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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Honey-Bee, by Anatole France
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Honey-Bee
+       1911
+
+Author: Anatole France
+
+Illustrator: Florence Lundborg
+
+Translator: Mrs. John Lane
+
+Release Date: May 9, 2008 [EBook #25405]
+Last Updated: October 5, 2016
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HONEY-BEE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+HONEY-BEE
+
+By Anatole France
+
+A Translation By Mrs. John Lane
+
+Illustrated By Florence Lundborg
+
+John Lane MCMXI
+
+
+TO
+
+H. B. H. DEAR AND LIFE-LONG FRIEND
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+It is an honour, but, also, a great responsibility, to introduce through
+the dangerous medium of a translation one of the most distinguished
+writers of our time, and, probably, the greatest living master of style,
+to a new world--the world of childhood. One is conscious that it is as
+impossible to translate the charm and art of Anatole France as it is to
+describe in dull, colourless words the exquisite perfume of the rose.
+
+Such as this translation is I offer it with diffidence, realising that I
+have undertaken a difficult task. And yet I venture to do so for I long
+to make known to English and American children one of the loveliest and
+noblest of stories--a story overflowing with poetic imagination, wisdom
+and humour, divine qualities to which the heart of the child is always
+open as the flower to the dew.
+
+I want young children as well as others, older only by accident of
+years, but whose hearts are always young--which is the eternal youth--to
+know the greatest French writer of his day, when, by the magic of his
+pen, he, like them, becomes young, gentle and charming. I want them to
+learn to love his “Honey-Bee,” newest and sweetest of those darlings of
+childhood who have come down to us from bygone ages, distant lands
+and half-forgotten races, but who in their eternal charm appeal to all
+children since children first heard those wonderful stories or pored
+over treasured books that awaken the ardent young imagination to love,
+beauty, romance and goodness.
+
+So, too, some day will “Honey-Bee” the golden-haired princess of the
+dear, good dwarfs, join her enchanting companions, Cinderella, Beauty
+and the Beast, Red Riding Hood, The Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince,
+Puss in Boots, Aladdin, and all the others of that immortal galaxy
+whose glorious destiny it has been to be beloved by childhood. May they
+welcome “Honey-Bee,” youngest of all. And so the Master, supreme when he
+writes for men and women, will find open to him a new world, purer and
+more beautiful, in the hearts of English and American children.
+
+A. E. L.
+
+
+
+
+“HONEY-BEE”
+
+
+
+
+I
+
+     Which treats of the appearance of the country and serves as
+     Introduction
+
+The sea covers to-day what was once the Duchy of Clarides. No trace of
+the town or the castle remains. But when it is calm there can be seen,
+it is said, within the circumference of a mile, huge trunks of trees
+standing on the bottom of the sea. A spot on the banks, which now serves
+as a station for the customhouse officers, is still called “The Tailor’s
+Booth,” and it is quite probable that this name is in memory of a
+certain Master Jean who is mentioned in this story. The sea, which
+encroaches year by year, will soon cover this spot so curiously named.
+
+Such changes are in the nature of things. The mountains sink in the
+course of ages, and the depths of the seas, on the contrary, rise until
+their shells and corals are carried to the regions of clouds and ice.
+
+Nothing endures. The face of land and sea is for ever changing.
+Tradition alone preserves the memory of men and places across the ages
+and renders real to us what has long ceased to exist. In telling you of
+Clarides I wish to take you back to times that have long since vanished.
+Thus I begin:
+
+The Countess of Blanchelande having placed on her golden hair a little
+black hood embroidered with pearls....
+
+But before proceeding I must beg very serious persons not to read this.
+It is not written for them. It is not written for grave people who
+despise trifles and who always require to be instructed. I only venture
+to offer this to those who like to be entertained, and whose minds are
+both young and gay. Only those who are amused by innocent pleasures will
+read this to the end. Of these I beg, should they have little children,
+that they will tell them about my Honey-Bee. I wish this story to please
+both boys and girls and yet I hardly dare to hope it will. It is
+too frivolous for them and, really, only suitable for old-fashioned
+children. I have a pretty little neighbour of nine whose library I
+examined the other day. I found many books on the microscope and the
+zoophytes, as well as several scientific story-books. One of these I
+opened at the following lines: “The cuttle-fish _Sepia Officinalis_ is
+a cephalopodic mollusc whose body includes a spongy organ containing a
+chylaqueous fluid saturated with carbonate of lime.” My pretty little
+neighbour finds this story very interesting. I beg of her, unless she
+wishes me to die of mortification, never to read the story of Honey-Bee.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+     In which we learn what the white rose meant to the Countess
+     of Blanchelande
+
+Having placed on her golden hair a little black hood embroidered with
+pearls and bound about her waist a widow’s girdle, the Countess of
+Blanchelande entered the chapel where it was her daily custom to pray
+for the soul of her husband who had been killed in single-handed combat
+with a giant from Ireland.
+
+That day she saw a white rose lying on the cushion of her _prie-Dieu_;
+at sight of this she turned pale; her eyes grew dim; she bowed her head
+and wrung her hand. For she knew that when a Countess of Blanchelande is
+about to die she always finds a white rose on her _prie-Dieu_.
+
+Warned by this that her time had come to leave a world in which in
+so short a time she had been wife, mother and widow, she entered the
+chamber where her son George slept in the care of the nurses. He was
+three years old. His long eyelashes threw a lovely shadow on his cheeks,
+and his mouth looked like a flower. At sight of him, so helpless and so
+beautiful, she began to weep.
+
+“My little child,” she cried in anguish, “my dear little child, you will
+never have known me and my image will fade for ever from your dear eyes.
+And yet, to be truly your mother, I nourished you with my own milk, and
+for love of you I refused the hand of the noblest cavaliers.”
+
+So speaking she kissed a medallion in which was her own portrait and a
+lock of her hair, and this she hung about the neck of her son. A mothers
+tear fell on the little one’s cheek as he stirred in his cradle and
+rubbed his eyes with his little hands. But the Countess turned her head
+away and fled out of the room. How could eyes about to be extinguished
+for ever bear the light of two dear eyes in which the soul was only
+beginning to dawn?
+
+She ordered a steed to be saddled and followed by her squire, Francoeur,
+she rode to the castle of Clarides.
+
+The Duchess of Clarides embraced the Countess of Blanchelande.
+
+“Loveliest! what good fortune brings you here?”
+
+“The fortune that brings me here is not good. Listen, my friend. We were
+married within a few years of each other, and similar fates have made
+us widows. For in these times of chivalry the best perish first, and in
+order to live long one must be a monk. When you became a mother I had
+already been one for two years. Your daughter Honey-Bee is lovely as the
+day, and my little George is good. I love you and you love me. Know then
+that I have found a white rose on the cushion of my _prie-Dieu_. I am
+about to die; I leave you my son.”
+
+The Duchess knew what the white rose meant to the ladies of
+Blanchelande. She began to weep and in the midst of her tears she
+promised to bring up Honey-Bee and George as brother and sister, and to
+give nothing to one which the other did not share.
+
+Still in each other’s arms the two women approached the cradle where
+little Honey-Bee slept under light curtains, blue as the sky, and
+without opening her eyes, she moved her little arms. And as she spread
+her fingers five little rosy rays came out of each sleeve.
+
+“He will defend her,” said the mother of George.
+
+“And she will love him,” the mother of Honey-Bee replied.
+
+“She will love him,” a clear little voice repeated, which the Duchess
+recognised as that of a spirit which for a long time had lived under the
+hearth-stone.
+
+On her return to her manor the lady of Blanchelande divided her jewels
+among her women and having had herself anointed with perfumed ointments
+and robed in her richest raiment in order to honour the body destined to
+rise again at the Day of Judgment, she lay down on her bed and fell
+asleep never again to awaken.
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+     Wherein begins the love of George of Blanchelande and Honey-
+     Bee of Claride
+
+Contrary to the common destiny which is to have more goodness than
+beauty, or more beauty than goodness, the Duchess of Clarides was as
+good as she was beautiful, and she was so beautiful that many princes,
+though they had only seen her portrait, demanded her hand in marriage.
+But to all their pleading she replied:
+
+“I shall have but one husband as I have but one soul.”
+
+However, after five years of mourning she left off her long veil and her
+black robes so as not to spoil the happiness of those about her, and
+in order that all should smile and be free to enjoy themselves in her
+presence. Her duchy comprised a great extent of country; moorlands,
+overgrown by heather, covered the desolate expanse, lakes in which
+fishermen sometimes caught magic fish, and mountains which rose in
+fearful solitudes over subterraneous regions inhabited by dwarfs.
+
+She governed Clarides with the help of an old monk who, having escaped
+from Constantinople and seen much violence and treachery, had but little
+faith in human goodness. He lived in a tower in the company of birds and
+books, and from this place he filled his position as counsellor by the
+aid of a number of little maxims. His rules were these: “Never revive
+a law once fallen into disuse; always accede to the demands of a people
+for fear of revolt, but accede as slowly as possible, because no sooner
+is one reform granted than the public demands another, and you can be
+turned out for acceding too quickly as well as for resisting too long.”
+
+The Duchess let him have his own way, for she understood nothing about
+politics. She was compassionate and, as she was unable to respect all
+men, she pitied those who were unfortunate enough to be wicked. She
+helped the suffering in every possible way, visited the sick, comforted
+the widows, and took the poor orphans under her protection.
+
+She educated her daughter Honey-Bee with a charming wisdom. Having
+brought the child up only to do good, she never denied her any pleasure.
+
+This good woman kept the promise she had made to the poor Countess
+of Blanchelande. She was like a mother to George, and she made no
+difference between him and Honey-Bee. They grew up together, and George
+approved of Honey-Bee, though he thought her rather small. Once, when
+they were very little, he went up to her and asked:
+
+“Will you play with me?”
+
+“I should like to,” said Honey-Bee.
+
+“We will make mud pies,” said George, which they proceeded to do. But
+as Honey-Bee made hers very badly, George struck her fingers with his
+spade. Whereupon Honey-Bee set up a most awful roar and the squire,
+Francoeur, who was strolling about in the garden, said to his young
+master:
+
+“It is not worthy of a Count of Blanchelande to strike young ladies,
+your lordship.”
+
+Whereupon George was seized with an ardent desire to hit Francoeur also
+with his spade. But as this presented insurmountable difficulties, he
+resigned himself to do what was easier, and that was to stand with his
+nose against the trunk of a big tree and weep torrents.
+
+In the meantime Honey-Bee took care to encourage her own tears by
+digging her fists into her eyes; and in her despair she rubbed her nose
+against the trunk of a neighbouring tree. When night came and softly
+covered the earth, Honey-Bee and George were still weeping, each in
+front of a tree. The Duchess of Clarides was obliged to come and take
+her daughter by one hand and George by the other, and lead them back
+to the castle. Their eyes were red and their noses were red and their
+cheeks shone. They sighed and sobbed enough to break one’s heart. But
+they ate a good supper, after which they were both put to bed. But as
+soon as the candle was blown out they re-appeared like two little ghosts
+in two little night-gowns, and they hugged each other and laughed at the
+top of their voices.
+
+And thus began the love of Honey-Bee of Clarides and George of
+Blanchelande.
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+     Which treats of Education in general, and George of Blanche
+     lande’s in particular
+
+So George grew up in the Castle side by side with Honey-Bee, whom he
+affectionately called his sister though he knew she was not.
+
+He had masters in fencing, riding, swimming, gymnastics, dancing,
+hunting, falconry, tennis, and, indeed, in all the arts. He even had a
+writing-master. This was an old cleric, humble of manner but very proud
+within, who taught him all manner of penmanship, and the more beautiful
+this was the less decipherable it became. Very little pleasure or profit
+did George get out of the old cleric’s lessons, as little as out of
+those of an old monk who taught him grammar in barbarous terms. George
+could not understand the sense of learning a language which one knows as
+a matter of course and which is called one’s mother tongue.
+
+He only enjoyed himself with Francoeur the squire, who, having knocked
+about the world, understood the ways of men and beasts, could describe
+all sorts of countries and compose songs which he could not write.
+Francoeur was the only one of his masters who taught George anything,
+for he was the only one who really loved him, and the only good lessons
+are those which are given with love. The two old goggle-eyes, the
+writing-master and the grammar-master, who hated each other with all
+their hearts, were, however, united in a common hatred of the old
+squire, whom they accused of being a drunkard.
+
+It is true that Francoeur frequented the tavern “The Pewter Pot”
+ somewhat too zealously. It was here that he forgot his sorrows and
+composed his songs. But of course it was very wrong of him.
+
+Homer made better verses than Francoeur, and Homer only drank the water
+of the springs. As for sorrows the whole world has sorrows, and the
+thing to make one forget them is not the wine one drinks, but the good
+one does. But Francoeur was an old man grown grey in harness, faithful
+and trustworthy, and the two masters of writing and grammar should
+have hidden his failings from the duchess instead of giving her an
+exaggerated account of them.
+
+“Francoeur is a drunkard,” said the writing-master, “and when he comes
+back from ‘The Pewter Pot’ he makes a letter S as he walks. Moreover,
+it is the only letter he has ever made; because if it please your Grace,
+this drunkard is an ass.”
+
+The grammar-master added, “And the songs Francoeur sings as he staggers
+about err against all rules and are constructed on no model at all. He
+ignores all the rules of rhetoric, please your Grace.”
+
+The Duchess had a natural distaste for pedants and tale-bearers. She did
+what we all would have done in her place; at first she did not listen to
+them but as they again began to repeat their tittle-tattle, she ended by
+believing them and decided to send Francoeur away. However, to give him
+an honourable exile, she sent him to Rome to obtain the blessing of the
+Pope. This journey was all the longer for Francoeur the squire because
+a great many taverns much frequented by musicians separated the duchy
+of Clarides from the holy apostolic seat. In the course of this story
+we shall see how soon the Duchess regretted having deprived the two
+children of their most faithful guardian.
+
+
+
+
+V
+
+     Which tells how the Duchess took Honeybee and George to the
+     Hermitage, and of their encounter with a hideous old woman
+
+That morning, it was the first Sunday after Easter, the Duchess rode out
+of the castle on her great sorrel horse, while on? her left George of
+Blanchelande was mounted on a dark horse with a white star on his black
+forehead, and on her right Honey-Bee guided her milk-white steed with
+rose-coloured reins. They were on their way to the Hermitage to hear
+mass. Soldiers armed with lances formed their escort and, as they
+passed, the people crowded forward to admire them, and, indeed, all
+three were very fair to see. Under a veil of silver flowers and with
+flowing mantle the Duchess had an air of lovely majesty; while the
+pearls with which her coif was embroidered shone with a soft radiance
+that well-suited the face and soul of this beautiful lady. George by her
+side with flowing hair and sparkling eyes was very good to see. And on
+the other side rode Honey-Bee, the tender and pure colour of her face
+like a caress for the eyes; but most glorious of all her fair tresses,
+flowing over her shoulders, held by a circlet of gold surmounted by
+three gold flowers, seemed the shining mantle of her youth and beauty.
