A HOUSE OF POMEGRANATES Contents: The Young KingThe Birthday of the InfantaThe Fisherman and his SoulThe Star-child THE YOUNG KING [TO MARGARET LADY BROOKE--THE RANEE OF SARAWAK] It was the night before the day fixed for his coronation, and theyoung King was sitting alone in his beautiful chamber. Hiscourtiers had all taken their leave of him, bowing their heads tothe ground, according to the ceremonious usage of the day, and hadretired to the Great Hall of the Palace, to receive a few lastlessons from the Professor of Etiquette; there being some of themwho had still quite natural manners, which in a courtier is, I needhardly say, a very grave offence. The lad--for he was only a lad, being but sixteen years of age--wasnot sorry at their departure, and had flung himself back with adeep sigh of relief on the soft cushions of his embroidered couch, lying there, wild-eyed and open-mouthed, like a brown woodlandFaun, or some young animal of the forest newly snared by thehunters. And, indeed, it was the hunters who had found him, coming upon himalmost by chance as, bare-limbed and pipe in hand, he was followingthe flock of the poor goatherd who had brought him up, and whoseson he had always fancied himself to be. The child of the oldKing's only daughter by a secret marriage with one much beneath herin station--a stranger, some said, who, by the wonderful magic ofhis lute-playing, had made the young Princess love him; whileothers spoke of an artist from Rimini, to whom the Princess hadshown much, perhaps too much honour, and who had suddenlydisappeared from the city, leaving his work in the Cathedralunfinished--he had been, when but a week old, stolen away from hismother's side, as she slept, and given into the charge of a commonpeasant and his wife, who were without children of their own, andlived in a remote part of the forest, more than a day's ride fromthe town. Grief, or the plague, as the court physician stated, or, as some suggested, a swift Italian poison administered in a cup ofspiced wine, slew, within an hour of her wakening, the white girlwho had given him birth, and as the trusty messenger who bare thechild across his saddle-bow stooped from his weary horse andknocked at the rude door of the goatherd's hut, the body of thePrincess was being lowered into an open grave that had been dug ina deserted churchyard, beyond the city gates, a grave where it wassaid that another body was also lying, that of a young man ofmarvellous and foreign beauty, whose hands were tied behind himwith a knotted cord, and whose breast was stabbed with many redwounds. Such, at least, was the story that men whispered to each other. Certain it was that the old King, when on his deathbed, whethermoved by remorse for his great sin, or merely desiring that thekingdom should not pass away from his line, had had the lad sentfor, and, in the presence of the Council, had acknowledged him ashis heir. And it seems that from the very first moment of his recognition hehad shown signs of that strange passion for beauty that wasdestined to have so great an influence over his life. Those whoaccompanied him to the suite of rooms set apart for his service, often spoke of the cry of pleasure that broke from his lips when hesaw the delicate raiment and rich jewels that had been prepared forhim, and of the almost fierce joy with which he flung aside hisrough leathern tunic and coarse sheepskin cloak. He missed, indeed, at times the fine freedom of his forest life, and wasalways apt to chafe at the tedious Court ceremonies that occupiedso much of each day, but the wonderful palace--Joyeuse, as theycalled it--of which he now found himself lord, seemed to him to bea new world fresh-fashioned for his delight; and as soon as hecould escape from the council-board or audience-chamber, he wouldrun down the great staircase, with its lions of gilt bronze and itssteps of bright porphyry, and wander from room to room, and fromcorridor to corridor, like one who was seeking to find in beauty ananodyne from pain, a sort of restoration from sickness. Upon these journeys of discovery, as he would call them--and, indeed, they were to him real voyages through a marvellous land, hewould sometimes be accompanied by the slim, fair-haired Courtpages, with their floating mantles, and gay fluttering ribands; butmore often he would be alone, feeling through a certain quickinstinct, which was almost a divination, that the secrets of artare best learned in secret, and that Beauty, like Wisdom, loves thelonely worshipper. Many curious stories were related about him at this period. It wassaid that a stout Burgo-master, who had come to deliver a floridoratorical address on behalf of the citizens of the town, hadcaught sight of him kneeling in real adoration before a greatpicture that had just been brought from Venice, and that seemed toherald the worship of some new gods. On another occasion he hadbeen missed for several hours, and after a lengthened search hadbeen discovered in a little chamber in one of the northern turretsof the palace gazing, as one in a trance, at a Greek gem carvedwith the figure of Adonis. He had been seen, so the tale ran, pressing his warm lips to the marble brow of an antique statue thathad been discovered in the bed of the river on the occasion of thebuilding of the stone bridge, and was inscribed with the name ofthe Bithynian slave of Hadrian. He had passed a whole night innoting the effect of the moonlight on a silver image of Endymion. All rare and costly materials had certainly a great fascination forhim, and in his eagerness to procure them he had sent away manymerchants, some to traffic for amber with the rough fisher-folk ofthe north seas, some to Egypt to look for that curious greenturquoise which is found only in the tombs of kings, and is said topossess magical properties, some to Persia for silken carpets andpainted pottery, and others to India to buy gauze and stainedivory, moonstones and bracelets of jade, sandal-wood and blueenamel and shawls of fine wool. But what had occupied him most was the robe he was to wear at hiscoronation, the robe of tissued gold, and the ruby-studded crown, and the sceptre with its rows and rings of pearls. Indeed, it wasof this that he was thinking to-night, as he lay back on hisluxurious couch, watching the great pinewood log that was burningitself out on the open hearth. The designs, which were from thehands of the most famous artists of the time, had been submitted tohim many months before, and he had given orders that the artificerswere to toil night and day to carry them out, and that the wholeworld was to be searched for jewels that would be worthy of theirwork. He saw himself in fancy standing at the high altar of thecathedral in the fair raiment of a King, and a smile played andlingered about his boyish lips, and lit up with a bright lustre hisdark woodland eyes. After some time he rose from his seat, and leaning against thecarved penthouse of the chimney, looked round at the dimly-litroom. The walls were hung with rich tapestries representing theTriumph of Beauty. A large press, inlaid with agate and lapis-lazuli, filled one corner, and facing the window stood a curiouslywrought cabinet with lacquer panels of powdered and mosaiced gold, on which were placed some delicate goblets of Venetian glass, and acup of dark-veined onyx. Pale poppies were broidered on the silkcoverlet of the bed, as though they had fallen from the tired handsof sleep, and tall reeds of fluted ivory bare up the velvet canopy, from which great tufts of ostrich plumes sprang, like white foam, to the pallid silver of the fretted ceiling. A laughing Narcissusin green bronze held a polished mirror above its head. On thetable stood a flat bowl of amethyst. Outside he could see the huge dome of the cathedral, looming like abubble over the shadowy houses, and the weary sentinels pacing upand down on the misty terrace by the river. Far away, in anorchard, a nightingale was singing. A faint perfume of jasminecame through the open window. He brushed his brown curls back fromhis forehead, and taking up a lute, let his fingers stray acrossthe cords. His heavy eyelids drooped, and a strange languor cameover him. Never before had he felt so keenly, or with suchexquisite joy, the magic and the mystery of beautiful things. When midnight sounded from the clock-tower he touched a bell, andhis pages entered and disrobed him with much ceremony, pouringrose-water over his hands, and strewing flowers on his pillow. Afew moments after that they had left the room, he fell asleep. And as he slept he dreamed a dream, and this was his dream. He thought that he was standing in a long, low attic, amidst thewhir and clatter of many looms. The meagre daylight peered inthrough the grated windows, and showed him the gaunt figures of theweavers bending over their cases. Pale, sickly-looking childrenwere crouched on the huge crossbeams. As the shuttles dashedthrough the warp they lifted up the heavy battens, and when theshuttles stopped they let the battens fall and pressed the threadstogether. Their faces were pinched with famine, and their thinhands shook and trembled. Some haggard women were seated at atable sewing. A horrible odour filled the place. The air was fouland heavy, and the walls dripped and streamed with damp. The young King went over to one of the weavers, and stood by himand watched him. And the weaver looked at him angrily, and said, 'Why art thouwatching me? Art thou a spy set on us by our master?' 'Who is thy master?' asked the young King. 'Our master!' cried the weaver, bitterly. 'He is a man likemyself. Indeed, there is but this difference between us--that hewears fine clothes while I go in rags, and that while I am weakfrom hunger he suffers not a little from overfeeding. ' 'The land is free, ' said the young King, 'and thou art no man'sslave. ' 'In war, ' answered the weaver, 'the strong make slaves of the weak, and in peace the rich make slaves of the poor. We must work tolive, and they give us such mean wages that we die. We toil forthem all day long, and they heap up gold in their coffers, and ourchildren fade away before their time, and the faces of those welove become hard and evil. We tread out the grapes, and anotherdrinks the wine. We sow the corn, and our own board is empty. Wehave chains, though no eye beholds them; and are slaves, though mencall us free. ' 'Is it so with all?' he asked, 'It is so with all, ' answered the weaver, 'with the young as wellas with the old, with the women as well as with the men, with thelittle children as well as with those who are stricken in years. The merchants grind us down, and we must needs do their bidding. The priest rides by and tells his beads, and no man has care of us. Through our sunless lanes creeps Poverty with her hungry eyes, andSin with his sodden face follows close behind her. Misery wakes usin the morning, and Shame sits with us at night. But what arethese things to thee? Thou art not one of us. Thy face is toohappy. ' And he turned away scowling, and threw the shuttle acrossthe loom, and the young King saw that it was threaded with a threadof gold. And a great terror seized upon him, and he said to the weaver, 'What robe is this that thou art weaving?' 'It is the robe for the coronation of the young King, ' he answered;'what is that to thee?' And the young King gave a loud cry and woke, and lo! he was in hisown chamber, and through the window he saw the great honey-colouredmoon hanging in the dusky air. And he fell asleep again and dreamed, and this was his dream. He thought that he was lying on the deck of a huge galley that wasbeing rowed by a hundred slaves. On a carpet by his side themaster of the galley was seated. He was black as ebony, and histurban was of crimson silk. Great earrings of silver dragged downthe thick lobes of his ears, and in his hands he had a pair ofivory scales. The slaves were naked, but for a ragged loin-cloth, and each manwas chained to his neighbour. The hot sun beat brightly upon them, and the negroes ran up and down the gangway and lashed them withwhips of hide. They stretched out their lean arms and pulled theheavy oars through the water. The salt spray flew from the blades. At last they reached a little bay, and began to take soundings. Alight wind blew from the shore, and covered the deck and the greatlateen sail with a fine red dust. Three Arabs mounted on wildasses rode out and threw spears at them. The master of the galleytook a painted bow in his hand and shot one of them in the throat. He fell heavily into the surf, and his companions galloped away. Awoman wrapped in a yellow veil followed slowly on a camel, lookingback now and then at the dead body. As soon as they had cast anchor and hauled down the sail, thenegroes went into the hold and brought up a long rope-ladder, heavily weighted with lead. The master of the galley threw it overthe side, making the ends fast to two iron stanchions. Then thenegroes seized the youngest of the slaves and knocked his gyvesoff, and filled his nostrils and his ears with wax, and tied a bigstone round his waist. He crept wearily down the ladder, anddisappeared into the sea. A few bubbles rose where he sank. Someof the other slaves peered curiously over the side. At the prow ofthe galley sat a shark-charmer, beating monotonously upon a drum. After some time the diver rose up out of the water, and clungpanting to the ladder with a pearl in his right hand. The negroesseized it from him, and thrust him back. The slaves fell asleepover their oars. Again and again he came up, and each time that he did so he broughtwith him a beautiful pearl. The master of the galley weighed them, and put them into a little bag of green leather. The young King tried to speak, but his tongue seemed to cleave tothe roof of his mouth, and his lips refused to move. The negroeschattered to each other, and began to quarrel over a string ofbright beads. Two cranes flew round and round the vessel. Then the diver came up for the last time, and the pearl that hebrought with him was fairer than all the pearls of Ormuz, for itwas shaped like the full moon, and whiter than the morning star. But his face was strangely pale, and as he fell upon the deck theblood gushed from his ears and nostrils. He quivered for a little, and then he was still. The negroes shrugged their shoulders, andthrew the body overboard. And the master of the galley laughed, and, reaching out, he tookthe pearl, and when he saw it he pressed it to his forehead andbowed. 'It shall be, ' he said, 'for the sceptre of the youngKing, ' and he made a sign to the negroes to draw up the anchor. And when the young King heard this he gave a great cry, and woke, and through the window he saw the long grey fingers of the dawnclutching at the fading stars. And he fell asleep again, and dreamed, and this was his dream. He thought that he was wandering through a dim wood, hung withstrange fruits and with beautiful poisonous flowers. The addershissed at him as he went by, and the bright parrots flew screamingfrom branch to branch. Huge tortoises lay asleep upon the hot mud. The trees were full of apes and peacocks. On and on he went, till he reached the outskirts of the wood, andthere he saw an immense multitude of men toiling in the bed of adried-up river. They swarmed up the crag like ants. They dug deeppits in the ground and went down into them. Some of them cleft therocks with great axes; others grabbled in the sand. They tore up the cactus by its roots, and trampled on the scarletblossoms. They hurried about, calling to each other, and no manwas idle. From the darkness of a cavern Death and Avarice watched them, andDeath said, 'I am weary; give me a third of them and let me go. 'But Avarice shook her head. 'They are my servants, ' she answered. And Death said to her, 'What hast thou in thy hand?' 'I have three grains of corn, ' she answered; 'what is that tothee?' 'Give me one of them, ' cried Death, 'to plant in my garden; onlyone of them, and I will go away. ' 'I will not give thee anything, ' said Avarice, and she hid her handin the fold of her raiment. And Death laughed, and took a cup, and dipped it into a pool ofwater, and out of the cup rose Ague. She passed through the greatmultitude, and a third of them lay dead. A cold mist followed her, and the water-snakes ran by her side. And when Avarice saw that a third of the multitude was dead shebeat her breast and wept. She beat her barren bosom, and criedaloud. 'Thou hast slain a third of my servants, ' she cried, 'getthee gone. There is war in the mountains of Tartary, and the kingsof each side are calling to thee. The Afghans have slain the blackox, and are marching to battle. They have beaten upon theirshields with their spears, and have put on their helmets of iron. What is my valley to thee, that thou shouldst tarry in it? Getthee gone, and come here no more. ' 'Nay, ' answered Death, 'but till thou hast given me a grain of cornI will not go. ' But Avarice shut her hand, and clenched her teeth. 'I will notgive thee anything, ' she muttered. And Death laughed, and took up a black stone, and threw it into theforest, and out of a thicket of wild hemlock came Fever in a robeof flame. She passed through the multitude, and touched them, andeach man that she touched died. The grass withered beneath herfeet as she walked. And Avarice shuddered, and put ashes on her head. 'Thou artcruel, ' she cried; 'thou art cruel. There is famine in the walledcities of India, and the cisterns of Samarcand have run dry. Thereis famine in the walled cities of Egypt, and the locusts have comeup from the desert. The Nile has not overflowed its banks, and thepriests have cursed Isis and Osiris. Get thee gone to those whoneed thee, and leave me my servants. ' 'Nay, ' answered Death, 'but till thou hast given me a grain of cornI will not go. ' 'I will not give thee anything, ' said Avarice. And Death laughed again, and he whistled through his fingers, and awoman came flying through the air. Plague was written upon herforehead, and a crowd of lean vultures wheeled round her. Shecovered the valley with her wings, and no man was left alive. And Avarice fled shrieking through the forest, and Death leapedupon his red horse and galloped away, and his galloping was fasterthan the wind. And out of the slime at the bottom of the valley crept dragons andhorrible things with scales, and the jackals came trotting alongthe sand, sniffing up the air with their nostrils. And the young King wept, and said: 'Who were these men, and forwhat were they seeking?' 'For rubies for a king's crown, ' answered one who stood behind him. And the young King started, and, turning round, he saw a manhabited as a pilgrim and holding in his hand a mirror of silver. And he grew pale, and said: 'For what king?' And the pilgrim answered: 'Look in this mirror, and thou shalt seehim. ' And he looked in the mirror, and, seeing his own face, he gave agreat cry and woke, and the bright sunlight was streaming into theroom, and from the trees of the garden and pleasaunce the birdswere singing. And the Chamberlain and the high officers of State came in and madeobeisance to him, and the pages brought him the robe of tissuedgold, and set the crown and the sceptre before him. And the young King looked at them, and they were beautiful. Morebeautiful were they than aught that he had ever seen. But heremembered his dreams, and he said to his lords: 'Take thesethings away, for I will not wear them. ' And the courtiers were amazed, and some of them laughed, for theythought that he was jesting. But he spake sternly to them again, and said: 'Take these thingsaway, and hide them from me. Though it be the day of mycoronation, I will not wear them. For on the loom of Sorrow, andby the white hands of Pain, has this my robe been woven. There isBlood in the heart of the ruby, and Death in the heart of thepearl. ' And he told them his three dreams. And when the courtiers heard them they looked at each other andwhispered, saying: 'Surely he is mad; for what is a dream but adream, and a vision but a vision? They are not real things thatone should heed them. And what have we to do with the lives ofthose who toil for us? Shall a man not eat bread till he has seenthe sower, nor drink wine till he has talked with the vinedresser?' And the Chamberlain spake to the young King, and said, 'My lord, Ipray thee set aside these black thoughts of thine, and put on thisfair robe, and set this crown upon thy head. For how shall thepeople know that thou art a king, if thou hast not a king'sraiment?' And the young King looked at him. 'Is it so, indeed?' hequestioned. 'Will they not know me for a king if I have not aking's raiment?' 'They will not know thee, my lord, ' cried the Chamberlain. 