's wife sat by his side; she had dark
hair and eyes of icy, burning blue.

PRINCE SNEEZE

. Welcome, little Poldo," said the Giant; and
his voice sounded like the wind in the tree-
tops; "what seek you here?"

I seek some words of the Fairy Malvolia
which were carried away by the northeast wind
at Prince Rolandor's christening," replied the
poodle.

Whew, oo-oo," whistled the Giant of the
North Pole. If I have them, the words are
yours."

He summoned two Gusts to bring forth the
chest of secrets. It was made of black stone,
and edged with diamonds of ice. In it were
stored all the mysteries which the wind had
ever overheard; there were secrets, confessions,
vows, merry laughs, and simple words. And
sure enough, in the corner of the chest lay the
rest of Malvolia's spell — a row of little, old-
fashioned, dusty words; the words: 'Until he
finds someone brave enough to marry him."

So the good poodle learned the words by
heart, thanked the Giant, and hurried home

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

with the message. When he came to the King's
palace, he ran, barking with joy, right into the
King's own room. There he saw the unhappy
parents.

"Have you found the last of the sentence?"
cried the Queen.

" Yes," said Poldo. "The spell will end when
the prince marries."

That very evening the King and the Queen
sent forth ambassadors to ask for the hand of
the loveliest princess of all Fairyland, Princess
Adatha of the Adamant Mountains. But so
afraid was Adatha of being turned into some-
thing else, that she refused the offer.

The King and the Queen then made a request
for the hand of Princess Alicia of the Crystal
Lakes. But Alicia also was afraid of being
turned into something else, and she too re-
fused the alliance. So did the Princess of the
Golden Coasts, the Princess of the Seven Cities,
and many others. Finally the only princess
left in all Fairyland was a princess who herself

PRINCE SNEEZE

lay under an enchantment. A jealous witch
had turned her golden hair bright blue, and
given her a nose a foot long. This unhappy
maiden was the only princess willing to accept
poor Rolandor.

The wedding day arrived. The Prince, though
perhaps a little pale from his confined life,
looked very handsome, and led his ugly bride
to the altar like a man. Just exactly as the
marriage ceremony was half over, a spasm
contorted the muscles of the Prince's face; the
poor young man felt strongly inclined to sneeze.
Though he could be seen making heroic efforts
to control the impulse, the audience got very
nervous and panicky.

All was in vain! The Prince sneezed, "Ker
choo!" A terrific clap of thunder rent the air,
and everybody looked about to see what had
happened.

The effect of the sneeze was an odd one. As
it had occurred exactly at the moment when
the Prince was half-married, the spell had

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

reacted upon itself. Just like a kick from a
gun/' Dr. Pill said next day.

The cats became dogs again, and the dogs
became cats; the elm trees became cross , elderly
gentlemen looking for their families; the poor,
excited Roman senators, fauns, nymphs, satyrs,
celebrities and historical personages, went back
to their pictures; and to cap the climax, the
ugly bride became once more her sweet and
lovely self.

While everybody was cheering, who should
walk out of the sacristy but the Court Astrol-
oger! An instant later, he had fallen into the
affectionate arms of the faithful wife who had
wound him up for twenty-one years.

After the wedding reception, the Prince and
his bride went on a honeymoon to the En-
chanted Islands. As for Poldo the poodle, he
was created Prime Minister and lived to a fine
old age.

MARIANNA

Once upon a time a wicked nobleman rose in
rebellion against his rightful king, and taking
the royal forces by surprise, defeated them and
seized the kingdom. The dethroned King,
who had been severely wounded in battle, was
cast in prison, where he soon died; but his
widow, the Queen, managed to escape from the

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

palace before the usurper could lay hands upon
her.

Into the dark forest which lay behind the
palace ran the Queen, holding her baby daugh-
ter in her arms. It was winter time, and a
heavy snow had hidden the foot-paths and the
roads. Presently the Queen realized that she
was lost. All afternoon, however, she trudged
bravely on through the silence and the cold,
her heart sinking as mile after mile revealed
no sign of a house or a shelter.

But late in the afternoon, when the red shield
of the sun could scarcely be seen through the
tangle of the wild wood-branches, she per-
ceived a light coming from a little grove of
cedars by the shore of a frozen lake. The
Queen made her way toward this light, and
discovered a little thatched hut in the silent
wood; it was the house of one of the dwarfs of
the forest. The dwarf took pity on the Queen,
but his efforts were vain, for the poor woman
was so weak and exhausted that she died with-

MARIANNA

out telling the dwarf anything about herself
or the child she carried.

So the little dwarf, who was a good, kind old
fellow, brought the little girl up as if she were
his own child. His brother, the dwarf of the
mountain, made her the prettiest red-leather
shoes, and his cousins, the dwarfs of the pines,
made the little girl dresses from cloth woven
on fairy looms.

Now, on the night her mother brought her
to the hut, the little girl was wearing a golden
heart-shaped locket, with a crown and the
letter M upon it in diamonds. So the dwarf
called the little girl Marianna.

Seventeen years passed, and Marianna grew
to be quite the loveliest lass in all the world.
Her hair was as black as the raven's wing, her
eyes were as blue as the midsummer sea, and
her skin was fair as the petal of a rose. One
spring morning a little yellow bird flew into
the cedar grove, and gave the dwarf a letter
which it held in its beak.

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

The dwarf read the letter, and said to Mari-
anna, Little Marianna, the Emperor of the
Elves has bidden me come to the great assem-
bly of the dwarfs which is to be held next year
on the Golden Mountain. Alas, what are we
to do ? I can not take you with me, dear child,
for it is forbidden on pain of death to bring
mortals to the assembly, nor can I leave you
here in this lonely wood."

To this Marianna replied, Do not fear, dear
father. Give me but yon crystal flask of the
water of healing, and I shall go forth into the
world until it is time for you to return again.
Perhaps I shall discover somebody who can
tell me the meaning of this locket, or the his-
tory of my dear mother."

So the dwarf took his knotted staff, and went
away over hill, over dale to the Golden Moun-
tain.

Then Marianna took the crystal flask of the
water of healing, and walked boldly out of
the wood into the wide, wide world. It was

MARIANNA

the middle of the spring, the ice and snow had
all disappeared; the trees were putting forth
their leaves, and there were clusters of prim-
roses by the roadside. In the swaying, rust-
ling heart of a great elm tree, a little thrush
was singing. Through cities and towns went
lovely Marianna, bringing good cheer to the
helpless and the sick, and curing all who came
to her, rich and poor, with the wonderful
water of healing. But never did she find any-
body who could tell her about the gold heart
with the diamond crown.

Now it came to pass that, as Marianna was
one day walking through a village in the heart
of the Adamant Mountains, a ragged old
woman besought her with tears to come to a
hamlet which stood at the head of a high and
dangerous path. Touched by the old woman's
supplication, Marianna followed her to the
hamlet, and found in a wretched hut, lying on
a wretched bed, a beautiful young peasant girl
dying of a fever. So Marianna touched the girl

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

with the water of healing, and in an instant
she became well and strong.

Dear lady/' said the peasant girl, pressing
Marianna's hand to her lips, how sweet and
kind thou art! Great is the debt I owe thee."

And as the girl poured out her thanks, Mari-
anna heard a faint chirp, chirp/' and looking
down, beheld a little yellow bird crouching on
the hearthstone. Every now and then he hid
his head under his wings and cried unhappily.
It was the yellow bird which had brought the
message from the Emperor of the Elves.

'Poor little bird/7 said Marianna, bending
down and taking him up in her hands, why
criest thou so mournfully ? Who hath done
thee harm ?"

But the bird uttered only a forlorn little cry,
and hid his head again under his wings.

I found him on the rocks at the mountain-
top yesterday/' said the mother. Someone
has wounded him. His wing is broken."

And she put the bird on the floor of the house

MARIANNA

and bade Marianna watch how he fluttered
trailing a wing in the dust. Again Marianna
stooped, and picking up the bird, touched the
wounded wing with the water of healing.
Scarcely had she done so, when the yellow bird
burst into a joyous and golden song, and fly-
ing to the window, beat madly against the
panes. Then the peasant girl threw open the
casement, and the yellow bird flew out into the
streaming sun.

'He is gone forever," said the peasant girl.

'Nay, he returns," said Marianna, gently,
as the yellow bird flew back and perched in the
sheltering bower of Marianna's arms. Then,
accompanied by the peasant girl and the yel-
low bird, who flew singing before her, Mari-
anna went down the dangerous path to the
high road in the valley. When they reached
the foot of the path, the peasant girl cried: —
Farewell, dear Marianna; may it some day
be mine to repay thee!"

Into the world again went Marianna, and

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

with her went the yellow bird. Presently she
came to the fairest land which she had ever
seen, a land of rolling fields, little hills, and
rivers bordered with pale willow trees. This
pleasant land, unknown to Marianna, was part
of her father's kingdom, and she was really
its queen because her father had been the last
rightful king.

Now while Marianna had been in the forest,
the wicked nobleman who had stolen the king-
dom from Marianna's father had died, leav-
ing his brother Garabin in charge of the king-
dom and of the interests of his little son, Prince
Desire. This Garabin, however, taking ad-
vantage of the youth and helplessness of his
nephew, had himself assumed the state and
airs of king. For some time he had enjoyed
undisturbed the possession of his stolen
throne; but as Desire grew taller and stronger
every year, Garabin began to fear the day
when he would be compelled to resign in favor
of his nephew.

MARIANNA

When the Prince reached his twentieth year,
Garabin would certainly have killed him openly
had he dared; but, fearing the people, he re-
solved, to use secret methods, and bribed a
cruel magician to afflict poor Desire with a
deadly and mysterious malady. Of this mal-
ady, Desire was slowly dying, for no medicine
could cure him or even give him any relief from
his constant pain. Every morning the cruel
Garabin, in the hope of finding his nephew
dead, would go to the sick room; and you may
be sure that his wicked heart rejoiced when he
found the Prince weaker and more feverish.

Garabin had just returned from a visit to
the Prince, who was rapidly failing, when the
Captain of the Castle Guard came to him with
the news that the wonderful Marianna had
arrived in the kingdom. The King gave orders
that she be brought before him. So Marianna,
walking between two halberdiers and followed
across the courtyard by crowds of curious
people, was led before the King. The little

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

yellow bird sat on Marianna's shoulder, and
never did maiden appear lovelier or more
gentle.

Scarcely had Garabin set eyes on Marianna,
when he caught sight of the golden locket
which she wore about her neck. Had he not
been very old and crafty, he would have started
from his golden throne, for he knew that the
little golden heart set with diamonds had been
one of the crown jewels, and that therefore
Marianna must be the missing Princess, and
rightful queen of the kingdom.

What was he to do ? If he refused to let Mari-
anna help the Prince, the people might begin
to suspect him, and start a revolution which
would thrust him from his throne; if he al-
lowed Marianna to cure the Prince, the Prince
would certainly demand the kingdom on his
twenty-first birthday. What was he to do
with Marianna, whose right to the throne was
superior even to his nephew's ? Perplexed, and
with fear in his heart, the King sought the

MARIANNA

cruel magician who had cast the spell on Desire.

The magician lived in a gloomy tower, and
had an enchanted black dog that he fed with
flaming coals. He listened to Garabin's story,
stirring a great cauldron all the while, and
said, 'Do not fear. We will destroy both
claimants to the throne at once."

Garabin rubbed his hands together with glee.

" To-night I shall cast a spell of sleep on Mari-
anna, steal the crystal flask, empty it of the
water of healing, and refill it with a liquid which
will cause death within a night and a day. I
shall then replace the flask before Marianna
wakes. You will allow Marianna to visit the
Prince; she will touch him with the deadly
water, and the Prince will die. You can then
try Marianna for having killed the Prince, and
condemn her to be thrown from the precipice ."

So pleased was Garabin with this horrid plot,
that he could have danced for joy. That very
night, the magician filled Marianna's flask with
the poisonous water, and departed, thinking

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

that nobody had noticed him. The yellow
bird, however, had seen everything, and fol-
lowed the magician to note where he hid the
real water of healing.

The next morning Marianna was once more
led before the King.

4 Welcome, thrice welcome, lovely maiden/*
said Garabin with the most dreadful hypoc-
risy. I have long hoped that you would turn
your footsteps hither, for my poor dear nephew,
Prince Desire, only son of the late King, has
been ill for some months of a malady no phy-
sician can cure. Perhaps you can cure him
with the water of healing."

Marianna replied that she would do her best
to help the Prince; so the Court Chamberlain
gave her his arm, and escorted her to the
Prince's sick room. The King and many court-
iers followed after him.

Desire lay in a great old-fashioned bed, his
face flushed with fever. So weak was the poor
Prince, that he could scarcely lift his head to

100

MARIANNA

look at his visitors. A great pity swept over
Marianna's heart the instant she saw him;
as for Desire, he fell madly in love with Mari-
anna at first sight.

Now just as Marianna bent over the Prince
to touch his forehead with the water of healing,
the yellow bird screamed and cried as madly
as if he were caught in a net. Marianna looked
at the crystal flask. Nothing seemed changed;
the water within seemed as pure and diamond-
like as ever. She touched the Prince with the
liquid. Alas, in a moment, so terrible was the
magician's poison that the Prince turned white
as the driven snow, and fell back on the pil-
lows insensible. The lookers-on, who had ex-
pected to see him spring up entirely cured,
began to murmur, and Marianna herself, ter-
rified at what had happened, let fall the flask,
which broke into a thousand sparkling pieces.

Suddenly, Garabin cried at the top of his
voice, " Seize the witch; she has killed the
Prince!"

101

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Presently there was a great confusion, rough
hands seized Marianna, and somebody caught
the yellow bird. The Prince remained insensi-
ble on the bed. At high noon, a trial was held,
and since the doctors declared that the Prince
was dying, Marianna was condemned to be
thrown from the precipice. When somebody
asked about the yellow bird, Garabin laughed,
and gave orders that the cook should wring its
neck, and toss it to the cat.

So Marianna was hurried to a dark prison-
room and loaded with chains, and the yellow
bird was taken to the castle kitchen, and given
to the cook.

"Here, you wring its neck," said the cook to
one of her helpers, while I go call the cat."

By great good fortune, the cook's helper was
no other than the peasant girl whom Mari-
anna had saved. This girl recognized the yel-
low bird, and instead of wringing its neck, let
it fly out of the window. The yellow bird flew
to the window of the magician's room. The

102

MARIANNA

magician was in the chamber, stirring the
giant cauldron. The bird flew to the window
of Prince Desire's room, and saw that he was
still insensible.

An hour later the castle-bell began to toll,
and a dismal procession was seen walking from
the castle toward the frightful cliff from which
condemned witches and sorcerers were thrown.
First came a troop of soldiers, then Marianna,
weighted down with chains, and last of all, a
little group in which were Garabin, the magi-
cian, and some of Garabin's favorites.

The bell kept on sadly tolling and tolling. It
roused the Prince from his swoon, and with his
last measure of strength, poor Desire dragged
himself to the window. The procession was
then passing directly underneath the window,
and Desire's eyes met the eyes of Marianna.
Stop! Stop!" cried the poor Prince, wildly;

I forbid—"

An instant later he sank fainting to the floor.
The procession went on.

103

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Meanwhile the yellow bird had returned to
the magician's chamber. It was empty. With
a joyous cry, the bird fluttered through the
window -bars, and discovered the phial into
which the magician had poured the water of
healing. Clutching it in his claws, the bird
flew once more to the Prince's room. Desire
still lay in a heap by the window, and over
him the yellow bird poured the contents of
the phial.

The Prince sprang up, strong as a lion, seized
his sword, and rushed down to save Marianna.
He arrived at the cliff just as the poor maiden
was about to be pushed off into space, and
standing by her side, dared any one to lay
hands upon her.

Garabin, seeing his precious plot miscarry,
grew mad with rage.

" Seize them," cried he, and toss them both
over the precipice!"

So the soldiers rushed at Marianna and the
Prince, intending to carry out their wicked

104

MARIANNA

master's orders. But even as they did so, there
came a flash of flame and the little dwarf,
Marianna's foster-father, took his place beside
the lovers.

'Cruel King!" cried the dwarf sternly, and
thou, wicked and perfidious magician, the hour
of thy punishment is at hand."

Immediately the sky grew black, the light-
ning crashed, and there arose a terrible, howl-
ing wind. Three giant gusts drove fiercely by,
the first one blowing the King and the magi-
cian head-over-heels over the precipice, the
second carrying away the soldiers, and the
third the rascally favorites. When the sky
cleared, only the dwarf, Marianna, and Desire
were left of the company.

Marianna," said the little dwarf, the Em-
peror of the Elves has told me all your his-
tory, and it is thanks to him that I have
returned in time, with the storm at my heels.
You, Marianna, are the rightful Queen of this
country."

105

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Dear Queen," said the honest and gallant
Desire, 'let me be the first of your subjects to
salute you." And he knelt before her, and
humbly kissed her hand.

"Nay, Prince," said the young Queen, an-
swering the adoring look in her lover's eyes,

your father took the kingdom; if I were you,
I should take the Queen."

Which was a bit forward, of course, but no-
body minded that very much in those fairy
times.