+The good people said, on seeing her:
+
+“What a lovely young damsel.”
+
+The master tailor, old Jean, took his grandson Peter in his arms to
+point out |Honey-Bce to him, and Peter asked was she alive or was she an
+image of wax, for he could not understand how any one could be so white
+and so lovely, and yet belong to the same race as himself, little Peter
+with his good big weather-beaten cheeks, and his little home-spun shirt
+laced behind in country fashion.
+
+While the Duchess accepted the people’s homage with gracious kindness,
+the two children showed how it gratified their pride, George by his
+blushes, Honey-Bee by her smiles, and for this reason the Duchess said
+to them:
+
+“How kindly these good people greet us. For what reason, George? And
+what is the reason, Honey-Bee?”
+
+“So they should,” said Honey-Bee.
+
+“It’s their duty,” George added.
+
+“But why should it be their duty?” asked the Duchess.
+
+And as neither replied, she continued:
+
+“I will tell you. For more than three hundred years the dukes of
+Clarides, from father to son, have lance in hand protected these poor
+people so that they could gather the harvests of the fields they had
+sown. For more than three hundred years all the duchesses of Clarides
+have spun the cloth for the poor, have visited the sick, and have held
+the new-born at the baptismal font. That is the reason they greet you,
+my children.”
+
+George was lost in deep thought: “We must protect those who toil on the
+land,” and Honcy-Bee said: “One should spin for the poor.”
+
+And thus chatting and meditating they went on their way through meadows
+starred with flowers. A fringe of blue mountains lay against the distant
+horizon. George pointed towards the east.
+
+“Is that a great steel shield I see over there?”
+
+“Oh no,” said Honey-Bee, “it’s a round silver clasp, as big as the
+moon.”
+
+“It is neither a steel shield nor a silver clasp, my children,” replied
+the Duchess, “but a lake glittering in the sunshine. The surface of
+this lake, which seen from here is as smooth as a mirror, is stirred by
+innumerable ripples. Its borders which appear as distinct as it cut in
+metal are really covered by reeds with feathery plumes and irises
+whose flower is like a human glance between the blades of swords. Every
+morning a white mist rises over the lake which shines like armour under
+the midday sun. But none must approach it for in it dwell the nixies who
+lure passers by into their crystal abodes.”
+
+At this moment the bell of the Hermitage was heard.
+
+“Let us dismount,” said the Duchess, “and walk to the chapel. It was
+neither on elephants nor camels that the wise men of the East approached
+the manger.”
+
+They heard the hermit’s mass. A hideous old crone covered with rags
+knelt beside the Duchesss, who on leaving the church offered her holy
+water.
+
+“Accept it, good mother,” she said.
+
+George was amazed.
+
+“Do you not know,” said the Duchess, “that in the poor you honour the
+chosen of our Lord Jesus Christ? A beggar such as this as well as the
+good Duke of Rochesnoires held you at the font when you were baptized;
+and your little sister, Honey-Bee, also had one of these poor creatures
+as godmother.”
+
+The old crone who seemed to have guessed the boy’s thoughts leaned
+towards him.
+
+“Fair prince,” she cried mockingly, “may you conquer as many kingdoms as
+I have lost. I was the queen of the Island of Pearls and the Mountains
+of Gold; each day my table was served with fourteen different kinds of
+fish, and a negro page bore my train.”
+
+“And by what misfortune have you lost your islands and your mountains,
+good woman?” asked the Duchess.
+
+“I vexed the dwarfs, and they carried me far away from my dominions.”
+
+“Are the dwarfs so powerful?” George asked.
+
+“As they live in the earth,” the old woman answered, “they know the
+virtue of precious stones, they work in metals, and they unseal the
+hidden sources of the springs.”
+
+“And what did you do to vex them?” asked the Duchess.
+
+“On a December night,” said the old woman, “one of them came to ask
+permission to prepare a great midnight banquet in the kitchen of
+the castle, which, vaster than a chapter-house, was furnished
+with casseroles, frying-pans, earthen saucepans, kettles, pans,
+portable-ovens, gridirons, boilers, dripping-pans, dutch-ovens,
+fish-kettles, copper-pans, pastry-moulds, copper-jugs, goblets of
+gold and silver, and mottled wood, not to mention iron roasting-jacks,
+artistically forged, and the huge black cauldron which hung from the
+pothook. He promised neither to disturb nor to damage anything. I
+refused his request, and he disappeared muttering vague threats. The
+third night, it being Christmas, this same dwarf returned to the chamber
+where I slept. He was accompanied by innumerable others, who pulled me
+out of bed and carried me to an unknown land in my nightgown. ‘Such,’
+they said as they left me, ‘such is the punishment of the rich who
+refuse even a part of their treasure to the industrious and kindly dwarf
+folk who work in gold and cause the springs to flow.’”
+
+Thus said the toothless old woman, and the Duchess having comforted her
+with words and money, she and the two children retraced their way to the
+castle.
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+     Which tells of what can be seen from the Keep of Clarides
+
+It was one day shortly after this that Honey-Bee and George, without
+being observed, climbed the steps of the watch-tower which stands in
+the middle of the Castle of Clarides. Having reached the platform they
+shouted at the top of their voices and clapped their hands.
+
+Their view extended down the hillside divided into brown and green
+squares of cultivated fields. Woods and mountains lay dimly blue against
+the distant horizon.
+
+“Little sister,” cried George, “little sister, look at the whole wide
+world!”
+
+“The world is very big,” said Honey-Bee. “My teachers,” said George,
+“have taught me that it is very big; but, as Gertrude our housekeeper
+says, one must see to believe.”
+
+They went the round of the platform.
+
+“Here is something wonderful, little brother,” cried Honey-Bee. “The
+castle stands in the middle of the earth and we are on the watch-tower
+in the middle of the castle, and so we are standing in the middle of the
+earth. Ha! ha! ha!”
+
+And, indeed, the horizon formed a circle about the children of which the
+watch-tower was the centre.
+
+“We are in the middle of the earth! Ha! ha! ha!” George repeated.
+
+Whereupon they both started a-thinking.
+
+“What a pity that the world is so big!” said Honey-Bee, “one might get
+lost and be separated from one’s friends.”
+
+George shrugged his shoulders.
+
+“How lucky that the world is so big! One can go in search of adventures.
+When I am grown up I mean to conquer the mountains that stand at the
+ends of the earth. That is where the moon rises; I shall seize her as
+she passes, and I will give her to you, Honey-Bee.”
+
+“Yes,” said Honey-Bee, “give her to me and I will put her in my hair.”
+
+Then they busied themselves searching for the places they knew as on a
+map.
+
+“I recognise everything,” said Honey-Bee, who recognised nothing, “but
+what are those little square stones scattered over the hillside?”
+
+“Houses,” George replied. “Those are houses. Don’t you recognise the
+capital of the Duchy of Clarides, little sister? After all, it is a
+great city; it has three streets, and one can drive through one of them.
+Don’t you remember that we passed through it last week when we went to
+the Hermitage?”
+
+“And what is that winding brook?”
+
+“That is the river. See the old stone bridge down there?”
+
+“The bridge under which we fished for crayfish?”
+
+“That’s the one; and in one of the niches stands the statue of the
+‘Woman without a Head.’ One cannot see her from here because she is too
+small.”
+
+“I remember. But why hasn’t she got a head?”
+
+“Probably because she has lost it.”
+
+Without saying if this explanation was satisfactory, Honey-Bee gazed at
+the horizon.
+
+“Little brother, little brother, just see what sparkles by the side of
+the blue mountains? It is the lake.”
+
+“It is the lake.”
+
+They then remembered what the Duchess had told them of these beautiful
+and dangerous waters where the nixies dwell.
+
+“We will go there,” said Honey-Bee.
+
+George was aghast. He stared at her with his mouth wide open.
+
+“But the Duchess has forbidden us to go out alone, so how can we go to
+this lake which is at the end of the earth?”
+
+“How can we go? I don’t know. It’s you who ought to know, for you are a
+man and you have a grammar-master.”
+
+This piqued George who replied that one might be a man, and even a very
+brave man, and yet not know all the roads on earth. Whereupon Honey-Bee
+said drily with a little air of scorn which made him blush to his ears:
+
+“I never said _I_ would conquer the blue mountains or take down the
+moon. I don’t know the way to the lake, but I mean to find it!”
+
+George pretended to laugh.
+
+“You laugh like a cucumber.”
+
+“Cucumbers neither laugh nor cry.”
+
+“If they did laugh they would laugh like you. I shall go along to the
+lake. And while I search for the beautiful waters in which the nixies
+live you shall stay alone at home like a good girl. I will leave you my
+needle-work and my doll. Take care of them, George, take good care of
+them.”
+
+George was proud, and he was conscious of the humiliation with which
+Honey-Bee covered him.
+
+Gloomily and with head bowed he cried in a hollow voice:
+
+“Very well, then, we will go to the lake.”
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+     In which is described how George and Honey-Bee went to the
+     lake
+
+The next day after the midday meal, the Duchess having gone to her own
+room George took Honey-Bee by the hand. “Now come!” he said. “Where?”
+ “Hush!”
+
+They crept down stairs and crossed the courtyard. After they had passed
+the postern, Honey-Bee again asked where they were going.
+
+“To the lake,” George said resolutely. Honey-Bee opened her mouth wide
+but remained speechless. To go so far without permission and in satin
+shoes! For her shoes were of satin. There was no sense in it.
+
+“We must go and there is no need to be sensible.”
+
+Such was George’s proud reply. She had once humiliated him and now she
+pretended to be astonished.
+
+This time it was he who disdainfully sent her back to her dolls. Girls
+always tempt one on to adventures and then run away. So mean! She could
+remain. He’d go alone.
+
+She clung to his arm; he pushed her away.
+
+She hung about his neck.
+
+“Little brother,” she sobbed, “I will follow you.”
+
+He allowed himself to be moved by such touching repentance.
+
+“Come then, but not through the town; we may be seen. We will follow the
+ramparts and then we can reach the highway by a cross road.”
+
+And so they went hand in hand while George explained his plans.
+
+“We will follow the road we took to the Hermitage and then we shall
+be sure to see the lake, just as we did the other day, and then we can
+cross the fields in a bee line.”
+
+“A bee line” is the pretty rustic way of saying a straight line; and
+they both laughed because of the young girl’s name which fitted in so
+oddly.
+
+Honey-Bee picked flowers along the ditches; she made a posy of
+marshmallows, white mullein, asters and chrysanthemums; the flowers
+faded in her little hands and it was pitiful to see them when Honey-Bee
+crossed the old stone bridge. As she did not know what to do with them
+she decided to throw them into the water to refresh them, but finally
+she preferred to give them to the “Woman without a head.”
+
+She begged George to lift her in his arms so as to make her tall enough,
+and she placed her armful of wild flowers between the folded hands of
+the old stone figure.
+
+After she was far away she looked back and saw a pigeon resting on the
+shoulder of the statue.
+
+When they had been walking some time, said Honey-bee, “I am thirsty.”
+
+“So am I,” George replied, “but the river is far behind us, and I see
+neither brook nor fountain.”
+
+“The sun is so hot that he has drunk them all up. What shall we do?”
+
+So they talked and lamented when they saw a peasant woman approach who
+carried a basket of fruit.
+
+“Cherries!” cried George. “How unlucky: I have no money to buy any.”
+
+“I have money,” said Honey-Bee.
+
+She pulled out of her pocket a little purse in which were five pieces of
+gold.
+
+“Good woman,” she said to the peasant, “will you give me as many
+cherries as my frock will hold?”
+
+And she raised her little skirt with her two hands. The woman threw
+in two or three handfuls of cherries. With one hand Honey-Bee held the
+uplifted skirt and with the other she offered the woman a gold piece.
+
+“Is that enough?”
+
+The woman clutched the gold piece which would amply have paid not only
+for the cherries in the basket but for the tree on which they grew and
+the plot of land on which the tree stood.
+
+The artful one replied:
+
+“I’m satisfied, if only to oblige you, little princess.”
+
+“Well then, put some more cherries in my brother’s cap,” said Honey-Bee,
+“and you shall have another gold piece.”
+
+This was done. The peasant woman went on her way meditating in what old
+stocking or under what mattress she should hide her two gold pieces.
+
+And the two children followed the road eating the cherries and throwing
+the stones to the right and the left. George chose the cherries that
+hung two by two on one stem and made earrings for his little sister,
+and he laughed to see the lovely twin fruit dangle its vermillion beauty
+against her cheeks.
+
+A pebble stopped their joyous progress. It had got into Honey-Bee’s
+little shoe and she began to limp. At every step she took, her golden
+curls bobbed against her cheek, and so limping she sat down on a bank
+by the roadside. Her brother knelt down and took off the satin shoe. He
+shook it and out dropped a little white pebble.
+
+“Little brother,” she said as she looked at her feet, “the next time we
+go to the lake we’ll put on boots.”
+
+The sun was already sinking against the radiant sky; a soft breeze
+caressed their cheeks and necks, and so, cheered and refreshed, the two
+little travellers proceeded on their way. To make walking easier they
+went hand in hand, and they laughed to see their moving shadows melt
+together before them. They sang:
+
+    Maid Marian, setting forth to find
+    The mill, with sacks of corn to grind,
+        Her donkey, Jan, bestrode.
+    My dainty maiden, Marian,
+    She mounted on her donkey, Jan,
+        And took the mill-ward road.*
+
+
+     * Marian’ s’en allant au moulin,
+     Pour y faire moudre son grain,
+          Ell monta sur son âne,
+     Ma p’tite mam’sell’ Marianne!
+     Ell’ monta sur son âne Martin
+          Pour aller au moulin.
+
+
+
+But Honey-Bee stopped:
+
+“I have lost my shoe, my satin shoe,” she cried. And so it was. The
+little shoe, whose silken laces had become loose in walking, lay in the
+road covered-with dust. Then as she looked back and saw the towers of
+the castle of Clarides fade into the distant twilight her heart sank and
+the tears came to her eyes.
+
+“The wolves will eat us,” she cried, “and our mother will never see us
+again and she will die of grief.”
+
+But George comforted her as he put on her shoe.