'I had thought that there had been men who were kinglike, ' heanswered, 'but it may be as thou sayest. And yet I will not wearthis robe, nor will I be crowned with this crown, but even as Icame to the palace so will I go forth from it. ' And he bade them all leave him, save one page whom he kept as hiscompanion, a lad a year younger than himself. Him he kept for hisservice, and when he had bathed himself in clear water, he opened agreat painted chest, and from it he took the leathern tunic andrough sheepskin cloak that he had worn when he had watched on thehillside the shaggy goats of the goatherd. These he put on, and inhis hand he took his rude shepherd's staff. And the little page opened his big blue eyes in wonder, and saidsmiling to him, 'My lord, I see thy robe and thy sceptre, but whereis thy crown?' And the young King plucked a spray of wild briar that was climbingover the balcony, and bent it, and made a circlet of it, and set iton his own head. 'This shall he my crown, ' he answered. And thus attired he passed out of his chamber into the Great Hall, where the nobles were waiting for him. And the nobles made merry, and some of them cried out to him, 'Mylord, the people wait for their king, and thou showest them abeggar, ' and others were wroth and said, 'He brings shame upon ourstate, and is unworthy to be our master. ' But he answered them nota word, but passed on, and went down the bright porphyry staircase, and out through the gates of bronze, and mounted upon his horse, and rode towards the cathedral, the little page running beside him. And the people laughed and said, 'It is the King's fool who isriding by, ' and they mocked him. And he drew rein and said, 'Nay, but I am the King. ' And he toldthem his three dreams. And a man came out of the crowd and spake bitterly to him, andsaid, 'Sir, knowest thou not that out of the luxury of the richcometh the life of the poor? By your pomp we are nurtured, andyour vices give us bread. To toil for a hard master is bitter, butto have no master to toil for is more bitter still. Thinkest thouthat the ravens will feed us? And what cure hast thou for thesethings? Wilt thou say to the buyer, "Thou shalt buy for so much, "and to the seller, "Thou shalt sell at this price"? I trow not. Therefore go back to thy Palace and put on thy purple and finelinen. What hast thou to do with us, and what we suffer?' 'Are not the rich and the poor brothers?' asked the young King. 'Ay, ' answered the man, 'and the name of the rich brother is Cain. ' And the young King's eyes filled with tears, and he rode on throughthe murmurs of the people, and the little page grew afraid and lefthim. And when he reached the great portal of the cathedral, the soldiersthrust their halberts out and said, 'What dost thou seek here?None enters by this door but the King. ' And his face flushed with anger, and he said to them, 'I am theKing, ' and waved their halberts aside and passed in. And when the old Bishop saw him coming in his goatherd's dress, herose up in wonder from his throne, and went to meet him, and saidto him, 'My son, is this a king's apparel? And with what crownshall I crown thee, and what sceptre shall I place in thy hand?Surely this should be to thee a day of joy, and not a day ofabasement. ' 'Shall Joy wear what Grief has fashioned?' said the young King. And he told him his three dreams. And when the Bishop had heard them he knit his brows, and said, 'Myson, I am an old man, and in the winter of my days, and I know thatmany evil things are done in the wide world. The fierce robberscome down from the mountains, and carry off the little children, and sell them to the Moors. The lions lie in wait for thecaravans, and leap upon the camels. The wild boar roots up thecorn in the valley, and the foxes gnaw the vines upon the hill. The pirates lay waste the sea-coast and burn the ships of thefishermen, and take their nets from them. In the salt-marshes livethe lepers; they have houses of wattled reeds, and none may comenigh them. The beggars wander through the cities, and eat theirfood with the dogs. Canst thou make these things not to be? Wiltthou take the leper for thy bedfellow, and set the beggar at thyboard? Shall the lion do thy bidding, and the wild boar obey thee?Is not He who made misery wiser than thou art? Wherefore I praisethee not for this that thou hast done, but I bid thee ride back tothe Palace and make thy face glad, and put on the raiment thatbeseemeth a king, and with the crown of gold I will crown thee, andthe sceptre of pearl will I place in thy hand. And as for thydreams, think no more of them. The burden of this world is toogreat for one man to bear, and the world's sorrow too heavy for oneheart to suffer. ' 'Sayest thou that in this house?' said the young King, and hestrode past the Bishop, and climbed up the steps of the altar, andstood before the image of Christ. He stood before the image of Christ, and on his right hand and onhis left were the marvellous vessels of gold, the chalice with theyellow wine, and the vial with the holy oil. He knelt before theimage of Christ, and the great candles burned brightly by thejewelled shrine, and the smoke of the incense curled in thin bluewreaths through the dome. He bowed his head in prayer, and thepriests in their stiff copes crept away from the altar. And suddenly a wild tumult came from the street outside, and inentered the nobles with drawn swords and nodding plumes, andshields of polished steel. 'Where is this dreamer of dreams?' theycried. 'Where is this King who is apparelled like a beggar--thisboy who brings shame upon our state? Surely we will slay him, forhe is unworthy to rule over us. ' And the young King bowed his head again, and prayed, and when hehad finished his prayer he rose up, and turning round he looked atthem sadly. And lo! through the painted windows came the sunlight streamingupon him, and the sun-beams wove round him a tissued robe that wasfairer than the robe that had been fashioned for his pleasure. Thedead staff blossomed, and bare lilies that were whiter than pearls. The dry thorn blossomed, and bare roses that were redder thanrubies. Whiter than fine pearls were the lilies, and their stemswere of bright silver. Redder than male rubies were the roses, andtheir leaves were of beaten gold. He stood there in the raiment of a king, and the gates of thejewelled shrine flew open, and from the crystal of the many-rayedmonstrance shone a marvellous and mystical light. He stood therein a king's raiment, and the Glory of God filled the place, and thesaints in their carven niches seemed to move. In the fair raimentof a king he stood before them, and the organ pealed out its music, and the trumpeters blew upon their trumpets, and the singing boyssang. And the people fell upon their knees in awe, and the noblessheathed their swords and did homage, and the Bishop's face grewpale, and his hands trembled. 'A greater than I hath crownedthee, ' he cried, and he knelt before him. And the young King came down from the high altar, and passed homethrough the midst of the people. But no man dared look upon hisface, for it was like the face of an angel. THE BIRTHDAY OF THE INFANTA [TO MRS. WILLIAM H. GRENFELL OF TAPLOW COURT--LADY DESBOROUGH] It was the birthday of the Infanta. She was just twelve years ofage, and the sun was shining brightly in the gardens of the palace. Although she was a real Princess and the Infanta of Spain, she hadonly one birthday every year, just like the children of quite poorpeople, so it was naturally a matter of great importance to thewhole country that she should have a really fine day for theoccasion. And a really fine day it certainly was. The tallstriped tulips stood straight up upon their stalks, like long rowsof soldiers, and looked defiantly across the grass at the roses, and said: 'We are quite as splendid as you are now. ' The purplebutterflies fluttered about with gold dust on their wings, visitingeach flower in turn; the little lizards crept out of the crevicesof the wall, and lay basking in the white glare; and thepomegranates split and cracked with the heat, and showed theirbleeding red hearts. Even the pale yellow lemons, that hung insuch profusion from the mouldering trellis and along the dimarcades, seemed to have caught a richer colour from the wonderfulsunlight, and the magnolia trees opened their great globe-likeblossoms of folded ivory, and filled the air with a sweet heavyperfume. The little Princess herself walked up and down the terrace with hercompanions, and played at hide and seek round the stone vases andthe old moss-grown statues. On ordinary days she was only allowedto play with children of her own rank, so she had always to playalone, but her birthday was an exception, and the King had givenorders that she was to invite any of her young friends whom sheliked to come and amuse themselves with her. There was a statelygrace about these slim Spanish children as they glided about, theboys with their large-plumed hats and short fluttering cloaks, thegirls holding up the trains of their long brocaded gowns, andshielding the sun from their eyes with huge fans of black andsilver. But the Infanta was the most graceful of all, and the mosttastefully attired, after the somewhat cumbrous fashion of the day. Her robe was of grey satin, the skirt and the wide puffed sleevesheavily embroidered with silver, and the stiff corset studded withrows of fine pearls. Two tiny slippers with big pink rosettespeeped out beneath her dress as she walked. Pink and pearl was hergreat gauze fan, and in her hair, which like an aureole of fadedgold stood out stiffly round her pale little face, she had abeautiful white rose. From a window in the palace the sad melancholy King watched them. Behind him stood his brother, Don Pedro of Aragon, whom he hated, and his confessor, the Grand Inquisitor of Granada, sat by hisside. Sadder even than usual was the King, for as he looked at theInfanta bowing with childish gravity to the assembling counters, orlaughing behind her fan at the grim Duchess of Albuquerque whoalways accompanied her, he thought of the young Queen, her mother, who but a short time before--so it seemed to him--had come from thegay country of France, and had withered away in the sombresplendour of the Spanish court, dying just six months after thebirth of her child, and before she had seen the almonds blossomtwice in the orchard, or plucked the second year's fruit from theold gnarled fig-tree that stood in the centre of the now grass-grown courtyard. So great had been his love for her that he hadnot suffered even the grave to hide her from him. She had beenembalmed by a Moorish physician, who in return for this service hadbeen granted his life, which for heresy and suspicion of magicalpractices had been already forfeited, men said, to the Holy Office, and her body was still lying on its tapestried bier in the blackmarble chapel of the Palace, just as the monks had borne her in onthat windy March day nearly twelve years before. Once every monththe King, wrapped in a dark cloak and with a muffled lantern in hishand, went in and knelt by her side calling out, 'Mi reina! Mireina!' and sometimes breaking through the formal etiquette that inSpain governs every separate action of life, and sets limits evento the sorrow of a King, he would clutch at the pale jewelled handsin a wild agony of grief, and try to wake by his mad kisses thecold painted face. To-day he seemed to see her again, as he had seen her first at theCastle of Fontainebleau, when he was but fifteen years of age, andshe still younger. They had been formally betrothed on thatoccasion by the Papal Nuncio in the presence of the French King andall the Court, and he had returned to the Escurial bearing with hima little ringlet of yellow hair, and the memory of two childishlips bending down to kiss his hand as he stepped into his carriage. Later on had followed the marriage, hastily performed at Burgos, asmall town on the frontier between the two countries, and the grandpublic entry into Madrid with the customary celebration of highmass at the Church of La Atocha, and a more than usually solemnauto-da-fe, in which nearly three hundred heretics, amongst whomwere many Englishmen, had been delivered over to the secular arm tobe burned. Certainly he had loved her madly, and to the ruin, many thought, ofhis country, then at war with England for the possession of theempire of the New World. He had hardly ever permitted her to beout of his sight; for her, he had forgotten, or seemed to haveforgotten, all grave affairs of State; and, with that terribleblindness that passion brings upon its servants, he had failed tonotice that the elaborate ceremonies by which he sought to pleaseher did but aggravate the strange malady from which she suffered. When she died he was, for a time, like one bereft of reason. Indeed, there is no doubt but that he would have formally abdicatedand retired to the great Trappist monastery at Granada, of which hewas already titular Prior, had he not been afraid to leave thelittle Infanta at the mercy of his brother, whose cruelty, even inSpain, was notorious, and who was suspected by many of havingcaused the Queen's death by means of a pair of poisoned gloves thathe had presented to her on the occasion of her visiting his castlein Aragon. Even after the expiration of the three years of publicmourning that he had ordained throughout his whole dominions byroyal edict, he would never suffer his ministers to speak about anynew alliance, and when the Emperor himself sent to him, and offeredhim the hand of the lovely Archduchess of Bohemia, his niece, inmarriage, he bade the ambassadors tell their master that the Kingof Spain was already wedded to Sorrow, and that though she was buta barren bride he loved her better than Beauty; an answer that costhis crown the rich provinces of the Netherlands, which soon after, at the Emperor's instigation, revolted against him under theleadership of some fanatics of the Reformed Church. His whole married life, with its fierce, fiery-coloured joys andthe terrible agony of its sudden ending, seemed to come back to himto-day as he watched the Infanta playing on the terrace. She hadall the Queen's pretty petulance of manner, the same wilful way oftossing her head, the same proud curved beautiful mouth, the samewonderful smile--vrai sourire de France indeed--as she glanced upnow and then at the window, or stretched out her little hand forthe stately Spanish gentlemen to kiss. But the shrill laughter ofthe children grated on his ears, and the bright pitiless sunlightmocked his sorrow, and a dull odour of strange spices, spices suchas embalmers use, seemed to taint--or was it fancy?--the clearmorning air. He buried his face in his hands, and when the Infantalooked up again the curtains had been drawn, and the King hadretired. She made a little moue of disappointment, and shrugged hershoulders. Surely he might have stayed with her on her birthday. What did the stupid State-affairs matter? Or had he gone to thatgloomy chapel, where the candles were always burning, and where shewas never allowed to enter? How silly of him, when the sun wasshining so brightly, and everybody was so happy! Besides, he wouldmiss the sham bull-fight for which the trumpet was alreadysounding, to say nothing of the puppet-show and the other wonderfulthings. Her uncle and the Grand Inquisitor were much moresensible. They had come out on the terrace, and paid her nicecompliments. So she tossed her pretty head, and taking Don Pedroby the hand, she walked slowly down the steps towards a longpavilion of purple silk that had been erected at the end of thegarden, the other children following in strict order of precedence, those who had the longest names going first. A procession of noble boys, fantastically dressed as toreadors, came out to meet her, and the young Count of Tierra-Nueva, awonderfully handsome lad of about fourteen years of age, uncoveringhis head with all the grace of a born hidalgo and grandee of Spain, led her solemnly in to a little gilt and ivory chair that wasplaced on a raised dais above the arena. The children groupedthemselves all round, fluttering their big fans and whispering toeach other, and Don Pedro and the Grand Inquisitor stood laughingat the entrance. Even the Duchess--the Camerera-Mayor as she wascalled--a thin, hard-featured woman with a yellow ruff, did notlook quite so bad-tempered as usual, and something like a chillsmile flitted across her wrinkled face and twitched her thinbloodless lips. It certainly was a marvellous bull-fight, and much nicer, theInfanta thought, than the real bull-fight that she had been broughtto see at Seville, on the occasion of the visit of the Duke ofParma to her father. Some of the boys pranced about on richly-caparisoned hobby-horses brandishing long javelins with gaystreamers of bright ribands attached to them; others went on footwaving their scarlet cloaks before the bull, and vaulting lightlyover the barrier when he charged them; and as for the bull himself, he was just like a live bull, though he was only made of wicker-work and stretched hide, and sometimes insisted on running roundthe arena on his hind legs, which no live bull ever dreams ofdoing. He made a splendid fight of it too, and the children got soexcited that they stood up upon the benches, and waved their lacehandkerchiefs and cried out: Bravo toro! Bravo toro! just assensibly as if they had been grown-up people. At last, however, after a prolonged combat, during which several of the hobby-horseswere gored through and through, and, their riders dismounted, theyoung Count of Tierra-Nueva brought the bull to his knees, andhaving obtained permission from the Infanta to give the coup degrace, he plunged his wooden sword into the neck of the animal withsuch violence that the head came right off, and disclosed thelaughing face of little Monsieur de Lorraine, the son of the FrenchAmbassador at Madrid. The arena was then cleared amidst much applause, and the deadhobbyhorses dragged solemnly away by two Moorish pages in yellowand black liveries, and after a short interlude, during which aFrench posture-master performed upon the tightrope, some Italianpuppets appeared in the semi-classical tragedy of Sophonisba on thestage of a small theatre that had been built up for the purpose. They acted so well, and their gestures were so extremely natural, that at the close of the play the eyes of the Infanta were quitedim with tears. Indeed some of the children really cried, and hadto be comforted with sweetmeats, and the Grand Inquisitor himselfwas so affected that he could not help saying to Don Pedro that itseemed to him intolerable that things made simply out of wood andcoloured wax, and worked mechanically by wires, should be sounhappy and meet with such terrible misfortunes. An African juggler followed, who brought in a large flat basketcovered with a red cloth, and having placed it in the centre of thearena, he took from his turban a curious reed pipe, and blewthrough it. In a few moments the cloth began to move, and as thepipe grew shriller and shriller two green and gold snakes put outtheir strange wedge-shaped heads and rose slowly up, swaying to andfro with the music as a plant sways in the water. The children, however, were rather frightened at their spotted hoods and quickdarting tongues, and were much more pleased when the juggler made atiny orange-tree grow out of the sand and bear pretty whiteblossoms and clusters of real fruit; and when he took the fan ofthe little daughter of the Marquess de Las-Torres, and changed itinto a blue bird that flew all round the pavilion and sang, theirdelight and amazement knew no bounds. The solemn minuet, too, performed by the dancing boys from the church of Nuestra Senora DelPilar, was charming. The Infanta had never before seen thiswonderful ceremony which takes place every year at Maytime in frontof the high altar of the Virgin, and in her honour; and indeed noneof the royal family of Spain had entered the great cathedral ofSaragossa since a mad priest, supposed by many to have been in thepay of Elizabeth of England, had tried to administer a poisonedwafer to the Prince of the Asturias. So she had known only byhearsay of 'Our Lady's Dance, ' as it was called, and it certainlywas a beautiful sight. The boys wore old-fashioned court dressesof white velvet, and their curious three-cornered hats were fringedwith silver and surmounted with huge plumes of ostrich feathers, the dazzling whiteness of their costumes, as they moved about inthe sunlight, being still more accentuated by their swarthy facesand long black hair. Everybody was fascinated by the grave dignitywith which they moved through the intricate figures of the dance, and by the elaborate grace of their slow gestures, and statelybows, and when they had finished their performance and doffed theirgreat plumed hats to the Infanta, she acknowledged their reverencewith much courtesy, and made a vow that she would send a large waxcandle to the shrine of Our Lady of Pilar in return for thepleasure that she had given her. A troop of handsome Egyptians--as the gipsies were termed in thosedays--then advanced into the arena, and sitting down cross-legs, ina circle, began to play softly upon their zithers, moving theirbodies to the tune, and humming, almost below their breath, a lowdreamy air. When they caught sight of Don Pedro they scowled athim, and some of them looked terrified, for only a few weeks beforehe had had two of their tribe hanged for sorcery in the market-place at Seville, but the pretty Infanta charmed them as she leanedback peeping over her fan with her great blue eyes, and they feltsure that one