So Desire and Marianna were married, and
lived happily ever after. The yellow bird went
to the wedding, and when the ceremony was
over rose singing into the air, and flew joyously
home to the land of the Elves.

THE LOST HALF-HOUR

Once upon a time there was an old widow
woman who had three sons: the first two were
clever enough, but the third, Bobo by name,
was little better than a silly simpleton. All
his mother's scoldings and beatings— and she
smacked the poor lad soundly a dozen times
a day — did him no good whatever.

Now it came to pass that one morning
Princess Zenza, the ruler of the land, happened
to pass by the cottage and heard Bobo being
given a terrible tongue-lashing. Curious as to
the cause of all the noise, the Princess drew
rein, and summoned Bobo's mother to come
near. On hearing her story, it occurred to the
Princess that so silly a lad might amuse her;
so she gave the mother a golden florin, and
took poor silly Bobo with her to be her page.

You may be sure that it did not take the wise
folk at the castle long to discover how great a
simpleton had arrived. Courtiers, footmen,
lackeys, turnspits even, were forever sending

107

Just as the dragon's mouth was at its widest . .

THE LOST HALF-HOUR

him off on ridiculous errands. Now he would
be sent to find a white crow's feather or a spray
of yellow bluebells; now he was ordered to look
for a square wheel or a glass of dry water.
Everybody laughed at him and made fun of
him — that is, everybody except little Tilda,
the kitchen-maid. When poor Bobo used to
return from some wild-goose chase, tired out,
mud-stained, and often enough wet to the
skin, instead of laughing, little Tilda would
find him a glass of warm milk, hang his coat
by the fire to dry, and tell him not to be such
a simpleton again. Thus, after a while, Bobo
learned to ask Tilda's advice before going
away on a wild-goose chase, and was in this
way saved from many a jest.

Tilda, the kitchen-maid, was as sweet and
pretty as she was kind and good. She was
said to be the daughter of an old crone who
had come to the castle one day, asking for
help.

One pleasant mid-summer morning, when

109

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Bobo had been nearly a year at the castle,
Princess Zenza overslept half an hour and did I
not come down to breakfast at the usual time.
When she did get up, she found her court wait-
ing for her in the castle gardens. As she came
down the steps of the garden terrace, the Prin-
cess looked up at the castle clock to see how
late she was, and said to her lady in waiting, —

"Dear me — why, I We lost half an hour this
morning !"

At these words, Bobo, who was in attendance,
pricked up his ears and said, —

Please, Your Highness, perhaps I can find
it."

At this idea of finding a lost half-hour, the
Princess laughed, and found herself echoed by
the company.

" Shall we send Bobo in search of the lost half-
hour?" said the Princess to the courtiers.

Yes ! Yes P ' cried the courtiers. ' Bobo shall
look for the lost half-hour."

I'll give him a horse," said one. I'll give

THE LOST HALF-HOUR

him my old hat/' said another. He can have
an old sword I broke last week/' said still
another.

And so, in less time than it takes to tell about
it, poor simpleton Bobo was made ready for
his journey.

Before he left the castle, Bobo went down to
the kitchen to say good-bye to Tilda.

'What, off again?" said the little kitchen-
maid. Where are you going now?"

"The Princess has lost a half-hour and I am
going in search of it," said Bobo, proudly.
And he told how the Princess herself had com-
manded him to seek the half-hour through the
world, and promised to bring Tilda a splendid
present when he returned.

The good kitchen-maid said little, for she
feared lest some misadventure overtake the
poor simpleton; but when the chief cook was
not looking, she tucked a fresh currant-bun
into Bobo's pocket, and wished him the best
of good fortune.

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

So Bobo went to the castle gate, and mounted
his horse, which stumbled and was blind in
one eye.

" Good-bye, Bobo/' cried the assembled court-
iers, who were almost beside themselves with
laughter at the simpleton and his errand.

Don't fail to bring back the lost half-hour!"

So Bobo rode over the hills and far away.
Every now and then he would stop a passer-by
and ask him if he had seen a lost half-hour.

The first person whom he thus questioned
was an old man who was wandering down the
high road that leads from the Kingdom of the
East to the Kingdom of the West.

" A lost half-hour?" said the old man. I 've
lost something much more serious, I 've lost
my reputation. You have n't seen a lost repu-
tation lying about here, have you? It was
very dignified and wore tortoise-shell glasses."

But Bobo had to answer No," and the old
man wandered on again.

Another day the simpleton encountered a tall,

112

THE LOST HALF-HOUR

dark, fierce kind of fellow, who answered his
polite question with a scream of rage.

"A half-hour/' he roared. "No, I have n't
seen your half-hour; I would n't tell you if I
had; what's more, I don't want to see it. I 'm
looking for something I 've lost myself. I 've
lost my temper. I lost it two years ago at
home, and have n't been able to find it any-
where since. Answer me, you silly, have you
seen a lost temper anywhere? It 's about the
size of a large melon and has sharp little
points."

On Bobo's answering No, "this dreadful per-
son uttered so perfectly awful a screech of rage,
that Bobo's horse took fright and ran away
with him, and it was all that Bobo could do
to rein him in three miles farther down the
road.

Still farther along, Bobo came to Zizz, the

capital city of the Kingdon of the Seven

Brooks, and was taken before the King himself.

'A lost half-hour?" said the King. "No, I

113

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

am quite sure it has not been seen in my do-
minions. Would you mind asking, as you go
through the world, for news of my little daugh-
ter?" (Here the poor old King took out a
great green handkerchief and wiped his eyes.)

She was stolen by the fairies on midsummer
eve fifteen years ago. Find her, worthy Bobo,
and an immense reward will be yours."

So Bobo left the proud city of Zizz, and once
again rode over the hills and far away. But
never a sign of the lost half-hour did he find,
although he asked thousands of people. His
faithful white horse died, and he continued his
way on foot.

Three long years passed, and Bobo grew into
a handsome lad, but remained a simpleton
still. Finally, after he had wandered all about
Fairyland, he came to the edge of the sea.
Finding a ship moored in a little harbor,
Bobo asked the sailors if they had seen a lost
half-hour.

"No," said the sailors, but we are going to

114

THE LOST HALF-HOUR

the Isles of Iron; suppose you go with us. The
lost half-hour may be there.7'

So Bobo went aboard the ship, and sailed out
upon the dark sea.

For two days the weather was warm and
clear, but on the third day, there came a dread-
ful storm, and on the third night the vessel
was driven far off her course into the unknown
ocean, and was wrecked upon a mysterious
island of rocks that shone in the night like wet
matches. A great wave swept the decks, and
Bobo was borne away from his companions
and carried toward the shining land. Though
pounded and battered by the foaming waves,
the simpleton at length managed to reach the
beach, and took refuge in a crevice of the cliff
during the stormy night.

When the dawn broke, all sign of the ship had
disappeared. Looking about, Bobo found him-
self on a lovely island whose heart was a high
mountain mass hidden in the fog still sweep-
ing in from the sea. There was not a house,

115

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

a road, or a path to be seen. Suddenly Bobo
noticed a strange little door in the bark of a
great lonely tree, and, opening this door, he
discovered a little cupboard in which were a
pair of wooden shoes. Above the shoes was
a card, saying simply, —

Put us on.

So Bobo sat down on a stone by the foot of
the tree, and put on the wooden shoes, which
fitted him very nicely. Now these shoes were
magic shoes, and Bobo had hardly stepped
into them before they turned his feet inland.
So Bobo obediently let the shoes guide him.
At corners the shoes always turned in the right
direction, and if Bobo forgot and blundered
on the wrong way, the shoes swiftly began to
pinch his toes.

For two days Bobo walked inland toward the
great mountain. A warm wind blew the clouds
and rain away, the sun shone sweet and clear.
On the morning of the third day, the simpleton

116

THE LOST HALF-HOUR

entered a wood of tall silent trees, and as that
day was drawing to a close, turrets of a mag-
nificent castle rose far away over the leaves of
the forest.

Bobo arrived at twilight.

He found himself in a beautiful garden, lying
between the castle walls and the rising slopes
of a great mountain. Strange to say, not a
living creature was to be seen, and though
there were lights in the castle, there was not
even a warder at the gate. Suddenly a great
booming bell struck seven o'clock; Bobo began
to hear voices and sounds; and then, before the
humming of the bell had died away, a youth
mounted on a splendid black horse dashed at
lightning speed out of the castle and disap-
peared in the wood. An old man with a white
beard, accompanied by eleven young men, —
whom Bobo judged, from their expressions, to
be brothers, — stood by the gate to see the
horseman ride away.

Plucking up courage, Bobo came forward,

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

fell on his knee before the old man, and told
his story.

Truly, you should thank the storm fairies/ '
said the old man; for had you not been
wrecked upon this island, never would you
have discovered the lost half-hour. I am
Father Time himself, and these are my twelve
sons, the Hours. Every day, one after the
other, they ride for an hour round the whole
wide world. Seven O'clock has just ridden
forth. Yes, you shall have the lost half-hour,
but you must look after my sons' horses for
the space of a whole year."
To this Bobo willingly agreed. So Twelve
O'Clock, who was the youngest of the Hours,
took him to the stables and showed him the
little room in the turret that he was to have.
And thus for a year Bobo served Father Time
and his sons. He took such good care of the
great black horses of the Hours of the Night,
and the white horses of the Hours of the Day,
that they were never more proud and strong,

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THE LOST HALF-HOUR

nor their coats smoother and more gleaming.

When the year was up, Bobo again sought
out Father Time.

" You have served faithfully and well/7 said
Father Time. 'Here is your reward." And,
with these words, he placed in Bobo's hands
a small square casket made of ebony. The
half-hour lies inside. Don't try to peek at it
or open the box until the right time has come.
If you do, the half-hour will fly away and dis-
appear forever."

" Farewell, Bobo," said kind young Twelve
O'Clock, who had been the simpleton's good
friend. ' I, too, have a gift for thee. Drink
this cup of water to the last drop." And the
youth handed the simpleton a silver cup full
to the brim of clear shining water.

Now this water was the water of wisdom, and
when Bobo had drunk it, he was no longer a
simpleton. And being no longer a simpleton,
he remembered the man who had lost his repu-
tation, the man who had lost his temper, and

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

the king whose daughter had been stolen by
the fairies. So Bobo made so bold as to ask
Father Time about them, for Father Time
knows everything that has happened in the
whole wide world.

"Tell the first/7 said Father Time, "that his
reputation has been broken into a thousand
pieces which have been picked up by his neigh-
bors and carried home. If he can persuade his
neighbors to give them up, he should be able
to piece together a pretty good reputation
again. As for the man who lost his temper,
tell him that it is to be found in the grass by
the roadside close by the spot where you first
met him. As for the missing daughter, she is
the kitchen-maid in Princess Zenza's palace,
who is known as Tilda.'7

So Bobo thanked Father Time, and at noon,
Twelve 0' Clock placed him behind him on the
white charger, and hurried away. So fast they
flew that Bobo, who was holding the ebony
casket close against his heart, was in great

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THE LOST HALF-HOUR

danger of falling off. When they got to the
seashore, the white horse hesitated not an
instant, but set foot upon the water, which
bore him up as if it had been, not water, but
earth itself. Once arrived at the shore of Fairy-
land, Twelve 0' Clock stopped, wished Bobo
good-speed, and, rising in the air, disappeared
into the glare of the sun. Bobo, with the
precious ebony casket in his hand, continued
on in the direction of Princess Zenza's palace.
On the second morning of his journey, he
happened to see far ahead of him on the high-
way the unfortunate aged man who had lost
his reputation. To him, therefore, Bobo re-
peated the counsel of Father Time, and sent
him hurrying home to his neighbors7 houses.
Of the man who had lost his temper, Bobo
found no sign. In the grass by the roadside,
however, he did find the lost temper — a queer
sort of affair like a melon of fiery red glass all
stuck over with uneven spines and brittle
thorns. Bobo, with great goodness of heart,

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

took along this extraordinary object, in the
hope of finding its angry possessor.

Farther on, the lad encountered Tilda's father,
the unhappy King, and delivered his message.
The joy of the monarch knew no bounds, and
Bobo, the one-time simpleton, became on the
spot Lord Bobo of the Sapphire Hills, Marquis
of the Mountains of the Moon, Prince of the
Valley of Golden Apples, and Lord Seneschal
of the proud City of Zizz — in a word, the
greatest nobleman in all Fairyland. Then,
having got together a magnificent cohort of
dukes, earls, and counts, all in splendid silks,
and soldiers in shining armor, the delighted
King rode off to claim his missing daughter
from Princess Zenza.

So on they rode, the harnesses jingling, the
bridle-bells ringing, and the breastplates of
the armed men shining in the sun. After a
week of almost constant progress (for the King
was so anxious to see his beloved daughter
that he would hardly give the cavalcade time

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THE LOST HALF-HOUR

to rest) , they came to the frontiers of Princess
Zenza's kingdom.

Strange to say, black mourning banners hung
from the trees, and every door in the first vil-
lage which the travelers saw was likewise hung
with black streamers. On the steps of one of
the cottages sat an old woman, all alone and
weeping with all her might.

" What is the matter, my good woman?" said
the King.

"0 sir," said the peasant woman, evil days
have fallen upon our unhappy kingdom.
Three days ago a terrible dragon alighted in
the gardens of the palace and sent word to
Princess Zenza that if within three days she did
not provide him with someone brave enough to
go home with him and cook his meals and keep
his cavern tidy, he would burn our fields with
his fiery breath. Yet who, I ask you, would be
housekeeper for a dragon? Suppose he did n't
like the puddings you made for him — why,
he might eat you up ! All would have been lost

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

had not a brave little kitchen-maid named
Tilda volunteered to go. It is for her that we
are mourning. At two o'clock she is to be
Carried off by the dragon. It is almost two
now. Alas! Alas!"

Hardly were the words out of her mouth,
when the town bell struck twice, solemnly and
sadly.

1 Quick! quick!" cried the King and Bobo in
the same breath, ' Let us hurry to the castle.
We may save her yet."

But they knew in their hearts that they were
too late, and that poor Tilda had given herself
to the dragon. And so it proved. In spite of
his mad dash, Bobo, who had spurred on ahead,
arrived exactly half an hour late. The mon-
strous dragon with Tilda in his claws was just
a little smoky speck far down the southern sky.
Princess Zenza and her court stood by wringing
their jeweled hands.

Suddenly Bobo thought of the half-hour. He
had arrived half an hour late, but he could have

124

THE LOST HALF-HOUR

that half-hour back again! Things should be
exactly as they were half an hour before.

He opened the cover of the ebony box. Some-
thing like a winged white flame escaped from
it, and flew hissing through the air to the sun.
As for the sun itself, turning round like a cart-
wheel and hissing like ten thousand rockets, it
rolled back along the sky to the east. The
hands of the clocks, which marked half-past
two, whirred back to two o'clock in a twinkling.
And, sure enough, there was brave little Tilda
standing alone in a great field waiting for the
dragon to come and take her away. Lumber-
ing heavily along like a monstrous turtle, and
snorting blue smoke, the dragon was advanc-
ing toward her.

Bobo ran down into the field and stood beside
Tilda, ready to defend her to the end.

The dragon came nearer and nearer. Sud-
denly, angered by the sight of Bobo and his
drawn sword, he roared angrily, but contin-
ued to approach. Bobo struck at him with

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

his sword. The blade broke upon his steely
scales. The dragon roared again. Now just
as the dragon's mouth was its widest, Bobo
who had been searching his pockets desper-
ately, hurled into it the lost temper.

There was a perfectly terrific bang! as if a
million balloons had blown up all at once.
For the dragon had blown up. The lost tem-
per had finished him. Only one fragment of
him, a tiny bit of a claw, was ever found.
Everybody, you may be sure, began to cry
Hurrah " and Hooray," and soon they were
firing off cannon and ringing all the bells . Then
Tilda's father took her in his arms, and told
her that she was a real princess. The Grand
Cross of the Order of the Black Cat was con-
ferred upon Bobo by Princess Zenza, who also
asked his pardon for having treated him so
shabbily. This Bobo gave readily. A won-
derful fete was held. When the rejoicings were
over, Bobo and Tilda were married, and lived
happily together all their days.

THE ENCHANTED ELM

Once upon a time, while riding, a brave, young
prince dashed merrily ahead of his friends, and
after galloping across a ploughed field, turned
his horse's head down a grassy road leading to
a wood. For some time he cantered easily along,
expecting any moment to hear the shouts and
halloos of his friends following after; but they

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

by mistake took quite another road, and no
sound except the pounding of his courser's
hoofs reached the Prince's ear. Suddenly an
ugly snarl and a short bark broke the stillness
of the pleasant forest, and looking down, the
Prince saw a gray wolf snapping at his horse's
heels,

Though the horse, wild with fear, threatened
to run away any instant, the Prince leaned over
and struck the wolf with his whip.

Hardly had he done so, when an angry voice
cried, How dare you strike my pet?"

A little distance ahead, a wicked old witch
stood at one side of the road. With its tail
between its legs, the wolf cowered close to her
skirts, and showed its long yellow fangs,

"Pet, indeed!" cried the Prince. 'Keep him
away from my horse or I will strike him again. ' '

"At your peril, Prince," answered the witch.
And then, as the Prince turned his horse's head
and galloped back, she called out, ' You shall
rue this day! You shall rue this day!"