+
+“When the castle bell rings for supper we shall have returned to
+Clarides. Come!”
+
+    The miller saw her coming nigh
+    And could not well forbear to cry,
+        Your donkey you must tether.
+    My dainty maiden, Marian,
+    Tether you here your donkey, Jan,
+        Who brought us twain together.*
+
+
+    * Le meunier qui la voit venir
+    Ne peut s’empêcher de lui dire:
+        Attachez là votre âne,
+    Ma p’tite Mam’sell’ Marianne,
+    Attachez là votre âne Martin
+        Qui vous mène au moulin.
+
+“The lake, Honey-Bee! See the lake, the lake, the lake!”
+
+“Yes, George, the lake!”
+
+George shouted “hurrah” and flung his hat in the air. Honey-Bee was too
+proper to fling hers up also, so taking off the shoe that wouldn’t stay
+on she threw it joyfully over her head.
+
+There lay the lake in the depths of the valley and its curved and
+sloping banks made a framework of foliage and flowers about its silver
+waves. It lay there clear and tranquil, and one could see the swaying of
+the indistinct green of its banks.
+
+But the children could find no path through the underbrush that would
+lead to its beautiful waters.
+
+While they were searching for one their legs were nipped by some geese
+driven by a little girl dressed in a sheepskin and carrying a switch.
+George asked her name.
+
+“Gilberte.”
+
+“Well, then, Gilberte, how can one go to the lake?”
+
+“Folks doesn’t go.”
+
+“Why?”
+
+“Because...”
+
+“But supposing folks did?”
+
+“If folks did there’d be a path, and one would take that path.”
+
+George could think of no adequate reply to this guardian of the geese.
+
+“Let’s go,” he said, “farther on we shall be sure to find a way through
+the woods.”
+
+“And we will pick nuts and eat them,” said Honey-Bee, “for I am hungry.
+The next time we go to the lake we must bring a satchel full of good
+things to eat.”
+
+“That we will, little sister,” said George. “And I quite agree with
+Francoeur, our squire, who when he went to Rome, took a ham with him, in
+case he should hunger, and a flask lest he should be thirsty. But hurry,
+for it is growing late, though I don’t know the time.”
+
+“The shepherdesses know by looking at the sun,” said Honey-Bee; “but I
+am not a shepherdess. Yet it seems to me that when we left the sun was
+over our head, and now it is down there, far behind the town and castle
+of Clarides. I wonder if this happens every day and what it means?”
+
+While they looked at the sun a cloud of dust rose up from the high road,
+and they saw some cavaliers with glittering weapons ride past at full
+speed. The children hid in the underbrush in great terror. “They are
+thieves or probably ogres,” they thought. They were really guards sent
+by the Duchess of Clarides in search of the little truants.
+
+The two little adventurers found a footpath in the underbrush, not a
+lovers’ lane, for it was impossible to walk side by side holding hands
+as is the fashion of lovers. Nor could the print of human footsteps be
+seen, but only indentations left by innumerable tiny cloven feet.
+
+“Those are the feet of little devils,” said Honey-Bee.
+
+“Or deer,” suggested George.
+
+The matter was never explained. But what is certain is that the footpath
+descended in a gentle slope towards the edge of the lake which lay
+before the two children in all its languorous and silent beauty. The
+willows surrounded its banks with their tender foliage. The slender
+blades of the reeds with their delicate plumes swayed lightly over the
+water. They formed tremulous islands about which the water-lilies spread
+their great heart-shaped leaves and snow-white flowers. Over these
+blossoming islands dragon-flies, all emerald or azure, with wings of
+flame, sped their shrill flight in suddenly altered curves.
+
+The children plunged their burning feet with joy in the damp sand
+overgrown with tufted horse-tails and the reed-mace with its slender
+lance. The sweet flag wafted towards them its humble fragrance and the
+water plantain unrolled about them its filaments of lace on the margin
+of the sleeping waters which the willow-herb starred with its purple
+flowers.
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+     Wherein we shall see what happened to George of Blanchelande
+     because he approached the lake in which the nixies dwel
+
+Honey-Bee crossed the sand between two clumps of willows, and the little
+spirit of the place leaped into the water in front of her, leaving
+circles that grew greater and greater and finally vanished. This spirit
+was a little green frog with a white belly. All was silent; a fresh
+breeze swept over the clear lake whose every ripple had the gracious
+curve of a smile.
+
+“This lake is pretty,” said Honey-Bee, “but my feet are bleeding in
+my little torn shoes, and I am very hungry. I wish I were back in the
+castle.”
+
+“Little sister,” said George, “sit down on the grass. I will wrap your
+feet in leaves to cool them; then I will go in search of supper for you.
+High up along the road I saw some ripe blackberries. I will fetch you
+the sweetest and best in my hat. Give me your handkerchief; I will fill
+it with strawberries, for there are strawberries near here along the
+footpath under the shade of the trees. And I will fill my pockets with
+nuts.”
+
+He made a bed of moss for Honey-Bee under a willow on the edge of the
+lake, and then he left her.
+
+Honey-Bee lay with folded hands on her little mossy bed and watched the
+light of the first stars tremble in the pale sky; then her eyes half
+closed, and yet it seemed to her as if overhead she saw a little dwarf
+mounted on a raven. It was not fancy. For having reined in the black
+bird who was gnawing at the bridle, the dwarf stopped just above the
+young girl and stared down at her with his round eyes. Whereupon he
+disappeared at full gallop. All this Honey-Bee saw vaguely and then she
+fell asleep.
+
+She was still asleep when George returned with the fruit he had
+gathered, which he placed at her side. Then he climbed down to the lake
+while he waited for her to awaken. The lake slept under its delicate
+crown of verdure. A light mist swept softly over the waters. Suddenly
+the moon appeared between the branches, and then the waves were strewn
+as if with countless stars.
+
+But George could see that the lights which irradiated the waters were
+not all the broken reflections of the moon, for blue flames advanced in
+circles, swaying and undulating as if in a dance. Soon he saw that the
+blue flames flickered over the white faces of women, beautiful faces
+rising on the crests of the waves and crowned with sea-weeds and
+sea-shells, with sea-green tresses floating over their shoulders and
+veils flowing from under their breasts that shimmered with pearls. The
+child recognised the nixies and tried to flee. But already their cold
+white arms had seized him, and in spite of his struggles and cries he
+was borne across the waters along the galleries of porphyry and crystal.
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+     Wherein we shall see how Honey-Bee was taken to the dwarfs
+
+The moon had risen over the lake and the water now only showed broken
+reflections of its disc. Honey-Bee still slept. The dwarf who had
+watched her came back again on his raven followed this time by a crowd
+of little men. They were very little men. Their white beards hung down
+to their knees. They looked like old men with the figures of children.
+By their leathern aprons and the hammers which hung from their belts one
+could see that they were workers in metals. They had a curious gait,
+for they leaped to amazing heights and turned the most extraordinary
+somersaults, and showed the most inconceivable agility that made them
+seem more like spirits than human beings.
+
+Yet while cutting their most foolhardy capers they preserved an
+unalterable gravity of demeanour, to such a degree that it was quite
+impossible to make out their real characters.
+
+They placed themselves in a circle about the sleeping child.
+
+“Now then,” said the smallest of the dwarfs from the heights of his
+plumed charger; “now then, did I deceive you when I said that the
+loveliest of princesses was lying asleep on the borders of the lake, and
+do you not thank me for bringing you here?”
+
+“We thank you, Bob,” replied one of the dwarfs who looked like an
+elderly poet, “indeed there is nothing lovelier in the world than
+this young damsel. She is more rosy than the dawn which rises on the
+mountains, and the gold we forge is not so bright as the gold of her
+tresses.”
+
+“Very good, Pic, nothing can be truer,” cried the dwarfs, “but what
+shall we do with this lovely little lady?”
+
+Pic, who looked like a very elderly poet, did not reply to this
+question, probably because he knew no better than they what to do with
+this pretty lady.
+
+“Let us build a large cage and put her in,” a dwarf by the name of Rug
+suggested.
+
+Against this another dwarf called Dig vehemently protested. It was Dig’s
+opinion that only wild beasts were ever put into cages, and there was
+nothing yet to prove that the pretty lady was one of these.
+
+But Rug clung to his idea for the reason possibly that he had no other.
+He defended it with much subtlety. Said he:
+
+“If this person is not savage she will certainly become so as a result
+of the cage, which will be therefore not only useful but indispensable.”
+
+This reasoning displeased the dwarfs, and one of them named Tad
+denounced it with much indignation. He was such a good dwarf. He
+proposed to take the beautiful child back to her kindred who must be
+great nobles.
+
+But this advice was rejected as being contrary to the custom of the
+dwarfs.
+
+“We ought to follow the ways of justice not custom,” said Tad.
+
+But no one paid any further attention to him and the assembly broke into
+a tumult as a dwarf named Pau, a simple soul but just, gave his advice
+in these terms:
+
+“We must begin by awakening this young lady, seeing she declines to
+awake of herself; if she spends the night here her eyelids will be
+swollen to-morrow and her beauty will be much impaired, for it is very
+unhealthy to sleep in a wood on the borders of a lake.”
+
+This opinion met with general approval as it did not clash with any
+other.
+
+Pic, who looked like an elderly poet burdened with care, approached the
+young girl and looked at her very intently, under the impression that a
+single one of his glances would be quite sufficient to rouse the dreamer
+out of the deepest sleep. But Pic was quite mistaken as to the power of
+his glance, for Honey-Bee continued to sleep with folded hands.
+
+Seeing this the good Tad pulled her gently by her sleeve. Thereupon she
+partly opened her eyes and raised herself on her elbow. When she found
+herself lying on a bed of moss surrounded by dwarfs she thought what she
+saw was nothing but a dream, and she rubbed her eyes to open them, so
+that instead of this fantastic vision she should see the pure light of
+morning as it entered her little blue room in which she thought she was.
+For her mind, heavy with sleep, did not recall to her the adventure of
+the lake. But indeed, it was useless to rub her eyes, the dwarfs did not
+vanish, and so she was obliged to believe that they were real.
+
+Then she looked about with frightened eyes and saw the forest and
+remembered.
+
+“George! my brother George!” she cried in anguish. The dwarfs crowded
+about her, and for fear of seeing them she hid her face in her hands.
+
+“George! George! Where is my brother George?” she sobbed.
+
+The dwarfs could not tell her, for the good reason that they did not
+know. And she wept hot tears and cried aloud for her mother and brother.
+
+Pau longed to weep with her, and in his efforts to console, he addressed
+her with rather vague remarks.
+
+“Do not distress yourself so much,” he urged, “it would be a pity for
+so lovely a young damsel to spoil her eyes with weeping. Rather tell
+us your story, which cannot fail to be very amusing. We should be so
+pleased.”
+
+She did not listen. She rose and tried to escape. But her bare and
+swollen feet caused her such pain that she fell on her knees, sobbing
+most pitifully. Tad held her in his arms, and Pau tenderly kissed her
+hand. It was this that gave her the courage to look at them, and she saw
+that they seemed full of compassion.
+
+Pic looked to her like one inspired, and yet very innocent, and
+perceiving that all these little men were full of compassion for her,
+she said:
+
+“Little men, it is a pity you are so ugly; but I will love you all the
+same if you will only give me something to eat, for I am so hungry.”
+
+“Bob,” all the dwarfs cried at once, “go and fetch some supper.”
+
+And Bob flew off on his raven. All the same, the dwarfs resented this
+small girl’s injustice in finding them ugly. Rug was very angry. Pic
+said to himself, “She is only a child, and she does not see the light
+of genius which shines in my eyes, and which gives them the power which
+crushes as well as the grace which charms.”
+
+As for Pau, he thought to himself: “Perhaps it would have been better
+if I had not awakened this young lady who finds us ugly.” But Tad said
+smiling:
+
+“You will find us less ugly, dear young lady, when you love us more.”
+
+As he spoke Bob re-appeared on his raven. He held a dish of gold on
+which were a roast pheasant, an oatmeal cake, and a bottle of claret. He
+cut innumerable capers as he laid this supper at the feet of Honey-Bee.
+
+“Little men,” Honey-Bee said as she ate, “your supper is very good. My
+name is Honey-Bee; let us go in search of my brother, and then we
+will all go together to Clarides where mama is waiting for us in great
+anxiety.”
+
+But Dig, who was a kind dwarf, represented to Honey-Bee that she was not
+able to walk; that her brother was big enough to find his own way;
+that no misfortune could come to him in a country in which all the wild
+beasts had been destroyed.
+
+“We will make a litter,” he added, “and cover it with leaves and moss,
+and we will put you on it, and in this way we will carry you to the
+mountain and present you to the King of the Dwarfs, according to the
+custom of our people.”
+
+All the dwarfs applauded. Honey-Bee looked at her aching feet and
+remained silent. She was glad to learn that there were no wild beasts
+in the country. And on the whole she was willing to trust herself to the
+kindness of the dwarfs.
+
+They were already busy constructing the litter. Those with hatchets were
+felling two young fir trees with resounding blows. This brought back to
+Rug his original suggestion.
+
+“If instead of a litter we made a cage,” he urged.
+
+But he aroused a unanimous protest. Tad looked at him scornfully.
+
+“You are more like a human being than a dwarf, Rug,” he said. “But at
+least it is to the honour of our race that the most wicked dwarf is also
+the most stupid.”
+
+In the meantime the task had been accomplished. The dwarfs leaped into
+the air and in a bound seized and cut the branches, out of which they
+deftly wove a basket chair. Having covered it with moss and leaves, they
+placed Honey-Bee upon it, then they seized the two poles, placed them on
+their shoulders and, then! off they went to the mountain.
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+     In which we are faithfully told how King Loc received Honey-
+     Bee of Clarides
+
+They climbed a winding path along the wooded slope of the hill. Here and
+there granite boulders, bare and blasted, broke through the grey verdure
+of the dwarf oaks, and the sombre purple mountain with its bluish
+ravines formed an impassable barrier about the desolate landscape.
+
+The procession, preceded by Bob on his feathered steed, passed through
+a chasm overgrown with brambles. Honey-Bee, with her golden hair flowing
+over her shoulders, looked like the dawn breaking on the mountains,
+supposing, of course, that the dawn was ever frightened and called her
+mother and tried to escape, for all these things she did as she caught
+a confused glimpse of dwarfs, armed to the teeth, lying in ambush along
+the windings of the rocks.
+
+With bows bent or lance at rest they stood immovable. Their tunics of
+wild beast skins and their long knives that hung from their belts gave
+them a most terrible appearance. Game, furred and feathered, lay beside
+them. And yet these huntsmen, to judge only by their faces, did not
+seem very grim; on the contrary, they appeared gentle and grave like the
+dwarfs of the forest, whom they greatly resembled.