so lovely as she was could never be cruel to anybody. So they played on very gently and just touching the cords of thezithers with their long pointed nails, and their heads began to nodas though they were falling asleep. Suddenly, with a cry so shrillthat all the children were startled and Don Pedro's hand clutchedat the agate pommel of his dagger, they leapt to their feet andwhirled madly round the enclosure beating their tambourines, andchaunting some wild love-song in their strange guttural language. Then at another signal they all flung themselves again to theground and lay there quite still, the dull strumming of the zithersbeing the only sound that broke the silence. After that they haddone this several times, they disappeared for a moment and cameback leading a brown shaggy bear by a chain, and carrying on theirshoulders some little Barbary apes. The bear stood upon his headwith the utmost gravity, and the wizened apes played all kinds ofamusing tricks with two gipsy boys who seemed to be their masters, and fought with tiny swords, and fired off guns, and went through aregular soldier's drill just like the King's own bodyguard. Infact the gipsies were a great success. But the funniest part of the whole morning's entertainment, wasundoubtedly the dancing of the little Dwarf. When he stumbled intothe arena, waddling on his crooked legs and wagging his hugemisshapen head from side to side, the children went off into a loudshout of delight, and the Infanta herself laughed so much that theCamerera was obliged to remind her that although there were manyprecedents in Spain for a King's daughter weeping before herequals, there were none for a Princess of the blood royal making somerry before those who were her inferiors in birth. The Dwarf, however, was really quite irresistible, and even at the SpanishCourt, always noted for its cultivated passion for the horrible, sofantastic a little monster had never been seen. It was his firstappearance, too. He had been discovered only the day before, running wild through the forest, by two of the nobles who happenedto have been hunting in a remote part of the great cork-wood thatsurrounded the town, and had been carried off by them to the Palaceas a surprise for the Infanta; his father, who was a poor charcoal-burner, being but too well pleased to get rid of so ugly anduseless a child. Perhaps the most amusing thing about him was hiscomplete unconsciousness of his own grotesque appearance. Indeedhe seemed quite happy and full of the highest spirits. When thechildren laughed, he laughed as freely and as joyously as any ofthem, and at the close of each dance he made them each the funniestof bows, smiling and nodding at them just as if he was really oneof themselves, and not a little misshapen thing that Nature, insome humourous mood, had fashioned for others to mock at. As forthe Infanta, she absolutely fascinated him. He could not keep hiseyes off her, and seemed to dance for her alone, and when at theclose of the performance, remembering how she had seen the greatladies of the Court throw bouquets to Caffarelli, the famousItalian treble, whom the Pope had sent from his own chapel toMadrid that he might cure the King's melancholy by the sweetness ofhis voice, she took out of her hair the beautiful white rose, andpartly for a jest and partly to tease the Camerera, threw it to himacross the arena with her sweetest smile, he took the whole matterquite seriously, and pressing the flower to his rough coarse lipshe put his hand upon his heart, and sank on one knee before her, grinning from ear to ear, and with his little bright eyes sparklingwith pleasure. This so upset the gravity of the Infanta that she kept on laughinglong after the little Dwarf had ran out of the arena, and expresseda desire to her uncle that the dance should be immediatelyrepeated. The Camerera, however, on the plea that the sun was toohot, decided that it would be better that her Highness shouldreturn without delay to the Palace, where a wonderful feast hadbeen already prepared for her, including a real birthday cake withher own initials worked all over it in painted sugar and a lovelysilver flag waving from the top. The Infanta accordingly rose upwith much dignity, and having given orders that the little dwarfwas to dance again for her after the hour of siesta, and conveyedher thanks to the young Count of Tierra-Nueva for his charmingreception, she went back to her apartments, the children followingin the same order in which they had entered. Now when the little Dwarf heard that he was to dance a second timebefore the Infanta, and by her own express command, he was so proudthat he ran out into the garden, kissing the white rose in anabsurd ecstasy of pleasure, and making the most uncouth and clumsygestures of delight. The Flowers were quite indignant at his daring to intrude intotheir beautiful home, and when they saw him capering up and downthe walks, and waving his arms above his head in such a ridiculousmanner, they could not restrain their feelings any longer. 'He is really far too ugly to be allowed to play in any place wherewe are, ' cried the Tulips. 'He should drink poppy-juice, and go to sleep for a thousandyears, ' said the great scarlet Lilies, and they grew quite hot andangry. 'He is a perfect horror!' screamed the Cactus. 'Why, he is twistedand stumpy, and his head is completely out of proportion with hislegs. Really he makes me feel prickly all over, and if he comesnear me I will sting him with my thorns. ' 'And he has actually got one of my best blooms, ' exclaimed theWhite Rose-Tree. 'I gave it to the Infanta this morning myself, asa birthday present, and he has stolen it from her. ' And she calledout: 'Thief, thief, thief!' at the top of her voice. Even the red Geraniums, who did not usually give themselves airs, and were known to have a great many poor relations themselves, curled up in disgust when they saw him, and when the Violets meeklyremarked that though he was certainly extremely plain, still hecould not help it, they retorted with a good deal of justice thatthat was his chief defect, and that there was no reason why oneshould admire a person because he was incurable; and, indeed, someof the Violets themselves felt that the ugliness of the littleDwarf was almost ostentatious, and that he would have shown muchbetter taste if he had looked sad, or at least pensive, instead ofjumping about merrily, and throwing himself into such grotesque andsilly attitudes. As for the old Sundial, who was an extremely remarkable individual, and had once told the time of day to no less a person than theEmperor Charles V. Himself, he was so taken aback by the littleDwarf's appearance, that he almost forgot to mark two whole minuteswith his long shadowy finger, and could not help saying to thegreat milk-white Peacock, who was sunning herself on thebalustrade, that every one knew that the children of Kings wereKings, and that the children of charcoal-burners were charcoal-burners, and that it was absurd to pretend that it wasn't so; astatement with which the Peacock entirely agreed, and indeedscreamed out, 'Certainly, certainly, ' in such a loud, harsh voice, that the gold-fish who lived in the basin of the cool splashingfountain put their heads out of the water, and asked the huge stoneTritons what on earth was the matter. But somehow the Birds liked him. They had seen him often in theforest, dancing about like an elf after the eddying leaves, orcrouched up in the hollow of some old oak-tree, sharing his nutswith the squirrels. They did not mind his being ugly, a bit. Why, even the nightingale herself, who sang so sweetly in the orangegroves at night that sometimes the Moon leaned down to listen, wasnot much to look at after all; and, besides, he had been kind tothem, and during that terribly bitter winter, when there were noberries on the trees, and the ground was as hard as iron, and thewolves had come down to the very gates of the city to look forfood, he had never once forgotten them, but had always given themcrumbs out of his little hunch of black bread, and divided withthem whatever poor breakfast he had. So they flew round and round him, just touching his cheek withtheir wings as they passed, and chattered to each other, and thelittle Dwarf was so pleased that he could not help showing them thebeautiful white rose, and telling them that the Infanta herself hadgiven it to him because she loved him. They did not understand a single word of what he was saying, butthat made no matter, for they put their heads on one side, andlooked wise, which is quite as good as understanding a thing, andvery much easier. The Lizards also took an immense fancy to him, and when he grewtired of running about and flung himself down on the grass to rest, they played and romped all over him, and tried to amuse him in thebest way they could. 'Every one cannot be as beautiful as alizard, ' they cried; 'that would be too much to expect. And, though it sounds absurd to say so, he is really not so ugly afterall, provided, of course, that one shuts one's eyes, and does notlook at him. ' The Lizards were extremely philosophical by nature, and often sat thinking for hours and hours together, when there wasnothing else to do, or when the weather was too rainy for them togo out. The Flowers, however, were excessively annoyed at their behaviour, and at the behaviour of the birds. 'It only shows, ' they said, 'what a vulgarising effect this incessant rushing and flying abouthas. Well-bred people always stay exactly in the same place, as wedo. No one ever saw us hopping up and down the walks, or gallopingmadly through the grass after dragon-flies. When we do want changeof air, we send for the gardener, and he carries us to another bed. This is dignified, and as it should be. But birds and lizards haveno sense of repose, and indeed birds have not even a permanentaddress. They are mere vagrants like the gipsies, and should betreated in exactly the same manner. ' So they put their noses inthe air, and looked very haughty, and were quite delighted whenafter some time they saw the little Dwarf scramble up from thegrass, and make his way across the terrace to the palace. 'He should certainly be kept indoors for the rest of his naturallife, ' they said. 'Look at his hunched back, and his crookedlegs, ' and they began to titter. But the little Dwarf knew nothing of all this. He liked the birdsand the lizards immensely, and thought that the flowers were themost marvellous things in the whole world, except of course theInfanta, but then she had given him the beautiful white rose, andshe loved him, and that made a great difference. How he wishedthat he had gone back with her! She would have put him on herright hand, and smiled at him, and he would have never left herside, but would have made her his playmate, and taught her allkinds of delightful tricks. For though he had never been in apalace before, he knew a great many wonderful things. He couldmake little cages out of rushes for the grasshoppers to sing in, and fashion the long jointed bamboo into the pipe that Pan loves tohear. He knew the cry of every bird, and could call the starlingsfrom the tree-top, or the heron from the mere. He knew the trailof every animal, and could track the hare by its delicatefootprints, and the boar by the trampled leaves. All the wild-dances he knew, the mad dance in red raiment with the autumn, thelight dance in blue sandals over the corn, the dance with whitesnow-wreaths in winter, and the blossom-dance through the orchardsin spring. He knew where the wood-pigeons built their nests, andonce when a fowler had snared the parent birds, he had brought upthe young ones himself, and had built a little dovecot for them inthe cleft of a pollard elm. They were quite tame, and used to feedout of his hands every morning. She would like them, and therabbits that scurried about in the long fern, and the jays withtheir steely feathers and black bills, and the hedgehogs that couldcurl themselves up into prickly balls, and the great wise tortoisesthat crawled slowly about, shaking their heads and nibbling at theyoung leaves. Yes, she must certainly come to the forest and playwith him. He would give her his own little bed, and would watchoutside the window till dawn, to see that the wild horned cattledid not harm her, nor the gaunt wolves creep too near the hut. Andat dawn he would tap at the shutters and wake her, and they wouldgo out and dance together all the day long. It was really not abit lonely in the forest. Sometimes a Bishop rode through on hiswhite mule, reading out of a painted book. Sometimes in theirgreen velvet caps, and their jerkins of tanned deerskin, thefalconers passed by, with hooded hawks on their wrists. Atvintage-time came the grape-treaders, with purple hands and feet, wreathed with glossy ivy and carrying dripping skins of wine; andthe charcoal-burners sat round their huge braziers at night, watching the dry logs charring slowly in the fire, and roastingchestnuts in the ashes, and the robbers came out of their caves andmade merry with them. Once, too, he had seen a beautifulprocession winding up the long dusty road to Toledo. The monkswent in front singing sweetly, and carrying bright banners andcrosses of gold, and then, in silver armour, with matchlocks andpikes, came the soldiers, and in their midst walked threebarefooted men, in strange yellow dresses painted all over withwonderful figures, and carrying lighted candles in their hands. Certainly there was a great deal to look at in the forest, and whenshe was tired he would find a soft bank of moss for her, or carryher in his arms, for he was very strong, though he knew that he wasnot tall. He would make her a necklace of red bryony berries, thatwould be quite as pretty as the white berries that she wore on herdress, and when she was tired of them, she could throw them away, and he would find her others. He would bring her acorn-cups anddew-drenched anemones, and tiny glow-worms to be stars in the palegold of her hair. But where was she? He asked the white rose, and it made him noanswer. The whole palace seemed asleep, and even where theshutters had not been closed, heavy curtains had been drawn acrossthe windows to keep out the glare. He wandered all round lookingfor some place through which he might gain an entrance, and at lasthe caught sight of a little private door that was lying open. Heslipped through, and found himself in a splendid hall, far moresplendid, he feared, than the forest, there was so much moregilding everywhere, and even the floor was made of great colouredstones, fitted together into a sort of geometrical pattern. Butthe little Infanta was not there, only some wonderful white statuesthat looked down on him from their jasper pedestals, with sad blankeyes and strangely smiling lips. At the end of the hall hung a richly embroidered curtain of blackvelvet, powdered with suns and stars, the King's favourite devices, and broidered on the colour he loved best. Perhaps she was hidingbehind that? He would try at any rate. So he stole quietly across, and drew it aside. No; there was onlyanother room, though a prettier room, he thought, than the one hehad just left. The walls were hung with a many-figured green arrasof needle-wrought tapestry representing a hunt, the work of someFlemish artists who had spent more than seven years in itscomposition. It had once been the chamber of Jean le Fou, as hewas called, that mad King who was so enamoured of the chase, thathe had often tried in his delirium to mount the huge rearinghorses, and to drag down the stag on which the great hounds wereleaping, sounding his hunting horn, and stabbing with his dagger atthe pale flying deer. It was now used as the council-room, and onthe centre table were lying the red portfolios of the ministers, stamped with the gold tulips of Spain, and with the arms andemblems of the house of Hapsburg. The little Dwarf looked in wonder all round him, and was half-afraid to go on. The strange silent horsemen that galloped soswiftly through the long glades without making any noise, seemed tohim like those terrible phantoms of whom he had heard the charcoal-burners speaking--the Comprachos, who hunt only at night, and ifthey meet a man, turn him into a hind, and chase him. But hethought of the pretty Infanta, and took courage. He wanted to findher alone, and to tell her that he too loved her. Perhaps she wasin the room beyond. He ran across the soft Moorish carpets, and opened the door. No!She was not here either. The room was quite empty. It was a throne-room, used for the reception of foreignambassadors, when the King, which of late had not been often, consented to give them a personal audience; the same room in which, many years before, envoys had appeared from England to makearrangements for the marriage of their Queen, then one of theCatholic sovereigns of Europe, with the Emperor's eldest son. Thehangings were of gilt Cordovan leather, and a heavy gilt chandelierwith branches for three hundred wax lights hung down from the blackand white ceiling. Underneath a great canopy of gold cloth, onwhich the lions and towers of Castile were broidered in seedpearls, stood the throne itself, covered with a rich pall of blackvelvet studded with silver tulips and elaborately fringed withsilver and pearls. On the second step of the throne was placed thekneeling-stool of the Infanta, with its cushion of cloth of silvertissue, and below that again, and beyond the limit of the canopy, stood the chair for the Papal Nuncio, who alone had the right to beseated in the King's presence on the occasion of any publicceremonial, and whose Cardinal's hat, with its tangled scarlettassels, lay on a purple tabouret in front. On the wall, facingthe throne, hung a life-sized portrait of Charles V. In huntingdress, with a great mastiff by his side, and a picture of PhilipII. Receiving the homage of the Netherlands occupied the centre ofthe other wall. Between the windows stood a black ebony cabinet, inlaid with plates of ivory, on which the figures from Holbein'sDance of Death had been graved--by the hand, some said, of thatfamous master himself. But the little Dwarf cared nothing for all this magnificence. Hewould not have given his rose for all the pearls on the canopy, norone white petal of his rose for the throne itself. What he wantedwas to see the Infanta before she went down to the pavilion, and toask her to come away with him when he had finished his dance. Here, in the Palace, the air was close and heavy, but in the forestthe wind blew free, and the sunlight with wandering hands of goldmoved the tremulous leaves aside. There were flowers, too, in theforest, not so splendid, perhaps, as the flowers in the garden, butmore sweetly scented for all that; hyacinths in early spring thatflooded with waving purple the cool glens, and grassy knolls;yellow primroses that nestled in little clumps round the gnarledroots of the oak-trees; bright celandine, and blue speedwell, andirises lilac and gold. There were grey catkins on the hazels, andthe foxgloves drooped with the weight of their dappled bee-hauntedcells. The chestnut had its spires of white stars, and thehawthorn its pallid moons of beauty. Yes: surely she would comeif he could only find her! She would come with him to the fairforest, and all day long he would dance for her delight. A smilelit up his eyes at the thought, and he passed into the next room. Of all the rooms this was the brightest and the most beautiful. The walls were covered with a pink-flowered Lucca damask, patternedwith birds and dotted with dainty blossoms of silver; the furniturewas of massive silver, festooned with florid wreaths, and swingingCupids; in front of the two large fire-places stood great screensbroidered with parrots and peacocks, and the floor, which was ofsea-green onyx, seemed to stretch far away into the distance. Norwas he alone. Standing under the shadow of the doorway, at theextreme end of the room, he saw a little figure watching him. Hisheart trembled, a cry of joy broke from his lips, and he moved outinto the sunlight. As he did so, the figure moved out also, and hesaw it plainly. The Infanta! It was a monster, the most grotesque monster he hadever beheld. Not properly shaped, as all other people were, buthunchbacked, and crooked-limbed, with huge lolling head and mane ofblack hair. The little Dwarf frowned, and the monster frownedalso. He laughed, and it laughed with him, and held its hands toits sides, just as he himself was doing. He made it a mocking bow, and it returned him a low reverence. He went towards it, and itcame to meet him, copying each step that he made, and stopping whenhe stopped himself. He shouted with amusement, and ran forward, and reached out his hand, and the hand of the monster touched his, and it was as cold as ice. He grew afraid, and moved his handacross, and the monster's hand followed it quickly. He tried topress on, but something smooth and hard stopped him. The face ofthe monster was now close to his own, and seemed full of terror. He brushed his hair off his eyes. It imitated him. He struck atit, and it returned blow for blow. He loathed it, and it madehideous faces at him. He drew back, and it retreated. What is it? He thought for a moment, and looked round at the restof the room. It was strange, but everything seemed to have itsdouble in this invisible wall of clear water. Yes, picture forpicture was repeated, and couch for couch. The sleeping Faun thatlay in the alcove by the doorway had its twin brother thatslumbered, and the silver Venus that stood in the sunlight held outher arms to a Venus as lovely as herself. Was it Echo? He had called to her once in the valley, and she hadanswered him word for word. Could she mock the eye, as she mockedthe voice? Could she make a mimic world just like the real world?Could the shadows of things have colour and life and movement?Could it be that--? He started, and taking from his breast the beautiful white rose, heturned round, and kissed it. The monster had a rose of its own, petal for petal the same! It kissed it with like kisses, andpressed it to its heart with horrible gestures. When the truth dawned upon him, he gave a wild cry of despair, andfell sobbing to the ground. So it was he who was misshapen andhunchbacked, foul to look at and grotesque. He himself was themonster, and it was at him that all the children had been laughing, and the little Princess who he had thought loved him--she too hadbeen merely mocking at his ugliness, and making merry over histwisted limbs. Why had they not left him in the forest, wherethere was no mirror to tell him how loathsome he was? Why had hisfather not killed him, rather than sell him to his shame? The hottears poured down his cheeks, and he tore the white rose to pieces. The sprawling monster did the same, and scattered the faint petalsin the air. It grovelled on the ground, and, when he looked at it, it watched him with a face drawn with pain. He crept away, lest heshould see it, and covered his eyes with his hands. He crawled, like some wounded thing, into the shadow, and lay there moaning. And at that moment the Infanta herself came in with her companionsthrough the open window, and when they saw the ugly little dwarflying on the ground and beating the floor with his clenched hands, in the most fantastic and exaggerated manner, they went off intoshouts of happy laughter, and stood all round him and watched him. 