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THE ENCHANTED ELM

Now by the time the Prince had arrived at the
ploughed field and the great road again, his
friends had galloped on so far that they were
lost to sight . Thinking that he might overtake
them by following a shorter road, he turned
down a byway skirting the wood in which he
had encountered the enchantress. Presently he
began to feel very thirsty. Chancing to see an
old peasant woman in the fields, the Prince
called to her and asked where he could find a
roadside spring.

Now this old peasant woman was the wicked
witch under another form. Overjoyed at hav-
ing the Prince fall so easily into her power, she
curtsied, and replied that within the wood was
to be found the finest spring in the country.
Anxious not to lose time, the Prince begged her
to lead him to the water. Little did he know
that the witch was leading him back into the
wood, and that she had just bewitched the
water !

When they arrived at the pool, the Prince

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

dismounted, and kneeling by the brim, made a
cup of his hands and drank till his thirst was
satisfied. He was just about to seize his horse
again by the bridle and put his foot into the
stirrup, when a terrible pang shot through his
body, darkness swam before his eyes, his arms
lengthened and became branches, his fingers,
twigs; his feet shot into the ground, and he
found himself turned into a giant elm.

A giant elm he was; a giant elm he remained.
Unable to find him after a long search, his
friends gave him up for lost, and a new Prince
ruled over the land. Though the elm tried
many times to tell passers-by of his plight, none
ever seemed to understand his words. Again
and again, when simple wood-cutters ventured
into the great dark wood, he would tell them
his story and cry out, "I am the Prince! I am
the Prince !" But the wood-cutters heard only
the wind stirring in the branches. Ah, how
cold it was in winter when the skies were steely
black and the giant stars sparkled icily! And

130

THE ENCHANTED ELM

how pleasant it was when spring returned, and
the gossipy birds came back again!

The first year a pair of wood-pigeons took to
housekeeping in his topmost branches. The
Prince was glad to welcome them, for though
denied human speech, he understood the lan-
guage of trees and birds. On Midsummer Eve,
the pigeons said to him, "To-night the King
of the Trees comes through the wood. Do you
not hear the stir in the forest ? All the real trees
are preparing for the King's coming; they are
shedding dead leaves and shaking out their
branches."

"Tell me of the King/' said the Prince.

"He is tall and dark and strong," said the
doves. l ' He dwells in a great pine in the North.
On Midsummer Eve, he goes through the world
to see if all is well with the tree people."

"Do you think he can help me?" asked the
Prince.

" You might ask him," replied the doves.

The long, long twilight of Midsummer Eve

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

came to a close; night folded the world beneath
its starry curtains. At twelve o'clock, though
not a breath of air was stirring, the trees were
shaken as if by a mighty wind, the rustling of
the leaves blending into strange and lovely
music, and presently the King of the Trees
entered the haunted wood. Even as the wood-
doves had said, he was tall and dark and
stately.

"Is all well with you, 0 my people?" said the
King, in a voice as sweet and solemn as the wind
in the branches on a summer's day.

"Yes, all is well," answered the trees softly.
Though some replied, "I have lost a branch";
and a little tree called out unhappily, "My
neighbors are shutting out all my sunlight."

"Then fare ye well, my people, till next Mid-
summer Eve," said the stately King. And he
was about to stride onward through the dark
wood when the enchanted Prince called aloud
to him!

Stay, 0 King of the Trees," cried the poor

132

THE ENCHANTED ELM

Prince. "Hear me even though I am not of
your people. I am a mortal, a prince, and a
wicked witch has turned me into a tree. Can
you not help me?"

" Alas, poor friend, I can do nothing/' replied
the King. " However, do not despair. In my
travels through the world, I shall surely find
someone who can help you. Look for me on
next Midsummer Eve."

So the great elm swayed his branches sadly,
and the King went on his way.

The winter came again, silent and dark and
cold. At the return of spring, a maiden who
dwelt with a family of wood-cutters came often
to rest in the shade of the great tree. Her father
had once been a rich merchant, but evil times
had overtaken him, and at his death the only
relatives who could be found to take care of the
little girl were a family of rough wood-cutters
in the royal service. These grudging folk kept
the poor maiden always hard at work and
gave her the most difficult household tasks.

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

The Prince, who knew the whole story, pitied
her very much, and ended by falling quite in
love with her. As for the unhappy maiden, it
seemed to her that beneath the sheltering shade
of the great elm she enjoyed a peace and happi-
ness to be found nowhere else.

Now it was the custom of the wood-men to
cut down, during the summer, such trees as
would be needed for the coming winter, and one
day the wood-cutter in whose family the maiden
dwelt announced his intention of cutting down
the great elm.

"Not the great elm which towers above all
the forest?" cried the maiden.

"Yes, that very tree," answered the wood-
cutter gruffly. "To-morrow morning we shall
fell it to the ground, and to-morrow night we
shall build the midsummer fire with its smaller
branches. What are you crying about, you
silly girl?"

"Oh, please don't cut the great elm! " begged
the good maiden.

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THE ENCHANTED ELM

" Nonsense!" said the wood-cutter. "I
wager you have been wasting your time under
its branches. I shall certainly cut the tree
down in the morning."

All night long, you may be sure, the maiden
pondered on the best way to save the great
tree; and since she was as clever as she was
good, she at length hit upon a plan. Rising
early on Midsummer Morn, she ran to the
forest, climbed the great elm, and concealed
herself in its topmost branches. She saw the
rest of the wood beneath her, and the distant
peaks of the Adamant Mountains; and she
rejoiced in the dawn songs of the birds.

An hour after the sun had risen, she heard
the voices of the wood-cutter and his men as
they came through the wood. Soon the band
arrived at the foot of the tree. Imagine the feel-
ings of the poor Prince when he saw the sharp
axes at hand to cut him down!

"I shall strike the first blow," said the chief
wood-cutter, and he lifted his axe in the air.

135

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Suddenly from the tree-top a warning voice

sang,—

"Throw the axe down, harm not me.
« I am an enchanted tree.

He who strikes shall breathe his last,
Before Midsummer Eve hath passed."

" There is a spirit in the tree/' cried the wood-
cutters, thoroughly frightened. "Let us hurry
away from here before it does us a mischief."
And in spite of all the chief wood-cutter's re-
monstrances, they ran away as fast as their
legs could carry them.

The chief wood-cutter, however, was bolder-
hearted, and lifted the axe again. As the blade
shone uplifted in the sun, the maiden sang once

more, —

" Throw the axe down, harm not me.
I am an enchanted tree.
He who strikes shall breathe his last
Before Midsummer Eve hath passed."

Hearing the voice again, the chief began to
feel just the littlest bit alarmed; nevertheless,

136

THE ENCHANTED ELM

he stood his ground and lifted the axe a third

time. Once more the girl sang,—

" Throw the axe down, harm not me.
I am an enchanted tree.
He who strikes shall breathe his last
Before Midsummer Eve hath passed."

At the same moment, the elm managed to
throw down a great branch which struck the
rogue a sound thump on the shoulders. Now
thoroughly terrified, the chief wood-cutter
himself fled from the spot.

All day long, for fear lest he return, the maiden
remained hidden in the tree. At twilight,
overcome by weariness, she fell into a deep sleep.
Just before midnight, alas, she was awakened
from her slumber by hearing an angry voice
cry,—

"Come down from the tree, wicked, deceitful
girl, or I shall cut it down at once!"

Very much alarmed, the poor maiden looked
down through the branches, and discovered the
wood-cutter standing at the foot of the elm. A

137

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

lantern swung from his left hand, and his sharp-
est axe rested on his right shoulder. He had
returned home, and not finding the maiden

there, had suspected that it was her voice which
had frightened his men away.

Come down, ' ' roared the rascal. ' ' I'll teach
you, you minx, to play tricks with me. One —
two — three." And lifting the axe in the air,
he was about to send it crashing into the trunk
of the elm, when the mysterious murmur which
heralded the coming of the King of the Trees j
sounded through the wood. Perplexed and
frightened again, the chief wood-cutter let fall
his axe. Presently he perceived two beings
coming toward him through the solemn forest.
Uttering a howl of fear, the rogue would have
fled; but, lifting his wand, the elder of the new-
comers transfixed him to the spot. The two
personages were the King of the Trees and his
friend, the mighty enchanter, Gorbodoc.

" Descend and fear not, maiden," said the
King of the Trees. "You have done bravely

138

THE ENCHANTED ELM

and well. Your misfortunes are over, and a
happier day is at hand."

So the brave girl hurried down the tree, and
stood before the enchanter and the King. Very
pretty she was, too, in her rustic dress and
ribbons.

Lifting his wand with great solemnity, Gor-
bodoc touched the trunk of the elm . There was
a blinding flash of rosy fire; the great tree ap-
peared to shrink and dissolve, and presently
the Prince stood before them.

" Welcome, Prince," said the enchanter.
"'Your enemy, the witch, will trouble you no
more. I have turned her into an owl and given
her to the Queen of Lantern Land. As for
you," and here the enchanter turned fiercely
upon the wood-cutter, "y°u shall be a green
monkey, until you have planted and brought
to full growth as many trees as you have cut
down."

An instant later, a green monkey swung off
into the tree-tops.

139

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Then the grateful Prince thanked the King of
the Trees, the mighty Gorbodoc, and the brave
maiden, with all his heart. I am glad to say
that he got his castle back again and married
the maiden who had saved his life, and they
lived happily ever after.

THE BIRD -BOY

Late one autumn night a young queen stood
by her window, gazing upon the silent and de-
serted meadows gleaming in the moonlight.
Suddenly, far, far up in the sky, she heard the
weird cry of birds flying southward, and lift-
ing her eyes, the Queen beheld bird after bird
fly across the golden shield of the moon.

"Oh, lovely, happy birds," said she; "would
that I might have a son with wings!"

Now it came to pass that before the harvest
moon rose again over the land, the Queen
became the mother of a little boy who was
born with wings on his shoulders. But instead
of being pleased with so strange and wonderful
a little son, the King (who was very supersti-
tious and under the domination of a wicked
chamberlain named Malefico) took it into his
head that his wife was a sorceress, and gave
orders that she should be imprisoned in a
lonely tower and the child destroyed. So the

141

Every year, on the Bird-Boy' s birthday, a great
gray bird was seen.

THE BIRD-BOY

Queen and her baby were taken to an old and
gloomy tower on a great rock overlooking the
northern sea; and after they had been there a
day or two, the chief jailer came to the Queen's
room to take the child and kill him.

The Queen, when she heard this terrible order,
uttered a gasping scream, and seizing her little
son from out his cradle, pressed him close to
her breast. But although she fought for her
baby with allher might, the rude strength of the
jailers prevailed, and the child was torn from
its mother's arms. Then, before any one could
prevent her, the poor Queen beat open the
rotted fastening of an old casement window,
sprang upon the ledge, and giving one last
look of love and tenderness to her unhappy
child, leaped down into the sea surging and
pounding over the rocks hundreds of feet be-
low. She certainly would have been dashed to
pieces, had not a good spirit of the ocean taken
pity on her, and changed her into a great gray
bird. Crying mournfully, the bird circled the

143

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

old tower thrice, and disappeared over the
white-capped waters.

In spite of his roughness, however, the jailer
was neither a brutal nor a wicked man, and he
did not relish the cruel task which the King
had given him. So, instead of killing the bird-
boy, he carried him many leagues back into the
dark forest which bordered the sea, and gave
him to a family of charcoal-burners. With
these rough, good people the bird-boy lived till
he was five years old. And every year, on the
boy's birthday, a great gray bird came flying
over the forest from the distant ocean, circled
thrice the charcoal-burners' hut, and disap-
peared again, crying mournfully.

One midsummer day, with a great deal of
merry hallooing and blowing of sweet- voiced
horns, the King of the country, accompanied
by his young wife, came hunting through the
wood. There was a pretty spring near the door
of the hut, and the party came to a halt at its
edge. Out ran the winged boy and his two

144

THE BIRD-BOY

little foster-brothers, to see the wonderful sight.
And a wonderful sight it was, indeed, to see
the horses tossing their jeweled bridles, the
hooded falcons riding on the saddlebow, clutch-
ing the leather with their curving claws, the
merry young pages in their dark suits, and all
the gay company in rich attire.

'Why, see/' said the young Queen to her hus-
band, yon little boy hath wings. Really,
dear, I must have him for my page. Would n't
it be wonderful to have a winged page? Besides,
he will be a playmate for Rosabella. "

So the King gave the charcoal-burner and his
wife fifty pieces of bright gold, which pleased
them very much, and the charcoal-burner him-
self lifted the bird-boy up in his arms, and
placed him on the King's saddle. Then the
bird-boy waved good-bye to his two little
ragged foster-brothers, who were howling as if
their hearts would break, and rode away with
the King. In a few hours the company came
to a splendid castle of shining white stone,

145

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

standing in beautiful green gardens running
down to the sea. Once at home, the Queen
commanded that the little winged boy be
washed and tidied, and his charcoal-burner's
rags replaced with a pretty black velvet suit.
You may be sure that, when the bird-boy was
washed and dressed, there was no handsomer,
more winning little boy in all the world.

So the bird-boy became the best beloved play-
mate of the Queen's only child, her darling
Rosabella. Now, if the bird-boy was the pret-
tiest little boy in all the world, Rosabella was
the prettiest little girl. Moreover, she had a
sweet disposition, which is a gift even more
precious than the gift of beauty. It was a
lovely picture to see the children building toy
castles on the floor of the nursery in the castle
tower, the sun streaming on the black-brown
hair and silver white wings of the little boy,
and on the golden curls of Rosabella.

Twelve years passed. The bird-boy grew into
a handsome lad; Rosabella into the loveliest

146

THE BIRD-BOY

of princesses. Twice had the bird-boy saved
Rosabella's life. He had saved her the first
time by swooping down and catching her in
his wings just as she was about to tread on a
wicked yellow viper; he had saved her in the
same way when she had fallen over a cliff at
the edge of the sea.

Every year, on the bird-boy's birthday, a
great gray bird would fly in from over the sea,
circle the castle thrice, and disappear, crying
mournfully.

Now when the bird-boy and Rosabella were
in their seventeenth year, it came to pass that
the King was summoned to war. His enemy
was no other than the wicked chamberlain
Malefico, who had succeeded to the kingdom
of the bird-boy's father, when that Prince had
died some years before. So the good King,
who had been a real father to the bird-boy, put
on his shining armor, kissed his dear wife and
child good-bye, and rode off to the battlefield.
The bird-boy begged and pleaded to be taken

147

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

with him as his squire, but the King would not
hear of it, and insisted that he remain in the
castle to take care of the Queen and Rosabella.
There was little cheer in the castle that unhappy
evening. And all night long, the bird-boy
thought he could hear the wings of a great
bird beating fiercely against the window-panes.

A month passed, an unhappy month in which
there were no tidings from the King. Then,
one liny morning, a messenger who had rid-
den so hard that his poor horse could scarcely
stagger, rode to the castle gate bearing very
evil news. A great battle had been fought, the
army of Rosabella's father had been completely
defeated, and the troops of the wicked Malefico
were hurrying toward the castle as fast as they
could come.

And so it was; for before the Queen had had
time to summon the people and gather to-
gether a few belongings, the troops of the
enemy burst in at the gate, and a dozen fierce
soldiers surrounded the Queen, Rosabella, and

148

THE BIRD-BOY

the bird-boy, and dragged them to Malefico.

When Malefico saw the bird-boy, a look
3f surprise appeared on his face, for he had
oelieved that the wonderful child was dead,
rhen he fell to thinking, and as he thought,
kicked purposes swept over his cruel face just
is the shadows of dark clouds sweep over a
gloomy pool.

If it were known that the winged child is
ilive," he thought, the people would tb ust
ne from my place, and restore him to nis
"ather's throne. Now that the bird-boy is in
my hands, I will destroy him, and be sure of
ny power."

So he smiled, and began to think of some
manner in which he could bring the bird-boy
bo a shameful end. At last he hit upon a plan.
He would declare that the bird-boy was not a
auman lad at all, but a witch-child; he would
then accuse the good King of having protected
i witch-child, and condemn them both to
be stoned. So he threw the King and the

149

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Queen, Rosabella and the bird-boy, into an old
dungeon-tower, and went through the mockery
of having a trial. When it was over, he sent
"a soldier to tell the King and the bird-boy that
they were to be punished the following day.

And now dawned the unhappy day. The
bird-boy took Rosabella's hand in his, and to-
gether they went to the barred window of the
prison and looked out upon the world. The
morning was fresh and fair; a pleasant south-
west wind was blowing. The King and the
bird-boy were to be led forth at noon. The
clock marked a quarter to twelve.

Dear Rosabella/7 said the bird-boy sadly,

we have forgotten that to-day is the day on
which the great gray bird comes from the
ocean and circles the castle towers. If thou
shouldst see the bird when I am gone, greet it
in my name, as we did when we were happy
children."

"The bird may come," said Rosabella amid
her sobs.