+
+In their midst stood a dwarf full of majesty. He wore a cock feather
+over his ear, and on his head a diadem set with enormous gems. His
+mantle raised at the shoulder disclosed a muscular arm covered with
+circlets of gold. A horn of ivory and chased silver hung from his belt.
+His left hand rested on his lance in an attitude of quiet strength, and
+his right he held over his eyes so as to look towards Honey-Bee and the
+light.
+
+“King Loc,” said the forest dwarfs, “we have brought you the beautiful
+child we have found; her name is Honey-Bee.”
+
+“You have done well,” said King Loc. “She shall live amongst us
+according to the custom of the dwarfs.”
+
+“Honey-Bee,” he said, approaching her, “you are welcome.” He spoke very
+gently, for he already felt very kindly towards her. He lifted himself
+on the tips of his toes to kiss her hand that hung at her side, and he
+assured her not only that he would do her no harm, but that he would try
+to gratify all her wishes, even should she long for necklaces, mirrors,
+stuffs from Cashmere and silks from China.
+
+“I wish I had some shoes,” replied Honey-Bee. Upon which King Loc struck
+his lance against a bronze disc that hung on the surface of the rock,
+and instantly something bounded like a ball out of the depths of
+the cavern. Increasing in size it disclosed the face of a dwarf with
+features such as painters give to the illustrious Belisarius, but his
+leather apron proclaimed that he was a shoemaker. He was indeed the
+chief of the shoemakers.
+
+“True,” said the king, “choose the softest leather out of our
+store-houses, take cloth-of-gold and silver, ask the guardian of my
+treasures for a thousand pearls of the finest water, and with this
+leather, these fabrics, and these pearls create a pair of shoes for the
+lady Honey-Bee.”
+
+At these words True threw himself at the feet of Honey-Bee and measured
+them with great care.
+
+“Little King Loc,” said Honey-Bee, “I want the pretty shoes you promised
+at once, because as soon as I have them I must return to Clarides to my
+mother.” “You shall have the shoes,” King Loc replied; “you shall have
+them to walk about the mountain, but not to return to Clarides, for
+never again shall you leave this kingdom, where we will teach you
+wonderful secrets still unknown on earth. The dwarfs are superior to
+men, and it is your good fortune that you are made welcome amongst
+them.”
+
+“It is my misfortune,” replied Honey-Bee. “Little King Loc, give me a
+pair of wooden shoes, such as the peasants wear, and let me return to
+Clarides.”
+
+But King Loc made a sign with his head to signify that this was
+impossible. Then Honey-Bee clasped her hands and said, coaxingly:
+
+“Little King Loc, let me go and I will love you very much.”
+
+“You will forget me in your shining world.”
+
+“Little King Loc, I will never forget you, and I will love you as much
+as I love Flying Wind.”
+
+“And who is Flying Wind?”
+
+“It is my milk-white steed, and he has rose-coloured reins and he eats
+out of my hand. When he was very little Francoeur the squire used to
+bring him to my room every morning and I kissed him. But now Francceur
+is in Rome, and Flying Wind is too big to mount the stairs.”
+
+King Loc smiled.
+
+“Will you love me more than Flying Wind?”
+
+“Indeed I would,” said Honey-Bee.
+
+“Well said,” cried the King.
+
+“Indeed I would, but I cannot, I hate you, little King Loc, because you
+will not let me see my mother and George again.”
+
+“Who is George?”
+
+“George is George and I love him.”
+
+The friendship of King Loc for Honey-Bee had increased prodigiously in a
+few minutes, and as he had already made up his mind to marry her as soon
+as she was of age, and hoped through her to reconcile men and dwarfs, he
+feared that later on George might become his rival and wreck his plans.
+It was because of this that he turned away frowning, his head bowed as
+if with care.
+
+Honey-Bee seeing that she had offended him pulled him gently by his
+mantle.
+
+“Little King Loc,” she said, in a voice both tender and sad, “why should
+we make each other unhappy, you and I?”
+
+“It is in the nature of things,” replied King Loc. “I cannot take you
+back to your mother, but I will send her a dream which will tell her
+your fate, dear Honey-Bee, and that will comfort her.”
+
+“Little King Loc,” and Honey-Bee smiled through her tears, “what a good
+idea, but I will tell you just what you ought to do. You must send my
+mother a dream every night in which she will see me, and every night you
+must send me a dream in which I shall see her.”
+
+And King Loc promised, and so said, so done. Every night Honey-Bee
+saw her mother, and every night the Duchess saw her daughter, and that
+satisfied their love just a little.
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+     In which the marvels of the kingdom of the dwarfs are
+     accurately described as well as the dolls that were given to
+     Honey-Bee
+
+The kingdom of the dwarfs was very deep and extended under the greater
+part of the earth. Though one only caught a glimpse of the sky here
+and there through the clefts in the rocks, the roads, the avenues, the
+palaces and the galleries of this subterraneous region were not plunged
+in absolute darkness. Only a few spaces and caverns were lost in
+obscurity. The rest was illumined not by lamps or torches but by stars
+or meteors which diffused a strange and fantastic light, and this light
+revealed the most astonishing marvels. One saw stupendous edifices hewn
+out of the solid rocks, and in some places, palaces cut out of granite,
+of such height that their tracery of stone was lost under the arches of
+this gigantic cavern in a haze across which fell the orange glimmer of
+little stars less lustrous than the moon.
+
+There were fortresses in this kingdom, of the most crushing and
+formidable dimensions; an amphitheatre in which the stone seats formed
+a half-circle whose extent it was impossible to measure at a single
+glance, and vast wells with sculptured sides, in which one could descend
+forever and yet never reach the bottom. All these structures, so out of
+proportion it would seem to the size of the inhabitants, were quite in
+keeping with their curious and fantastic genius.
+
+Dwarfs in pointed hoods pricked with fern leaves whirled about these
+edifices in the airiest fashion. It was common to see them leap up to
+the height of two or three storeys from the lava pavement and rebound
+like balls, their faces meanwhile preserving that impressive dignity
+with which sculptors endow the great men of antiquity.
+
+No one was idle and all worked zealously. Entire districts echoed to
+the sound of hammers. The shrill discord of machinery broke against the
+arches of the cavern, and it was a curious sight to see the crowds of
+miners, blacksmiths, gold-beaters, jewellers, diamond polishers handle
+pickaxes, hammers, pincers and files with the dexterity of monkeys.
+However there was a more peaceful region.
+
+Here coarse and powerful figures and shapeless columns loomed in chaotic
+confusion, hewn out of the virgin rock, and seemed to date back to
+an immemorial antiquity. Here a palace with low portals extended its
+ponderous expanse; it was the palace of King Loc.
+
+Directly opposite was the house of Honey-Bee, a house or rather a
+cottage of one room all hung with white muslin. The furniture of
+pine-wood perfumed the room. A glimpse of daylight penetrated through a
+crevice in the rock, and on fine nights one could see the stars.
+
+Honey-Bee had no special attendants, for all the dwarf people were eager
+to serve her and to anticipate all her wishes except the single one to
+return to earth.
+
+The most erudite dwarfs, familiar with the pro-foundest secrets, were
+glad to teach her, not from books, for dwarfs do not write, but by
+showing her all the plants of mountains and plains, all the diverse
+species of animals, and all the varied gems that are extracted from the
+bosom of the earth. And it was by means of such sights and marvels that
+they taught her, with an innocent gaiety, the wonders of nature and the
+processes of the arts.
+
+They made her playthings such as the richest children on earth never
+have; for these dwarfs were always industrious and invented wonderful
+machinery. In this way they produced for her dolls that could move with
+exquisite grace, and express themselves according to the strictest rules
+of poetry. Placed on the stage of a little theatre, the scenery of which
+represented the shores of the sea, the blue sky, palaces and temples,
+they would portray the most interesting events. Though no taller than
+a man’s arm some of them represented respectable old men, others men in
+the prime of life, and, others still, beautiful young girls dressed in
+white.
+
+Among them also were mothers pressing their innocent children to their
+hearts. And these eloquent dolls acted as if they were really moved by
+hate, love and ambition. They passed with the greatest skill from joy
+to sorrow and they imitated nature so well that they could move one to
+laughter or to tears. Honey-Bee clapped her hands at the sight. She had
+a horror of the dolls who tried to be tyrants. On the other hand she
+felt a boundless compassion for a doll who had once been a princess, and
+who, now a captive widow, had no other resource alas, by which to save
+her child, than to marry the barbarian who had made her a widow.
+
+Honey-Bee never tired of this game which the dolls could vary
+indefinitely. The dwarfs also gave concerts and taught her to play the
+lute, the viola, the theorbo, the lyre, and various other instruments.
+
+In short she became an excellent musician, and the dramas acted in the
+theatre by the dolls taught her a knowledge of men and life. King Loc
+was always present at the plays and the concerts, but he neither saw
+nor heard anything but Honey-Bee; little by little he had set his whole
+heart upon her. In the meantime months passed and even years sped by
+and Honey-Bee was still among the dwarfs, always amused and yet always
+longing for earth. She grew to be a beautiful girl. Her singular destiny
+had imparted something strange to her appearance, which gave her,
+however, only an added charm.
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+     In which the treasures of King Loc are described as well as
+     the writer is able
+
+Six years to a day had passed since Honey-Bee had come to live with the
+dwarfs. King Loc called her into his palace and commanded his treasurer
+to displace a huge stone which seemed cemented into the wall, but which
+in reality was only lightly placed there. All three passed through the
+opening left by the great stone and found themselves in a fissure of
+rock too narrow for two persons to stand abreast. King Loc preceded the
+others along the dim path and Honey-Bee followed him holding to a tip of
+the royal mantle. They walked on for a long time, and at intervals the
+sides of the rocks came so close together that the young girl was seized
+with terror lest she should be unable to advance or recede, and so would
+die there. Before her, along the dark and narrow road floated the mantle
+of King Loc. At last King Loc came to a bronze door which he opened and
+out of which poured a blaze of light.
+
+“Little King Loc,” said Honey-Bee, “I had no idea that light could be so
+beautiful!”
+
+And King Loc taking her by the hand led her into the hall out of which
+the light shone.
+
+“See!” he cried.
+
+Honey-Bee, dazzled, could sec nothing, for this immense hall, supported
+by high marble columns, was a glitter of gold from floor to roof.
+
+At the end on a dais made of glittering gems set in gold and silver, the
+steps of which were covered by a carpet of marvellous embroidery, stood
+a throne of ivory and gold under a canopy of translucent enamel, and
+on each side two palm-trees three thousand years old, in gigantic vases
+carved in some bygone time by the greatest artists among the dwarfs.
+King Loc mounted his throne and commanded the young girl to stand at his
+right hand.
+
+“Honey-Bee,” said King Loc, “these are my treasures. Choose all that
+will give you pleasure.”
+
+Immense gold shields hung from the columns and reflected the sunlight,
+and sent it back in glittering rays; swords and lances crossed had each
+a flame at their point.
+
+Tables along the walls were laden with tankards, flagons, ewers,
+chalices, pyxes, patens, goblets, gold cups, drinking horns of ivory
+with silver rings, enormous bottles of rock crystal, chased gold
+and silver dishes, coffers, reliquaries in the form of churches,
+scent-boxes, mirrors, candelabra and torch-holders equally beautiful in
+material and workmanship, and incense-burners in the shape of monsters.
+And on one table stood a chessboard with chessmen carved out of
+moonstones.
+
+“Choose,” King Loc repeated.
+
+But lifting her eyes above these treasures, Honey-Bee saw the blue sky
+through an opening in the roof, and as if she had comprehended that the
+light of day could alone give all these things their splendour, she said
+simply:
+
+“Little King Loc, I want to return to earth.”
+
+Whereupon King Loc made a sign to his treasurer who, raising heavy
+tapestries, disclosed an enormous iron-bound coffer covered with plates
+of open ironwork. This coffer being opened out poured thousands of rays
+of different and lovely tints, and each ray seemed to leap out of a
+precious stone most artistically cut. King Loc dipped in his hands
+and there flowed in glittering confusion violet amethysts and virgins’
+stones, emeralds of three kinds, one dark green, another called the
+honey emerald because of its colour, and the third a bluish green,
+also called beryl, which gives happy dreams; oriental topazes, rubies
+beautiful as the blood of heroes, dark blue sapphires, called the
+male sapphire, and the pale blue ones, called the female sapphire, the
+cymophanes, hyacinths, euclases, turquoises, opals whose light is softer
+than the dawn, the aquamarine and the Syrian garnet. All these gems
+were of the purest and most luminous water. And in the midst of these
+coloured fires great diamonds flashed their rays of dazzling white.
+
+“Choose, Honey-Bee,” said King Loc. But Honey-Bee shook her head.
+
+“Little King Loc,” she said, “I would rather have a single beam of
+sunlight that falls on the roof of Clarides than all these gems.”
+
+Then King Loc ordered another coffer to be opened, in which were only
+pearls. But these pearls were round and pure; their changing light
+reflected all the colours of sea and sky, and their radiance was so
+tender that they seemed to express a thought of love.
+
+“Accept these,” said King Loc
+
+“Little King Loc,” Honey-Bee replied, “these pearls are like the glance
+of George of Blanchelande; I love these pearls, but I love his eyes even
+more.”
+
+Hearing these words King Loc turned his head away. However he opened
+a third coffer and showed the young girl a crystal in which a drop of
+water had been imprisoned since the beginning of time; and when the
+crystal was moved the drop of water could be seen to stir. He also
+showed her pieces of yellow amber in which insects more brilliant than
+jewels had been imprisoned for thousands of years. One could distinguish
+their delicate feet and their fine antennae, and they would have resumed
+their flight had some power but shattered like glass their perfumed
+prison.
+
+“These are the great marvels of nature; I give them to you, Honey-Bee.”
+
+“Little King Loc,” Honey-Bee replied, “keep your amber and your crystal,
+for I should not know how to give their freedom either to the fly or the
+drop of water.”
+
+King Loc watched her in silence for some time. Then he said, “Honey-Bee,
+the most beautiful treasures will be safe in your keeping. You will
+possess them and they will not possess you. The miser is the prey of his
+gold, only those who despise wealth can be rich without danger; their
+souls will always be greater than their riches.”
+
+Having uttered these words he made a sign to his treasurer who presented
+on a cushion a crown of gold to the young girl.
+
+“Accept this jewel as a sign of our regard for you,” said King Loc.
+“Henceforth you shall be called the Princess of the Dwarfs.”