'His dancing was funny, ' said the Infanta; 'but his acting isfunnier still. Indeed he is almost as good as the puppets, only ofcourse not quite so natural. ' And she fluttered her big fan, andapplauded. But the little Dwarf never looked up, and his sobs grew fainter andfainter, and suddenly he gave a curious gasp, and clutched hisside. And then he fell back again, and lay quite still. 'That is capital, ' said the Infanta, after a pause; 'but now youmust dance for me. ' 'Yes, ' cried all the children, 'you must get up and dance, for youare as clever as the Barbary apes, and much more ridiculous. ' Butthe little Dwarf made no answer. And the Infanta stamped her foot, and called out to her uncle, whowas walking on the terrace with the Chamberlain, reading somedespatches that had just arrived from Mexico, where the Holy Officehad recently been established. 'My funny little dwarf is sulking, 'she cried, 'you must wake him up, and tell him to dance for me. ' They smiled at each other, and sauntered in, and Don Pedro stoopeddown, and slapped the Dwarf on the cheek with his embroideredglove. 'You must dance, ' he said, 'petit monsire. You must dance. The Infanta of Spain and the Indies wishes to be amused. ' But the little Dwarf never moved. 'A whipping master should be sent for, ' said Don Pedro wearily, andhe went back to the terrace. But the Chamberlain looked grave, andhe knelt beside the little dwarf, and put his hand upon his heart. And after a few moments he shrugged his shoulders, and rose up, andhaving made a low bow to the Infanta, he said - 'Mi bella Princesa, your funny little dwarf will never dance again. It is a pity, for he is so ugly that he might have made the Kingsmile. ' 'But why will he not dance again?' asked the Infanta, laughing. 'Because his heart is broken, ' answered the Chamberlain. And the Infanta frowned, and her dainty rose-leaf lips curled inpretty disdain. 'For the future let those who come to play with mehave no hearts, ' she cried, and she ran out into the garden. THE FISHERMAN AND HIS SOUL [TO H. S. H. ALICE, PRINCESS OF MONACO] Every evening the young Fisherman went out upon the sea, and threwhis nets into the water. When the wind blew from the land he caught nothing, or but littleat best, for it was a bitter and black-winged wind, and rough wavesrose up to meet it. But when the wind blew to the shore, the fishcame in from the deep, and swam into the meshes of his nets, and hetook them to the market-place and sold them. Every evening he went out upon the sea, and one evening the net wasso heavy that hardly could he draw it into the boat. And helaughed, and said to himself, 'Surely I have caught all the fishthat swim, or snared some dull monster that will be a marvel tomen, or some thing of horror that the great Queen will desire, ' andputting forth all his strength, he tugged at the coarse ropes till, like lines of blue enamel round a vase of bronze, the long veinsrose up on his arms. He tugged at the thin ropes, and nearer andnearer came the circle of flat corks, and the net rose at last tothe top of the water. But no fish at all was in it, nor any monster or thing of horror, but only a little Mermaid lying fast asleep. Her hair was as a wet fleece of gold, and each separate hair as athread of fine gold in a cup of glass. Her body was as whiteivory, and her tail was of silver and pearl. Silver and pearl washer tail, and the green weeds of the sea coiled round it; and likesea-shells were her ears, and her lips were like sea-coral. Thecold waves dashed over her cold breasts, and the salt glistenedupon her eyelids. So beautiful was she that when the young Fisherman saw her he wasfilled with wonder, and he put out his hand and drew the net closeto him, and leaning over the side he clasped her in his arms. Andwhen he touched her, she gave a cry like a startled sea-gull, andwoke, and looked at him in terror with her mauve-amethyst eyes, andstruggled that she might escape. But he held her tightly to him, and would not suffer her to depart. And when she saw that she could in no way escape from him, shebegan to weep, and said, 'I pray thee let me go, for I am the onlydaughter of a King, and my father is aged and alone. ' But the young Fisherman answered, 'I will not let thee go save thoumakest me a promise that whenever I call thee, thou wilt come andsing to me, for the fish delight to listen to the song of the Sea-folk, and so shall my nets be full. ' 'Wilt thou in very truth let me go, if I promise thee this?' criedthe Mermaid. 'In very truth I will let thee go, ' said the young Fisherman. So she made him the promise he desired, and sware it by the oath ofthe Sea-folk. And he loosened his arms from about her, and shesank down into the water, trembling with a strange fear. Every evening the young Fisherman went out upon the sea, and calledto the Mermaid, and she rose out of the water and sang to him. Round and round her swam the dolphins, and the wild gulls wheeledabove her head. And she sang a marvellous song. For she sang of the Sea-folk whodrive their flocks from cave to cave, and carry the little calveson their shoulders; of the Tritons who have long green beards, andhairy breasts, and blow through twisted conchs when the King passesby; of the palace of the King which is all of amber, with a roof ofclear emerald, and a pavement of bright pearl; and of the gardensof the sea where the great filigrane fans of coral wave all daylong, and the fish dart about like silver birds, and the anemonescling to the rocks, and the pinks bourgeon in the ribbed yellowsand. She sang of the big whales that come down from the northseas and have sharp icicles hanging to their fins; of the Sirenswho tell of such wonderful things that the merchants have to stoptheir ears with wax lest they should hear them, and leap into thewater and be drowned; of the sunken galleys with their tall masts, and the frozen sailors clinging to the rigging, and the mackerelswimming in and out of the open portholes; of the little barnacleswho are great travellers, and cling to the keels of the ships andgo round and round the world; and of the cuttlefish who live in thesides of the cliffs and stretch out their long black arms, and canmake night come when they will it. She sang of the nautilus whohas a boat of her own that is carved out of an opal and steeredwith a silken sail; of the happy Mermen who play upon harps and cancharm the great Kraken to sleep; of the little children who catchhold of the slippery porpoises and ride laughing upon their backs;of the Mermaids who lie in the white foam and hold out their armsto the mariners; and of the sea-lions with their curved tusks, andthe sea-horses with their floating manes. And as she sang, all the tunny-fish came in from the deep to listento her, and the young Fisherman threw his nets round them andcaught them, and others he took with a spear. And when his boatwas well-laden, the Mermaid would sink down into the sea, smilingat him. Yet would she never come near him that he might touch her. Oftentimes he called to her and prayed of her, but she would not;and when he sought to seize her she dived into the water as a sealmight dive, nor did he see her again that day. And each day thesound of her voice became sweeter to his ears. So sweet was hervoice that he forgot his nets and his cunning, and had no care ofhis craft. Vermilion-finned and with eyes of bossy gold, thetunnies went by in shoals, but he heeded them not. His spear layby his side unused, and his baskets of plaited osier were empty. With lips parted, and eyes dim with wonder, he sat idle in his boatand listened, listening till the sea-mists crept round him, and thewandering moon stained his brown limbs with silver. And one evening he called to her, and said: 'Little Mermaid, little Mermaid, I love thee. Take me for thy bridegroom, for Ilove thee. ' But the Mermaid shook her head. 'Thou hast a human soul, ' sheanswered. 'If only thou wouldst send away thy soul, then could Ilove thee. ' And the young Fisherman said to himself, 'Of what use is my soul tome? I cannot see it. I may not touch it. I do not know it. Surely I will send it away from me, and much gladness shall bemine. ' And a cry of joy broke from his lips, and standing up inthe painted boat, he held out his arms to the Mermaid. 'I willsend my soul away, ' he cried, 'and you shall be my bride, and Iwill be thy bridegroom, and in the depth of the sea we will dwelltogether, and all that thou hast sung of thou shalt show me, andall that thou desirest I will do, nor shall our lives be divided. ' And the little Mermaid laughed for pleasure and hid her face in herhands. 'But how shall I send my soul from me?' cried the young Fisherman. 'Tell me how I may do it, and lo! it shall be done. ' 'Alas! I know not, ' said the little Mermaid: 'the Sea-folk haveno souls. ' And she sank down into the deep, looking wistfully athim. Now early on the next morning, before the sun was the span of aman's hand above the hill, the young Fisherman went to the house ofthe Priest and knocked three times at the door. The novice looked out through the wicket, and when he saw who itwas, he drew back the latch and said to him, 'Enter. ' And the young Fisherman passed in, and knelt down on the sweet-smelling rushes of the floor, and cried to the Priest who wasreading out of the Holy Book and said to him, 'Father, I am in lovewith one of the Sea-folk, and my soul hindereth me from having mydesire. Tell me how I can send my soul away from me, for in truthI have no need of it. Of what value is my soul to me? I cannotsee it. I may not touch it. I do not know it. ' And the Priest beat his breast, and answered, 'Alack, alack, thouart mad, or hast eaten of some poisonous herb, for the soul is thenoblest part of man, and was given to us by God that we shouldnobly use it. There is no thing more precious than a human soul, nor any earthly thing that can be weighed with it. It is worth allthe gold that is in the world, and is more precious than the rubiesof the kings. Therefore, my son, think not any more of thismatter, for it is a sin that may not be forgiven. And as for theSea-folk, they are lost, and they who would traffic with them arelost also. They are as the beasts of the field that know not goodfrom evil, and for them the Lord has not died. ' The young Fisherman's eyes filled with tears when he heard thebitter words of the Priest, and he rose up from his knees and saidto him, 'Father, the Fauns live in the forest and are glad, and onthe rocks sit the Mermen with their harps of red gold. Let me beas they are, I beseech thee, for their days are as the days offlowers. And as for my soul, what doth my soul profit me, if itstand between me and the thing that I love?' 'The love of the body is vile, ' cried the Priest, knitting hisbrows, 'and vile and evil are the pagan things God suffers towander through His world. Accursed be the Fauns of the woodland, and accursed be the singers of the sea! I have heard them atnight-time, and they have sought to lure me from my beads. Theytap at the window, and laugh. They whisper into my ears the taleof their perilous joys. They tempt me with temptations, and when Iwould pray they make mouths at me. They are lost, I tell thee, they are lost. For them there is no heaven nor hell, and inneither shall they praise God's name. ' 'Father, ' cried the young Fisherman, 'thou knowest not what thousayest. Once in my net I snared the daughter of a King. She isfairer than the morning star, and whiter than the moon. For herbody I would give my soul, and for her love I would surrenderheaven. Tell me what I ask of thee, and let me go in peace. ' 'Away! Away!' cried the Priest: 'thy leman is lost, and thoushalt be lost with her. ' And he gave him no blessing, but drove him from his door. And the young Fisherman went down into the market-place, and hewalked slowly, and with bowed head, as one who is in sorrow. And when the merchants saw him coming, they began to whisper toeach other, and one of them came forth to meet him, and called himby name, and said to him, 'What hast thou to sell?' 'I will sell thee my soul, ' he answered. 'I pray thee buy it ofme, for I am weary of it. Of what use is my soul to me? I cannotsee it. I may not touch it. I do not know it. ' But the merchants mocked at him, and said, 'Of what use is a man'ssoul to us? It is not worth a clipped piece of silver. Sell usthy body for a slave, and we will clothe thee in sea-purple, andput a ring upon thy finger, and make thee the minion of the greatQueen. But talk not of the soul, for to us it is nought, nor hasit any value for our service. ' And the young Fisherman said to himself: 'How strange a thing thisis! The Priest telleth me that the soul is worth all the gold inthe world, and the merchants say that it is not worth a clippedpiece of silver. ' And he passed out of the market-place, and wentdown to the shore of the sea, and began to ponder on what he shoulddo. And at noon he remembered how one of his companions, who was agatherer of samphire, had told him of a certain young Witch whodwelt in a cave at the head of the bay and was very cunning in herwitcheries. And he set to and ran, so eager was he to get rid ofhis soul, and a cloud of dust followed him as he sped round thesand of the shore. By the itching of her palm the young Witch knewhis coming, and she laughed and let down her red hair. With herred hair falling around her, she stood at the opening of the cave, and in her hand she had a spray of wild hemlock that wasblossoming. 'What d'ye lack? What d'ye lack?' she cried, as he came panting upthe steep, and bent down before her. 'Fish for thy net, when thewind is foul? I have a little reed-pipe, and when I blow on it themullet come sailing into the bay. But it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price. What d'ye lack? What d'ye lack? A storm to wreckthe ships, and wash the chests of rich treasure ashore? I havemore storms than the wind has, for I serve one who is stronger thanthe wind, and with a sieve and a pail of water I can send the greatgalleys to the bottom of the sea. But I have a price, pretty boy, I have a price. What d'ye lack? What d'ye lack? I know a flowerthat grows in the valley, none knows it but I. It has purpleleaves, and a star in its heart, and its juice is as white as milk. Shouldst thou touch with this flower the hard lips of the Queen, she would follow thee all over the world. Out of the bed of theKing she would rise, and over the whole world she would followthee. And it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price. What d'yelack? What d'ye lack? I can pound a toad in a mortar, and makebroth of it, and stir the broth with a dead man's hand. Sprinkleit on thine enemy while he sleeps, and he will turn into a blackviper, and his own mother will slay him. With a wheel I can drawthe Moon from heaven, and in a crystal I can show thee Death. Whatd'ye lack? What d'ye lack? Tell me thy desire, and I will give itthee, and thou shalt pay me a price, pretty boy, thou shalt pay mea price. ' 'My desire is but for a little thing, ' said the young Fisherman, 'yet hath the Priest been wroth with me, and driven me forth. Itis but for a little thing, and the merchants have mocked at me, anddenied me. Therefore am I come to thee, though men call thee evil, and whatever be thy price I shall pay it. ' 'What wouldst thou?' asked the Witch, coming near to him. 'I would send my soul away from me, ' answered the young Fisherman. The Witch grew pale, and shuddered, and hid her face in her bluemantle. 'Pretty boy, pretty boy, ' she muttered, 'that is aterrible thing to do. ' He tossed his brown curls and laughed. 'My soul is nought to me, 'he answered. 'I cannot see it. I may not touch it. I do not knowit. ' 'What wilt thou give me if I tell thee?' asked the Witch, lookingdown at him with her beautiful eyes. 'Five pieces of gold, ' he said, 'and my nets, and the wattled housewhere I live, and the painted boat in which I sail. Only tell mehow to get rid of my soul, and I will give thee all that Ipossess. ' She laughed mockingly at him, and struck him with the spray ofhemlock. 'I can turn the autumn leaves into gold, ' she answered, 'and I can weave the pale moonbeams into silver if I will it. Hewhom I serve is richer than all the kings of this world, and hastheir dominions. ' 'What then shall I give thee, ' he cried, 'if thy price be neithergold nor silver?' The Witch stroked his hair with her thin white hand. 'Thou mustdance with me, pretty boy, ' she murmured, and she smiled at him asshe spoke. 'Nought but that?' cried the young Fisherman in wonder and he roseto his feet. 'Nought but that, ' she answered, and she smiled at him again. 'Then at sunset in some secret place we shall dance together, ' hesaid, 'and after that we have danced thou shalt tell me the thingwhich I desire to know. ' She shook her head. 'When the moon is full, when the moon isfull, ' she muttered. Then she peered all round, and listened. Ablue bird rose screaming from its nest and circled over the dunes, and three spotted birds rustled through the coarse grey grass andwhistled to each other. There was no other sound save the sound ofa wave fretting the smooth pebbles below. So she reached out herhand, and drew him near to her and put her dry lips close to hisear. 'To-night thou must come to the top of the mountain, ' shewhispered. 'It is a Sabbath, and He will be there. ' The young Fisherman started and looked at her, and she showed herwhite teeth and laughed. 'Who is He of whom thou speakest?' heasked. 'It matters not, ' she answered. 'Go thou to-night, and stand underthe branches of the hornbeam, and wait for my coming. If a blackdog run towards thee, strike it with a rod of willow, and it willgo away. If an owl speak to thee, make it no answer. When themoon is full I shall be with thee, and we will dance together onthe grass. ' 'But wilt thou swear to me to tell me how I may send my soul fromme?' he made question. She moved out into the sunlight, and through her red hair rippledthe wind. 'By the hoofs of the goat I swear it, ' she made answer. 'Thou art the best of the witches, ' cried the young Fisherman, 'andI will surely dance with thee to-night on the top of the mountain. I would indeed that thou hadst asked of me either gold or silver. But such as thy price is thou shalt have it, for it is but a littlething. ' And he doffed his cap to her, and bent his head low, andran back to the town filled with a great joy. And the Witch watched him as he went, and when he had passed fromher sight she entered her cave, and having taken a mirror from abox of carved cedarwood, she set it up on a frame, and burnedvervain on lighted charcoal before it, and peered through the coilsof the smoke. And after a time she clenched her hands in anger. 