150

THE BIRD-BOY

No, Rosabella," said the bird-boy, CI shall
never see the gray bird again. And even if it
were to come, what could it do to save us from
these cruel people?"

When the clock stood at five minutes to
twelve, there was a confused noise below, and
Malefico and the judges who shared with him
the guilt of the unrighteous punishment took
their places on a kind of platform which over-
looked the place of execution.

They will soon be coming to get us," said the
King to the bird-boy.

And sure enough, they heard the jangle of
the jailer's keys at the foot of the stair.

Suddenly the sunlight in the room faded
swiftly into a strange gray gloom, and the
bird-boy rushed to the window to see if a storm
was at hand. A great shadowy cloud, advanc-
ing with inconceivable rapidity, already filled
half the sky, and as the boy gazed into this
cloud, he saw to his astonishment that it was
not a cloud at all, but hundreds and hundreds

151

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

of thousands of great gray birds, flapping their
long wings. The shadow of the birds fell over
the platform on which the cruel Malefico sat
waiting for the King and the bird-boy to be
brought forth, and then ceased moving even
as a ship that has come into harbor.

Far ahead of the vast swarm flew one lonely
bird, and suddenly this bird uttered a shrill
and piercing cry. Immediately every bird let
fall a great beach-stone which he held in his
claws, and for a long minute, the sky rained
stones, round, polished stones that fell like
bolts of thunder. When the storm was over,
and the cloud had begun to break into rifts
and speckles of light and flapping gray wings,
the wicked Malefico and his cruel nobles lay
buried forever beneath mound upon mound
of stones. The doom which Malefico had in-
tended for another had overtaken him.

The King and the Queen, Rosabella and the
bird-boy, rushed down the stairs and out into
the sunlight. As they did so, the gray bird

152

THE BIRD-BOY

who had led the cloud, sank through the air
and alighted at their feet. But scarcely had the
bird's claws touched the ground, when there
was a flash of flame, and the bird-boy's mother
stood before them. She took her son in her
arms, and told them all his history and her
misfortunes, and how she had watched over
him year after year and gathered the birds to
save him.

Thus it came to pass that, when the troops
of Malefico saw their former Queen and heard
her story, they acclaimed the bird-boy as their
rightful king, and carried him back in triumph
into his own country. So the bird-boy became
a, king, married Rosabella, and lived happily
3ver after.

THE MASTER MARINER

Once upon a time a fine young fisherman rose
early in the morning, and sailed alone to the
fishing-grounds. There was very little wind,
and beneath the speckled clouds and the cold,
pearly light of the late dawn, the broad, low
billows went slowly and unrippled to the land.

The fisherman cast anchor, and threw over-
board his lines. Suddenly his boat moved
uneasily, and close to its side the oily surface
of the pale sea broke into a tumbling mass of
foam. In the heart of the troubled waters, the
fisherman beheld, to his great astonishment,
a man clad in a strange garment of gleaming
black scales, struggling with an enormous
scarlet fish. A battle of life and death they
fought, the man of the sea trying to stab the
fish with a short dagger of shining steel, the
fish trying, wolf-like, to tear at the body of its
enemy. Now, with a swift lash of its bright
scarlet body, the fish would rush at the man;

154

THE MASTER MARINER

now, with a long sure stroke of his powerful
arms, the man would escape the attack. Sud-
denly, the fish hurled itself clear out of the
water, and falling against the man, struck
him a terrible blow with its tail. Then the
ocean man, who was stunned for a moment,
would have perished, had not the young fisher-
man swiftly seized his spear and plunged deep
into the body of the fish. Mortally wounded,
the scarlet creature sank through the sunless
waters, the dark blood flowing from its side.

The man of the sea clutched the rail of the
boat with his webbed hands, and said to the
fisherman, ' I am the King of the Caves of the
Sea. I owe you my life, and you shall have a
reward. Take this little silver fish. It will
bring you good fortune; and should you ever
be in deadly peril, you have but to cast it into
the sea, and it will come and find me."

The fisherman thanked the King of the Caves,
and took the silver fish. It was about the
length of your little finger, and had pale moon-

155

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

stones for eyes. The fisherman hung the tal-
isman on a chain and wore it round his neck.

From that morning on, everything prospered
with the youth. His boat never leaked, he
was never caught in a storm, and the fish came
to his lines and nets the instant he threw them
overboard. Within a year or two he had grown
so rich that he was able to buy the finest mer-
chant ship in the world, and became a master
mariner. Surely no more splendid fellow than
this gallant, young captain was ever found on
the Seven Seas. He sailed to cold and foggy
Flannel Land, where the inhabitants all have
incurable head colds, and have no other cloth
but red flannel; he traded in the ports of gor-
geous Velvet Land, whose inhabitants dress in
velvet, and cover their walls with velvet hang-
ings and their floors with velvet rugs.

One pleasant morning, running before a fine
westerly breeze, he came to the Eastern Islands.
Down the street of the bazaar walked the
Master Mariner, followed by those who had

156

THE MASTER MARINER

articles to sell. Some showed him bright-
colored birds which they had caught in the
forests; others waved squares of figured cloth
and called upon him to buy them; others still
offered strange flasks and bottles of brass and
gleaming copper. At the end of the street, the
Master Mariner discovered a little quiet coun-
ter on which lay some dozens of puffy and dis-
tended brown-leather bags.

"What are these?" said the Master Mariner
to a tall, lean man with beady, brown eyes who
was in charge of the shop.

" These are breezes, Master Captain," replied
the shopman. ' If you are going south, here is
a bag of a very reliable northwest wind" (he
picked up one of the brown bags) ; 'if you are
going east, here are some of the best-assorted
westerly gusts. I am selling them at a very low
price to-day, in fact at less than they cost me.
What will you have?"

" I '11 have a smart easterly, ' 'replied the Master
Mariner.

157

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

He put down fifty gold pieces on the counter,
took the bag which the shopman gave him,
and walked away.

Now all these leather bags looked very much
alike, and instead of selling the Master Mariner
a brisk easterly breeze, the shopman had made
an error, and sold him a frightful storm.

Again the Master Mariner went to sea; but
luckily for him, he put the imprisoned storm
away in a locker, intending to use it on some
other voyage. Presently he came to Silk Land,
loveliest of all the Cloth Islands. There the
inhabitants dress only in the finest of silks;
the roofs and walls are covered with layers of
silk; the sun always shines, and pretty birds
with silken plumage chatter in the fern-like
trees.

Now the island of Silk Land was at this time
ruled by the prettiest of princesses. She was
about eighteen years old; she was tall for her
age, and her eyes were quite the loveliest shade
of brown. When the Master Mariner's fine

158

Splash ! and the Master Mariner fell into the sea.

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

ship came into the harbor of Silk Land, cleav-
ing the turquoise water, and with the bright
sun shining on her silvery-white sails, the
Princess happened to be resting under a silken
awning on the roof of her palace. Catching
sight of the ship, the Princess cried to her com-
panions:—

See what a fine ship is coming into port! She
must be laden with many wonderful things.
Send word to the Captain that I intend to
visit her to-morrow morning."

The next morning, sure enough, the Princess
paid a visit to the ship, which lay at a wharf
below the palace. In honor of the Princess's
coming, everything had been swept, scrubbed,
and brightened, and gorgeous carpets from the
Eastern Islands covered the decks. In shaded
ndoks, under costly tapestries, lay the treas-
ures of the cargo — wonderful cloths and spices
from the Eastern Islands, vessels of gold and
silver from the Adamant Mountains, and jewels
from the Desert of the Moon.

160

THE MASTER MARINER

Now scarcely had the Master Mariner set
eyes on the Princess, than he began to think
her quite the most wonderful person he ever
had beheld; as for the Princess, scarcely had
the Master Mariner directed two or three re-
spectful and somewhat tender glances in her
direction, than she began to believe him quite
the most gallant youth she had ever seen. She
gave orders that several of the marvels be
brought to her palace, and was looking about
for something else, when her eyes chanced to
fall upon the silver fish the Master Mariner
was wearing.

"Pray, what is that little silver fish?" asked
the Princess.

A mere trifle which a friend once gave me/'
replied the Master Mariner, reading in the
Princess's eyes and demeanor that she desired
the talisman. 'if Your Majesty will only
deign to accept it, it is yours."

And blinded by the Princess's eyes, he gal-
lantly, but somewhat incautiously, took the

161

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

silver fish from its chain and gave it to the
Princess, who laughed prettily, and accepted
the gift.

' Silver trumpets sounded, the servitors gath-
ered up the treasures which the Princess had
chosen, and the royal party returned to the
palace with a good deal of chattering and
laughter.

In a few days, the Master Mariner disposed of
his cargo, and went again to sea. But wherever
he went, the image of the beautiful Princess of
Silk Land went with him.

Under the silken awning, on the wind-swept
balcony, sat the Princess, and the image of
the young Captain was often in her mind.

After three months had passed, the Princess
took it into her head that it was time for the
Master Mariner to return to Silk Land, and
gave orders that a sharp watch be kept from
the tower of the palace for his returning vessel.
One morning, just as the Princess was having
breakfast in her wonderful silken bed, news was

162

THE MASTER MARINER

brought to her that a large ship was headed for
the harbor.

'is it the Master Mariner's ship?" asked the
Princess.

I do not know, Your Majesty/' replied the
messenger. ' The vessel is still many miles out
to sea."

So the Princess jumped out of bed, and with-
out waiting for the ladies of the bedchamber to
dress her, ran upstairs to her balcony. A great
ship was coming in under a favoring breeze.
Nearer and nearer it came, till the Princess
could even distinguish the men aboard. Sud-
denly she uttered a little scream, and ran down
stairs pell-mell. At the same moment the bells
of Silk Land all began to ring wildly, and the
beating of drums sounded through the town.

The approaching ship was a pirate ship ! From
the topmast flew the terrible black flag of the
pirates of the Northern Isles!

Great confusion followed.

Warned by the uproar of the bells and drums,

163

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

the people came scurrying through the streets
to the palace; some carrying children in their
arms; others the best beloved of their house-
hold furnishings. The palace was hastily made
ready for a siege.

Soon, cursing and swearing, the black-bearded
pirates arrived, and began to sack the town.
Into every house they went, pulling out all the
bureau drawers, reading private letters, upset-
ting the clocks, and leaving the water running
in the kitchen sinks. They filled their pockets
with cuff-links and watches.

Now, if the pirates had taken only the cuff-
links, stick-pins, cameo brooches, silver candle-
sticks, souvenir spoons, and sugar-tongs, and
then gone away, the raid would not have been
too terrible; but the rogues, bribed by the
horrid old King of the Oyster Mountains, a
rejected suitor, were bent on getting possession
of the Princess. On discovering that she had
locked herself up in the strong palace, their
rage knew no bounds. They made a dozen

164

THE MASTER MARINER

different attempts to break open the palace
door, but all in vain. Finally, they decided to
besiege the fortress.

For four days all went well enough with the
Princess and her imprisoned people; but by the
sixth day most of the food had been eaten; and
by the end of the eighth day, the Princess knew
she would have to surrender the following morn-
ing. With a sinking heart she went to a tur-
ret and looked out over the ocean in the hope
of catching sight of a passing sail. But she
saw only the deserted town and the pirate ship
riding at anchor in the bay. An hour later she
went to the turret again, and again she saw
no sign of anything at sea. A terrible despair
seized upon her, but nevertheless once more to
the turret she climbed.

Far out at sea, headed toward land, was the
brave ship of the Master Mariner!

So great was the joy of the poor Princess at
the sight of the gallant vessel that she almost
swooned; but recovering herself, like the Prin-

165

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

cess that she was, she ran down into the court-
yard and told the news to her people. Im-
mediately those who were weak or fretful from
hunger began to take heart, and all who could
crowded to the barred windows.

The Master Mariner's vessel came riding into
the port; the watchers saw her drop anchor,
saw the boats being lowered, and the sailors
coming ashore. Soon the pirates and the sail-
ors were at it hammer and tongs; a ceaseless
clack clack of steel beating upon steel rose to
the turrets of the palace; there were dreadful
duels in the alleyways and battles in the public
squares. Alas! just as the sailors were carrying
the day, the Master Mariner received a blow
on the head which knocked him insensible, and
the mariners, disorganized by the loss of their
chief, were soon surrounded and taken prison-
ers. Then, taking heart, the pirates rushed the
palace, and burst open the doors.

When the rogues had taken everything on
which they could lay their hands, they brought

166

THE MASTER MARINER

the prisoners and the plunder to the market-
place.

" Shall we bind all these people and take them
aboard?" asked a pirate.

' No ! ' ' roared the one-eyed pirate chief. ' Take
only the Princess and that rogue of a Master
Mariner."

The people now began to cry, Oh, don't take
the Princess, our dear Princess!" But all their
prayers were useless.

Now, because the Master Mariner's ship was
far more swift and beautiful than the pirate
ship, the pirates, after setting fire to their own
vessel, abandoned her, and put their plunder
Dn board the Master Mariner's vessel. The
following morning, leaving the people of Silk
Land robbed and mourning, the pirates sailed
away.

Within a few hours, all signs of land had
disappeared. The sea was as black as ink.
Against the horizon's edge, the great waves
were leaping and breaking into foam.

167

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Bring me the list of booty!" cried the pirate
captain, roaring the last word.

So the pirate treasurer came on deck, and
read a long list beginning, —
Fifty-three scarf-pins."
Hooray!" shouted the pirate crew.
A hundred and eighty-five sterling silver
berry-spoons," next announced the treasurer.
Hooray!" cried the crew again.
One thousand clocks!" cried the treasurer.
How many with alarms?" asked an old
pirate anxiously.

There was a strained silence. The treasurer
consulted his list.

Seven hundred and forty-nine," he answered.
' Hooray!" yelled the pirate crew.
When the list had been read (it took very
nearly half an hour to do it) the one-eyed cap-
tain cried, ' Bring forth the Master Mariner!"
So the Master Mariner was brought forth,
and thrown brutally against a mast. The
pirate chief put his arms akimbo, cleared his

168

THE MASTER MARINER

throat savagely, and roared, "So you thought
you were going to punish me, did you! Well,
I'll show you what happens to people who
upset my plans. Here, Hawk Eye, and you,
Toby, throw this fellow overboard.'7

Hearing this awful order, the Princess
screamed and would have run to the Master
Mariner, had not rude hands restrained her.

Splash! the Mariner fell into the inky sea.
Swift as a bird, his own ship went by him; he
saw the mocking face of the pirate chief leering
at him from over the rail; in a few minutes he
was alone, all, all alone in the wide, wide sea.
For some time he swam about, and by great
good luck discovered a log of wood strong
enough to bear his weight, floating near at
hand. Upon this he climbed, and there we
shall leave him for the present.

When the Captain had disappeared from sight
miles behind, the pirate chief walked over to
the Princess, and looking at her, said sneer-
ingly, 'Well, my beauty, are you going to

169

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

make up your mind to be the wife of the King
of the Oyster Mountains? I'm taking you to
him, and mind now, no fooling!"

The Princess shrank from him with horror,
and as she fell back, the sun gleamed on the
silver fish she was wearing at her throat. The
chief made a rude snatch at it; the Princess,
however, was quicker than he, and hit him a
good box on the ear.

Ow!" cried the chief, dancing up and down
with rage. I'll fix you, you ill-tempered minx.
Here, somebody, tie this girl to the mast for
the rest of the day, and give her nothing but
bread and water."

In obedience to his order, the Princess, with
her arms tied by the wrists behind her back,
was lashed to the mast. When she had been
securely bound, the chief, whose ear was still
tingling, took the silver fish. He was looking
at it when he saw something which made him
drop the fish on the deck.

Out of the forecastle door thick clouds of

170

THE MASTER MARINER

black mist were rolling, exactly as if the hold
of the ship were on fire. For a meddlesome
pirate had found the leather bag of storm-wind
and had opened it, mistaking it for a bag of
wine.

The strange clouds, swirling round the deck,
grew instant by instant darker and denser.
Soon the tops of the masts could no longer be
distinguished. The sun took on a horrible cop-
per hue, and the sea became a mottled black
and green. A howling wind arose.

A moment later, with the violence of an ex-
plosion, the storm burst. Mountain-high rose
the glassy white-capped waves. The lightning
fell in violet cataracts, and thunder roared and
tumbled through the caverns of the sky. An
ocean of hissing rain fell into the waters.

Suddenly the pirate chief, as he staggered
down the stairs, shouted, We are lost!"

Just astern, an enormous, glassy wave, higher
than the masts of the ship, was about to
break. The pirates yelled, but little good their

171

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

yelling did them. An instant later the wave
broke upon the deck, and crashing tons of
green water swept every single pirate into the
sea. Slowly, and with the tense struggle of a
wounded animal, the good ship lifted itself
from the waves.

The Princess was the only human being left
on board. Only the cords which bound her to
the mast had saved her from being swept away.

Now, when the water swept the deck, the sil-
ver fish which lay at the Princess's feet became
alive and darted over the rail into the sea.