+
+And he himself placed the crown on the head of Honcy-Bee.
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+     In which King Loc declares himself
+
+The dwarfs celebrated the crowning of their first princess by joyous
+revels. Harmless and innocent games succeeded each other in the huge
+amphitheatre; and the little men, with cockades of fern or two oak
+leaves fastened coquettishly to their hoods, bounded gaily across the
+subterranean streets. The rejoicings lasted thirty days. During
+the universal excitement Pic looked like a mortal inspired; Tad the
+kind-hearted was intoxicated by the universal joy; Dig the tender gave
+expression to his delight in tears; Rug, in his ecstasy, again demanded
+that Honey-Bee should be put in a cage, but this time so that the dwarfs
+need not be afraid to lose so charming a princess; Bob, mounted on his
+raven, filled the air with such cries of rapture that the sable bird,
+infected by the gaiety, gave vent to innumerable playful little croaks.
+
+Only King Loc was sad.
+
+On the thirtieth day, having given the princess and the dwarf people
+a festival of unparalleled magnificence, he mounted his throne, and so
+stood that his kind face just reached her car.
+
+“My Princess Honcy-Bee,” he said, “I am about to make a request which
+you are at liberty either to accept or to refuse. Honey-Bee of Clarides,
+Princess of the Dwarfs, will you be my wife?”
+
+As he spoke, King Loc, grave and tender, had something of the gentle
+beauty of a majestic poodle.
+
+“Little King Loc,” Honey-Bee replied, as she pulled his beard, “I am
+willing to become your wife for fun, but never your wife for good. The
+moment you asked me to marry you I was reminded of Francoeur, who when
+I was on earth used to amuse me by telling me the most ridiculous
+stories.”
+
+At these words King Loc turned his head away, but not so soon but that
+Honey-Bee saw the tears in his eyes. Then Honey-Bee was grieved because
+she had pained him.
+
+“Little King Loc,” she said to him, “I love you for the little King Loc
+you are; and if you make me laugh as Francoeur did, there is nothing
+in that to vex you, for Francoeur sang well and he would have been very
+handsome if it had not been for his grey hair and his red nose.”
+
+“Honey-Bee of Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs,” the king replied, “I
+love you in the hope that some day you will love me. And yet without
+that hope I should love you just the same. The only return I ask for my
+friendship is that you will always be honest with me.”
+
+“Little King Loc, I promise.”
+
+“Well then, tell me truly, Honey-Bee, do you love some one else enough
+to marry him?”
+
+“Little King Loc, I love no one enough for that.”
+
+Whereupon King Loc smiled, and seizing his golden cup he proposed, with
+a resounding voice, the health of the Princess of the Dwarfs. An immense
+uproar rose from the depths of the earth, for the banquet table reached
+from one end to the other of the Empire of the Dwarfs.
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+     In which we are told how Honey-Bee saw her mother again, but
+     could not embrace her
+
+Honey-Bee, a crown on her head, was now more often sad and lost in
+thought than when her hair flowed loose over her shoulders, and when
+she went laughing to the forge and pulled the beards of her good friends
+Pic, Tad and Dig, whose faces, red from the reflected flames, gave her a
+gay welcome. But now these good dwarfs, who had once danced her on their
+knees and called her Honey-Bee, bowed as she passed and maintained a
+respectful silence. She grieved because she was no longer a child, and
+she suffered because she was the Princess of the Dwarfs.
+
+It was no longer a pleasure for her to see King Loc, since she had seen
+him weep because of her. But she loved him, for he was good and unhappy.
+One day, if one may say that there are days in the empire of the dwarfs,
+she took King Loc by the hand and drew him under the cleft in the rock,
+through which a sunbeam shone, along whose rays there danced a haze of
+golden dust.
+
+“Little King Loc,” she said, “I suffer. You are a king and you love me
+and I suffer.”
+
+Hearing these words from the pretty damsel, King Loc replied:
+
+“I love you, Honey-Bee of Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs; and that
+is why I have held you captive in our world, in order to teach you our
+secrets, which are greater and more wonderful than all those you could
+learn on earth amongst men, for men are less skilful and less learned
+than the dwarfs.”
+
+“Yes,” said Honey-Bee, “but they are more like me than the dwarfs,
+and for that reason I love them better. Little King Loc, let me see my
+mother again if you do not wish me to die.”
+
+Without replying King Loc went away. Honey-Bee, desolate and alone,
+watched the ray of light which bathes the whole face of nature and
+which enfolds all the living, even to the beggars by the wayside, in its
+resplendent waves. Slowly this ray paled, and its golden radiance faded
+to a pale blue light. Night had come upon earth. A star twinkled over
+the cleft in the rock.
+
+Then some one gently touched her on the shoulder, and she saw King Loc
+wrapped in a black cloak. He had another cloak on his arm with which he
+covered the young girl.
+
+“Come,” said he.
+
+And he led her out of the under-world. When she saw again the trees
+stirred by the wind, the clouds that floated across the moon, the
+splendour of the night so fresh and blue, when she breathed again the
+fragrance of the herbage, and when the air she had breathed in childhood
+again entered her breast in floods, she gave a great sigh and thought to
+die of joy.
+
+King Loc had taken her in his arms; small though he was, he carried
+her as lightly as a feather, and they glided over the ground like the
+shadows of two birds.
+
+“You shall see your mother again, Honey-Bee. But listen! You know
+that every night I send her your image. Every night she sees your
+dear phantom; she smiles upon it, she talks to it and she caresses it.
+To-night she shall, instead, see you yourself. You will see her, but
+you must not touch her, you must not speak to her, or the charm will be
+broken and she will never again see you nor your image, which she does
+not distinguish from you.”
+
+“Then I will be prudent, alas! little King Loc!... See! See!...”
+
+Sure enough the watch-tower of Clarides rose black on the hill.
+Honey-Bee had hardly time to throw a kiss to the beloved old stone walls
+when the ramparts of the town of Clarides, overgrown with gillyflowers
+already flew past; already she was ascending the terrace, where the
+glow-worms glimmer in the grass, to the postern, which King Loc easily
+opened, for the dwarfs are masters of metals, nor can locks, padlocks,
+bolts, chains or bars ever stop them.
+
+She climbed the winding stairs that led to her mother’s room, and she
+paused to clasp her beating heart with both her hands. Softly the door
+opened, and by the light of a night lamp that hung from the ceiling she
+saw her mother in the holy silence that reigned, her mother frailer and
+paler, with hair grey at the temples, but in the eyes of her daughter
+more beautiful even than in past days as she remembered her riding
+fearlessly in magnificent attire. As usual the mother beheld her
+daughter as in a dream, and she opened her arms as if to caress her. And
+the child, laughing and sobbing, was about to throw herself into those
+open arms; but King Loc tore her away, and like a wisp of straw he bore
+her through the blue landscape to the Kingdom of the Dwarfs.
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+     In which we shall see how King Loc suffered
+
+Seated on the granite step of the underground palace, Honey-Bee watched
+the blue sky through the cleft in the rock, I and saw the elder-trees
+turn their spreading white parasols to the light. She began to weep.
+
+“Honey-Bee,” said King Loc as he took her hand in his, “why do you weep,
+and what is it you desire?” And as she had been grieving these many
+days, the dwarfs at her feet tried to cheer her with simple airs on the
+flute, the flageolet, the rebeck, and the cymbals. And other dwarfs, to
+amuse her, turned such somersaults one after the other that they pricked
+the grass with the points of their hoods with their cockades of leaves,
+and nothing could be more charming than to watch the capers of these
+tiny men with their venerable beards. Tad so kind and Dig so wise, who
+had loved her since the day they had found her asleep on the shore of
+the lake, and Pic, the elderly poet, gently took her arm and implored
+her to tell them the cause of her grief. Pau, a simple just soul,
+offered her a basket of grapes, and all of them gently pulled the edge
+of her skirt and said with King Loc:
+
+“Honey-Bee, Princess of the Dwarfs, why do you weep?”
+
+“Little King Loc,” Honey-Bee replied, “and you, little men, my grief
+only increases your love, because you are good; you weep with me. Know
+that I weep when I think of George of Blanchelande, who should now be a
+cavalier, but whom I shall never see again. I love him and I wish to be
+his wife.”
+
+King Loc took his hand away from the hand he had pressed.
+
+“Honey-Bee,” he said, “why did you deceive me when you told me at the
+banquet that you loved no one else?”
+
+“Little King Loc,” Honey-Bee replied, “I did not deceive you at the
+banquet. At that time I had no desire to marry George of Blanchelande,
+but to-day it is my dearest wish that he should ask to marry me. But he
+will never ask me, as I do not know where he now is, nor does he know
+where I am. And this is the reason I weep.”
+
+At these words the musicians ceased playing; the acrobats interrupted
+their tumbling and stood immovable, some on their heads and some
+on their haunches; Tad and Dig shed silent tears on the sleeve of
+Honey-Bee; Pau, simple soul, dropped his basket of grapes, and all the
+little men gave vent to the most fearful groans.
+
+But King Loc, more unhappy than all under his splendid jewelled crown,
+silently withdrew, his mantle trailing behind him like a purple torrent.
+
+
+
+
+XVI
+
+     In which an account is given of the learned Nur who was the
+     cause of such extraordinary joy to King Loc
+
+King Loc did not permit the young girl to observe his weakness; but when
+he was alone he sat on the ground and with his feet in his hands gave
+way to grief. He was jealous. “She loves him,” he said to himself, “and
+she does not love me! And yet I am a king and very wise; great treasures
+are mine and I know the most marvellous secrets. I am superior to all
+other dwarfs, who are in turn superior to all men. She does not love
+me but she loves a young man who not only has not the learning of the
+dwarfs, but no other learning either.
+
+“It must be acknowledged that she does not appreciate merit--nor has she
+much sense. I ought to laugh at her want of judgment; but I love her and
+I care for nothing in the world because she does not love me.”
+
+For many long days King Loc roamed alone through the most desolate
+mountain passes, turning over in his mind thoughts both sad and,
+sometimes, wicked. He even thought of trying by imprisonment and
+starvation to force Honey-Bee to become his wife. But rejecting this
+plan as soon as formed he decided to go in search of her and throw
+himself at her feet. But he could come to no decision, and at last he
+was quite at a loss what to do. The truth being that whether Honey-Bee
+would love him did not depend on him.
+
+Suddenly his anger turned against George of Blanchelande; and he hoped
+that the young man had been carried far away by some enchanter, and that
+at any rate, should he ever hear of Honey-Bee’s love, he would disdain
+it.
+
+“Without being old,” the king meditated, “I have already lived too long
+not to have suffered sometimes. And yet my sufferings, intense though
+they were, were less painful than those of which I am conscious to-day.
+With the tenderness and pity which caused them was mingled something
+of their own divine sweetness. Now, on the contrary, my grief has the
+baseness and bitterness of an evil desire. My soul is desolate and the
+tears in my eyes are like an acid that burns them.”
+
+So thought King Loc. And fearing that jealousy might make him unjust
+and wicked he avoided meeting the young girl, for fear that in spite of
+himself, he might use towards her the language of a man either weak or
+brutal.
+
+One day when he was more than ever tormented by the thought that
+Honey-Bec loved George, he decided to consult Nur, the most learned
+of all the dwarfs, who lived at the bottom of a well deep down in the
+bowels of the earth.
+
+This well had the advantage of an even and soft temperature. It was
+not dark, for two little stars, a pale sun and a red moon, alternately
+illumined all parts. King Loc descended into the well and found Nur in
+his laboratory. Nur looked like a kind little old man, and he wore a
+sprig of wild thyme in his hood. In spite of his learning he had the
+innocence and candour characteristic of his race.
+
+“Nur,” said the king as he embraced him, “I have come to consult you
+because you know many things.”
+
+“King Loc,” replied Nur, “I might know a good deal and yet be an idiot.
+But I possess the knowledge of how to learn some of the innumerable
+things I do not know, and that is the reason I am so justly famous for
+my learning.”
+
+“Well, then,” said King Loc, “can you tell me the whereabouts at present
+of a young man by the name of George of Blanchelande?”
+
+“I do not know and I never cared to know,” replied Nur. “Knowing as I
+do the ignorance, stupidity and wickedness of mankind, I don’t trouble
+myself as to what they say or do. Humanity, King Loc, would be entirely
+deplorable and ridiculous if it were not that something of value is
+given to this proud and miserable race, inasmuch as the men are endowed
+with courage, the women with beauty, and the little children with
+innocence. Obliged by necessity, as are also the dwarfs, to toil,
+mankind has rebelled against this divine law, and instead of being, like
+ourselves, willing and cheerful toilers, they prefer war to work, and
+they would rather kill each other than help each other. But to be just
+one must admit that their shortness of life is the principal cause of
+their ignorance and cruelty. Their life is too short for them to learn
+how to live. The race of the dwarfs who dwell under the earth is happier
+and better. If we are not immortal we shall at least last as long as
+the earth which bears us in her bosom, and which permeates us with her
+intimate and fruitful warmth, while for the races born on her rugged
+surface she has only the turbulent winds which sometimes scorch and
+sometimes freeze, and whose breath is at once the bearer of death and
+of life. And yet men owe to their overwhelming miseries and wickedness
+a virtue which makes the souls of some amongst them more beautiful than
+the souls of dwarfs. And this virtue, O King Loc, which for the mind is
+what the soft radiance of pearls is for the eyes, is pity. It is taught
+by suffering, and the dwarfs know it but little, because being wiser
+than men they escape much anguish. Yet sometimes the dwarfs leave their
+deep grottoes and seek the pitiless surface of the earth to mingle with
+men so as to love them, to suffer with them and through them, and thus
+to feel this pity which refreshes the soul like a heavenly dew. This
+is the truth concerning men, King Loc. But did you not ask me as to the
+exact fate of some one amongst them?”
+
+King Loc having repeated his question, Nur looked into one of the many
+telescopes which filled the room. For the dwarfs have no books, those
+which are found amongst them have come from men, and are only used as
+playthings. They do not learn as we do by consulting marks on paper,
+but they look through telescopes and see the subject itself of their
+inquiry. The only difficulty is to choose the right telescope and get
+the right focus.
+
+There are telescopes of crystal, of topaz and of opal; but those whose
+lens is a great polished diamond are more powerful, and permit them to
+see the most distant objects.
+
+The dwarfs also have lenses of a translucent substance unknown to men.
+These enable the sight to pass through rocks and walls as if they were
+glass. Others, more remarkable still, reconstruct as accurately as a
+mirror all that has vanished with the flight of time. For the dwarfs, in
+the depths of their caverns, have the power to recall from the infinite
+surface of the ether the light of immemorial days and the forms and
+colours of vanished times. They can create for themselves a phantasm
+of the past by re-arranging the splinters of light which were once
+shattered against the forms of men, animals, plants and rocks, so that
+they again flash across the centuries through the unfathomable ether.