'He should have been mine, ' she muttered, 'I am as fair as she is. ' And that evening, when the moon had risen, the young Fishermanclimbed up to the top of the mountain, and stood under the branchesof the hornbeam. Like a targe of polished metal the round sea layat his feet, and the shadows of the fishing-boats moved in thelittle bay. A great owl, with yellow sulphurous eyes, called tohim by his name, but he made it no answer. A black dog ran towardshim and snarled. He struck it with a rod of willow, and it wentaway whining. At midnight the witches came flying through the air like bats. 'Phew!' they cried, as they lit upon the ground, 'there is some onehere we know not!' and they sniffed about, and chattered to eachother, and made signs. Last of all came the young Witch, with herred hair streaming in the wind. She wore a dress of gold tissueembroidered with peacocks' eyes, and a little cap of green velvetwas on her head. 'Where is he, where is he?' shrieked the witches when they saw her, but she only laughed, and ran to the hornbeam, and taking theFisherman by the hand she led him out into the moonlight and beganto dance. Round and round they whirled, and the young Witch jumped so highthat he could see the scarlet heels of her shoes. Then rightacross the dancers came the sound of the galloping of a horse, butno horse was to be seen, and he felt afraid. 'Faster, ' cried the Witch, and she threw her arms about his neck, and her breath was hot upon his face. 'Faster, faster!' she cried, and the earth seemed to spin beneath his feet, and his brain grewtroubled, and a great terror fell on him, as of some evil thingthat was watching him, and at last he became aware that under theshadow of a rock there was a figure that had not been there before. It was a man dressed in a suit of black velvet, cut in the Spanishfashion. His face was strangely pale, but his lips were like aproud red flower. He seemed weary, and was leaning back toying ina listless manner with the pommel of his dagger. On the grassbeside him lay a plumed hat, and a pair of riding-gloves gauntletedwith gilt lace, and sewn with seed-pearls wrought into a curiousdevice. A short cloak lined with sables hang from his shoulder, and his delicate white hands were gemmed with rings. Heavy eyelidsdrooped over his eyes. The young Fisherman watched him, as one snared in a spell. At lasttheir eyes met, and wherever he danced it seemed to him that theeyes of the man were upon him. He heard the Witch laugh, andcaught her by the waist, and whirled her madly round and round. Suddenly a dog bayed in the wood, and the dancers stopped, andgoing up two by two, knelt down, and kissed the man's hands. Asthey did so, a little smile touched his proud lips, as a bird'swing touches the water and makes it laugh. But there was disdainin it. He kept looking at the young Fisherman. 'Come! let us worship, ' whispered the Witch, and she led him up, and a great desire to do as she besought him seized on him, and hefollowed her. But when he came close, and without knowing why hedid it, he made on his breast the sign of the Cross, and calledupon the holy name. No sooner had he done so than the witches screamed like hawks andflew away, and the pallid face that had been watching him twitchedwith a spasm of pain. The man went over to a little wood, andwhistled. A jennet with silver trappings came running to meet him. As he leapt upon the saddle he turned round, and looked at theyoung Fisherman sadly. And the Witch with the red hair tried to fly away also, but theFisherman caught her by her wrists, and held her fast. 'Loose me, ' she cried, 'and let me go. For thou hast named whatshould not be named, and shown the sign that may not be looked at. ' 'Nay, ' he answered, 'but I will not let thee go till thou hast toldme the secret. ' 'What secret?' said the Witch, wrestling with him like a wild cat, and biting her foam-flecked lips. 'Thou knowest, ' he made answer. Her grass-green eyes grew dim with tears, and she said to theFisherman, 'Ask me anything but that!' He laughed, and held her all the more tightly. And when she saw that she could not free herself, she whispered tohim, 'Surely I am as fair as the daughters of the sea, and ascomely as those that dwell in the blue waters, ' and she fawned onhim and put her face close to his. But he thrust her back frowning, and said to her, 'If thou keepestnot the promise that thou madest to me I will slay thee for a falsewitch. ' She grew grey as a blossom of the Judas tree, and shuddered. 'Beit so, ' she muttered. 'It is thy soul and not mine. Do with it asthou wilt. ' And she took from her girdle a little knife that had ahandle of green viper's skin, and gave it to him. 'What shall this serve me?' he asked of her, wondering. She was silent for a few moments, and a look of terror came overher face. Then she brushed her hair back from her forehead, andsmiling strangely she said to him, 'What men call the shadow of thebody is not the shadow of the body, but is the body of the soul. Stand on the sea-shore with thy back to the moon, and cut away fromaround thy feet thy shadow, which is thy soul's body, and bid thysoul leave thee, and it will do so. ' The young Fisherman trembled. 'Is this true?' he murmured. 'It is true, and I would that I had not told thee of it, ' shecried, and she clung to his knees weeping. He put her from him and left her in the rank grass, and going tothe edge of the mountain he placed the knife in his belt and beganto climb down. And his Soul that was within him called out to him and said, 'Lo!I have dwelt with thee for all these years, and have been thyservant. Send me not away from thee now, for what evil have I donethee?' And the young Fisherman laughed. 'Thou hast done me no evil, but Ihave no need of thee, ' he answered. 'The world is wide, and thereis Heaven also, and Hell, and that dim twilight house that liesbetween. Go wherever thou wilt, but trouble me not, for my love iscalling to me. ' And his Soul besought him piteously, but he heeded it not, butleapt from crag to crag, being sure-footed as a wild goat, and atlast he reached the level ground and the yellow shore of the sea. Bronze-limbed and well-knit, like a statue wrought by a Grecian, hestood on the sand with his back to the moon, and out of the foamcame white arms that beckoned to him, and out of the waves rose dimforms that did him homage. Before him lay his shadow, which wasthe body of his soul, and behind him hung the moon in the honey-coloured air. And his Soul said to him, 'If indeed thou must drive me from thee, send me not forth without a heart. The world is cruel, give me thyheart to take with me. ' He tossed his head and smiled. 'With what should I love my love ifI gave thee my heart?' he cried. 'Nay, but be merciful, ' said his Soul: 'give me thy heart, for theworld is very cruel, and I am afraid. ' 'My heart is my love's, ' he answered, 'therefore tarry not, but getthee gone. ' 'Should I not love also?' asked his Soul. 'Get thee gone, for I have no need of thee, ' cried the youngFisherman, and he took the little knife with its handle of greenviper's skin, and cut away his shadow from around his feet, and itrose up and stood before him, and looked at him, and it was even ashimself. He crept back, and thrust the knife into his belt, and a feeling ofawe came over him. 'Get thee gone, ' he murmured, 'and let me seethy face no more. ' 'Nay, but we must meet again, ' said the Soul. Its voice was lowand flute-like, and its lips hardly moved while it spake. 'How shall we meet?' cried the young Fisherman. 'Thou wilt notfollow me into the depths of the sea?' 'Once every year I will come to this place, and call to thee, ' saidthe Soul. 'It may be that thou wilt have need of me. ' 'What need should I have of thee?' cried the young Fisherman, 'butbe it as thou wilt, ' and he plunged into the waters and the Tritonsblew their horns and the little Mermaid rose up to meet him, andput her arms around his neck and kissed him on the mouth. And the Soul stood on the lonely beach and watched them. And whenthey had sunk down into the sea, it went weeping away over themarshes. And after a year was over the Soul came down to the shore of thesea and called to the young Fisherman, and he rose out of the deep, and said, 'Why dost thou call to me?' And the Soul answered, 'Come nearer, that I may speak with thee, for I have seen marvellous things. ' So he came nearer, and couched in the shallow water, and leaned hishead upon his hand and listened. And the Soul said to him, 'When I left thee I turned my face to theEast and journeyed. From the East cometh everything that is wise. Six days I journeyed, and on the morning of the seventh day I cameto a hill that is in the country of the Tartars. I sat down underthe shade of a tamarisk tree to shelter myself from the sun. Theland was dry and burnt up with the heat. The people went to andfro over the plain like flies crawling upon a disk of polishedcopper. 'When it was noon a cloud of red dust rose up from the flat rim ofthe land. When the Tartars saw it, they strung their painted bows, and having leapt upon their little horses they galloped to meet it. The women fled screaming to the waggons, and hid themselves behindthe felt curtains. 'At twilight the Tartars returned, but five of them were missing, and of those that came back not a few had been wounded. Theyharnessed their horses to the waggons and drove hastily away. Three jackals came out of a cave and peered after them. Then theysniffed up the air with their nostrils, and trotted off in theopposite direction. 'When the moon rose I saw a camp-fire burning on the plain, andwent towards it. A company of merchants were seated round it oncarpets. Their camels were picketed behind them, and the negroeswho were their servants were pitching tents of tanned skin upon thesand, and making a high wall of the prickly pear. 'As I came near them, the chief of the merchants rose up and drewhis sword, and asked me my business. 'I answered that I was a Prince in my own land, and that I hadescaped from the Tartars, who had sought to make me their slave. The chief smiled, and showed me five heads fixed upon long reeds ofbamboo. 'Then he asked me who was the prophet of God, and I answered himMohammed. 'When he heard the name of the false prophet, he bowed and took meby the hand, and placed me by his side. A negro brought me somemare's milk in a wooden dish, and a piece of lamb's flesh roasted. 'At daybreak we started on our journey. I rode on a red-hairedcamel by the side of the chief, and a runner ran before us carryinga spear. The men of war were on either hand, and the mulesfollowed with the merchandise. There were forty camels in thecaravan, and the mules were twice forty in number. 'We went from the country of the Tartars into the country of thosewho curse the Moon. We saw the Gryphons guarding their gold on thewhite rocks, and the scaled Dragons sleeping in their caves. As wepassed over the mountains we held our breath lest the snows mightfall on us, and each man tied a veil of gauze before his eyes. Aswe passed through the valleys the Pygmies shot arrows at us fromthe hollows of the trees, and at night-time we heard the wild menbeating on their drums. When we came to the Tower of Apes we setfruits before them, and they did not harm us. When we came to theTower of Serpents we gave them warm milk in howls of brass, andthey let us go by. Three times in our journey we came to the banksof the Oxus. We crossed it on rafts of wood with great bladders ofblown hide. The river-horses raged against us and sought to slayus. When the camels saw them they trembled. 'The kings of each city levied tolls on us, but would not suffer usto enter their gates. They threw us bread over the walls, littlemaize-cakes baked in honey and cakes of fine flour filled withdates. For every hundred baskets we gave them a bead of amber. 'When the dwellers in the villages saw us coming, they poisoned thewells and fled to the hill-summits. We fought with the Magadae whoare born old, and grow younger and younger every year, and die whenthey are little children; and with the Laktroi who say that theyare the sons of tigers, and paint themselves yellow and black; andwith the Aurantes who bury their dead on the tops of trees, andthemselves live in dark caverns lest the Sun, who is their god, should slay them; and with the Krimnians who worship a crocodile, and give it earrings of green glass, and feed it with butter andfresh fowls; and with the Agazonbae, who are dog-faced; and withthe Sibans, who have horses' feet, and run more swiftly thanhorses. A third of our company died in battle, and a third died ofwant. The rest murmured against me, and said that I had broughtthem an evil fortune. I took a horned adder from beneath a stoneand let it sting me. When they saw that I did not sicken they grewafraid. 'In the fourth month we reached the city of Illel. It was night-time when we came to the grove that is outside the walls, and theair was sultry, for the Moon was travelling in Scorpion. We tookthe ripe pomegranates from the trees, and brake them, and dranktheir sweet juices. Then we lay down on our carpets, and waitedfor the dawn. 'And at dawn we rose and knocked at the gate of the city. It waswrought out of red bronze, and carved with sea-dragons and dragonsthat have wings. The guards looked down from the battlements andasked us our business. The interpreter of the caravan answeredthat we had come from the island of Syria with much merchandise. They took hostages, and told us that they would open the gate to usat noon, and bade us tarry till then. 'When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in thepeople came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crierwent round the city crying through a shell. We stood in themarket-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured clothsand opened the carved chests of sycamore. And when they had endedtheir task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxedlinen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of theEthiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings fromSidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and thecurious vessels of burnt clay. From the roof of a house a companyof women watched us. One of them wore a mask of gilded leather. 'And on the first day the priests came and bartered with us, and onthe second day came the nobles, and on the third day came thecraftsmen and the slaves. And this is their custom with allmerchants as long as they tarry in the city. 'And we tarried for a moon, and when the moon was waning, I weariedand wandered away through the streets of the city and came to thegarden of its god. The priests in their yellow robes movedsilently through the green trees, and on a pavement of black marblestood the rose-red house in which the god had his dwelling. Itsdoors were of powdered lacquer, and bulls and peacocks were wroughton them in raised and polished gold. The tilted roof was of sea-green porcelain, and the jutting eaves were festooned with littlebells. When the white doves flew past, they struck the bells withtheir wings and made them tinkle. 'In front of the temple was a pool of clear water paved with veinedonyx. I lay down beside it, and with my pale fingers I touched thebroad leaves. One of the priests came towards me and stood behindme. He had sandals on his feet, one of soft serpent-skin and theother of birds' plumage. On his head was a mitre of black feltdecorated with silver crescents. Seven yellows were woven into hisrobe, and his frizzed hair was stained with antimony. 'After a little while he spake to me, and asked me my desire. 'I told him that my desire was to see the god. '"The god is hunting, " said the priest, looking strangely at mewith his small slanting eyes. '"Tell me in what forest, and I will ride with him, " I answered. 'He combed out the soft fringes of his tunic with his long pointednails. "The god is asleep, " he murmured. '"Tell me on what couch, and I will watch by him, " I answered. '"The god is at the feast, " he cried. '"If the wine be sweet I will drink it with him, and if it bebitter I will drink it with him also, " was my answer. 'He bowed his head in wonder, and, taking me by the hand, he raisedme up, and led me into the temple. 'And in the first chamber I saw an idol seated on a throne ofjasper bordered with great orient pearls. It was carved out ofebony, and in stature was of the stature of a man. On its foreheadwas a ruby, and thick oil dripped from its hair on to its thighs. Its feet were red with the blood of a newly-slain kid, and itsloins girt with a copper belt that was studded with seven beryls. 'And I said to the priest, "Is this the god?" And he answered me, "This is the god. " '"Show me the god, " I cried, "or I will surely slay thee. " And Itouched his hand, and it became withered. 'And the priest besought me, saying, "Let my lord heal his servant, and I will show him the god. " 'So I breathed with my breath upon his hand, and it became wholeagain, and he trembled and led me into the second chamber, and Isaw an idol standing on a lotus of jade hung with great emeralds. It was carved out of ivory, and in stature was twice the stature ofa man. On its forehead was a chrysolite, and its breasts weresmeared with myrrh and cinnamon. In one hand it held a crookedsceptre of jade, and in the other a round crystal. It ware buskinsof brass, and its thick neck was circled with a circle ofselenites. 'And I said to the priest, "Is this the god?" 'And he answered me, "This is the god. " '"Show me the god, " I cried, "or I will surely slay thee. " And Itouched his eyes, and they became blind. 'And the priest besought me, saying, "Let my lord heal his servant, and I will show him the god. " 'So I breathed with my breath upon his eyes, and the sight cameback to them, and he trembled again, and led me into the thirdchamber, and lo! there was no idol in it, nor image of any kind, but only a mirror of round metal set on an altar of stone. 'And I said to the priest, "Where is the god?" 'And he answered me: "There is no god but this mirror that thouseest, for this is the Mirror of Wisdom. And it reflecteth allthings that are in heaven and on earth, save only the face of himwho looketh into it. This it reflecteth not, so that he wholooketh into it may be wise. Many other mirrors are there, butthey are mirrors of Opinion. This only is the Mirror of Wisdom. And they who possess this mirror know everything, nor is thereanything hidden from them. And they who possess it not have notWisdom. Therefore is it the god, and we worship it. " And I lookedinto the mirror, and it was even as he had said to me. 'And I did a strange thing, but what I did matters not, for in avalley that is but a day's journey from this place have I hiddenthe Mirror of Wisdom. Do but suffer me to enter into thee againand be thy servant, and thou shalt be wiser than all the wise men, and Wisdom shall be thine. Suffer me to enter into thee, and nonewill be as wise as thou. ' But the young Fisherman laughed. 'Love is better than Wisdom, ' hecried, 'and the little Mermaid loves me. ' 'Nay, but there is nothing better than Wisdom, ' said the Soul. 'Love is better, ' answered the young Fisherman, and he plunged intothe deep, and the Soul went weeping away over the marshes. And after the second year was over, the Soul came down to the shoreof the sea, and called to the young Fisherman, and he rose out ofthe deep and said, 'Why dost thou call to me?' And the Soul answered, 'Come nearer, that I may speak with thee, for I have seen marvellous things. ' So he came nearer, and couched in the shallow water, and leaned hishead upon his hand and listened. And the Soul said to him, 'When I left thee, I turned my face tothe South and journeyed. From the South cometh everything that isprecious. Six days I journeyed along the highways that lead to thecity of Ashter, along the dusty red-dyed highways by which thepilgrims are wont to go did I journey, and on the morning of theseventh day I lifted up my eyes, and lo! the city lay at my feet, for it is in a valley. 'There are nine gates to this city, and in front of each gatestands a bronze horse that neighs when the Bedouins come down fromthe mountains. The walls are cased with copper, and the watch-towers on the walls are roofed with brass. In every tower standsan archer with a bow in his hand. At sunrise he strikes with anarrow on a gong, and at sunset he blows through a horn of horn. 'When I sought to enter, the guards stopped me and asked of me whoI was. I made answer that I was a Dervish and on my way to thecity of Mecca, where there was a green veil on which the Koran wasembroidered in silver letters by the hands of the angels. Theywere filled with wonder, and entreated me to pass in. 