The storm continued. The helpless Princess
expected every minute to sink with the ship
into the roaring waters. Suddenly, to her hor-
ror, a high rocky island appeared a few miles
ahead. Toward this island, over whose cruel
reefs the ocean was foaming and breaking, the
ship was drifting fast. Tied to the mast, the
Princess listened to the terrible cry of the break-
ers, and, spell-bound, watched the jagged rocks
of the island ever drawing nearer.

172

THE MASTER MARINER

Now while the Princess was in this terrible
situation, the Master Mariner, who had been
blown before the storm like a feather, also
came in sight of the rocky island. The instant
he caught sight of the shore, and heard the
roaring of the breakers, he knew that he could
not hope to reach the land. He was on the
edge of the reefs when the King of the Caves of
the Sea, who had been summoned by the sil-
ver fish, rose out of the water beside him, and
taking him in his webbed hands, swam with
him to a place of safety. Just as they reached
the shallows, the mists of the tempest parted,
and driving through the darkness and the
storm, headed for the reefs, came the Master
Mariner's ship with the Princess tied to the
mast.

Oh, save her! Save the Princess!" cried the
Master Mariner.

The King of the Caves of the Sea stretched out
his hands over the island and uttered a strange
and mysterious word. So awful was its power

173

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

that the rocky cliffs split open, forming a safe
and sheltered harbor. Into this port came the
ship, safe at last as a bird in its nest.

So the Master Mariner, the Princess, and the
ship were all wonderfully preserved, and when
the storm was over, the King of the Caves saw
them home to Silk Land. There the Master
Mariner found his crew waiting for him, and in
a few days they had rigged new sails for the
ship which were even whiter than the old. The
inhabitants got back the fifty-three scarf pins,
the hundred and eighty-five sterling silver berry-
spoons, the thousand clocks, and the rest of
the booty which the pirates had stowed away
in the Master Mariner's ship.

Great was the rejoicing.

Greater still was the joy, however, when the
Master Mariner married the Princess.

THE MARVELOUS DOG

AND THE

WONDERFUL CAT

Once upon a time there was an old enchanter
who taught magic and enchantment to the
younger fairies. Year after year, and morning
after morning, he was to be found at his school-
room in the Fairies' College, standing between

175

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

his desk and a blackboard, now writing down
the spell for turning noses into turnips, now
changing sunflower seeds into pearls before the
very eyes of his pupils.

The old enchanter liked this life of quiet and
study, and doubtless would have been teaching
in Fairyland to this very day, had he not been
so unfortunate as to quarrel with the terrible
sorcerer Zidoc, who was then Lord High Chan-
cellor of the Fairies' College. I have forgotten
exactly what the quarrel was about, but I think
that it had to do with the best spell for causing
castles to fall to pieces in an instant. At any
rate, Zidoc, who considered himself quite the
most wonderful enchanter in Fairyland, was
furious at being opposed, and told the old
enchanter, very angrily, that he was not to
have his classes any more and must leave the
college at once. So the poor old gentleman
packed up his magic books, put his enchanter's
wand into its silver case, and went to the coun-
try one pleasant day in search of a house.

176

THE WONDERFUL DOG AND CAT

Thanks to the advice of a friendly chimney
swift, it did not take him long to find one. The
dwelling was the property of the Fairy Jocapa.
It stood just off the high road, close by a lane of
great oaks whose shiny, fringed leaves glistened
in the hot noon-day sun; it had a high roof with
sides steep as mountain slopes, and one great
chimney; and its second story thrust itself out
over the first in the old-fashioned way. Green
fields, little hills, and pleasant meadows in
which red and white cows were grazing lay
behind the dwelling.

Seeing the front door wide open, the enchanter
walked in. It was very quiet. Only the far
away klingle-klangle of a cow-bell could be
heard.

"Here shall I live," said the enchanter. And
he brought his possessions to the house.

Now, one autumnal morning, when a blue
haze hung over the lonely fields from which the
reapers had departed, and the golden leaves
were wet underfoot, the old enchanter went for

177

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

a walk down the lane, and finding the day
agreeable, kept on until he found himself in
the woods. Arriving at the crest of a little hill
Si the woodland, he saw below him, almost
at the foot of the slope, a countryman with a
white puppy and a black kitten following at
his heels. The little dog barked merrily out of
pure high spirits, whilst the kitten leaped and
struck with its tiny paws at the passing white
butterflies.

As the old enchanter approached the coun-
tryman, he happened to hear him say to the
animals, —

"Alas, my poor innocents, what a pity that I
should have to abandon you!"

" What's that?" said the enchanter, halting
the countryman. ''You intend to abandon
these helpless creatures?"

"Alas, I must," replied the countryman, pull-
ing a large blue bandanna handkerchief from
his pocket and applying it to the corners of his
eyes. "We are too poor to be able to feed

178

THE WONDERFUL DOG AND CAT

them, and my children love them so well that
I cannot find it in my heart to do them harm.
I am taking them into these woods to abandon
them, in the hope that, like the wild animals,
they will soon learn to shift for themselves."

"Give them to me," said the old enchanter,
"I will bring them up." The countryman
nodded his head. "As for you, here is a golden
florin. May it bring you better fortune."

Thus did the white puppy and black kitten
change hands.

Once he had led the animals safely home, the
enchanter resolved to make them the most
wonderful animals that had ever been seen in
the whole wide world, whether in Fairyland or
out of it. Being an enchanter, he could, of
course, do this more easily than other people.
So he taught the cat and the dog all the known
languages, then history, arithmetic, dancing,
social deportment, and a variety of the best
magic and spells. The cat, as was to be ex-
pected, was particularly good on anything that

179

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

had ' cat ' in it; he once catalogued all the prin-
cipal catastrophes; while the dog, although a
good student, had a fancy for writing doggerel.
Many and many a time, when the enchanter
and his wonderful animals were seated in their
armchairs round a blazing fire, talking exactly
as any three good friends might talk, a nose
would flatten itself against the panes, and the
three companions would see looking in at them
some stranger whose curiosity had got the
better of his manners.

The dog, I may say, had grown up to be a fine
fellow of the short-haired, white bull terrier
family; the cat had grown to be as aristocratic
as a panther. When their education was com-
plete, the animals came to their teacher and
begged him to let them go away and see the
world. For a long time the enchanter, who
loved his charges very much indeed, resisted
their request; but as they continued to press
him, he came at length to yield. Calling them
before him, he said to them: —

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THE WONDERFUL DOG AND CAT

"Well, dear pupils, if you must go, you must
go. I owe the Fairy Jocapa twelve months rent
for this house. She is now living with her
nephew, the King of the Land of the Runaway
Rivers. You shall take twelve golden florins
to her. Your route will take you over all the
kingdoms of the whole wide world.' '

So the white dog, who was the stronger of.
the two, took the purse with the twelve golden
coins, and put it in a large wallet which he wore
at his side, and then both the wonderful ani-
mals said good-bye. At the corner of the lane
they turned again to look for the last time at
their dwelling, and saw their old master still
waving at them from the little window over
the door. Then they fared over the hills and
far away.

So wise, so well-bred and good-tempered were
these wonderful animals, that their journey
across the world was a great success from the
beginning. Their fame spread from kingdom
to kingdom like wild-fire. The universities,

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

colleges, and other learned societies fought with
each other for the privilege of entertaining
these distinguished students . To this very day,
the address which the cat made on catapults
and cataplasms, before the professors of the
University of Sagessa, is remembered as one of
the great events of the time ; while the dog's
address on dogma before the assembled schol-
ars of the Royal Academy of Fairyland was
printed in a special book bound in gold leaf
and walpus leather. Both the cat and the dog
were awarded countless honorary decorations.
And so, little by little, they came to a hilly
land in which all the streams raced pell-mell
to the sea, and there they knew themselves to
be in the Kingdom of the Runaway Rivers. A
three days' journey brought them to the royal
castle. Arriving in the twilight, they were
somewhat surprised to find a number of torch-
bearers waiting for them in the castle court-
yard. With great respect, these attendants
conducted the cat and the dog into a little ante-

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THE WONDERFUL DOG AND CAT

room, and then retired, leaving them alone.
A few minutes later, a very old woman, who,
the animals noticed, was stone-blind, came to
take them before the king.

"How strange! " whispered the cat in its
rather meouw-y voice.

" Very/' whispered back the dog in his deeper
tone.

Having opened, one after the other, three
great doors with three different iron keys, the
old woman, guiding herself by touching the
wall with her hand, led the animals into a long
dark corridor. The cat, who could see quite
well in the dark, did not mind this, but the
dog was not particularly pleased. The echoes
of the old woman's boots went rolling along in
the hollow darkness; the dog could hear his
heart beat, and saw his black companion's eyes
glowing like pools of flame. Then, to their
mutual relief, the animals saw a point of light
appearing far down the passage, and on reach-
ing this, they discovered a second blind old

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woman holding a torch. The first old woman
beckoned them to follow this new guide, and
disappeared again into the dark corridors by
which they had arrived.

The second old woman, lifting high the torch,
first led her charges through three more great
doors, all of which she carefully locked behind
her. Soon the animals found themselves at
the top of a winding stair whose end was lost
in darkness. Down this stair they went, turn-
ing, ever turning, down and round, down and
round, till both cat and dog felt dizzily that
they must have reached the heart of the earth.
Then, little by little, a pin-point of light began
to glow brighter and brighter, and the animals
found themselves at the foot of the stairs and
opposite a little door. And there, by this door,
stood another blind old woman, who held a
torch and beckoned to the animals to follow.

Three more doors they passed, the last one
opening on a very narrow, winding passage.
In and out they turned, walking one behind the

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THE WONDERFUL DOG AND CAT

other, for a time that seemed very, very long.
Suddenly a narrow door appeared in the wind-
ing wall, which opened inward as they drew
near, revealing a beautiful round chamber
riclily furnished and hung with the finest tap-
estries. Beside the fireplace, in which a wood-
fire was cheerily burning, sat a gray-haired lady,
who was no other than the Fairy Jocapa, and
in the centre of the room, reading a great book
by the light of many candles, sat a young man,
the King.

In spite of the enchanter's careful training in
manners, the cat and the dog, I am sorry to
say, almost stared for an instant at the King.
Small wonder that they did so, for the unfor-
tunate young man lay under a horrid spell, and
his face and hands were not pink or white
or sun-brown, like yours or mine, but bright
green, like a parrot's wing!

" Welcome, 0 wonderful animals," said the
enchanted King. "Your fame has gone before
you into every land, and it is said that there is

185

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

no question you cannot answer. Listen, then,
to my story and help me if you can.

"You see me before you, hideously changed.
Until you entered here, an instant past, no
eyes but those of my aunt had beheld my horri-
ble countenance. It was she who caused this
enchanted chamber to appear in the heart of
the foundations of my castle; and in this cham-
ber I have hidden since that terrible hour when
the spell was put upon me. My subjects only
know that I am still alive . The Lord Chancellor
rules the kingdom in my stead. But hearken
to my story.

Ten months ago, as I was driving my chariot
down a narrow road built along a river-bank
close to the stream, I encountered a chariot
being driven furiously in the opposite direction.
The driver of the chariot was a tall, elderly
man, wearing a wizard's cap; his face was red
as with anger, an evil light gleamed in his small
malicious eyes. In order to let him pass, I
turned to one side, as near to the river-brink as

186

THE WONDERFUL DOG AND CAT

I dared; but the space was too narrow, our
chariots locked wheels, and his was overthrown.
Turning upon me a face aflame with hatred,
he cried out, 'I will teach you what it is to
offend the Enchanter Zidoc'; and an instant
later the wizard himself, the struggling horses,
and the overturned chariot disappeared in a
rumble of thunder and a great flash of flame.
"I turned homeward, never noticing that any-
thing had happened to me. As I chanced to
pass a roadside cottage, a little child playing
about saw me and ran, screaming for fear,
to the door. A little farther on, I stopped to
drink of a spring. Judge of my horror when I
leaned over the clear pool of water and saw that
my face had turned a bright green! I waited
till nightfall, stole into the castle unobserved,
and sought the aid of my aunt, the fairy. You
know the rest. Speak, 0 wonderful dog and
wonderful cat, and bid me hope a little!"

And the poor King hid his bright green face
in his hands.

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"The Enchanter Zidoc is an old enemy of our
dear master/' said the white dog, "and his
power as a sorcerer is the greatest in Fairy-
land."

'I have tried all my powers against him in
vain," said the Fairy Jocapa, sadly.

"But let us not despair," broke in the cat.
"Zidoc is now to be found in these dominions.
His castle lies on the border of the Silver Hills.
The dog and I will go there, and see if we can
help the King."

So the Fairy and the unhappy King thanked
the wise animals, and sent for the blind old
women to lead them back to the upper world.
Early next morning, the famous pair began
the journey to the Enchanter's den. The dog's
plan was to pretend to be but an everyday
stray dog, and to this end, he rolled several
times in a mud-puddle; the cat, too, was to
appear as a stray cat, and neglected his fine
black coat in order to look the part.

Unfortunately for their plan, Zidoc had in

188

THE WONDERFUL DOG AND CAT

his chamber a little enchanted bell which rang
shrilly when danger threatened him. Hearing
the bell ring late at night, Zidoc rose from his
bed, and hurrying to the turret window, saw,
by the light of the waning moon, the dog and
the cat making their way to the castle through
the wood. • Rubbing his hands with glee, he
determined to let the two animals walk head-
long into his power, and then inflict upon them
some terrible revenge.

The first day the dog went indoors, and con-
cealed himself under a sofa, while the cat re-
mained outside. When twilight came, the dog
ran out and met the cat in the castle garden.

"Did you discover anything?" asked the cat.

" Nothing whatever," replied the dog.

"I will try to-morrow," said the cat.

And so, when the morning came, the dog re-
mained outside while the cat concealed himself
behind a curtain. When the twilight came,
the animals met again.

" Did you discover anything?" asked the dog.

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

"Very little/' replied the cat. "The Sorcerer
Serponel is coming to-morrow to pay Zidoc a
visit. One of us must hide in the room in which
they will talk; for perhaps we may learn some-
thing which may help us to lift the spell from
the King."

11 To-morrow it is my turn," said the dog.
And so the next morning he stole into the house
and hid again beneath the sofa.

Now Zidoc knew very well where the dog had
concealed himself. Moreover, he had sum-
moned the powerful Serponel to his aid in
order that the dog and the cat should have no
opportunity to escape.

When Serponel arrived, both the wicked
enchanters went to the room in which the
dog lay concealed. First, Zidoc locked the only
door with a great key and then he said to
Serponel, —

"Brother, someone tells me that there is an
enemy hidden under the sofa."

"Yes, brother," replied the dreadful Serponel.

190

THE WONDERFUL DOG AND CAT

"And something tells me that it is time to let
him feel your staff."

Now Zidoc had an enchanted staff whose
blows were mortal, and knowing this, the poor
dog, who was trapped between the wall and
the two sorcerers, grew cold with fear to the tip
of his white tail. Just as he was about to make
a bolt into the open, Zidoc dragged the sofa
swiftly aside, and aimed a terrible blow at him,
which by the greatest good luck just missed its
mark. He then ran out into the room, pur-
sued by the sorcerers, who little by little forced
him toward a corner.

And now, just as Zidoc, holding the staff up-
lifted, was about to strike the poor dog with all
his force, a black shape, with flaming eyes and
paws outstretched to scratch, leaped through
the open window and landed upon Zidoc's back.
It was the brave cat, who had heard the fracas
from his hiding-place below and had clawed
his way up the castle wall to help his friend.
Valiant Puss, forgetting in one instant, I must

191

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

admit, all its knowledge of languages, catas-
trophes, history, social deportment, and agri-
culture, plunged instantly into the fray, and
gave Zidoc a frightful scratch, which so upset
him that it caused him to drop his staff, while
the dog profiting by the confusion, and forget-
ting all about geometry, mathematics, agricul-
ture, and dogma, managed to give Serponel a
good bite just above the ankle.

The wily Zidoc, however, was not to be so
easily thwarted. Uttering a magic word, he
caused the room to be filled with darkness, and
in the cover of this darkness he transformed
himself instantly into a black cat exactly like
the learned cat, while Serponel changed him-
self into a white dog exactly like the learned
dog. At the same moment he caused the locked
door to fly open.

"Now," thought he, "I will cause the cat to
follow the wrong white dog, and the dog to
follow the wrong cat; we shall thus separate
the animals, and when we have lured them

192 ■

THE WONDERFUL DOG AND CAT

far away from each other, Serponel and I will
resume our true forms, and destroy these med-
dlesome creatures."

When the darkness cleared, the hearts of the
true animals fell for fear lest the sorcerer's ruse
be successful; but they met the challenge read-
ily, and instead of fleeing, stood their ground;
the true dog battling with the false dog, the
real cat with the false cat. Never was such a
hullaballoo heard in Fairyland. Then, seeing
that he was in danger of being badly scratched,
Zidoc brought on another darkness, the floor
of the castle shook, a noise as of thunder roared
and rattled through the room. When the
darkness ended, both the enchanters had been
separated and the cats were confused, the real
dog was chasing the real cat, thinking that he
was following Zidoc, while Serponel, who had
been the false white dog, was pursuing Zidoc,
who had been the false black cat! Down the
stairs, over the terraces and the gardens ran
the true dog, pursuing the true cat, while in-

193

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

doors, up and down through the rooms and
over the furniture, raced the false animals.