+
+The venerable Nur excelled in discovering figures of antiquity and even
+such, inconceivable though it may seem, as lived before the earth
+had assumed the shape with which we are familiar. So it was really no
+trouble at all for him to find George of Blanchelande.
+
+Having looked for a moment through a very ordinary telescope indeed, he
+said to King Loc:
+
+“King Loc, he for whom you search is with the nixies in their palace of
+crystal, from which none ever return, and whose iridescent walls adjoin
+your kingdom.”
+
+“Is he there?” cried the king, “Let him stay!” and he rubbed his hands.
+“I wish him joy.”
+
+And having embraced the venerable dwarf, he emerged out of the well
+roaring with laughter.
+
+The whole length of the road he held his sides so as to laugh at his
+ease; his head shook, and his beard swung backwards and forwards on his
+stomach. How he laughed! The little men who met him laughed out of sheer
+sympathy. Seeing them laugh made others laugh. A contagion of laughter
+spread from place to place until the whole interior of the earth was
+shaken as if with a mighty and jovial hiccough. Ha! ha! ha!
+
+
+
+
+XVII
+
+     Which tells of the wonderful adventure of George of
+     Blanchelande
+
+King Loc did not laugh long; indeed he hid the face of a very unhappy
+little man under the bed-clothes.
+
+He lay awake all night long thinking of George of Blanchelande, the
+prisoner of the nixies.
+
+So about the hour when such of the dwarfs as have a dairymaid for
+sweetheart go in her stead to milk the cows while she sleeps in her
+white bed with folded hands, little King Loc again sought the astute Nur
+in the depths of his well.
+
+“You did not tell me, Nur, what he is doing down there with the nixies?”
+
+The venerable Nur was quite convinced that the king was mad, though that
+did not alarm him because he knew if King Loc should lose his reason
+he would be a most gracious, charming, amiable and kindly lunatic. The
+madness of the dwarfs is gentle like their reason, and full of the most
+delicious fancies. But King Loc was not mad; at least not more so than
+lovers usually are.
+
+“I wish to speak of George of Blanchelande,” he said to the venerable
+Nur, who had forgotten all about this young man as soon as possible.
+
+Thereupon Nur the wise placed a series of lenses and mirrors before
+the king in an order so exact that it looked like disorder, but
+which enabled him to show the king in a mirror the form of George of
+Blanchelande as he was when the nixies carried him away. By a lucky
+choice and a skilful adjustment of instruments the dwarf was able to
+reproduce for the love-sick king all the adventures of the son of that
+Countess to whom a white rose announced her end. And the following,
+expressed in words, is what the little man saw in all the reality of
+form and colour.
+
+When George was borne away in the icy arms of the daughters of the lake
+the water pressed upon his eyes and his breast and he felt that he was
+about to die. And yet he heard songs that sounded like a caress and his
+whole being was permeated by a sense of delicious freshness. When
+he opened his eyes he found himself in a grotto whose crystal columns
+reflected the delicate tints of the rainbow. At the end of the grotto
+was a great sea shell of mother-of-pearl iridescent with the tenderest
+colours, and this served as a dais to the throne of coral and seaweed
+of the Queen of the Nixies. But the face of the Sovereign of the waters
+shone with a light more tender than either the mother-of-pearl or the
+crystal. She smiled at the child which her women brought her, and her
+green eyes lingered long upon him.
+
+“Friend,” she said at last, “be welcome into our world, in which you
+shall be spared all sorrow. For you neither dry lessons nor rough
+sports; nothing coarse shall remind you of earth and its toil, for you
+only the songs and the dances and the love of the nixies.”
+
+And indeed the women of the green hair taught the child music and
+dancing and a thousand graces. They loved to bind his forehead with the
+cockle shells that decked their own tresses. But he, remembering his
+country, gnawed his clenched hands with impatience.
+
+Years passed and George longed with a passion unceasing to see the earth
+again, the rude earth where the sun burns and where the snow hardens,
+the mother earth where one suffers, where one loves, the earth where he
+had seen Honey-Bee, and where he longed to see her again. He had in the
+meantime grown to be a tall lad with a fine golden down on his upper
+lip. Courage came with the beard, and so one day he presented himself
+before the Queen of the Nixies and bowing low, said:
+
+“Madam, I have come, with your gracious permission, to take leave of
+you; I am about to return to Clarides.”
+
+“Fair youth,” the queen replied smiling, “I cannot grant you the leave
+you ask, for I guard you in my crystal palace, to make of you my lover.”
+
+“Madam,” he replied, “I am not worthy of so great an honour.”
+
+“That is but your courtesy. What gallant cavalier ever believes that he
+has sufficiently deserved his lady’s favour. Besides you are still too
+young to know your own worth. Let me tell you, fair youth, that we do
+but desire your welfare; obey your lady and her alone.”
+
+“Madam, I love Honey-Bee of Clarides. I will have no other lady but
+her.”
+
+“A mortal maid!” the queen cried, turning pale, but more beautiful
+still, “a coarse daughter of men, this Honey-Bee! How can you love such
+a thing?”
+
+“I do not know, but I know that I love her.”
+
+“Never mind. It will pass.”
+
+And she still held the young man captive by means of the allurements of
+her crystal abode.
+
+He did not comprehend the devious thing called a woman; he was more
+like Achilles among the daughters of Lycomedes than Tannhauser in the
+enchanted castle. And that is why he wandered sadly along the walls of
+the mighty palace searching for an outlet through which to escape; but
+he only saw the splendid and silent empire of the waves sealing his
+shining prison. Through the transparent walls he watched the blooming
+sea anemones and the spreading coral, while over the delicate streams of
+the madrepores and the sparkling shells, purple, blue, and gold fishes
+made a glitter of stars with a stroke of their tails. These marvels he
+left unheeded, for, lulled by the delicious songs of the nixies, he
+felt little by little his will broken and his soul grow weak. He was all
+indolence and indifference when one day he found by chance in a gallery
+of the palace, an ancient well-worn book bound in pigskin and studded
+with great copper nail-heads. The book, saved from some wreck in
+mid-ocean, treated of chivalry and fair ladies, and related at great
+length the adventures of heroes who went about the world redressing
+wrongs, protecting widows and succouring orphans for the love of justice
+and in honour of beauty. George flushed and paled with wonder, shame,
+and anger as he read these tales of splendid adventures. He could not
+contain himself.
+
+“I also,” he cried, “will be a gallant knight. I also will go about the
+world punishing the wicked and succouring the unfortunate for the good
+of mankind and in the name of my lady Honey-Bee.”
+
+With sword drawn and his heart big with valour he dashed across the
+crystal dwellings. The white ladies fled and swooned before him like the
+silver ripples of a lake. Their queen alone beheld his approach without
+a tremor; she turned on him the icy glance of her green eyes.
+
+“Break the enchantment which binds me,” he cried, running towards her.
+“Open to me the road to earth. I wish to fight in the light of the
+sun like a cavalier. I wish to return to where one loves, to where one
+suffers, to where one struggles! Give back to me the life that is real
+and the light that is real. Give mc back my prowess! If not, I will kill
+you, you wicked woman!”
+
+With a smile she shook her head as if to refuse. Beautiful she was and
+serene. With all the strength that was in him George struck her; but his
+sword broke against her glittering breast.
+
+“Child!” she said, and she commanded that he be cast into a dungeon
+which formed a kind of crystal tunnel under her palace, and about which
+sharks roamed with wide-stretched monstrous jaws armed with triple rows
+of pointed teeth. At every touch it seemed as if they must crush the
+frail glass wall, which made it impossible to sleep in this strange
+prison.
+
+The extremity of this under-sea tunnel rested on a bed of rock which
+formed the vaulting of the most distant and unexplored cavern in the
+empire of the dwarfs.
+
+And this is what the two little men saw in a single hour and quite as
+accurately as if they had followed George all the days of his life.
+The venerable Nur, having described the dungeon scene in all its tragic
+gloom, addressed the King in much the same way as the Savoyards speak to
+the little children when they show their magic lanterns.
+
+“King Loc,” he said, “I have shown you all you wished to see, and now
+that you know all I can add nothing more. It’s nothing to me whether
+you liked what you saw; it is enough to know that what you saw was the
+truth. Science neither cares to please nor to displease. She is inhuman.
+It is not science but poetry that charms and consoles. And that is why
+poetry is more necessary than science. Go, King Loc, and get them to
+sing you a song.”
+
+And without uttering a word King Loc left the well.
+
+
+
+
+XVIII
+
+     In which King Loc undertakes a terrible journey
+
+Having left the well of wisdom, King Loc went to his treasure house and
+out of a casket, of which he alone had the key, he took a ring which
+he placed on his finger. The stone set in the ring emitted a brilliant
+light, for it was a magic stone of whose power we shall learn more
+further on. Thereupon King Loc went to his palace, put on a travelling
+cloak and thick boots and took a stick; then he started on a journey
+across crowded streets, great highways, villages, galleries of porphyry,
+torrents of rock-oil, and crystal grottoes, all of which communicated
+with each other through narrow openings.
+
+He seemed lost in deep meditation and he uttered words that had no
+meaning. But he trudged on doggedly. Mountains obstructed his path
+and he climbed the mountains. Precipices opened under his feet and he
+descended into the precipices; he forded streams, he crossed horrible
+regions black with the fumes of sulphur. He trudged across burning
+lava on which his feet left their imprint; he had the appearance of a
+desperately dogged traveller. He penetrated into gloomy caverns into
+which the water of the ocean oozed drop by drop, and flowed like tears
+along the sea wrack, forming pools on the uneven ground where countless
+crustaceans increased and multiplied into hideous shapes. Enormous
+crabs, crayfish, giant lobsters and sea spiders crackled under the
+dwarfs feet, then crawled away leaving some of their claws behind, and
+in their flight rousing horrible molluscs and octopuses centuries old
+that suddenly writhed their hundred arms and spat fetid poison out of
+their bird-beaks. And yet King Loc went on undaunted. He made his way
+to the ends of these caverns, through the midst of a heaped up chaos of
+shelled monsters armed with spikes, with double saw-edged nippers, with
+claws that crept stealthily up to his neck and bleared eyes on swaying
+tentacles. He crept up the sides of the cavern by clinging to the rough
+surface of the rocks and the mailed monsters crept with him, but he
+never faltered until he recognised by touch a stone that projected from
+the centre of the natural arch. He touched the stone with his magic
+ring and suddenly it rolled away with a horrible crash, and at once a
+glory of light flooded the cavern with its beautiful waves and put to
+flight the swarming monsters bred in its gloom.
+
+As King Loc thrust his head into the opening through which daylight
+poured, he saw George of Blanchelande in his glass dungeon where he was
+lamenting grievously as he thought of Honey-Bee and of earth. For King
+Loc had undertaken this subterranean journey only to deliver the captive
+of the nixies.
+
+But seeing this huge dishevelled head, frowning and bearded, watching
+him from under his tunnel, George believed himself to be menaced by a
+mighty danger and he felt for the sword at his side forgetting that he
+had broken it against the breast of the woman with the green eyes. In
+the meantime King Loc examined him curiously.
+
+“Bah,” said he to himself, “it is only a child!” And indeed he was only
+an ignorant child, and it was because of his great ignorance that he had
+escaped from the deadly and delicious kisses of the Queen of the Nixies.
+Aristotle with all his wisdom might not have done so well.
+
+“What do you want, fathead?” George cried, seeing himself defenceless,
+“why harm me if I have never harmed you?”
+
+“Little one,” King Loc replied in a voice at once jovial and testy, “you
+do not know whether or not you have harmed me, for you are ignorant of
+effects and causes and reflections, and all philosophy in general. But
+we’ll not talk of that. If you don’t mind leaving your tunnel, come this
+way.”
+
+George at once crept into the cavern, slipped down the length of the
+wall, and as soon as he had reached the bottom he said to his deliverer:
+
+“You are a good little man; I shall love you for ever; but do you know
+where Honey-Bee of Clarides is?”
+
+“I know a great many things,” retorted the dwarf, “and especially that I
+don’t like people who ask questions.”
+
+Hearing this George paused in great confusion and followed his guide in
+silence through the dense black air where the octopuses and crustaceans
+writhed. King Loc said mockingly:
+
+“This is not a carriage road, young prince.”
+
+“Sir,” George replied, “the road to liberty is always beautiful, and I
+fear not to be led astray when I follow my benefactor.”
+
+Little King Loc bit his lips. On reaching the gallery of porphyry
+he pointed out to the youth a flight of steps cut in the rock by the
+dwarfs, by which they ascend to earth.
+
+“This is your way,” he said, “farewell.”
+
+“Do not bid me farewell,” George replied, “say I shall see you again.
+After what you have done my life is yours.”
+
+“What I have done,” King Loc replied, “I have not done for your sake,
+but for another’s. It will be better for us never to meet again, for we
+can never be friends.”
+
+“I would not have believed that my deliverance could have caused me such
+pain,” George said simply and gravely, “and yet it does. Farewell.”
+
+“A pleasant journey,” cried King Loc, in a gruff voice.
+
+Now it happened that these steps of the dwarfs adjoined a deserted stone
+quarry less than a mile from the castle of Clarides.
+
+“This young lad,” King Loc murmured as he went on his way, “has neither
+the wisdom nor the wealth. Truly I cannot imagine why Honey-Bee loves
+him, unless it is because he is young, handsome, faithful and brave.”
+
+As he went back to the town he laughed to himself as a man does who has
+done some one a good turn. As he passed Honey-Bee’s cottage he thrust
+his big head into the open window just as he had thrust it into the
+crystal tunnel, and he saw the young girl, who was embroidering a veil
+with silver flowers.
+
+“I wish you joy, Honey-Bee,” he cried.
+
+“And you also, little King Loc, seeing you have nothing to wish for and
+nothing to regret.”
+
+He had much to wish for, but, indeed, he had nothing to regret. And it
+was probably this which gave him such a good appetite for supper. Having
+eaten a huge number of truffled pheasants he called Bob.
+
+“Bob,” said he, “mount your raven; go to the Princess of the Dwarfs and
+tell her that George or Blanchelande, long a captive of the nixies, has
+this day returned to Clarides.”
+
+Thus he spoke and Bob flew off on his raven.