'Inside it is even as a bazaar. Surely thou shouldst have beenwith me. Across the narrow streets the gay lanterns of paperflutter like large butterflies. When the wind blows over the roofsthey rise and fall as painted bubbles do. In front of their boothssit the merchants on silken carpets. They have straight blackbeards, and their turbans are covered with golden sequins, and longstrings of amber and carved peach-stones glide through their coolfingers. Some of them sell galbanum and nard, and curious perfumesfrom the islands of the Indian Sea, and the thick oil of red roses, and myrrh and little nail-shaped cloves. When one stops to speakto them, they throw pinches of frankincense upon a charcoal brazierand make the air sweet. I saw a Syrian who held in his hands athin rod like a reed. Grey threads of smoke came from it, and itsodour as it burned was as the odour of the pink almond in spring. Others sell silver bracelets embossed all over with creamy blueturquoise stones, and anklets of brass wire fringed with littlepearls, and tigers' claws set in gold, and the claws of that giltcat, the leopard, set in gold also, and earrings of piercedemerald, and finger-rings of hollowed jade. From the tea-housescomes the sound of the guitar, and the opium-smokers with theirwhite smiling faces look out at the passers-by. 'Of a truth thou shouldst have been with me. The wine-sellerselbow their way through the crowd with great black skins on theirshoulders. Most of them sell the wine of Schiraz, which is assweet as honey. They serve it in little metal cups and strew roseleaves upon it. In the market-place stand the fruitsellers, whosell all kinds of fruit: ripe figs, with their bruised purpleflesh, melons, smelling of musk and yellow as topazes, citrons androse-apples and clusters of white grapes, round red-gold oranges, and oval lemons of green gold. Once I saw an elephant go by. Itstrunk was painted with vermilion and turmeric, and over its ears ithad a net of crimson silk cord. It stopped opposite one of thebooths and began eating the oranges, and the man only laughed. Thou canst not think how strange a people they are. When they areglad they go to the bird-sellers and buy of them a caged bird, andset it free that their joy may be greater, and when they are sadthey scourge themselves with thorns that their sorrow may not growless. 'One evening I met some negroes carrying a heavy palanquin throughthe bazaar. It was made of gilded bamboo, and the poles were ofvermilion lacquer studded with brass peacocks. Across the windowshung thin curtains of muslin embroidered with beetles' wings andwith tiny seed-pearls, and as it passed by a pale-faced Circassianlooked out and smiled at me. I followed behind, and the negroeshurried their steps and scowled. But I did not care. I felt agreat curiosity come over me. 'At last they stopped at a square white house. There were nowindows to it, only a little door like the door of a tomb. Theyset down the palanquin and knocked three times with a copperhammer. An Armenian in a caftan of green leather peered throughthe wicket, and when he saw them he opened, and spread a carpet onthe ground, and the woman stepped out. As she went in, she turnedround and smiled at me again. I had never seen any one so pale. 'When the moon rose I returned to the same place and sought for thehouse, but it was no longer there. When I saw that, I knew who thewoman was, and wherefore she had smiled at me. 'Certainly thou shouldst have been with me. On the feast of theNew Moon the young Emperor came forth from his palace and went intothe mosque to pray. His hair and beard were dyed with rose-leaves, and his cheeks were powdered with a fine gold dust. The palms ofhis feet and hands were yellow with saffron. 'At sunrise he went forth from his palace in a robe of silver, andat sunset he returned to it again in a robe of gold. The peopleflung themselves on the ground and hid their faces, but I would notdo so. I stood by the stall of a seller of dates and waited. Whenthe Emperor saw me, he raised his painted eyebrows and stopped. Istood quite still, and made him no obeisance. The people marvelledat my boldness, and counselled me to flee from the city. I paid noheed to them, but went and sat with the sellers of strange gods, who by reason of their craft are abominated. When I told them whatI had done, each of them gave me a god and prayed me to leave them. 'That night, as I lay on a cushion in the tea-house that is in theStreet of Pomegranates, the guards of the Emperor entered and ledme to the palace. As I went in they closed each door behind me, and put a chain across it. Inside was a great court with an arcaderunning all round. The walls were of white alabaster, set here andthere with blue and green tiles. The pillars were of green marble, and the pavement of a kind of peach-blossom marble. I had neverseen anything like it before. 'As I passed across the court two veiled women looked down from abalcony and cursed me. The guards hastened on, and the butts ofthe lances rang upon the polished floor. They opened a gate ofwrought ivory, and I found myself in a watered garden of seventerraces. It was planted with tulip-cups and moonflowers, andsilver-studded aloes. Like a slim reed of crystal a fountain hungin the dusky air. The cypress-trees were like burnt-out torches. From one of them a nightingale was singing. 'At the end of the garden stood a little pavilion. As weapproached it two eunuchs came out to meet us. Their fat bodiesswayed as they walked, and they glanced curiously at me with theiryellow-lidded eyes. One of them drew aside the captain of theguard, and in a low voice whispered to him. The other keptmunching scented pastilles, which he took with an affected gestureout of an oval box of lilac enamel. 'After a few moments the captain of the guard dismissed thesoldiers. They went back to the palace, the eunuchs followingslowly behind and plucking the sweet mulberries from the trees asthey passed. Once the elder of the two turned round, and smiled atme with an evil smile. 'Then the captain of the guard motioned me towards the entrance ofthe pavilion. I walked on without trembling, and drawing the heavycurtain aside I entered in. 'The young Emperor was stretched on a couch of dyed lion skins, anda gerfalcon perched upon his wrist. Behind him stood a brass-turbaned Nubian, naked down to the waist, and with heavy earringsin his split ears. On a table by the side of the couch lay amighty scimitar of steel. 'When the Emperor saw me he frowned, and said to me, "What is thyname? Knowest thou not that I am Emperor of this city?" But Imade him no answer. 'He pointed with his finger at the scimitar, and the Nubian seizedit, and rushing forward struck at me with great violence. Theblade whizzed through me, and did me no hurt. The man fellsprawling on the floor, and when he rose up his teeth chatteredwith terror and he hid himself behind the couch. 'The Emperor leapt to his feet, and taking a lance from a stand ofarms, he threw it at me. I caught it in its flight, and brake theshaft into two pieces. He shot at me with an arrow, but I held upmy hands and it stopped in mid-air. Then he drew a dagger from abelt of white leather, and stabbed the Nubian in the throat lestthe slave should tell of his dishonour. The man writhed like atrampled snake, and a red foam bubbled from his lips. 'As soon as he was dead the Emperor turned to me, and when he hadwiped away the bright sweat from his brow with a little napkin ofpurfled and purple silk, he said to me, "Art thou a prophet, that Imay not harm thee, or the son of a prophet, that I can do thee nohurt? I pray thee leave my city to-night, for while thou art in itI am no longer its lord. " 'And I answered him, "I will go for half of thy treasure. Give mehalf of thy treasure, and I will go away. " 'He took me by the hand, and led me out into the garden. When thecaptain of the guard saw me, he wondered. When the eunuchs saw me, their knees shook and they fell upon the ground in fear. 'There is a chamber in the palace that has eight walls of redporphyry, and a brass-sealed ceiling hung with lamps. The Emperortouched one of the walls and it opened, and we passed down acorridor that was lit with many torches. In niches upon each sidestood great wine-jars filled to the brim with silver pieces. Whenwe reached the centre of the corridor the Emperor spake the wordthat may not be spoken, and a granite door swung back on a secretspring, and he put his hands before his face lest his eyes shouldbe dazzled. 'Thou couldst not believe how marvellous a place it was. Therewere huge tortoise-shells full of pearls, and hollowed moonstonesof great size piled up with red rubies. The gold was stored incoffers of elephant-hide, and the gold-dust in leather bottles. There were opals and sapphires, the former in cups of crystal, andthe latter in cups of jade. Round green emeralds were ranged inorder upon thin plates of ivory, and in one corner were silk bagsfilled, some with turquoise-stones, and others with beryls. Theivory horns were heaped with purple amethysts, and the horns ofbrass with chalcedonies and sards. The pillars, which were ofcedar, were hung with strings of yellow lynx-stones. In the flatoval shields there were carbuncles, both wine-coloured and colouredlike grass. And yet I have told thee but a tithe of what wasthere. 'And when the Emperor had taken away his hands from before his facehe said to me: "This is my house of treasure, and half that is init is thine, even as I promised to thee. And I will give theecamels and camel drivers, and they shall do thy bidding and takethy share of the treasure to whatever part of the world thoudesirest to go. And the thing shall be done to-night, for I wouldnot that the Sun, who is my father, should see that there is in mycity a man whom I cannot slay. " 'But I answered him, "The gold that is here is thine, and thesilver also is thine, and thine are the precious jewels and thethings of price. As for me, I have no need of these. Nor shall Itake aught from thee but that little ring that thou wearest on thefinger of thy hand. " 'And the Emperor frowned. "It is but a ring of lead, " he cried, "nor has it any value. Therefore take thy half of the treasure andgo from my city. " '"Nay, " I answered, "but I will take nought but that leaden ring, for I know what is written within it, and for what purpose. " 'And the Emperor trembled, and besought me and said, "Take all thetreasure and go from my city. The half that is mine shall be thinealso. " 'And I did a strange thing, but what I did matters not, for in acave that is but a day's journey from this place have, I hidden theRing of Riches. It is but a day's journey from this place, and itwaits for thy coming. He who has this Ring is richer than all thekings of the world. Come therefore and take it, and the world'sriches shall be thine. ' But the young Fisherman laughed. 'Love is better than Riches, ' hecried, 'and the little Mermaid loves me. ' 'Nay, but there is nothing better than Riches, ' said the Soul. 'Love is better, ' answered the young Fisherman, and he plunged intothe deep, and the Soul went weeping away over the marshes. And after the third year was over, the Soul came down to the shoreof the sea, and called to the young Fisherman, and he rose out ofthe deep and said, 'Why dost thou call to me?' And the Soul answered, 'Come nearer, that I may speak with thee, for I have seen marvellous things. ' So he came nearer, and couched in the shallow water, and leaned hishead upon his hand and listened. And the Soul said to him, 'In a city that I know of there is an innthat standeth by a river. I sat there with sailors who drank oftwo different-coloured wines, and ate bread made of barley, andlittle salt fish served in bay leaves with vinegar. And as we satand made merry, there entered to us an old man bearing a leatherncarpet and a lute that had two horns of amber. And when he hadlaid out the carpet on the floor, he struck with a quill on thewire strings of his lute, and a girl whose face was veiled ran inand began to dance before us. Her face was veiled with a veil ofgauze, but her feet were naked. Naked were her feet, and theymoved over the carpet like little white pigeons. Never have I seenanything so marvellous; and the city in which she dances is but aday's journey from this place. ' Now when the young Fisherman heard the words of his Soul, heremembered that the little Mermaid had no feet and could not dance. And a great desire came over him, and he said to himself, 'It isbut a day's journey, and I can return to my love, ' and he laughed, and stood up in the shallow water, and strode towards the shore. And when he had reached the dry shore he laughed again, and heldout his arms to his Soul. And his Soul gave a great cry of joy andran to meet him, and entered into him, and the young Fisherman sawstretched before him upon the sand that shadow of the body that isthe body of the Soul. And his Soul said to him, 'Let us not tarry, but get hence at once, for the Sea-gods are jealous, and have monsters that do theirbidding. ' So they made haste, and all that night they journeyed beneath themoon, and all the next day they journeyed beneath the sun, and onthe evening of the day they came to a city. And the young Fisherman said to his Soul, 'Is this the city inwhich she dances of whom thou didst speak to me?' And his Soul answered him, 'It is not this city, but another. Nevertheless let us enter in. ' So they entered in and passedthrough the streets, and as they passed through the Street of theJewellers the young Fisherman saw a fair silver cup set forth in abooth. And his Soul said to him, 'Take that silver cup and hideit. ' So he took the cup and hid it in the fold of his tunic, and theywent hurriedly out of the city. And after that they had gone a league from the city, the youngFisherman frowned, and flung the cup away, and said to his Soul, 'Why didst thou tell me to take this cup and hide it, for it was anevil thing to do?' But his Soul answered him, 'Be at peace, be at peace. ' And on the evening of the second day they came to a city, and theyoung Fisherman said to his Soul, 'Is this the city in which shedances of whom thou didst speak to me?' And his Soul answered him, 'It is not this city, but another. Nevertheless let us enter in. ' So they entered in and passedthrough the streets, and as they passed through the Street of theSellers of Sandals, the young Fisherman saw a child standing by ajar of water. And his Soul said to him, 'Smite that child. ' So hesmote the child till it wept, and when he had done this they wenthurriedly out of the city. And after that they had gone a league from the city the youngFisherman grew wroth, and said to his Soul, 'Why didst thou tell meto smite the child, for it was an evil thing to do?' But his Soul answered him, 'Be at peace, be at peace. ' And on the evening of the third day they came to a city, and theyoung Fisherman said to his Soul, 'Is this the city in which shedances of whom thou didst speak to me?' And his Soul answered him, 'It may be that it is in this city, therefore let us enter in. ' So they entered in and passed through the streets, but nowherecould the young Fisherman find the river or the inn that stood byits side. And the people of the city looked curiously at him, andhe grew afraid and said to his Soul, 'Let us go hence, for she whodances with white feet is not here. ' But his Soul answered, 'Nay, but let us tarry, for the night isdark and there will be robbers on the way. ' So he sat him down in the market-place and rested, and after a timethere went by a hooded merchant who had a cloak of cloth ofTartary, and bare a lantern of pierced horn at the end of a jointedreed. And the merchant said to him, 'Why dost thou sit in themarket-place, seeing that the booths are closed and the balescorded?' And the young Fisherman answered him, 'I can find no inn in thiscity, nor have I any kinsman who might give me shelter. ' 'Are we not all kinsmen?' said the merchant. 'And did not one Godmake us? Therefore come with me, for I have a guest-chamber. ' So the young Fisherman rose up and followed the merchant to hishouse. And when he had passed through a garden of pomegranates andentered into the house, the merchant brought him rose-water in acopper dish that he might wash his hands, and ripe melons that hemight quench his thirst, and set a bowl of rice and a piece ofroasted kid before him. And after that he had finished, the merchant led him to the guest-chamber, and bade him sleep and be at rest. And the youngFisherman gave him thanks, and kissed the ring that was on hishand, and flung himself down on the carpets of dyed goat's-hair. And when he had covered himself with a covering of black lamb's-wool he fell asleep. And three hours before dawn, and while it was still night, his Soulwaked him and said to him, 'Rise up and go to the room of themerchant, even to the room in which he sleepeth, and slay him, andtake from him his gold, for we have need of it. ' And the young Fisherman rose up and crept towards the room of themerchant, and over the feet of the merchant there was lying acurved sword, and the tray by the side of the merchant held ninepurses of gold. And he reached out his hand and touched the sword, and when he touched it the merchant started and awoke, and leapingup seized himself the sword and cried to the young Fisherman, 'Dostthou return evil for good, and pay with the shedding of blood forthe kindness that I have shown thee?' And his Soul said to the young Fisherman, 'Strike him, ' and hestruck him so that he swooned and he seized then the nine purses ofgold, and fled hastily through the garden of pomegranates, and sethis face to the star that is the star of morning. And when they had gone a league from the city, the young Fishermanbeat his breast, and said to his Soul, 'Why didst thou bid me slaythe merchant and take his gold? Surely thou art evil. ' But his Soul answered him, 'Be at peace, be at peace. ' 'Nay, ' cried the young Fisherman, 'I may not be at peace, for allthat thou hast made me to do I hate. Thee also I hate, and I bidthee tell me wherefore thou hast wrought with me in this wise. ' And his Soul answered him, 'When thou didst send me forth into theworld thou gavest me no heart, so I learned to do all these thingsand love them. ' 'What sayest thou?' murmured the young Fisherman. 'Thou knowest, ' answered his Soul, 'thou knowest it well. Hastthou forgotten that thou gavest me no heart? I trow not. And sotrouble not thyself nor me, but be at peace, for there is no painthat thou shalt not give away, nor any pleasure that thou shalt notreceive. ' And when the young Fisherman heard these words he trembled and saidto his Soul, 'Nay, but thou art evil, and hast made me forget mylove, and hast tempted me with temptations, and hast set my feet inthe ways of sin. ' And his Soul answered him, 'Thou hast not forgotten that when thoudidst send me forth into the world thou gavest me no heart. Come, let us go to another city, and make merry, for we have nine pursesof gold. ' But the young Fisherman took the nine purses of gold, and flungthem down, and trampled on them. 'Nay, ' he cried, 'but I will have nought to do with thee, nor willI journey with thee anywhere, but even as I sent thee away before, so will I send thee away now, for thou hast wrought me no good. 