The poor cat, thinking he was being pursued
by the wrong dog, grew short of breath, and,
hearing the snapping at his heels, ran up a con-
venient tree. Hardly had he reached a point
above the dog's jaws when a voice said: —

uWhy, my pupils, my pupils! What a way
to behave ! Stop your quarreling this instant V '

The animals turned to look, and saw their
master, the old enchanter. He had been wor-
ried by their long absence and had gone forth to
look for them. Thus, at the same moment that
the poor dog saw that he had been pursuing
his friend, the cat saw that he had been escap-
ing from his comrade.

Suddenly a noise from the castle arrested
their attention, and on looking up, all saw
through the windows the false dog pursuing
the false cat down the hall of state.

Now, if you remember the first part of this
story, you will recall that Zidoc quarreled with

194

« THE WONDERFUL DOG AND CAT

the old enchanter over the right spell for de-
stroying castles. A triumphant smile shone
on the lips of the old teacher; he stretched forth
his hand toward the castle and uttered a magic
word.

There was a roar as of twenty thousand cata-
racts, and in the twinkling of an eye, the castle
collapsed in a cloud of dust, burying the two
wicked magicians in its ruins.

" There, I told him so!" said the old en-
chanter.

When the dog and the cat had recovered from
the events of the day, the three friends began
their journey back to the palace of the en-
chanted King. He came to the castle gate to
meet them, for Zidoc's overthrow had broken
the spell which had so oddly disfigured him.
Through the open doors, a splendid banquet
could be seen waiting, and the sound of music
was heard.

So the old enchanter gave his arm to the Fairy
Jocapa, the Prince gave his to the white dog,

195

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK i

and the cat followed all by himself. Then came
the host of rejoicing courtiers.
When the festival was over, the enchanter and
the wonderful animals went back, loaded with
royal gifts, to their own little house and lived
happily there to a good old age.

THE SHEPHERD OF
CLOUDS

Once upon a time a young husband and wife
named Giles and Phyllida lived in a cottage in
the heart of a great plain. League upon league,
the rich land fell away to the west, there to end
at a wall of high mountains into whose fast-
nesses no one had ever ventured. Yet the
mountains were very beautiful. In the cold of

197

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

a clear winter's day, the snowy summits and
rust-colored pinnacles shone bright and near
at hand; in the spring, fogs hid them, and lay
like gray mantles upon the lower slopes. Mid-
way in the mountain wall, a wide chasm marked
the entrance to a deep, gloomy valley, out of
which a roaring mountain torrent hurried, to
lose itself in the plain below. And because
somewhere in the heart of this dark valley
storms were brewed, whose dark clouds, laden
with lightning and hail, poured from between
the crags of the valley out over the land, this
valley was known as the Valley of Thunder.
According to an old legend, out of this valley
a king should one day come to rule over the
people of the plain.

Giles and Phyllida kept house by themselves.
They had two cows, one red and white, the
other black and white, a flock of hens, some
hives of bees, a white horse, a dog, and a cat.
All day long Phyllida worked happily at the
household tasks, baking the sweet white bread

198

THE SHEPHERD OF CLOUDS

and marking the fresh golden butter into
square pats, while Giles went out to work in
the waving grain; and Phyllida, watching from
a window, would see the sun flash on the up-
lifted blade of her husband's scythe.

One day Phyllida said to Giles: —

' I have made a dress for the youngest child
of our cousins, Jack and Jill, and this morning
I shall saddle the white horse and ride over to
their cottage. Perhaps I may stay with them
for a few days. You will find a fresh baking of
bread and a meat-pie in the larder. Good-bye,
Giles; I'll soon be home again."

So Giles answered, Good-bye," and away
rode Phyllida on the white horse.

A few days passed, and Giles, wandering here
and there through the quiet house, felt very
lonely indeed. Finally he could stand it no
longer, and said to himself, "Phyllida must be
on her way home now; I shall walk down the
highway and meet her."

So he turned all the animals loose in the

199

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

fields, and putting a few slices of bread and
cheese in his pockets, set forth upon the road.
Leagues ahead of him stood the mysterious
mountains rising palely through the haze of
the midsummer afternoon. A pale violet light
fell on their distant precipices, and the snow in
the rifts upon their sides appeared of the purest
and loveliest white. Gusts of wind hurrying
from the distant summits swept the great plain,
and the fields of ripening wheat bent before
them and rustled harshly.

Suddenly, down the throat of the Thunder
Valley, Giles saw a river of lightning fall, and
from far away came a low murmur of thunder.
Then, faster and faster, a storm poured down
the chasm like a flood, drowning out the light
of the sun, stilling the songs of the little birds,
and turning to the sky the pale underside of
the leaves of the roadside trees. A darkness as
of night itself covered the land. Rain began to
fall in great spattering drops. Now, by the
glare of the lightning, Giles would see the end-

200

THE SHEPHERD OF CLOUDS

less fields, drenched and waving in the rain;
now the Thunder Valley itself, covered' with a
floor of onrushing cloud unfolding, turning,
and sinking in continuous and multitudinous
activity.

Night came on amid the storm, and a flash
of lightning revealed to Giles that he had lost
his way. Hoping to find a shelter or some
friendly cottage, however, he plunged on; but
the road became worse and worse, and he was
again and again forced to wade brooks flooded
by the tempest. At length his steps led him
into a pine wood, and there in the thickest part
he found a little shelter, and fell asleep.

When he woke, numb, cramped, and cold, he
found to his horror that in the night and dark-
ness he had blundered on into the Valley of
Thunder, into which no living soul had ever
before advanced. Worst of all, he could not
find the way by which he had entered, for high
crags rose on every side and held him prisoner.
Presently, to his amazement, he beheld a nar-

201

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

row flight of steps cut in the solid rock of the
mountainside. Up these steps climbed Giles,
and as he mounted higher, the stairs began to
twist and turn amid the crags and pinnacles.
At the end of an hour's ascent, he found him-
self at a turn from which the Thunder Valley,
the chasm through which it opened into the
plain, and the wide plain itself, could all be
seen.

Giles lingered there a while, trying to see his
own cottage, or perhaps Phyllida on her white
horse; but he could see neither one nor the
other. So he began to climb again. All day
long he climbed and climbed and climbed.
Twilight fell. The circle of the sun dropped
below the level horizon of the distant fields.
One still golden star hung on the fringe of the
sun-glow. The stairs began to widen, and
presently Giles found himself at the summit of
the mountain. Before his eyes lay a little level
field surrounded by strange crags and pinna-
cles, looming tall and black against the fast-

202

THE SHEPHERD OF CLOUDS

appearing stars, and as Giles rubbed his eyes
in wonder, lights shone here and there in the
sides of the towering rocks, even as lights shine
in the windows of a village when you see it from
afar.

Giles rubbed his eyes again. Lights? What
could they mean? Presently a great door, cut
in the side of a towering mass of stone, opened
with a burst of light, and toward Giles there
hurried the two strangest creatures whom he
had ever seen. These were two elves, alike as
two peas and each about three feet tall. In-
stead of having ears much like other elves,
however, the first one had ears like great curved
cornucopias, which projected almost a foot
on each side of his enormous round head,
while the other, whose ears were quite natural,
had but one huge eye in the centre of his fore-
head.

Without saying a single word, these strange
elves seized Giles by the hands, and after hur-
rying him across the open space, urged him

203

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

through the open doors into the house in the
crags.

Still keeping silence, the elves led Giles through
hundreds of splendid rooms and great halls, all
lighted by hanging lamps as countless in num-
ber as the leaves upon the trees. Suddenly, a
great archway rose before them, through which
appeared a hall larger and brighter than all
the others seen before. At one end of it, under
a canopy of rosy-gray, stood a golden throne,
and on the throne sat a being dressed in radiant
blue — in blue such as the sky wears after a
rain, when the dark clouds with bright edges
break asunder and reveal the glory overhead.
At the same moment, the countless mountain
elves gathered in the hall began to sing: —

"All Hail, All Hail to the Shepherd of Clouds,

Who, high in his mountain-top, rules o'er the
weather;
He sends the rich rain over mountain and plain,
And sprinkles the dew-drops afar o'er the
heather."

The elves led Giles before the Shepherd.

204

THE SHEPHERD OF CLOUDS

How comest thou, mortal, to invade my
mountain ?" said the Shepherd.
"I went forth to seek Phyllida," said Giles,
and lost my way in the storm."

What sayest thou, Eye-o?" said the Shep-
herd to the elf with the single great eye in his
forehead.

'The mortal speaks the truth," answered
Eye-o in the queerest, squealiest voice. " I saw
him set out yesterday from his cottage on the
plain. He had not gone far when the storm
which Your Mightiness prepared in the morn-
ing and sent forth in the afternoon overtook
him. He lost his way, and chance led him to
your dwelling, 0 Shepherd of Clouds."

'What sayest thou, Ear-o?" said the Shep-
herd to the elf with the great ears.

I heard him say good-bye to his wife Wednes-
day last," replied the elf in a voice exactly like
that of his brother. Phyllida said to him,
' You will find a fresh baking of bread and a
meat-pie in the larder.' "

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

The Shepherd of Clouds fixed his deep, solemn
gaze upon Giles and said: —

" Mortal, I have hearkened to your story and
to the words of my faithful Eye-o, who sees all
things that happen in the whole wide world;
I have paid heed to the words of Ear-o, who
hears all things that are to be heard under the
sun. Chance has led you to discover the secret
of the weather. Nevermore must you revisit
the lower world. Here shall you stay till Death
overtakes you. Obey me, and I will give you
happiness and honor; seek to escape, and my
lightnings will find you wheresoever you may
hide."

"Oh, no! no! no!" cried poor Giles, throwing
himself down before the throne. " Great Shep-
herd of Clouds, do not keep me here. Let me
return to my cottage on the plain, to Phyllida
who waits for me, and knows not whither I am
gone or whether I am living or dead. Oh, let
me go, let me go!"

But the Shepherd only shook his head aus-

206

THE SHEPHERD OF CLOUDS

terely, and rising from his throne, disappeared
behind the rose-gray curtains. Again the
mountain elves sang, and as they sang, the
great hall slowly grew darker than the darkest
night, and cold gusts of wind arose wailing in
the darkness. Presently Giles felt his body
grow weak, strong hands seized him and bore
him up, and an instant later a deep sleep
blotted out the world.

When he awoke, he found himself in a little
room. Dawn was at hand, and the sweet, cold
mountain air was blowing through the eastern
window. Suddenly, the door swung open, and
Eye-o and Ear-o entered.

"The sun is rising, Giles," said Ear-o, "and
your appointed task awaits you. The Shep-
herd wishes the clouds released at once. Hurry,
hurry, hurry, Giles, and open their prison-
door."

So Giles went forth with the elves. Over the
summit of the mountain they ran, along a
path which wandered here and there — now

207

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

dodging between huge boulders, now skirting
terrible precipices. Presently Giles saw a mon-
strous wall of rock rising before him, in which
were fixed two brazen doors taller and more
stately than he had ever seen in the world
below. Beside these doors, a flight of steps
began, which led to the top of the wall.

Curious to see what lay behind the wall and
the closed doors, Giles hurried to the top. He
found himself standing at the brink of a great
bowl, many miles wide and many miles long,
hollowed out of the very rock of the mountain-
top. Within this bowl, like a giant flock of
sheep, lay hundreds of clouds on whose misty
tops the rising sun poured gold, pale lavender,
and rose. At first, Giles thought them mo-
tionless, but as he gazed intently within the
bowl, he saw that the clouds moved and swayed
much like anchored ships in a tide.

This bowl was the weather-bowl. In it the
Shepherd of Clouds prepared the weather for
the neighboring countries. One day he would

208

THE SHEPHERD OF CLOUDS

keep the fair-weather clouds at home and let
the rain-clouds sail over the land; on another
day, he would keep all the clouds in and let the
sun shine; on other days he would mix together
such frosts, mists, and snow-flurries as the
season required.

Suddenly, ringing infinitely sweet over the
mountain-top, rose the clear music of a silver
horn.

"it is the Shepherd!" cried Eye-o and Ear-o.

The hour is at hand to send the clouds over
the earth. Quick, Giles, unbar the doors!"

So Giles unbound the giant doors, which of
their own volition opened wide. A sound as of
thunder heard from far away over the sea beat
upon Giles's ear as the portals turned upon
their hinges. In answer to this sound, the
clouds rose and lifted their golden heads, and
hastening to the brazen doors, one by one es-
caped through them to the sunlit spaces of
the morning sky. There, they formed them-
selves into a fleet, and sailed majestically away.

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Thus Giles became the servant of the Shep-
herd of Clouds. It was his task to unbar the
door when the Shepherd had prepared the
weather; it was his to lock the clouds in, once
they had returned from the heavens in answer
to the Shepherd's summoning horn. In time
he came to know the rain-clouds from their
fair-weather brothers; he learned how frosts
were sent forth; how fogs were made; and he
was even allowed to prepare a small storm.
He saw the icy caverns in which the hail-stones
lie piled in monstrous bags, the lightning-
bolts in their crystal jars, and even the prisoned
storm-winds. You may be sure that, when
he could so arrange it, Phyllida's garden had
quite the finest variety of weather. For Eye-o
and Ear-o would tell him about her.

"Tell me, what is Phyllida doing?" Giles
would say again and again.

And Eye-o would answer, " She is out in the
garden gathering plums"; or, "she is in the
kitchen making gingerbread."

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THE SHEPHERD OF CLOUDS

And then Giles would say to Ear-o, " Tell me,
what is Phyllida saying?"

And Ear-o would answer, *'" Oh, would that
my lad were home!' "

Two years passed, and Giles, who had found
no opportunity of escape, began to lose hope
of doing so. Never again, he feared, would he
see Phyllida. One day, with Eye-o and Ear-o
by his side, he sat on a great boulder and gazed
gloomily down on the plain. Spring was just
ripening into early summer, the plain was at
its very greenest and loveliest, and here and
there a little blue wood-smoke hung over the
tiny villages. Giles thought of Phyllida far,
far away, and a terrible loneliness poured into
his heart. Eye-o and Ear-o sitting beside him,
their long, strange arms clasped about their
knees, looked on with sympathy. Presently
Ear-o' s right ear turned itself about, and after
a moment's silence, the elf said: —

"I hear voices telling of war. I hear the Rob-
ber King of the Black Lakes summoning his

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

terrible army. He is preparing a secret attack
on the people of the plain."

"I see him! I see him!" cried Eye-o. "He is
talking to the Grand Chamberlain Scelerato,"

1 Listen," said Ear-o; "he is saying, 'We will
sweep the land at dawn, steal the grain, and
destroy every village to its foundation.' "

"I see the robbers gathering," said Eye-o.
"They are hiding in the dark pine forests, lest
they be seen by the people of the plain. The
sunlight pierces here and there through the
thick branches and shines on the breastplates
of the armed men."

At this terrible news, Giles was stricken to
the heart with anxiety and fear. What was to
become of Phyllida and the people of the plain?
If he could only hurry down the mountain
and warn them! If he could only escape! And
he looked round eagerly, as he had looked a
thousand times before, for any avenue of escape;
but his gaze met only the great precipices of
the mountain and the guarded stairs. What

212

THE SHEPHERD OF CLOUDS

could he do? His heart became like ice, and
he feared to gaze upon the plain lest he see the
smoke of burning villages. All night long he
never closed his eyes. At dawn he rose and
hurried to the top of the gate which overlooked
the cloud-bowl. For two whole weeks, not a
cloud had been allowed to roam the sky, and
it seemed to Giles that the mists were angry,
and that a darkness brooded upon them. Turn-
ing toward the plain, Giles saw, at the edge of
the land, a little glow of fire. The robbers
had invaded the plain!

Presently Eye-o came clambering up the steps.

" I see a village in flames, " said the elf. " The
inhabitants are fleeing down the roads. The
news is spreading, and the people of the plain
are hurrying to seek refuge in the mountains."

"Oh, where is Phyllida?" cried Giles.

"She is on the highway with Jack and Jill
and their children, hastening toward the Valley
of Thunder," answered the elf.

Suddenly Giles stood up, and throwing his

213

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

arms high over his head, uttered a loud shout.
"I can save them," he cried. "Let us send a
storm against the robbers. Hurry, let us pre-
pare the worst tempest that ever was seen."

And away he ran to the hail-stone caverns,
and carrying bag after bag to the brim, emptied
them all into the weather-bowl; he then tossed
in a dozen skinsful of the fiercest storm-winds,
and ended by casting in all the jars of thunder-
bolts that were to be found in the cavern. You
should have heard the crash of the crystal vases
on the rocky floor of the weather-bowl, and the
hiss with which the lightning escaped and hid
in the rolling edges of the clouds. The great
bowl roared and trembled, the clouds massed
together and grew dark; lightning played over
the black crests of the thunder-heads. From
the top of the gate, Giles took one satisfied
look into the prisoned tempest, and then hur-
ried down to unbar the door.