+
+
+
+
+XIX
+
+     Which tells of the extraordinary encounter of Jean the
+     master tailor, and of the blessed song the birds in the
+     grove sang to the duchess
+
+When George again found himself on the earth on which he was born, the
+very first person he met was Jean, the master tailor, with a red suit of
+clothes on his arm for the steward of the castle. The good man shrieked
+at sight of his young master.
+
+“Holy St. James,” he cried, “if you are not his lordship George of
+Blanchelande who was drowned in the lake seven years ago, you are either
+his ghost or the devil in person.”
+
+“I am neither ghost nor devil, good Jean, but I am truly that same
+George of Blanchelande who used to creep to your shop and beg bits
+of stuff out of which to make dresses for the dolls of my sister
+Honey-Bee.”
+
+“Then you were not drowned, your lordship,” the good man exclaimed. “I
+am so glad! And how well you look. My little Peter who climbed into my
+arms to see you pass on horseback by the side of the Duchess that Sunday
+morning has become a good workman and a fine fellow. He is all of that,
+God be praised, your lordship. He will be glad to hear that you are not
+at the bottom of the sea, and that the fish have not eaten you as he
+always declared. He was in the habit of saying many pleasant things
+about it, your lordship, for he is very amusing. And it is a fact that
+you are much mourned in Clarides. You were such a promising child. I
+shall remember to my dying day how you once asked me for a needle to
+sew with, and as I refused, for you were not of an age to use it without
+danger, you replied you would go to the woods and pick beautiful green
+pine needles. That is what you said, and it still makes me laugh.
+Upon my soul you said that. Our little Peter, also, used to say clever
+things. Now he is a cooper and at your service, your lordship.”
+
+“I shall employ no one else. But give me news of Honey-Bee and the
+Duchess, Master Jean.”
+
+“Alack, where do you come from, your lordship, seeing that you do not
+know that it is now seven years since the Princess Honey-Bee was stolen
+by the dwarfs of the mountain? She disappeared the very day you were
+drowned; and one can truly say that on that day Clarides lost its
+sweetest flowers. The Duchess is in deep mourning. And it’s that which
+makes me say that the great of the earth have their sorrows just as well
+as the humblest artisans, if only to prove that we are all the sons of
+Adam. And because of this a cat may well look at a king, as the saying
+is. And by the same token the good Duchess has seen her hair grow white
+and her gaiety vanish. And when in the springtime she walks in her black
+robes along the hedgerow where the birds sing, the smallest of these is
+more to be envied than the sovereign lady of Clarides. And yet her grief
+is not quite without hope, your lordship; for though she had no tidings
+of you, she at least knows by dreams that her daughter Honey-Bee is
+alive.”
+
+This and much else said good man Jean, but George listened no longer
+after he heard that Honey-Bee was a captive among the dwarfs.
+
+“The dwarfs hold Honey-Bee captive under the earth,” he pondered; “a
+dwarf rescued me from my crystal dungeon; these little men have not all
+the same customs; my deliverer cannot be of the same race as those who
+stole my sister.”
+
+He knew not what to think except that he must rescue Honey-Bee.
+
+In the meantime they crossed the town, and on their way the gossips
+standing on the thresholds of their houses asked each other who was
+this young stranger, but they all agreed that he was very handsome.
+The better informed amongst them, having recognised the young lord of
+Blanchelande, decided that it must be his ghost, wherefore they fled,
+making great signs of the cross.
+
+“He must be sprinkled with holy water,” said one old crone, “and he will
+vanish leaving a disgusting smell of sulphur. He will carry away Master
+Jean, and he will of course plunge him alive into the fire of hell.”
+
+“Softly! old woman,” a citizen replied, “his lordship is alive and much
+more alive than you or I. He is as fresh as a rose, and he looks as if
+he had come from some noble court rather than from the other world. One
+does return from afar, good dame. As witness Francoeur the squire who
+came back from Rome last midsummer day.”
+
+And Margaret the helmet-maker, having greatly admired George, mounted
+to her maiden chamber and kneeling before the image of the Holy Virgin
+prayed, “Holy Virgin, grant me a husband who shall look precisely like
+this young lord.”
+
+So each in his way talked of George’s return until the news spread
+from mouth to mouth and finally reached the ears of the Duchess who was
+walking-in the orchard. Her heart beat violently and she heard all the
+birds in the hedge-row sing:
+
+
+           “Cui, cui, cui,
+          Oui, oui, oui,
+     Georges de Blanchelande,
+          Cui, cui, cui.
+     Dont vous avez nourri l’enfance
+          Cui, cui, cui,
+          Est ici, est ici, est ici!
+          Oui, oui, oui.”
+
+Francoeur approached her respectfully and said: “Your Grace, George de
+Blanchelande whom you thought dead has returned. I shall make it into a
+song.” In the meantime the birds sang:
+
+     “Cucui, cui, cui, cui, cui,
+     Oui, oui, oui, oui, oui, oui,
+     Il est ici, ici, ici, ici, ici, ici.”
+
+And when she saw the child who had been to her as a son, she opened her
+arms and fell senseless at his feet.
+
+
+
+
+
+XX
+
+     Which treats of a little satin shoe
+
+Everybody in Clarides was quite convinced that Honey-Bee had been stolen
+by the dwarfs. Even the Duchess believed it, though her dreams did not
+tell her precisely. “We will find her again,” said George. “We will
+find her again,” replied Francoeur. “And we will bring her back to her
+mother,” said George.
+
+“And we will bring her back,” replied Francoeur. “And we will marry
+her,” said George.
+
+“And we will marry her,” replied Francoeur. And they inquired among the
+inhabitants as to the habits of the dwarfs and the mysterious
+circumstances of Honey-Bee’s disappearance.
+
+And so it happened that they questioned Nurse Maurille who had once been
+the nurse of the Duchess of Clarides; but now as she had no more milk
+for babies Maurille instead nursed the chickens in the poultry yard. It
+was there that the master and squire found her. She cried: “Psit! Psit!
+psit! psit! lil--lil--lil--lil--psit, psit, psit, psit!” as she threw
+grain to the chicks.
+
+“Psit, psit, psit, psit! Is it you, your lordship? Psit, psit, psit! Is
+it possible that you have grown so tall--psit! and so handsome? Psit,
+psit! Shoo! shoo, shoo! Just look at that fat one there eating the
+little one’s portion! Shoo, shoo, shoo! The way of the world, your
+lordship. Riches go the rich, lean ones grow leaner, while the fat ones
+grow fatter. There’s no justice on earth! What can I do for you, my
+lord? May I offer you each a glass of beer?”
+
+“We will accept it gladly, Maurille, and I must embrace you because you
+nursed the mother of her whom I love best on earth.”
+
+“That’s true, my lord, my foster child cut her first tooth at the age
+of six months and fourteen days. On which occasion the deceased duchess
+made me a present. She did indeed.”
+
+“Now, Maurille, tell us all you know about the dwarfs who carried away
+Honey-Bee.”
+
+“Alas, my lord, I know nothing of the dwarfs who carried her away. And
+how can you expect an old woman like me to know anything? It’s ages ago
+since I forgot the little I ever knew, and I haven’t even enough memory
+left to remember where I put my spectacles. Sometimes I look for them
+when they’re on my nose. Try this drink; it’s fresh.”
+
+“Here’s to your health, Maurille; but I was told that your husband knew
+something about the disappearance of Honey-Bee.”
+
+“That’s true, your lordship. Though he never was taught anything he
+learnt a great deal in the pothouses and the taverns. And he never
+forgot anything. Why if he were alive now and sitting at this table he
+could tell you stories until to-morrow. He used to tell me so many that
+they quite muddled my head and even now I can’t tell the tail of one
+from the head of the other. That’s true, your lordship.”
+
+Indeed, it was true, for the head of the old nurse could only be
+compared to a cracked soup-pot. It was with the greatest difficulty that
+George and Francoeur got anything good out of it. Finally, however, by
+means of much repetition they did extract a tale which began somewhat as
+follows:
+
+“It’s seven years ago, your lordship, the very day you and Honey-Bee
+went on that frolic from which neither of you ever returned. My deceased
+husband went up the mountain to sell a horse. That’s the truth. He fed
+the beast with a good peck of oats soaked in cider to give him a firm
+leg and a brilliant eye; he took him to market near the mountain. He had
+no cause to regret his oats or his cider, for he sold his horse for
+a much better price. Beasts are like human beings; one judges them by
+their appearance. My deceased husband was so rejoiced at his good stroke
+of business that he invited his friends to drink with him, and glass in
+hand he drank to their health.
+
+“You must know, your lordship, that there wasn’t a man in all Clarides
+could equal my husband when glass in hand he drank to the health of
+his friends. So much so that on that day, after a number of such
+compliments, when he returned alone at twilight he took the wrong
+road for the reason that he could not recognise the right one. Finding
+himself near a cavern he saw as distinctly as possible, considering his
+condition and the hour, a crowd of little men carrying a girl or a boy
+on a litter. He ran away for fear of ill-luck; for the wine had not
+robbed him of prudence. But at some distance from the cavern he dropped
+his pipe, and on stooping to pick it up he picked up instead a little
+satin shoe. When he was in a good humour he used to amuse himself by
+saying, ‘It’s the first time a pipe has changed into a shoe.’ And as it
+was the shoe of a little girl he decided that she who had lost it in the
+forest was the one who had been carried away by the dwarfs and that it
+was this he had seen. He was about to put the shoe into his pocket when
+a crowd of little men in hoods pounced down on him and gave him such a
+thrashing that he lay there quite stunned.”
+
+“Maurille! Maurille!” cried George, “it’s Honey-Bee’s shoe. Give it to
+me and I will kiss it a thousand times. It shall rest for ever on my
+heart, and when I die it shall be buried with me.”
+
+“As you please, your lordship; but where will you find it? The dwarfs
+took it away from my poor husband and he always thought that they only
+gave him such a sound thrashing because he wanted to put it in his
+pocket to show to the magistrates. He used to say when he was in a good
+humour----”
+
+“Enough--enough! Only tell me the name of the cavern!”
+
+“It is called the cavern of the dwarfs, your lordship, and very well
+named too. My deceased husband----”
+
+“Not another word, Maurille! But you. Francoeur, do you know where this
+cavern is?”
+
+“Your lordship,” replied Francoeur as he emptied the pot of beer, “you
+would certainly know it if you knew my songs better. I have written
+at least a dozen about this cavern, and I’ve described it without even
+forgetting a single sprig of moss. I venture to say, your lordship, that
+of these dozen songs, six are of great merit. And even the other six are
+not to be despised. I will sing you one or two....”
+
+“Francoeur,” cried George, “we will take possession of this cavern of
+the dwarfs and rescue Honey-Bee.”
+
+“Of course we will!” replied Francoeur.
+
+
+
+
+XXI
+
+     In which a perilous adventure is described
+
+That night when all were asleep George and Francoeur crept into the
+lower hall in search of weapons. Lances, swords, dirks, broadswords,
+hunting-knives and daggers glittered under the time-stained
+rafters--everything necessary to kill both man and brute. A complete
+suit of armour stood upright under each beam in an attitude as resolute
+and proud as if it were still filled with the soul of the brave man it
+had once decked for mighty adventures. The gauntlet grasped the lance in
+its ten iron fingers, while the shield rested against the plates of the
+greaves as if to prove that prudence is necessary to courage, and that
+the best fighter is armed as well for defence as for attack.
+
+From among all these suits of armour George chose the one that
+Honey-Bee’s father had worn as far away as the isles of Avalon and
+Thule. He donned it with the aid of Francoeur, nor did he forget the
+shield on which was emblazoned the golden sun of Clarides. As for
+Francoeur, he put on a good old steel coat of mail of his grandfather’s
+and on his head a casque of a bygone time, to which he attached a ragged
+and moth-eaten tuft or plume. This he chose merely as a matter of fancy
+and to give himself an air of rejoicing, for, as he justly reasoned,
+gaiety, which is good under every circumstance, is especially so in the
+face of great dangers.
+
+Having thus armed themselves they passed under the light of the moon
+into the dark open country. Francoeur had fastened the horses on
+the edge of a little grove near the postern, and there he found them
+nibbling at the bark of the bushes; they were swift steeds, and it took
+them less than an hour to reach the mountain of the dwarfs, through a
+crowd of goblins and phantoms.
+
+“Here is the cave,” said Francoeur.
+
+Master and man dismounted and, sword in hand, penetrated into the
+cavern. It required great courage to attempt such an adventure; but
+George was in love and Francoeur was faithful, and this was a case in
+which one could say with the most delightful of poets:
+
+“What may not friendship do with Love for guide!”
+
+Master and man had trudged through the gloom for nearly an hour when
+they were astonished to see a brilliant light. It was one of the meteors
+which we know illumines the kingdom of the dwarfs. By the light of this
+subterranean luminary they discovered that they were standing at the
+foot of an ancient castle.
+
+“This,” said George, “is the castle we must capture.”
+
+“To be sure,” said Francceur; “but first permit me to drink a few drops
+of this wine which I brought with me as a precaution, because the better
+the wine the better the man, and the better the man the better the
+lance, the better the lance the less dangerous the enemy.”
+
+George, seeing no living soul, struck the hilt of his sword sharply
+against the door of the castle. He looked up at the sound of a little
+tremulous voice, and he saw at one of the windows a little old man with
+a long beard, who asked:
+
+“Who are you!”
+
+“George of Blanchelande.”
+
+“And who do you want?”
+
+“I have come to deliver Honey-Bee of Clarides whom you unjustly hold
+captive in your mole-hill, hideous little moles that you are!”
+
+The dwarf disappeared and again George was left alone with Francoeur who
+said to him:
+
+“Your lordship, possibly I may exaggerate if I remark that in your
+answer to the dwarf you have not quite exhausted all the persuasive
+powers of eloquence.”
+
+Francoeur was afraid of nothing, but he was old; his heart like his head
+was polished by age, and he disliked to offend people.
+
+As for George he stormed and clamoured at the top of his voice.
+
+“Vile dwellers in the earth, moles, badgers, dormice, ferrets, and
+water-rats, open the door and I’ll cut off all your ears.”
+
+But hardly had he uttered these words when the bronze door of the castle
+slowly opened of itself, for no one could be seen pushing back its
+enormous wings.
+
+George was seized with terror and yet he sprang through the mysterious
+door because his courage was even greater than his terror. Entering the
+courtyard he saw that all the windows, the galleries, the roofs, the
+gables, the skylights, and even the chimney-pots, were crowded with
+dwarfs armed with bows and cross-bows.
+
+He heard the bronze door close behind him and suddenly a shower of
+arrows fell thick and fast on his head and shoulders, and for the
+second time he was filled with a great fear, and for the second time he
+conquered his fear.