'And he turned his back to the moon, and with the little knife thathad the handle of green viper's skin he strove to cut from his feetthat shadow of the body which is the body of the Soul. Yet his Soul stirred not from him, nor paid heed to his command, but said to him, 'The spell that the Witch told thee avails thee nomore, for I may not leave thee, nor mayest thou drive me forth. Once in his life may a man send his Soul away, but he who receivethback his Soul must keep it with him for ever, and this is hispunishment and his reward. ' And the young Fisherman grew pale and clenched his hands and cried, 'She was a false Witch in that she told me not that. ' 'Nay, ' answered his Soul, 'but she was true to Him she worships, and whose servant she will be ever. ' And when the young Fisherman knew that he could no longer get ridof his Soul, and that it was an evil Soul and would abide with himalways, he fell upon the ground weeping bitterly. And when it was day the young Fisherman rose up and said to hisSoul, 'I will bind my hands that I may not do thy bidding, andclose my lips that I may not speak thy words, and I will return tothe place where she whom I love has her dwelling. Even to the seawill I return, and to the little bay where she is wont to sing, andI will call to her and tell her the evil I have done and the evilthou hast wrought on me. ' And his Soul tempted him and said, 'Who is thy love, that thoushouldst return to her? The world has many fairer than she is. There are the dancing-girls of Samaris who dance in the manner ofall kinds of birds and beasts. Their feet are painted with henna, and in their hands they have little copper bells. They laugh whilethey dance, and their laughter is as clear as the laughter ofwater. Come with me and I will show them to thee. For what isthis trouble of thine about the things of sin? Is that which ispleasant to eat not made for the eater? Is there poison in thatwhich is sweet to drink? Trouble not thyself, but come with me toanother city. There is a little city hard by in which there is agarden of tulip-trees. And there dwell in this comely garden whitepeacocks and peacocks that have blue breasts. Their tails whenthey spread them to the sun are like disks of ivory and like giltdisks. And she who feeds them dances for their pleasure, andsometimes she dances on her hands and at other times she danceswith her feet. Her eyes are coloured with stibium, and hernostrils are shaped like the wings of a swallow. From a hook inone of her nostrils hangs a flower that is carved out of a pearl. She laughs while she dances, and the silver rings that are abouther ankles tinkle like bells of silver. And so trouble not thyselfany more, but come with me to this city. ' But the young Fisherman answered not his Soul, but closed his lipswith the seal of silence and with a tight cord bound his hands, andjourneyed back to the place from which he had come, even to thelittle bay where his love had been wont to sing. And ever did hisSoul tempt him by the way, but he made it no answer, nor would hedo any of the wickedness that it sought to make him to do, so greatwas the power of the love that was within him. And when he had reached the shore of the sea, he loosed the cordfrom his hands, and took the seal of silence from his lips, andcalled to the little Mermaid. But she came not to his call, thoughhe called to her all day long and besought her. And his Soul mocked him and said, 'Surely thou hast but little joyout of thy love. Thou art as one who in time of death pours waterinto a broken vessel. Thou givest away what thou hast, and noughtis given to thee in return. It were better for thee to come withme, for I know where the Valley of Pleasure lies, and what thingsare wrought there. ' But the young Fisherman answered not his Soul, but in a cleft ofthe rock he built himself a house of wattles, and abode there forthe space of a year. And every morning he called to the Mermaid, and every noon he called to her again, and at night-time he spakeher name. Yet never did she rise out of the sea to meet him, norin any place of the sea could he find her though he sought for herin the caves and in the green water, in the pools of the tide andin the wells that are at the bottom of the deep. And ever did his Soul tempt him with evil, and whisper of terriblethings. Yet did it not prevail against him, so great was the powerof his love. And after the year was over, the Soul thought within himself, 'Ihave tempted my master with evil, and his love is stronger than Iam. I will tempt him now with good, and it may be that he willcome with me. ' So he spake to the young Fisherman and said, 'I have told thee ofthe joy of the world, and thou hast turned a deaf ear to me. Suffer me now to tell thee of the world's pain, and it may be thatthou wilt hearken. For of a truth pain is the Lord of this world, nor is there any one who escapes from its net. There be some wholack raiment, and others who lack bread. There be widows who sitin purple, and widows who sit in rags. To and fro over the fens gothe lepers, and they are cruel to each other. The beggars go upand down on the highways, and their wallets are empty. Through thestreets of the cities walks Famine, and the Plague sits at theirgates. Come, let us go forth and mend these things, and make themnot to be. Wherefore shouldst thou tarry here calling to thy love, seeing she comes not to thy call? And what is love, that thoushouldst set this high store upon it?' But the young Fisherman answered it nought, so great was the powerof his love. And every morning he called to the Mermaid, and everynoon he called to her again, and at night-time he spake her name. Yet never did she rise out of the sea to meet him, nor in any placeof the sea could he find her, though he sought for her in therivers of the sea, and in the valleys that are under the waves, inthe sea that the night makes purple, and in the sea that the dawnleaves grey. And after the second year was over, the Soul said to the youngFisherman at night-time, and as he sat in the wattled house alone, 'Lo! now I have tempted thee with evil, and I have tempted theewith good, and thy love is stronger than I am. Wherefore will Itempt thee no longer, but I pray thee to suffer me to enter thyheart, that I may be one with thee even as before. ' 'Surely thou mayest enter, ' said the young Fisherman, 'for in thedays when with no heart thou didst go through the world thou musthave much suffered. ' 'Alas!' cried his Soul, 'I can find no place of entrance, socompassed about with love is this heart of thine. ' 'Yet I would that I could help thee, ' said the young Fisherman. And as he spake there came a great cry of mourning from the sea, even the cry that men hear when one of the Sea-folk is dead. Andthe young Fisherman leapt up, and left his wattled house, and randown to the shore. And the black waves came hurrying to the shore, bearing with them a burden that was whiter than silver. White asthe surf it was, and like a flower it tossed on the waves. And thesurf took it from the waves, and the foam took it from the surf, and the shore received it, and lying at his feet the youngFisherman saw the body of the little Mermaid. Dead at his feet itwas lying. Weeping as one smitten with pain he flung himself down beside it, and he kissed the cold red of the mouth, and toyed with the wetamber of the hair. He flung himself down beside it on the sand, weeping as one trembling with joy, and in his brown arms he held itto his breast. Cold were the lips, yet he kissed them. Salt wasthe honey of the hair, yet he tasted it with a bitter joy. Hekissed the closed eyelids, and the wild spray that lay upon theircups was less salt than his tears. And to the dead thing he made confession. Into the shells of itsears he poured the harsh wine of his tale. He put the little handsround his neck, and with his fingers he touched the thin reed ofthe throat. Bitter, bitter was his joy, and full of strangegladness was his pain. The black sea came nearer, and the white foam moaned like a leper. With white claws of foam the sea grabbled at the shore. From thepalace of the Sea-King came the cry of mourning again, and far outupon the sea the great Tritons blew hoarsely upon their horns. 'Flee away, ' said his Soul, 'for ever doth the sea come nigher, andif thou tarriest it will slay thee. Flee away, for I am afraid, seeing that thy heart is closed against me by reason of thegreatness of thy love. Flee away to a place of safety. Surelythou wilt not send me without a heart into another world?' But the young Fisherman listened not to his Soul, but called on thelittle Mermaid and said, 'Love is better than wisdom, and moreprecious than riches, and fairer than the feet of the daughters ofmen. The fires cannot destroy it, nor can the waters quench it. Icalled on thee at dawn, and thou didst not come to my call. Themoon heard thy name, yet hadst thou no heed of me. For evilly hadI left thee, and to my own hurt had I wandered away. Yet ever didthy love abide with me, and ever was it strong, nor did aughtprevail against it, though I have looked upon evil and looked upongood. And now that thou art dead, surely I will die with theealso. ' And his Soul besought him to depart, but he would not, so great washis love. And the sea came nearer, and sought to cover him withits waves, and when he knew that the end was at hand he kissed withmad lips the cold lips of the Mermaid, and the heart that waswithin him brake. And as through the fulness of his love his heartdid break, the Soul found an entrance and entered in, and was onewith him even as before. And the sea covered the young Fishermanwith its waves. And in the morning the Priest went forth to bless the sea, for ithad been troubled. And with him went the monks and the musicians, and the candle-bearers, and the swingers of censers, and a greatcompany. And when the Priest reached the shore he saw the young Fishermanlying drowned in the surf, and clasped in his arms was the body ofthe little Mermaid. And he drew back frowning, and having made thesign of the cross, he cried aloud and said, 'I will not bless thesea nor anything that is in it. Accursed be the Sea-folk, andaccursed be all they who traffic with them. And as for him who forlove's sake forsook God, and so lieth here with his leman slain byGod's judgment, take up his body and the body of his leman, andbury them in the corner of the Field of the Fullers, and set nomark above them, nor sign of any kind, that none may know the placeof their resting. For accursed were they in their lives, andaccursed shall they be in their deaths also. ' And the people did as he commanded them, and in the corner of theField of the Fullers, where no sweet herbs grew, they dug a deeppit, and laid the dead things within it. And when the third year was over, and on a day that was a holy day, the Priest went up to the chapel, that he might show to the peoplethe wounds of the Lord, and speak to them about the wrath of God. And when he had robed himself with his robes, and entered in andbowed himself before the altar, he saw that the altar was coveredwith strange flowers that never had been seen before. Strange werethey to look at, and of curious beauty, and their beauty troubledhim, and their odour was sweet in his nostrils. And he felt glad, and understood not why he was glad. And after that he had opened the tabernacle, and incensed themonstrance that was in it, and shown the fair wafer to the people, and hid it again behind the veil of veils, he began to speak to thepeople, desiring to speak to them of the wrath of God. But thebeauty of the white flowers troubled him, and their odour was sweetin his nostrils, and there came another word into his lips, and hespake not of the wrath of God, but of the God whose name is Love. And why he so spake, he knew not. And when he had finished his word the people wept, and the Priestwent back to the sacristy, and his eyes were full of tears. Andthe deacons came in and began to unrobe him, and took from him thealb and the girdle, the maniple and the stole. And he stood as onein a dream. And after that they had unrobed him, he looked at them and said, 'What are the flowers that stand on the altar, and whence do theycome?' And they answered him, 'What flowers they are we cannot tell, butthey come from the corner of the Fullers' Field. ' And the Priesttrembled, and returned to his own house and prayed. And in the morning, while it was still dawn, he went forth with themonks and the musicians, and the candle-bearers and the swingers ofcensers, and a great company, and came to the shore of the sea, andblessed the sea, and all the wild things that are in it. The Faunsalso he blessed, and the little things that dance in the woodland, and the bright-eyed things that peer through the leaves. All thethings in God's world he blessed, and the people were filled withjoy and wonder. Yet never again in the corner of the Fullers'Field grew flowers of any kind, but the field remained barren evenas before. Nor came the Sea-folk into the bay as they had beenwont to do, for they went to another part of the sea. THE STAR-CHILD [TO MISS MARGOT TENNANT--MRS. ASQUITH] Once upon a time two poor Woodcutters were making their way homethrough a great pine-forest. It was winter, and a night of bittercold. The snow lay thick upon the ground, and upon the branches ofthe trees: the frost kept snapping the little twigs on either sideof them, as they passed: and when they came to the Mountain-Torrent she was hanging motionless in air, for the Ice-King hadkissed her. So cold was it that even the animals and the birds did not knowwhat to make of it. 'Ugh!' snarled the Wolf, as he limped through the brushwood withhis tail between his legs, 'this is perfectly monstrous weather. Why doesn't the Government look to it?' 'Weet! weet! weet!' twittered the green Linnets, 'the old Earth isdead and they have laid her out in her white shroud. ' 'The Earth is going to be married, and this is her bridal dress, 'whispered the Turtle-doves to each other. Their little pink feetwere quite frost-bitten, but they felt that it was their duty totake a romantic view of the situation. 'Nonsense!' growled the Wolf. 'I tell you that it is all the faultof the Government, and if you don't believe me I shall eat you. 'The Wolf had a thoroughly practical mind, and was never at a lossfor a good argument. 'Well, for my own part, ' said the Woodpecker, who was a bornphilosopher, 'I don't care an atomic theory for explanations. If athing is so, it is so, and at present it is terribly cold. ' Terribly cold it certainly was. The little Squirrels, who livedinside the tall fir-tree, kept rubbing each other's noses to keepthemselves warm, and the Rabbits curled themselves up in theirholes, and did not venture even to look out of doors. The onlypeople who seemed to enjoy it were the great horned Owls. Theirfeathers were quite stiff with rime, but they did not mind, andthey rolled their large yellow eyes, and called out to each otheracross the forest, 'Tu-whit! Tu-whoo! Tu-whit! Tu-whoo! whatdelightful weather we are having!' On and on went the two Woodcutters, blowing lustily upon theirfingers, and stamping with their huge iron-shod boots upon thecaked snow. Once they sank into a deep drift, and came out aswhite as millers are, when the stones are grinding; and once theyslipped on the hard smooth ice where the marsh-water was frozen, and their faggots fell out of their bundles, and they had to pickthem up and bind them together again; and once they thought thatthey had lost their way, and a great terror seized on them, forthey knew that the Snow is cruel to those who sleep in her arms. But they put their trust in the good Saint Martin, who watches overall travellers, and retraced their steps, and went warily, and atlast they reached the outskirts of the forest, and saw, far down inthe valley beneath them, the lights of the village in which theydwelt. So overjoyed were they at their deliverance that they laughedaloud, and the Earth seemed to them like a flower of silver, andthe Moon like a flower of gold. Yet, after that they had laughed they became sad, for theyremembered their poverty, and one of them said to the other, 'Whydid we make merry, seeing that life is for the rich, and not forsuch as we are? Better that we had died of cold in the forest, orthat some wild beast had fallen upon us and slain us. ' 'Truly, ' answered his companion, 'much is given to some, and littleis given to others. Injustice has parcelled out the world, nor isthere equal division of aught save of sorrow. ' But as they were bewailing their misery to each other this strangething happened. There fell from heaven a very bright and beautifulstar. It slipped down the side of the sky, passing by the otherstars in its course, and, as they watched it wondering, it seemedto them to sink behind a clump of willow-trees that stood hard by alittle sheepfold no more than a stone's-throw away. 'Why! there is a crook of gold for whoever finds it, ' they cried, and they set to and ran, so eager were they for the gold. And one of them ran faster than his mate, and outstripped him, andforced his way through the willows, and came out on the other side, and lo! there was indeed a thing of gold lying on the white snow. So he hastened towards it, and stooping down placed his hands uponit, and it was a cloak of golden tissue, curiously wrought withstars, and wrapped in many folds. And he cried out to his comradethat he had found the treasure that had fallen from the sky, andwhen his comrade had come up, they sat them down in the snow, andloosened the folds of the cloak that they might divide the piecesof gold. But, alas! no gold was in it, nor silver, nor, indeed, treasure of any kind, but only a little child who was asleep. And one of them said to the other: 'This is a bitter ending to ourhope, nor have we any good fortune, for what doth a child profit toa man? Let us leave it here, and go our way, seeing that we arepoor men, and have children of our own whose bread we may not giveto another. ' But his companion answered him: 'Nay, but it were an evil thing toleave the child to perish here in the snow, and though I am as pooras thou art, and have many mouths to feed, and but little in thepot, yet will I bring it home with me, and my wife shall have careof it. ' So very tenderly he took up the child, and wrapped the cloak aroundit to shield it from the harsh cold, and made his way down the hillto the village, his comrade marvelling much at his foolishness andsoftness of heart. And when they came to the village, his comrade said to him, 'Thouhast the child, therefore give me the cloak, for it is meet that weshould share. ' But he answered him: 'Nay, for the cloak is neither mine northine, but the child's only, ' and he bade him Godspeed, and went tohis own house and knocked. And when his wife opened the door and saw that her husband hadreturned safe to her, she put her arms round his neck and kissedhim, and took from his back the bundle of faggots, and brushed thesnow off his boots, and bade him come in. But he said to her, 'I have found something in the forest, and Ihave brought it to thee to have care of it, ' and he stirred notfrom the threshold. 'What is it?' she cried. 'Show it to me, for the house is bare, and we have need of many things. ' And he drew the cloak back, andshowed her the sleeping child. 'Alack, goodman!' she murmured, 'have we not children of our own, that thou must needs bring a changeling to sit by the hearth? Andwho knows if it will not bring us bad fortune? And how shall wetend it?' And she was wroth against him. 'Nay, but it is a Star-Child, ' he answered; and he told her thestrange manner of the finding of it. But she would not be appeased, but mocked at him, and spokeangrily, and cried: 'Our children lack bread, and shall we feedthe child of another? Who is there who careth for us? And whogiveth us food?' 'Nay, but God careth for the sparrows even, and feedeth them, ' heanswered. 'Do not the sparrows die of hunger in the winter?' she asked. 'Andis it not winter now?' And the man answered nothing, but stirred not from the threshold. And a bitter wind from the forest came in through the open door, and made her tremble, and she shivered, and said to him: 'Wiltthou not close the door? There cometh a bitter wind into thehouse, and I am cold. ' 'Into a house where a heart is hard cometh there not always abitter wind?' he asked. And the woman answered him nothing, butcrept closer to the fire. And after a time she turned round and looked at him, and her eyeswere full of tears. And he came in swiftly, and placed the childin her arms, and she kissed it, and laid it in a little bed wherethe youngest of their own children was lying. And on the morrowthe Woodcutter took the curious cloak of gold and placed it in agreat chest, and a chain of amber that was round the child's neckhis wife took and set it in the chest also. So the Star-Child was brought up with the children of theWoodcutter, and sat at the same board with them, and was theirplaymate. And every year he became more beautiful to look at, sothat all those who dwelt in the village were filled with wonder, for, while they were swarthy and black-haired, he was white anddelicate as sawn ivory, and his curls were like the rings of thedaffodil. His lips, also, were like the petals of a red flower, and his eyes were like violets by a river of pure water, and hisbody like the narcissus of a field where the mower comes not. Yet did his beauty work him evil. For he grew proud, and cruel, and selfish. The children of the Woodcutter, and the otherchildren of the village, he despised, saying that they were of meanparentage, while he was noble, being sprang from a Star, and hemade himself master over them, and called them his servants. Nopity had he for the poor, or for those who were blind or maimed orin any way afflicted, but would cast stones at them and drive themforth on to the highway, and bid them beg their bread elsewhere, sothat none save the outlaws came twice to that village to ask foralms. Indeed, he was as one enamoured of beauty, and would mock atthe weakly and ill-favoured, and make jest of them; and himself heloved, and in summer, when the winds were still, he would lie bythe well in the priest's orchard and look down at the marvel of hisown face, and laugh for the pleasure he had in his fairness. Often did the Woodcutter and his wife chide him, and say: 'We didnot deal with thee as thou dealest with those who are leftdesolate, and have none to succour them. Wherefore art thou socruel to all who need pity?' Often did the old priest send for him, and seek to teach him thelove of living things, saying to him: 'The fly is thy brother. Doit no harm. The wild birds that roam through the forest have theirfreedom. Snare them not for thy pleasure. God made the blind-wormand the mole, and each has its place. Who art thou to bring paininto God's world? Even the cattle of the field praise Him. ' But the Star-Child heeded not their words, but would frown andflout, and go back to his companions, and lead them. And hiscompanions followed him, for he was fair, and fleet of foot, andcould dance, and pipe, and make music. And wherever the Star-Childled them they followed, and whatever the Star-Child bade them do, that did they. And when he pierced with a sharp reed the dim eyesof the mole, they laughed, and when he cast stones at the leperthey laughed also. And in all things he ruled them, and theybecame hard of heart even as he was. Now there passed one day through the village a poor beggar-woman. Her garments were torn and ragged, and her feet were bleeding fromthe rough road on which she had travelled, and she was in very evilplight. And being weary she sat her down under a chestnut-tree torest. But when the Star-Child saw her, he said to his companions, 'See!There sitteth a foul beggar-woman under that fair and green-leavedtree. Come, let us drive her hence, for she is ugly and ill-favoured. ' So he came near and threw stones at her, and mocked her, and shelooked at him with terror in her eyes, nor did she move her gazefrom him. And when the Woodcutter, who was cleaving logs in ahaggard hard by, saw what the Star-Child was doing, he ran up andrebuked him, and said to him: 'Surely thou art hard of heart andknowest not mercy, for what evil has this poor woman done to theethat thou shouldst treat her in this wise?' And the Star-Child grew red with anger, and stamped his foot uponthe ground, and said, 'Who art thou to question me what I do? I amno son of thine to do thy bidding. ' 'Thou speakest truly, ' answered the Woodcutter, 'yet did I showthee pity when I found thee in the forest. ' And when the woman heard these words she gave a loud cry, and fellinto a swoon. And the Woodcutter carried her to his own house, andhis wife had care of her, and when she rose up from the swoon intowhich she had fallen, they set meat and drink before her, and badeher have comfort. But she would neither eat nor drink, but said to the Woodcutter, 'Didst thou not say that the child was found in the forest? Andwas it not ten years from this day?' And the Woodcutter answered, 'Yea, it was in the forest that Ifound him, and it is ten years from this day. ' 'And what signs didst thou find with him?' she cried. 