Through the gates, like wild herds, poured
the clouds, and rising in the air, were caught

214

THE SHEPHERD OF CLOUDS

by the spreading storm-winds and whirled
madly over the sky. The thunder roared as no
mortal had ever before heard it or ever will
hear it again, and the tempest sailed away to
break in all its anger over the heads of the rob-
ber army. So terrible was the noise that the
enchanted mountain trembled to its very foun-
dations.

Hearing the roar, the Shepherd of Clouds
himself was roused and ran down to the cloud-
bowl; but so dark was the mountain-top that
he lost his way, and narrowly missed falling
down a precipice. The mountain elves, terrified
by the confusion, ran hither and thither like
ants whose nests had been opened. Crash went
the thunder! Rumble, rumble, rumble, room,
rrrr-rang bang! bang!

Once he had seen the storm break over the
robber army, Giles, taking advantage of the
darkness, noise, and confusion, determined to
make one more effort to escape. Down the
endless stairs he hurried, splashing through the

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

falling rain, down, and down, and down. Once
at the bottom, he was lucky enough to find the
path out of the chasm, and hurried along it to
the mouth of the Valley of Thunder.

He was free! The terrible storm had spent
itself, and the sun was beginning to shine on
the thousand rain-drops caught in the matted
grass. A rainbow formed just as Giles ap-
proached the plain, and the little birds came
out to shake the rain from their feathers.

Now, in the secure shelter of an overhanging
cliff, were to be found those people of the plain
who had fled to the valley for refuge; and when
these poor worried folk saw Giles coming down
the valley, they recalled the prophecy that a
king should come to them out of the valley,
and hailed Giles as their king. Best of all,
Phyllida herself ran out, and threw her arms
about her husband. As for the robbers, the
storm had overwhelmed them and swept them
all into the river. There, I am glad to say,
they turned into little fishes.

216

THE SHEPHERD OF CLOUDS

When the Shepherd of Clouds found that
Giles had escaped after making all this dis-
turbance, he was very angry, and rushed to his
lightning closet to hurl some thunderbolts at
him. When he got to the closet, however, he
found that Giles had used every single bolt,
and that the cupboard was empty. Conse-
quently, he had to wait till the end of summer
before he could get some new lightning, and by
that time, he was so busy arranging the autumn
frosts that he quite forgot about Giles.

So Giles and Phyllida became King and
Queen of the people of the plain and lived
happily ever after.

n. 'I I

THE CITY UNDER
THE SEA

Once upon a time, in a country of mountains
which bordered upon the sea, dwelt a rich
merchant who had three sons. The eldest and
the second-born were his joy, for they were
merchants too, and remained at his side; but
the youngest often caused him much anxiety.
Not that this youngest son was a wild or a bad

218

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

lad; but love of the sea and desire for adven-
ture ran like fire in his veins, and he could
not bring himself to sit beside his father and
his brothers in the counting-house.

Weary at length of the constant reproaches of
his kinsmen, he turned away one night from
his father's house and joined a ship as a com-
mon sailor. Clad in sailor blue, wearing a lit-
tle cap, a blouse open at the throat, and trou-
sers cut wide at the bottoms, the runaway lad
sailed over the sea to foreign lands and isles.
And as the years passed, one by one, and
brought no tidings of him, his father and his
brothers gave him up for lost.

Now the King of the country in which the
rich merchant and his son dwelt loved rare
gems and precious stones more than anything
else in the world. Hidden secretly away in the
deep foundations of his castle lay his treasure-
room: it was circular in shape and built of
black marble, and at equal distance one from
the other, along the curving wall, stood a

219

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

hundred statues of armed men, holding ever-
burning lights. A hundred coffers of green
stone lay on the floor, one at the base of each
statue, each coffer piled high with gems.

Night after night, when all was still, the King
would descend to the secret chamber, and
throwing open the covers of the jewel-chests,
would gaze long and silently into the gleaming
mass within.

One night the King led his neighbor, the
Emperor of the Seven Isles, to the jewel-room,
and showed him his treasures.

"Are there fairer jewels to be found in the
whole wide world?" said the King proudly.

"They are indeed noble," replied the Em-
peror, nodding his gray head. "But how hap-
pens it that the Emerald of the Sea is not
among them? The Emerald of the Sea is the
most glorious jewel in the whole wide world.
Years ago a fisherman of the Land of the Dawn
found it in a strangely carved box which a
storm had washed into his nets. I saw it when

220

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

I was but a young prince; it hung by a chain
from the throat of the Princess of the Dawn,
and shone there as if the very secret of the sea
were hidden in its heart. "

" Where is this emerald to be found?" asked
the King, who was consumed with the desire
to add the jewel to his possessions. "Tell me,
that I may at once send an expedition in search
of it."

" I have not heard of it for many a long year,"
replied the Emperor, "but I think it is still in
the Land of the Dawn."

So great was the King's impatience to become
the owner of the Emerald of the Sea, that he
could scarcely wait for the morning. All night
long he slept not a wink for thinking of it, and
hardly had the red shield of the morning sun
risen above the thin mists lying at the edge
of the sea and sky, when he sent for the rich
merchant to come to the palace at once.

Wondering much at the summons, the mer-
chant made haste to the palace, and was there

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

taken instantly before the King. When the
King saw him, he said: —

/'You are the greatest and richest merchant
in my dominions. Know, then, that I have a
task worthy of you. In the Land of the Dawn
there is a jewel called the Emerald of the Sea;
it is your task to discover it and purchase it
for me. To possess it, I would give all the gold
in my realm. Take heed that you return with
it, for if you fail me, my anger shall strike you
down."

At these words the merchant bowed low, and
replied that he would that very day sail for the
Land of the Dawn in his fastest ship. Then,
returning home, he gave orders that the best
vessel in all his fleets be immediately prepared
for the journey; and so swiftly was this done,
that the merchant sailed for the Land of the
Dawn on the morning tide.

Many days and many leagues he sailed, over
shining seas, till he reached the harbor of the
Land of the Dawn. Ships were entering and

222

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

ships were leaving the lovely mountain-circled
bay. How the broad sails tugged at their
ropes as a steady wind filled their curving white
depths! How silver-clear shone the furrows of
foam flowing back from the onward-hurrying
bows!

Making her way out toward the great, still
mirror of the summer sea, was a strange black
vessel, with sails as red as fire.

The merchant anchored his ship in a quiet bay,
and hastened ashore to find the Lord Treas-
urer of the Kingdom. He found this nobleman
at ease on a balcony of his castle which over-
looked the sea. Upon hearing the merchant's
story, the nobleman started with surprise, and
said: —

' You are just too late! At the command of
my royal master, the Prince of the Land of the
Dawn, I sold the Emerald of the Sea only an
hour ago to the master of a strange vessel. See,
there she is now." And the Lord Treasurer
pointed out over the sea to the black ship with

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

the red sails, which was just then disappearing
over the horizon.

Thankful that the other ship was still in
sight, the merchant hurried back to his own
vessel and gave chase. Luckily for him, there
was a full moon that night, by which the
shadowy hulk and the swaying masts of the
mysterious ship could be seen.

All the next day they sailed, but never an
inch nearer to the other vessel did they come,
though the merchant loaded his ship with all
the canvas she could bear. Another night and
another day found them no nearer. Finally,
late in the afternoon of the third day, a great
storm came sailing over the edge of the sea; a
blast of wind struck the merchant's ship, then
a torrent of rain, and night came on just as
the storm was at its height.

When the daylight came again, the other ship
had completely disappeared; and though the
worried merchant sailed here and sailed there,
never a sign of the stranger could he find. At

224

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

last, with a heavy heart, he gave up the quest
and returned to his King with the evil tidings.

The King, I hardly need say, was beside him-
self with rage and disappointment. Scowling
so terribly that his eyebrows almost met, he
cried to the merchant: —

" Wretch, through you I have lost the finest
jewel in the world! If you do not find it within
a year, your life and your possessions shall be
forfeited to me."

On hearing these terrible words, the merchant
turned pale, for he had no more idea where the
Emerald of the Sea was to be found than had
a new-born child. His two sons, however, when
they had heard his story, bade him not to de-
spair, and declared that they would that very
night go forth and seek the emerald through
the world.

Now, because the poor merchant could not
bear to be left quite alone, it was finally agreed
that only the eldest son should go in search of
the jewel, while the second-born should remain

225

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

at home. This, of course, was much against
the will of the second son; nevertheless, so it
was arranged.

And so the eldest son sailed away. The days
lengthened into weeks, the weeks into months,
the months into a year, yet the eldest son did
not return. A guard of soldiers led the un-
happy merchant before the King.

4 'Well, have you found the Emerald of the
Sea?" said the King.

"No," replied the merchant, hopelessly.

And now all would certainly have been over
with the poor merchant, had not his second
son begged and pleaded with the King for a
year of respite in which he, too, might search
for the emerald through the world. Though
at first unwilling, the King at length yielded to
the plea, but exacted one half of the merchant's
possessions as a forfeit.

And so the second son sailed away. Days
lengthened into weeks, weeks lengthened into
months, the months into a year, yet the second

226

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

son did not return. Cruel storms wrecked so
many of the merchant's ships that he lost the
other half of his possessions, and was forced
to take refuge in a miserable cottage by the
marshes beyond the town.

On the last night of the year granted to him
by the King, the unhappy man sat in his poor
house by a crumbling driftwood fire, listening
to the surf breaking on the beach that edged
the marsh. Far away, he heard the bells of the
royal city sound the midnight hour. Neither
the eldest son nor the second-born had re-
turned. The second year of respite was at an
end; nothing now could stay the anger of the
King.

Suddenly there came a vigorous rat-tat-tat
on the door.

"I am lost," murmured the poor merchant to
himself. "The King's soldiers are already at
the door." And advancing unsteadily across
the room, he threw the door open wide.

A gust of wind from the sea blew in, which

227

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

bent back the flame of the taper in his hand,
and then across the threshold stepped the
youngest son. He was still a sailor and clad in
sailor blue, and there was a cutlass in his belt.
So shaken with joy was the merchant that for
some time he could not utter a word, but
merely clung to the strong shoulders of the
young seaman.

As for the sailor son, he managed to let his
father know that he had returned from distant
lands only that very evening, and had just
heard of the disasters which had overtaken his
family.

As they talked, steps were heard outside; and
then, without waiting to knock, a sergeant of
the King's guard forced open the door, and,
followed by a handful of soldiers, entered the
wretched room and took the merchant and his
son prisoners. They spent the night on the
straw in the royal dungeons, and in the morn-
ing were led before the King.

On seeing the merchant, the irate King scowled

228

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

more angrily than ever, — for the loss of the
Emerald of the Sea had never ceased from
troubling him, — and said: —

"Well, have you found the Emerald of the
Sea?"
'No/' said the poor merchant.

"Summon the executioner!" cried the King.

And now the poor man would certainly have
bade farewell to earth, had not the youngest
son, like his brothers, interceded with the King.

At first the King would hear not a word of
it, and called to his guard to take the pris-
oners instantly away; but it being whispered
that the sailor, although not much more than
a lad, had once fought bravely and been sorely
wounded in the royal service, he at length gave
ear to the youngest son's prayer and said: —

uYes, you shall have another year. But
know that this year shall be the last. If you
do not return with the Emerald of the Sea
within a twelvemonth, nothing shall save you.
I have spoken."

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

And thus the sailor son went in search of the
Emerald. What happened to him upon his
search, in what situation he discovered his
brothers, and how he visited the City under the
Sea, you shall shortly hear.

Now the youngest son had a little boat of his
own. It was so small that, when the wind no
longer filled its sails, it could be rowed along,
and in this boat the sailor lad began his voy-
age. From harbor to harbor, from nation to
nation, he sailed, but never a soul he found
who could tell him aught of the strange black
ship with the fiery sails or the lost Emerald of
the Sea. Even the people of the Land of the
Dawn could tell him only that the gem had
been sold to an unknown prince.

Presently the winter of the year overtook him,
and in one of the sudden storms that heralded

230

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

the coming of the cold, his little boat went
ashore on a rocky coast, and was soon pounded
to pieces by the breakers. Thrown into the
sea during the wreck, the sailor was himself
so tossed and trampled by the waves that he
reached the shore far more dead than alive.
Indeed, had it not been for a poor fisherman
and his wife, there would have been no more
story to tell. These good people, I am glad to
say, rescued the sailor from the fury of the
waters and nursed him back to health and
strength again

When his strength was quite restored, the
sailor told this good couple the story of how
he had gone forth to seek through the wide
world the Emerald of the Sea.

"But my poor lad," said the kind fisherman,
"the Emerald of the Sea has vanished forever
from mortal eyes."

"What! You know of the emerald?" cried
the sailor.

"Alas, yes," replied the fisherman. "Two

231

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

years ago the Prince of the Unknown Isles sent
the finest vessel in his fleet to the Land of the
Dawn to buy the jewel. A beautiful ship was
she,11 with a hull as black as night and sails as
red as fire. My brother and I sailed in her crew.
The jewel was taken aboard. Our brave ship
set sail for the Unknown Isles. Hardly were
we three days out of the sight of land, when
a storm overtook us and sank the vessel. I
chanced to be tossed in the water near a great
fragment of the mast, and clung to this until
a passing vessel found me. Of all aboard, I
alone survived. Forty fathoms deep lies the
Emerald of the Sea, never more to be seen but
by the dumb creatures of the waters. "

At these tidings the brave sailor's heart be-
came like ice; nevertheless, he cried: —

"Alas, good friend, I know that what you say
is true, yet shall I not despair; for, come what
will, I must save my father !"

Hearing this, the fisherman's wife, a quiet,
good body who had had little to say, whispered

232

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

that it would be well first to consult the Witch
of the Sands.

"The Witch of the Sands? Who is she and
where can I find her?" cried the sailor.

"The Witch of the Sands dwells a hundred
leagues from here/' replied the fisherman's
wife. "All the mysteries of the waters are in
her keeping and she has an answer for them all.
You must go to her and ask her to help you."

So the sailor thanked the good fisherman and
his wife, and set out to walk the hundred leagues
to the house of the Witch of the Sands. His
path lay along a desolate and lonely shore, on
whose rocky beaches the wooden bones of old
wrecks lay rotting, half buried in stones and
weed. Just as the third day's sun was sinking
in the shining waters, the sailor arrived at the
Witch's dwelling.

The Witch made her home in a deserted old
ship, which a storm of long ago had cast far up
the sands. As for the Witch herself, she was a
woman so old that the sailor thought she surely

233

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

must have been living when the moon and the
stars were made. A fringe of sea-shells circled
the crown of her high hat, and round her wrists
were bracelets of pearly periwinkles.

Just as the sailor approached the Witch's
door, a young fur seal, who had been basking
in a little pool left along the beach by the tide,
hastened out of his puddle, and running swiftly
toward him on his flappers, nuzzled his hand
with his sleek, wet head, just like a young dog.

"Down, Neptune, down!" cried the witch
shrilly.

"Good evening, madam," said the sailor in
his politest manner.

1 You are the third person who has come here
to ask me the question you are going to ask,"
screamed the Witch of the Sands, whose magic
powers had revealed to her the reason of the
sailor's coming. "I know you! You are the
youngest son. Your two brothers have been
here to ask me the way under the sea, and I
told them; but bless me, they have n't come

234

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

back yet. Just like young men to forget an
old woman's warning. I 've a good mind not
to tell you the way to the under- waters; indeed,
I would n't if you were n't a sailor and a child
of the sea. Yes, I can show you the road to
under the sea; but you must not ask me about
the emerald, because I don't know where it is
myself. It was in the Land of the Dawn, and
that 's the last I heard of it! When you do get
to the under-waters, don't forget that. You '11
have to hurry back like the wind, for the year
which the King gave your father is almost
gone. Don't ask me questions! I know you
are going to ask one, because I 'm not a man;
and I know what you are going to ask, because
I 'ma witch."

And the strange old lady laughed and, putting
her hands on her waist, swayed so violently
from side to side that the sea-shells on her hat
rattled and clicked. Then, after a pause to
gather breath, she continued: ''Before you can
go down into the waters, I shall have to give

235

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

you an enchanted ring. Mind you bring it
back, for there are only three of them in the
whole wide world, and your brothers have the
other two. Goodness me, but I don't know
why I let them take my magic rings. Now
that I come to think of it, I don't know as I
shall let you take my ring. However, it has
been on my mind for some time to tell the
King of the City under the Sea that he's been
telling the tide to come altogether too near
my ship. You can take the ring if you will
promise to deliver my message. Promise!"

There was a pause, and the sailor, who had
listened to the Witch's every word, solemnly
promised to carry her message to the King
under the Sea. He was just about to ask a
question or two, when the Witch of the Sands,
drawing another long, long breath, cried out
again: —

" Don't ask questions! I 've told you once
and I've told you twice, and I '11 tell you as
many times as there are drops of water in the

236

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

sea ! The path to the City under the Sea begins
a hundred leagues to the north; in the high
cliffs there, when the tide is low, you '11 find the
mouth of a great cave; walk down this cave,
and down and down and down, till you feel
water rising round your feet. Then put on my
ring and walk boldly ahead. In a little while
you will see the city shining in the waters.
Once there, seek out the King and tell him of
your quest. But on no account'7 (and here
the Witch solemnly turned round three times)
"eat or drink anything offered to you while
you are in the under- waters. If you do, you
will forget everything of your past life, your
father, your quest, and the Emerald of the Sea.
Let one drop pass your lips, and you will spend
the rest of your life under the waves. Here is
the enchanted ring. Put it in your pocket."