'Bare he notupon his neck a chain of amber? Was not round him a cloak of goldtissue broidered with stars?' 'Truly, ' answered the Woodcutter, 'it was even as thou sayest. 'And he took the cloak and the amber chain from the chest where theylay, and showed them to her. And when she saw them she wept for joy, and said, 'He is my littleson whom I lost in the forest. I pray thee send for him quickly, for in search of him have I wandered over the whole world. ' So the Woodcutter and his wife went out and called to the Star-Child, and said to him, 'Go into the house, and there shalt thoufind thy mother, who is waiting for thee. ' So he ran in, filled with wonder and great gladness. But when hesaw her who was waiting there, he laughed scornfully and said, 'Why, where is my mother? For I see none here but this vilebeggar-woman. ' And the woman answered him, 'I am thy mother. ' 'Thou art mad to say so, ' cried the Star-Child angrily. 'I am noson of thine, for thou art a beggar, and ugly, and in rags. Therefore get thee hence, and let me see thy foul face no more. ' 'Nay, but thou art indeed my little son, whom I bare in theforest, ' she cried, and she fell on her knees, and held out herarms to him. 'The robbers stole thee from me, and left thee todie, ' she murmured, 'but I recognised thee when I saw thee, and thesigns also have I recognised, the cloak of golden tissue and theamber chain. Therefore I pray thee come with me, for over thewhole world have I wandered in search of thee. Come with me, myson, for I have need of thy love. ' But the Star-Child stirred not from his place, but shut the doorsof his heart against her, nor was there any sound heard save thesound of the woman weeping for pain. And at last he spoke to her, and his voice was hard and bitter. 'If in very truth thou art my mother, ' he said, 'it had been betterhadst thou stayed away, and not come here to bring me to shame, seeing that I thought I was the child of some Star, and not abeggar's child, as thou tellest me that I am. Therefore get theehence, and let me see thee no more. ' 'Alas! my son, ' she cried, 'wilt thou not kiss me before I go? ForI have suffered much to find thee. ' 'Nay, ' said the Star-Child, 'but thou art too foul to look at, andrather would I kiss the adder or the toad than thee. ' So the woman rose up, and went away into the forest weepingbitterly, and when the Star-Child saw that she had gone, he wasglad, and ran back to his playmates that he might play with them. But when they beheld him coming, they mocked him and said, 'Why, thou art as foul as the toad, and as loathsome as the adder. Getthee hence, for we will not suffer thee to play with us, ' and theydrave him out of the garden. And the Star-Child frowned and said to himself, 'What is this thatthey say to me? I will go to the well of water and look into it, and it shall tell me of my beauty. ' So he went to the well of water and looked into it, and lo! hisface was as the face of a toad, and his body was sealed like anadder. And he flung himself down on the grass and wept, and saidto himself, 'Surely this has come upon me by reason of my sin. ForI have denied my mother, and driven her away, and been proud, andcruel to her. Wherefore I will go and seek her through the wholeworld, nor will I rest till I have found her. ' And there came to him the little daughter of the Woodcutter, andshe put her hand upon his shoulder and said, 'What doth it matterif thou hast lost thy comeliness? Stay with us, and I will notmock at thee. ' And he said to her, 'Nay, but I have been cruel to my mother, andas a punishment has this evil been sent to me. Wherefore I must gohence, and wander through the world till I find her, and she giveme her forgiveness. ' So he ran away into the forest and called out to his mother to cometo him, but there was no answer. All day long he called to her, and, when the sun set he lay down to sleep on a bed of leaves, andthe birds and the animals fled from him, for they remembered hiscruelty, and he was alone save for the toad that watched him, andthe slow adder that crawled past. And in the morning he rose up, and plucked some bitter berries fromthe trees and ate them, and took his way through the great wood, weeping sorely. And of everything that he met he made inquiry ifperchance they had seen his mother. He said to the Mole, 'Thou canst go beneath the earth. Tell me, ismy mother there?' And the Mole answered, 'Thou hast blinded mine eyes. How should Iknow?' He said to the Linnet, 'Thou canst fly over the tops of the talltrees, and canst see the whole world. Tell me, canst thou see mymother?' And the Linnet answered, 'Thou hast clipt my wings for thypleasure. How should I fly?' And to the little Squirrel who lived in the fir-tree, and waslonely, he said, 'Where is my mother?' And the Squirrel answered, 'Thou hast slain mine. Dost thou seekto slay thine also?' And the Star-Child wept and bowed his head, and prayed forgivenessof God's things, and went on through the forest, seeking for thebeggar-woman. And on the third day he came to the other side ofthe forest and went down into the plain. And when he passed through the villages the children mocked him, and threw stones at him, and the carlots would not suffer him evento sleep in the byres lest he might bring mildew on the storedcorn, so foul was he to look at, and their hired men drave himaway, and there was none who had pity on him. Nor could he hearanywhere of the beggar-woman who was his mother, though for thespace of three years he wandered over the world, and often seemedto see her on the road in front of him, and would call to her, andrun after her till the sharp flints made his feet to bleed. Butovertake her he could not, and those who dwelt by the way did everdeny that they had seen her, or any like to her, and they madesport of his sorrow. For the space of three years he wandered over the world, and in theworld there was neither love nor loving-kindness nor charity forhim, but it was even such a world as he had made for himself in thedays of his great pride. And one evening he came to the gate of a strong-walled city thatstood by a river, and, weary and footsore though he was, he made toenter in. But the soldiers who stood on guard dropped theirhalberts across the entrance, and said roughly to him, 'What is thybusiness in the city?' 'I am seeking for my mother, ' he answered, 'and I pray ye to sufferme to pass, for it may be that she is in this city. ' But they mocked at him, and one of them wagged a black beard, andset down his shield and cried, 'Of a truth, thy mother will not bemerry when she sees thee, for thou art more ill-favoured than thetoad of the marsh, or the adder that crawls in the fen. Get theegone. Get thee gone. Thy mother dwells not in this city. ' And another, who held a yellow banner in his hand, said to him, 'Who is thy mother, and wherefore art thou seeking for her?' And he answered, 'My mother is a beggar even as I am, and I havetreated her evilly, and I pray ye to suffer me to pass that she maygive me her forgiveness, if it be that she tarrieth in this city. 'But they would not, and pricked him with their spears. And, as he turned away weeping, one whose armour was inlaid withgilt flowers, and on whose helmet couched a lion that had wings, came up and made inquiry of the soldiers who it was who had soughtentrance. And they said to him, 'It is a beggar and the child of abeggar, and we have driven him away. ' 'Nay, ' he cried, laughing, 'but we will sell the foul thing for aslave, and his price shall be the price of a bowl of sweet wine. ' And an old and evil-visaged man who was passing by called out, andsaid, 'I will buy him for that price, ' and, when he had paid theprice, he took the Star-Child by the hand and led him into thecity. And after that they had gone through many streets they came to alittle door that was set in a wall that was covered with apomegranate tree. And the old man touched the door with a ring ofgraved jasper and it opened, and they went down five steps of brassinto a garden filled with black poppies and green jars of burntclay. And the old man took then from his turban a scarf of figuredsilk, and bound with it the eyes of the Star-Child, and drave himin front of him. And when the scarf was taken off his eyes, theStar-Child found himself in a dungeon, that was lit by a lantern ofhorn. And the old man set before him some mouldy bread on a trencher andsaid, 'Eat, ' and some brackish water in a cup and said, 'Drink, 'and when he had eaten and drunk, the old man went out, locking thedoor behind him and fastening it with an iron chain. And on the morrow the old man, who was indeed the subtlest of themagicians of Libya and had learned his art from one who dwelt inthe tombs of the Nile, came in to him and frowned at him, and said, 'In a wood that is nigh to the gate of this city of Giaours thereare three pieces of gold. One is of white gold, and another is ofyellow gold, and the gold of the third one is red. To-day thoushalt bring me the piece of white gold, and if thou bringest it notback, I will beat thee with a hundred stripes. Get thee awayquickly, and at sunset I will be waiting for thee at the door ofthe garden. See that thou bringest the white gold, or it shall goill with thee, for thou art my slave, and I have bought thee forthe price of a bowl of sweet wine. ' And he bound the eyes of theStar-Child with the scarf of figured silk, and led him through thehouse, and through the garden of poppies, and up the five steps ofbrass. And having opened the little door with his ring he set himin the street. And the Star-Child went out of the gate of the city, and came tothe wood of which the Magician had spoken to him. Now this wood was very fair to look at from without, and seemedfull of singing birds and of sweet-scented flowers, and the Star-Child entered it gladly. Yet did its beauty profit him little, forwherever he went harsh briars and thorns shot up from the groundand encompassed him, and evil nettles stung him, and the thistlepierced him with her daggers, so that he was in sore distress. Norcould he anywhere find the piece of white gold of which theMagician had spoken, though he sought for it from morn to noon, andfrom noon to sunset. And at sunset he set his face towards home, weeping bitterly, for he knew what fate was in store for him. But when he had reached the outskirts of the wood, he heard from athicket a cry as of some one in pain. And forgetting his ownsorrow he ran back to the place, and saw there a little Hare caughtin a trap that some hunter had set for it. And the Star-Child had pity on it, and released it, and said to it, 'I am myself but a slave, yet may I give thee thy freedom. ' And the Hare answered him, and said: 'Surely thou hast given mefreedom, and what shall I give thee in return?' And the Star-Child said to it, 'I am seeking for a piece of whitegold, nor can I anywhere find it, and if I bring it not to mymaster he will beat me. ' 'Come thou with me, ' said the Hare, 'and I will lead thee to it, for I know where it is hidden, and for what purpose. ' So the Star-Child went with the Hare, and lo! in the cleft of agreat oak-tree he saw the piece of white gold that he was seeking. And he was filled with joy, and seized it, and said to the Hare, 'The service that I did to thee thou hast rendered back again manytimes over, and the kindness that I showed thee thou hast repaid ahundred-fold. ' 'Nay, ' answered the Hare, 'but as thou dealt with me, so I did dealwith thee, ' and it ran away swiftly, and the Star-Child wenttowards the city. Now at the gate of the city there was seated one who was a leper. Over his face hung a cowl of grey linen, and through the eyeletshis eyes gleamed like red coals. And when he saw the Star-Childcoming, he struck upon a wooden bowl, and clattered his bell, andcalled out to him, and said, 'Give me a piece of money, or I mustdie of hunger. For they have thrust me out of the city, and thereis no one who has pity on me. ' 'Alas!' cried the Star-Child, 'I have but one piece of money in mywallet, and if I bring it not to my master he will beat me, for Iam his slave. ' But the leper entreated him, and prayed of him, till the Star-Childhad pity, and gave him the piece of white gold. And when he came to the Magician's house, the Magician opened tohim, and brought him in, and said to him, 'Hast thou the piece ofwhite gold?' And the Star-Child answered, 'I have it not. ' So theMagician fell upon him, and beat him, and set before him an emptytrencher, and said, 'Eat, ' and an empty cup, and said, 'Drink, ' andflung him again into the dungeon. And on the morrow the Magician came to him, and said, 'If to-daythou bringest me not the piece of yellow gold, I will surely keepthee as my slave, and give thee three hundred stripes. ' So the Star-Child went to the wood, and all day long he searchedfor the piece of yellow gold, but nowhere could he find it. And atsunset he sat him down and began to weep, and as he was weepingthere came to him the little Hare that he had rescued from thetrap, And the Hare said to him, 'Why art thou weeping? And what dostthou seek in the wood?' And the Star-Child answered, 'I am seeking for a piece of yellowgold that is hidden here, and if I find it not my master will beatme, and keep me as a slave. ' 'Follow me, ' cried the Hare, and it ran through the wood till itcame to a pool of water. And at the bottom of the pool the pieceof yellow gold was lying. 'How shall I thank thee?' said the Star-Child, 'for lo! this is thesecond time that you have succoured me. ' 'Nay, but thou hadst pity on me first, ' said the Hare, and it ranaway swiftly. And the Star-Child took the piece of yellow gold, and put it in hiswallet, and hurried to the city. But the leper saw him coming, andran to meet him, and knelt down and cried, 'Give me a piece ofmoney or I shall die of hunger. ' And the Star-Child said to him, 'I have in my wallet but one pieceof yellow gold, and if I bring it not to my master he will beat meand keep me as his slave. ' But the leper entreated him sore, so that the Star-Child had pityon him, and gave him the piece of yellow gold. And when he came to the Magician's house, the Magician opened tohim, and brought him in, and said to him, 'Hast thou the piece ofyellow gold?' And the Star-Child said to him, 'I have it not. ' Sothe Magician fell upon him, and beat him, and loaded him withchains, and cast him again into the dungeon. And on the morrow the Magician came to him, and said, 'If to-daythou bringest me the piece of red gold I will set thee free, but ifthou bringest it not I will surely slay thee. ' So the Star-Child went to the wood, and all day long he searchedfor the piece of red gold, but nowhere could he find it. And atevening he sat him down and wept, and as he was weeping there cameto him the little Hare. And the Hare said to him, 'The piece of red gold that thou seekestis in the cavern that is behind thee. Therefore weep no more butbe glad. ' 'How shall I reward thee?' cried the Star-Child, 'for lo! this isthe third time thou hast succoured me. ' 'Nay, but thou hadst pity on me first, ' said the Hare, and it ranaway swiftly. And the Star-Child entered the cavern, and in its farthest cornerhe found the piece of red gold. So he put it in his wallet, andhurried to the city. And the leper seeing him coming, stood in thecentre of the road, and cried out, and said to him, 'Give me thepiece of red money, or I must die, ' and the Star-Child had pity onhim again, and gave him the piece of red gold, saying, 'Thy need isgreater than mine. ' Yet was his heart heavy, for he knew what evilfate awaited him. But lo! as he passed through the gate of the city, the guards boweddown and made obeisance to him, saying, 'How beautiful is ourlord!' and a crowd of citizens followed him, and cried out, 'Surelythere is none so beautiful in the whole world!' so that the Star-Child wept, and said to himself, 'They are mocking me, and makinglight of my misery. ' And so large was the concourse of the people, that he lost the threads of his way, and found himself at last in agreat square, in which there was a palace of a King. And the gate of the palace opened, and the priests and the highofficers of the city ran forth to meet him, and they abasedthemselves before him, and said, 'Thou art our lord for whom wehave been waiting, and the son of our King. ' And the Star-Child answered them and said, 'I am no king's son, butthe child of a poor beggar-woman. And how say ye that I ambeautiful, for I know that I am evil to look at?' Then he, whose armour was inlaid with gilt flowers, and on whosehelmet crouched a lion that had wings, held up a shield, and cried, 'How saith my lord that he is not beautiful?' And the Star-Child looked, and lo! his face was even as it hadbeen, and his comeliness had come back to him, and he saw that inhis eyes which he had not seen there before. And the priests and the high officers knelt down and said to him, 'It was prophesied of old that on this day should come he who wasto rule over us. Therefore, let our lord take this crown and thissceptre, and be in his justice and mercy our King over us. ' But he said to them, 'I am not worthy, for I have denied the motherwho bare me, nor may I rest till I have found her, and known herforgiveness. Therefore, let me go, for I must wander again overthe world, and may not tarry here, though ye bring me the crown andthe sceptre. ' And as he spake he turned his face from them towardsthe street that led to the gate of the city, and lo! amongst thecrowd that pressed round the soldiers, he saw the beggar-woman whowas his mother, and at her side stood the leper, who had sat by theroad. And a cry of joy broke from his lips, and he ran over, and kneelingdown he kissed the wounds on his mother's feet, and wet them withhis tears. He bowed his head in the dust, and sobbing, as onewhose heart might break, he said to her: 'Mother, I denied thee inthe hour of my pride. Accept me in the hour of my humility. Mother, I gave thee hatred. Do thou give me love. Mother, Irejected thee. Receive thy child now. ' But the beggar-womananswered him not a word. And he reached out his hands, and clasped the white feet of theleper, and said to him: 'Thrice did I give thee of my mercy. Bidmy mother speak to me once. ' But the leper answered him not aword. And he sobbed again and said: 'Mother, my suffering is greaterthan I can bear. Give me thy forgiveness, and let me go back tothe forest. ' And the beggar-woman put her hand on his head, andsaid to him, 'Rise, ' and the leper put his hand on his head, andsaid to him, 'Rise, ' also. And he rose up from his feet, and looked at them, and lo! they werea King and a Queen. And the Queen said to him, 'This is thy father whom thou hastsuccoured. ' And the King said, 'This is thy mother whose feet thou hast washedwith thy tears. ' And they fell on his neck and kissed him, andbrought him into the palace and clothed him in fair raiment, andset the crown upon his head, and the sceptre in his hand, and overthe city that stood by the river he ruled, and was its lord. Muchjustice and mercy did he show to all, and the evil Magician hebanished, and to the Woodcutter and his wife he sent many richgifts, and to their children he gave high honour. Nor would hesuffer any to be cruel to bird or beast, but taught love andloving-kindness and charity, and to the poor he gave bread, and tothe naked he gave raiment, and there was peace and plenty in theland. Yet ruled he not long, so great had been his suffering, and sobitter the fire of his testing, for after the space of three yearshe died. And he who came after him ruled evilly.