With these words, the Witch took from a little
leather purse a simple golden ring and handed
it to the youngest son, who put the ring in his
pocket, thanked the Witch, and set off for the

237

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

cavern which led to the City under the Sea.
You may be sure it did not take him very
long to find it. After feeling carefully in his
pocket to see if the ring was still safe, the sailor
plunged on into the winding cave. In a short
time, the roar of the breakers on the beach,
which had been loud at the mouth of the cav-
ern, began to fade and grow faint, and the
tunnel grew dark and cold. Feeling for the
wall of the passage with one hand, the youngest
son advanced into the blackness. Creatures of
the sea, with round shining eyes, stared at him
from shallow pools, and now and then his hand,
running along the wall, would touch and shake
from its ph ce a starfish or great snail.

Down anu down and down went the sailor.
Presently he heard the lapping of wavelets in
the darkness, and a few minutes after, he felt
himself advancing into deepening water. Stop-
ping for an instant, he put on the golden ring.
Then, walking on again, he felt the water rise
from his ankles to his waist, and from his waist

238

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

to his throat. One step more, and the water
closed over his head.

Once under the waves, the sailor hesitated,
uncertain as to which way to turn. Little by
little, however, his eyes grew accustomed to
the touch of the water, and he saw, lying on
the bottom a few feet ahead of him, a small
ball glowing with a pale phosphorescent light.
Stooping to touch this strange object, the sailor
discovered it to be a small round sea-plant
which had anchored itself to a stone, and pres-
ently he discovered that this light was but one
of thousands which together formed a long
straight line across the level floor of the sea.
Rightly imagining these lights to }© signs of a
sea-world road, the sailor advanced nlong them.
A slow walk of ten long leagues brought him to
the gate of the City under the Sea.

There was very little light there, save for that
which came through the waters from the world
above, and this was but a faint, pale green
glow, which lay, more like a shadow than a light

239

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

on the roofs and tower-tops of the submerged
town.

The sailor walked unchallenged through the
gate, and found himself in the great street of
the city. Along the broad avenue grew giant
sea-plants with brown leaves, set out in rows
like trees; and through the foliage which moved
heavily in the currents, little fish darted like
birds. Many people walked slowly to and
fro — strange people of the sea, all dressed alike
in tight-fitting garments of shining, fish-like
scales.

The sailor looked into their faces and saw that
a broad golden ring encircled the pupils of
their eyes. Suddenly two men of the sea, dis-
tinguished from the others by swords of red
stone, moved through the water, and seizing
the sailor in their webbed hands, hurried him
before the King of the Under- Waters.

On a coral throne, in a great hall roofed with
a high circular dome, sat the King. The flow-
ing waters within were bright, and a queer,

240

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

pale green light pierced through the hall from
a kind of fountain of light in the centre of the
floor under the dome. Approaching this shin-
ing fountain, the sailor discovered it to be a
mass of glowing sea-creatures, living flowers
of the deep, which, even as he looked, stirred
their mysterious petals.

" Welcome, Wearer of the Enchanted Ring, "
said the King, staring hard at the sailor with
his large golden eyes. ' You come at a fortu-
nate time. This very evening we celebrate the
wedding of the second of my three daughters
with the mortal wearer of the second ring.
Stand you upon the steps of the throne, for
they are coming at once. Let the trumpets
sound!"

At this command, two youths of the sea lifted
huge conch-shells to their mouths and sounded
them.

Great doors instantly opened wide, and a
gorgeous procession entered. First, appeared
a dozen pages; then, in walked the Sea King's

241

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

second daughter, hand in hand with a merry
young man, in whom the sailor recognized his
second oldest brother.

Presently the conch-shells sounded again.

"The Prince and the Princess!" cried a voice.

The King leaned over from his throne and
whispered in the sailor's ear: —

"My eldest daughter and her husband . They
were married just a year ago. The Prince is a
youth of the world above, and wears the first
of the enchanted rings."

Now entered the eldest Princess of the Sea,
walking by the side of her husband. And in
the husband the young sailor beheld the elder
of his two brothers. And though the young
sailor stretched out his arms to them, neither
of his brothers remembered him, for while faint
and hungry, they had forgotten the warning of
the Witch of the Sands and had eaten of the
bread of the under- world. Thus had the mem-
ory of the world above, the lost emerald, and
their father's plight faded away.

242

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

The conches sounded a third time.

"Come to the wedding banquet," cried the
King. "You shall sit beside my youngest
daughter."

And now the sailor lad, willy nilly, was hurried
into the banquet hall, and seated at the royal
table beside the King's youngest daughter.
And she was quite the most beautiful of all the
three. Noticing that the youngest son touched
no food, she said to him: —

"Why do you refuse to taste of the wedding
banquet?"

"Princess," replied the sailor, I have come
to the Under-Waters to seek the Emerald of the
Sea; for if I return to my own country without
it, my father's life will be forfeited. Would
you have me forget?"

"But you will never find the Emerald of the
Sea!" cried the Princess.

"Never find the Emerald of the Sea! What
do you mean?" said the sailor anxiously.

"The Emerald of the Sea has disappeared,"

243

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

continued the little Princess, fixing the sailor
with her golden eyes. ' Years ago it was stolen
from my father's treasury by a wicked Prince
of the Under- Waters. My father pursued him
and overthrew him, but in the struggle the
emerald was lost, and rising to the surface,
drifted to the shores of the Land of the Dawn.
There it remained till the Prince of the Un-
known Isles purchased it and took it away in
his black ship. This ship, overcome by a storm,
sank; but where it lies we know not, though we
have searched far and wide through the waters.
Whosoever finds it shall be master of the land
under the sea, for the emerald is master of us
all. My father will not lift a finger to help you
find it; indeed, if he knows that you are in
search of it, he will force you to eat of the bread
of the under-waters. Say nothing, therefore,
of your quest."

At these words, the brave sailor's heart sank
very low. Mindful of the Witch's warning, he
dared touch no morsel of food, yet he knew that

244

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

hunger would soon bring weakness in its train.
Either he must find the emerald at once, or
he must abandon all hope of finding it. He
could not live long if he touched no food, and
if but one morsel touched his lips he would
forget the upper world.

Far away, the poor merchant, whom the King
had now cast in prison, watched the days pass
one by one, and the last year approach its end.
Every morning he would ask for tidings of his
sailor son, and ask in vain.

Now, when the wedding banquet was over,
and the ball which followed was at its height,
the eldest of the princesses called her sister, the
bride, aside and said to her: —

uWe must rid ourselves at once of this new-
comer. Do you not see that he is the younger
brother of our husbands ? I beheld him stretch
out his arms to them as they passed. Who can
tell but that he may lead them away from us?

245

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

Let us tell our servants to lie in wait for him
and deliver us from such a danger."

So said the eldest sister, of the golden eyes.
Alas, I fear that the people of the under-waters
are sometimes quite as shocking as those of the
world above.

Later that evening, just as the poor sailor was
standing by one of the great doors, a dozen or
so stout rogues in the service of the eldest sis-
ter fell upon him, bound him with cords, and
dragged him through the water to the royal
stables.

Now the people of the under-waters, having
no horses, — for sea horses are but tiny creat-
ures,— had tamed great dolphins to carry them
about. A hundred of these monsters, each
with a bronze ring in his nose, were ranged along
the sides of the stables, and on the fiercest and
angriest of them all, the Princess's servants
tied the sailor. How the great fish, fastened to
a bar by a chain and his nose-ring, pulled,
rolled, swerved aside, and thrashed his tail!

246

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

But all his twistings were of no avail, for the
poor sailor lad was soon fastened to his back
with a rope of seaweed. Then the creature was
released from his chain, given a blow on the
side with a whip of shark-skin, and turned into
the wilds of the under-waters.
For half an hour, the fish, frightened at his
burden, fled at lightning speed over the roofs
of the city, and sped on into the lonely plain.
Then, ceasing his mad flight, he tried again to
shake himself free of the sailor. He turned, he
leaped, he dived, but all in vain, for the sailor
was securely fastened to his back. Terrified
anew, with a swift motion of his great fins, he
shot violently to one side and rushed on and
on into the dark. All that long night he fled.
Toward the morning of the next day, however,
the sailor managed to work one arm free, and
draw the cutlass from his waist. With this he
made short work of his bonds and rolled off the
fish's back. The great animal, delivered of the
weight which had lain upon it, rose on the tip

247

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

of its tail and shot madly toward the surface,
and the sailor tumbled through the waters to
the bottom.

Weak and hungry, the poor young seaman
gazed about in the half-gloom, and found him-
self on the lower slopes of a sunken mountain
rising from the ocean floor. In no direction
could he find a sign of the City under the Sea.
Hoping, however, to see better from the moun-
tain's top, he decided to climb it. Strange
plants and shells lay in the crevices of the weedy
rocks, schools of bright fish fled past him like
living arrows, and huge crabs scuttled away
as he appeared. Suddenly, lying on her side in
a little ravine of the mountain, he saw a ship —
the black ship of the Emerald of the Sea!
Weary and weak though he was, it took the
sailor but a moment to clamber aboard, and
hurry past the broken masts into the captain's
cabin. A steady, green radiance shone in one
corner of the weedy room, and hastening to-
ward it, the sailor found, at last, the Emerald

248

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

of the Sea. The box which had enclosed it had
rotted away and fallen apart.

"Victory!" cried the sailor, "victory! The
emerald is mine at last, and I shall save mv
father."

He took the great jewel from the broken box
and rested it in the cup of his two hands. How
it glowed on the pale flesh! Then, thrusting it
mto a pocket and holding onto it with one
hand, he hurried out again to the mountain-
side.

In the world above, it was high noon, and the
level rays of the sun beat deep into the green
waters. So bright had the slope become, that
the sailor lad felt sure that he could not be far
from the surface of the waves. Moreover, if the
mountain-top rose above the waters, it would
form an island in the upper world. And so,
indeed, it was. Climbing on toward the top of
the mountain, the sailor first scaled a steep
cliff, and at the top of this he found a gentle
slope of sand. The sun's rays now illumined

249

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

the water so brightly that the air seemed only
a little distance away. Presently a beach-crab
ran nimbly away from beneath the sailor's feet.
The water grew very much warmer. The shore
was at hand ! A few steps more, and the young-
est son emerged on the beach of a beautiful isle.

Half-blinded by the sun, he walked toward
the dry land. There he found some delicious
fruits growing, and a rippling brook of crystal
water. He ate and drank, and his strength
returned.

Himself again, the sailor took the Emerald of
the Sea in his hands, and cried, —

"By the power of the Emerald of the Sea, I
summon here the two elder princesses of the
under-waters, and my two brothers, their hus-
bands!"

There was a sound of far thunder under the
clear blue sky, and a moment later, four heads
rose out of the waters, and shaking the salt
spray from their eyes, the princesses and the
brothers walked through the shallows to where

250

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

the sailor was standing. Now, the princesses
were very much frightened when they beheld
the sailor holding the all-powerful emerald,
and falling on their knees before him, begged
him to forgive their misdeeds, and not to take
away their loved ones. Tears fell from their
golden eyes, and mingled with the drops of the
salt ocean still coursing down their black scales.
As for the brothers, they would have hurled
themselves upon the sailor, had not the magic
force of the emerald prevented their approach.
"Be merciful and forgive," said the younger
of the sisters. "After all, had we not caused
you to be spirited away, you never would have
found the emerald."

'Yes, that is true," said the sailor. "My
brothers shall decide for themselves. Break,
then, the spell which binds them to the under-
waters, restore to them their memory of the
past, and if then they choose to remain, I shall
not try to lead them away. Reverse the spell!"
"That is easily done," said the elder sister.

251

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

"Let them but touch the food or drink of the
upper world and their memory will return."

And in less time than it takes to tell it, the
sisters offered the enchanted brothers water
from the rivulet. When they had drunk of it,
both the brothers became pale as death, their
eyes opened wide, and they stared as strangely
as men suddenly waked from sleep. Then, see-
ing their younger brother, they ran to him and
threw their arms about him, and asked a thou-
sand questions about their father and the
quest of the emerald.

The golden-eyed brides watched them with
sad faces, and finally broke into quiet tears.
Imagine their joy, when their husbands re-
turned to them and bade them be of good cheer.

Thus was true love found to be mightier than
the mightiest spell.

Now, when the princesses of the sea had dried
their tears, the sailor and his brothers took
counsel as to how the Emerald of the Sea might
be brought to the King in time to save their

252

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

father's life. You may judge of the sailor's
horror when he discovered that because of a bad
error in the calendars and clocks of Sixes and
Sevens (a city he had visited in his search for
the emerald), the life of his father had been
forfeited to the King three days before!

But now we must return to the poor merchant
himself.

All the third year the poor man had lain in a
small cell in the royal dungeons, waiting anx-
iously, oh, so anxiously, to hear the quick step
of the sailor son on the winding stairs just out-
side his prison door. But the year came to an
end, as you know, without his return. For the
third and last time, the castle guards led the
poor man before the King. Now the King had
never forgiven the merchant for the loss of the
jewel; his chagrin, indeed, had increased with
the years, and he was very glad that he could
at last take his revenge.

"Have you found the Emerald of the Sea?"

253

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

said the King, harshly. He stood erect on the
steps of his judgment-seat, arms folded, eyes
fixted in a fierce, black frown.

".No," said the merchant quietly.
Then you shall seek for it yourself, " cried the
King. And he gave orders that the merchant
be tied hand and foot, and tossed into a little
boat without food or drink, and then sent adrift
to die helplessly in the lonely seas. And so this
awful sentence was carried out.

Bound hand and foot, scarce able to roll from
side to side, the merchant lay motionless in his
little craft and stared up at the blue sky.
Presently a merciful sleep overcame him, and
while he slept, a wind arose which swept the
little boat along with it.

Meanwhile, on the beautiful island, the sailor
and his companions, stunned at their discov-
ery, began preparations to return to the under-
waters. Just as the twilight fell, all walked
together to the margin of the darkening sea,
and advanced into the waves.

254

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

Suddenly, the sailor, whose eyes were the
keenest, saw a little boat rapidly drifting ashore.
Now caught in a current of the shallow beach,
it drifted sideways; now propelled by the rising
tide, it floated on, bow pointed to the shore.
The sailor hurried toward it and seized it.
Suddenly he uttered a ringing cry! The old
merchant lay on the floor of the boat. He still
lived, for they could see him gently breathing.
Lifting him up tenderly, the three sons carried
him to the shore, unloosed his bonds, and
brought him back to life.

Now when the merchant was himself again,
the sailor, through the power of the emerald,
caused the waves to carry a great ship to the
island, and on this ship the three sons, the two
princesses, and the old merchant returned to
the merchant's country. All landed secretly,
however, for they knew that the angry King
would seize them if he knew of their return.
And so it came to pass that, one night, shortly
after the homecoming, word was brought to the

255

THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

sailor that the King had heard of the merchant's
escape and was sending guards to arrest the
merchant and his companions.

It was almost midnight when the sailor lad
received the warning. Taking the emerald
with him, he advanced to a window by the
ocean, and cried out over the moonlit waters, —

" Waters of the Sea, rise and overwhelm the
palace of the King!

Now the King's palace stood apart by itself
on a tongue of land running far out into the
tide, and soon the rising waters were flowing
over the marble floors and pouring in through
the windows. One by one, the lights in the
thousand rooms, touched by the waves, hissed,
sputtered, and expired. The servants of the
palace, one and all, ran away pell-mell, and left
the dark castle to its fate. Little by little the
advancing water crept from the walls to the
balconies, from the balconies to the towers,
and from the foot of the towers to their very
tops. Finally, all the moon could see as it

256

THE CITY UNDER THE SEA

shone upon the flood was the weather-vane of
the highest turret of all. You should have
seen the little waves ripple and break about
it! And finally, even the weather-vane disap-
peared under the black waves.

Locked in his secret treasure-room, opening
the jewel coffers one after the other, the King
remained quite ignorant of the disaster. For
some time no sound reached him in his hid-
den retreat, because the door of the treasure-
room was very thick and strong. Suddenly he
heard behind him the sound of falling water,
and turning toward the door, beheld streams
of water gushing through the passages between
the door and its frame. Horror-struck, he
watched the door burst from its locks and
hinges; a roaring cascade of cold sea-water
came pouring into the room, and a moment
later the whole castle crumbled and fell to
pieces.

Now, when the King had met his deserts, the
people of the country, who greatly respected

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THE FIRELIGHT FAIRY BOOK

the merchant, offered him the crown; but he re-
fused it and conferred it on his two elder sons.
Thus it came to pass that the country had two
kings. Each brother in turn reigned for six
months of every year, and spent the other six
under the sea with the golden-eyed people of
the waters.

As for the sailor lad, he sailed the sea for many
years, and finally married a pretty niece of the
Witch of the Sands. Then, like all sailors, he
went to the country to live. His house is built
of gray stone, ivy climbs over it, and apple
orchards lie beneath its windows.

And they all lived happily ever after.

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