+
+Sword in hand and his shield on his arm he mounted the steps until
+suddenly he perceived on the very highest, a majestic dwarf who stood
+there in serene dignity, gold sceptre in hand and wearing the royal
+crown and the purple mantle. And in this dwarf he recognised the little
+man who had delivered him out of his crystal dungeon.
+
+Thereupon he threw himself at his feet and cried weeping:
+
+“O my benefactor, who are you? Are you one of those who have robbed me
+of Honey-Bee, whom I love?”
+
+“I am King Loc,” replied the dwarf. “I have kept Honey-Bee with me
+to teach her the wisdom of the dwarfs. Child, you have fallen into my
+kingdom like a hail-storm in a garden of flowers. But the dwarfs, less
+weak than men, are never angered as are they. My intelligence raises me
+too high above you for me to resent your actions whatever they are. And
+of all the attributes that render me superior to you that which I guard
+most jealously is justice. Honey-Bee shall be brought before me and I
+will ask her if she wishes to follow you. This I do, not because you
+desire it, but because I must.”
+
+A great silence ensued and Honey-Bee appeared attired all in white and
+with flowing golden hair. No sooner did she see George than she ran
+and threw herself in his arms and clasped his iron breast with all her
+strength.
+
+Then King Loc said to her:
+
+“Honey-Bee, is it true that this is the man you wish to marry?”
+
+“It is true, very true that this is he, little King Loc,” replied
+Honey-Bee. “See, all you little men, how I laugh and how happy I am.”
+
+And she began to weep. Her tears fell on her lover’s face, but they were
+tears of joy; and with them were mingled tiny bursts of laughter and a
+thousand endearing words without sense, like the lisp of a little child.
+She quite forgot that the sight of her joy might sadden the heart of
+King Loc.
+
+“My beloved,” said George, “I find you again such as I had longed for:
+the fairest and dearest of beings. You love me! Thank heaven, you
+love me! But, Honey-Bee, do you not also love King Loc a little, who
+delivered me out of the glass dungeon in which the nixies held me
+captive far away from you?”
+
+Honey-Bee turned to King Loc.
+
+“Little King Loc, and did you do this?” she cried. “You loved me, and
+yet you rescued the one I love and who loves me----”
+
+Words failed her and she fell on her knees, her head in her hands.
+
+All the little men who witnessed this scene deluged their cross-bows
+with tears. Only King Loc remained serene. And Honcy-Bee, overcome by
+his magnanimity and his goodness, felt for him the love of a daughter
+for a father.
+
+She took her lover’s hand.
+
+“George,” she said, “I love you. God knows how much I love you. But how
+can I leave little King Loc?”
+
+“Hallo, there?” King Loc cried in a terrible voice, “now you are my
+prisoners!”
+
+But this terrible voice he only used for fun and just as a joke, for he
+really was not at all angry. Here Francoeur approached and knelt before
+him.
+
+“Sire,” he cried, “may it please your Majesty to let me share the
+captivity of the masters I serve?”
+
+Said Honey-Bee, recognising him:
+
+“Is it you, my good Francoeur? How glad I am to see you again. What a
+horrid cap you’ve got on! Tell me, have you composed any new songs?”
+
+And King Loc took them all three to dinner.
+
+
+
+
+XXII
+
+     In which all ends well
+
+The next morning Honey-Bee, George and Francoeur again arrayed
+themselves in the splendid garments prepared for them by the dwarfs, and
+proceeded to the banquet-hall where, as he had promised, King Loc,
+in the robes of an Emperor, soon joined them. He was followed by his
+officers fully armed, and covered with furs of barbarous magnificence,
+and in their helmets the wings of swans. Crowds of hurrying dwarfs came
+in through the windows, the air-holes and the chimneys, and rolled under
+the benches.
+
+King Loc mounted a stone table one end of which was laden with flagons,
+candelabra, tankards, and cups of gold of marvellous workmanship. He
+signed to Honey-Bee and to George to approach.
+
+“Honey-Bee,” he said, “by a law of the nation of the dwarfs it is
+decreed that a stranger received in our midst shall be free after seven
+years. You have been with us seven years, Honey-Bee, and I should be a
+disloyal citizen and a blameworthy king should I keep you longer. But
+before permitting you to go I wish, not having been able to wed you
+myself, to betroth you to the one you have chosen. I do so with joy for
+I love you more than I love myself, and my pain, if such remains, is
+like a little cloud which your happiness will dispel. Honey-Bee of
+Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs, give me your hand, and you, George of
+Blanchelande, give me yours.”
+
+Placing the hand of George in the hand of Honey-Bee he turned to his
+people and said with a ringing voice:
+
+“Little men, my children, you bear witness that these two pledge
+themselves to marry one another on earth. They shall go back together
+and together help courage, modesty, and fidelity to blossom, as roses,
+pinks, and peonies bloom for good gardeners.”
+
+At these words the dwarfs burst into a mighty shout, but not knowing
+if they ought to grieve or to rejoice, they were torn by conflicting
+emotions.
+
+King Loc, again turning to the lovers, said as he pointed to the
+flagons, the tankards, all the beautiful art of the goldsmith:
+
+“Behold the gifts of the dwarfs. Take them, Honey-Bee, they will remind
+you of your little friends. It is their gift to you, not mine. What I am
+about to give you, you shall know before long.”
+
+A lengthy silence ensued.
+
+With an expression sublime in its tenderness, King Loc gazed at
+Honey-Bee, whose beautiful and radiant head, crowned by roses, rested on
+her lover’s shoulder.
+
+Then he continued:
+
+“My children, it is not enough to love passionately; you must also
+love well. A passionate love is good doubtless, but a beautiful love
+is better. May you have as much strength as gentleness; may it lack
+nothing, not even forbearance, and let even a little compassion be
+mingled with it. You are young, fair and good; but you are human,
+and because of this capable of much suffering. If then something of
+compassion does not enter into the feelings you have one for the other,
+these feelings will not always befit all the circumstances of your life
+together; they will be like festive robes that will not shield you from
+wind and rain. We love truly only those we love even in their weakness
+and their poverty. To forbear, to forgive, to console, that alone is the
+science of love.”
+
+King Loc paused, seized by a gentle but strong emotion.
+
+“My children,” he then continued; “may you be happy; guard your
+happiness well, guard it well.”
+
+While he addressed them Pic, Tad, Dig, Bob, True, and Pau clung to
+Honey-Bee’s white mantle and covered her hands and arms with kisses and
+they implored her not to leave them. Thereupon King Loc took from his
+girdle a ring set with a glittering gem. It was the magic ring which had
+unclosed the dungeon of the nixies. He placed it on Honey-Bee’s finger.
+
+“Honey-Bee,” he said, “receive from my hand this ring which will permit
+you, you and your husband, to enter at any hour the kingdom of the
+dwarfs. You will be welcomed with joy and succoured at need. In return
+teach the children that will be yours not to despise the little men, so
+innocent and industrious, who dwell under the earth.”
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Honey-Bee, by Anatole France
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Honey-Bee, by Anatole France
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Honey-Bee
+       1911
+
+Author: Anatole France
+
+Illustrator: Florence Lundborg
+
+Translator: Mrs. John Lane
+
+Release Date: May 9, 2008 [EBook #25405]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HONEY-BEE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+HONEY-BEE
+
+By Anatole France
+
+A Translation By Mrs. John Lane
+
+Illustrated By Florence Lundborg
+
+John Lane MCMXI
+
+
+TO
+
+H. B. H. DEAR AND LIFE-LONG FRIEND
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+It is an honour, but, also, a great responsibility, to introduce through
+the dangerous medium of a translation one of the most distinguished
+writers of our time, and, probably, the greatest living master of style,
+to a new world--the world of childhood. One is conscious that it is as
+impossible to translate the charm and art of Anatole France as it is to
+describe in dull, colourless words the exquisite perfume of the rose.
+
+Such as this translation is I offer it with diffidence, realising that I
+have undertaken a difficult task. And yet I venture to do so for I long
+to make known to English and American children one of the loveliest and
+noblest of stories--a story overflowing with poetic imagination, wisdom
+and humour, divine qualities to which the heart of the child is always
+open as the flower to the dew.
+
+I want young children as well as others, older only by accident of
+years, but whose hearts are always young--which is the eternal youth--to
+know the greatest French writer of his day, when, by the magic of his
+pen, he, like them, becomes young, gentle and charming. I want them to
+learn to love his "Honey-Bee," newest and sweetest of those darlings of
+childhood who have come down to us from bygone ages, distant lands
+and half-forgotten races, but who in their eternal charm appeal to all
+children since children first heard those wonderful stories or pored
+over treasured books that awaken the ardent young imagination to love,
+beauty, romance and goodness.
+
+So, too, some day will "Honey-Bee" the golden-haired princess of the
+dear, good dwarfs, join her enchanting companions, Cinderella, Beauty
+and the Beast, Red Riding Hood, The Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince,
+Puss in Boots, Aladdin, and all the others of that immortal galaxy
+whose glorious destiny it has been to be beloved by childhood. May they
+welcome "Honey-Bee," youngest of all. And so the Master, supreme when he
+writes for men and women, will find open to him a new world, purer and
+more beautiful, in the hearts of English and American children.
+
+A. E. L.
+
+
+
+
+"HONEY-BEE"
+
+
+
+
+I
+
+     Which treats of the appearance of the country and serves as
+     Introduction
+
+The sea covers to-day what was once the Duchy of Clarides. No trace of
+the town or the castle remains. But when it is calm there can be seen,
+it is said, within the circumference of a mile, huge trunks of trees
+standing on the bottom of the sea. A spot on the banks, which now serves
+as a station for the customhouse officers, is still called "The Tailor's
+Booth," and it is quite probable that this name is in memory of a
+certain Master Jean who is mentioned in this story. The sea, which
+encroaches year by year, will soon cover this spot so curiously named.
+
+Such changes are in the nature of things. The mountains sink in the
+course of ages, and the depths of the seas, on the contrary, rise until
+their shells and corals are carried to the regions of clouds and ice.
+
+Nothing endures. The face of land and sea is for ever changing.
+Tradition alone preserves the memory of men and places across the ages
+and renders real to us what has long ceased to exist. In telling you of
+Clarides I wish to take you back to times that have long since vanished.
+Thus I begin:
+
+The Countess of Blanchelande having placed on her golden hair a little
+black hood embroidered with pearls....
+
+But before proceeding I must beg very serious persons not to read this.
+It is not written for them. It is not written for grave people who
+despise trifles and who always require to be instructed. I only venture
+to offer this to those who like to be entertained, and whose minds are
+both young and gay. Only those who are amused by innocent pleasures will
+read this to the end. Of these I beg, should they have little children,
+that they will tell them about my Honey-Bee. I wish this story to please
+both boys and girls and yet I hardly dare to hope it will. It is
+too frivolous for them and, really, only suitable for old-fashioned
+children. I have a pretty little neighbour of nine whose library I
+examined the other day. I found many books on the microscope and the
+zoophytes, as well as several scientific story-books. One of these I
+opened at the following lines: "The cuttle-fish _Sepia Officinalis_ is
+a cephalopodic mollusc whose body includes a spongy organ containing a
+chylaqueous fluid saturated with carbonate of lime." My pretty little
+neighbour finds this story very interesting. I beg of her, unless she
+wishes me to die of mortification, never to read the story of Honey-Bee.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+     In which we learn what the white rose meant to the Countess
+     of Blanchelande
+
+Having placed on her golden hair a little black hood embroidered with
+pearls and bound about her waist a widow's girdle, the Countess of
+Blanchelande entered the chapel where it was her daily custom to pray
+for the soul of her husband who had been killed in single-handed combat
+with a giant from Ireland.
+
+That day she saw a white rose lying on the cushion of her _prie-Dieu_;
+at sight of this she turned pale; her eyes grew dim; she bowed her head
+and wrung her hand. For she knew that when a Countess of Blanchelande is
+about to die she always finds a white rose on her _prie-Dieu_.
+
+Warned by this that her time had come to leave a world in which in
+so short a time she had been wife, mother and widow, she entered the
+chamber where her son George slept in the care of the nurses. He was
+three years old. His long eyelashes threw a lovely shadow on his cheeks,
+and his mouth looked like a flower. At sight of him, so helpless and so
+beautiful, she began to weep.
+
+"My little child," she cried in anguish, "my dear little child, you will
+never have known me and my image will fade for ever from your dear eyes.
+And yet, to be truly your mother, I nourished you with my own milk, and
+for love of you I refused the hand of the noblest cavaliers."
+
+So speaking she kissed a medallion in which was her own portrait and a
+lock of her hair, and this she hung about the neck of her son. A mothers
+tear fell on the little one's cheek as he stirred in his cradle and
+rubbed his eyes with his little hands. But the Countess turned her head
+away and fled out of the room. How could eyes about to be extinguished
+for ever bear the light of two dear eyes in which the soul was only
+beginning to dawn?
+
+She ordered a steed to be saddled and followed by her squire, Francoeur,
+she rode to the castle of Clarides.
+
+The Duchess of Clarides embraced the Countess of Blanchelande.
+
+"Loveliest! what good fortune brings you here?"
+
+"The fortune that brings me here is not good. Listen, my friend. We were
+married within a few years of each other, and similar fates have made
+us widows. For in these times of chivalry the best perish first, and in
+order to live long one must be a monk. When you became a mother I had
+already been one for two years. Your daughter Honey-Bee is lovely as the
+day, and my little George is good. I love you and you love me. Know then
+that I have found a white rose on the cushion of my _prie-Dieu_. I am
+about to die; I leave you my son."
+
+The Duchess knew what the white rose meant to the ladies of
+Blanchelande. She began to weep and in the midst of her tears she
+promised to bring up Honey-Bee and George as brother and sister, and to
+give nothing to one which the other did not share.
+
+Still in each other's arms the two women approached the cradle where
+little Honey-Bee slept under light curtains, blue as the sky, and
+without opening her eyes, she moved her little arms. And as she spread
+her fingers five little rosy rays came out of each sleeve.
+
+"He will defend her," said the mother of George.
+
+"And she will love him," the mother of Honey-Bee replied.
+
+"She will love him," a clear little voice repeated, which the Duchess
+recognised as that of a spirit which for a long time had lived under the
+hearth-stone.
+
+On her return to her manor the lady of Blanchelande divided her jewels
+among her women and having had herself anointed with perfumed ointments
+and robed in her richest raiment in order to honour the body destined to
+rise again at the Day of Judgment, she lay down on her bed and fell
+asleep never again to awaken.
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+     Wherein begins the love of George of Blanchelande and Honey-
+     Bee of Claride
+
+Contrary to the common destiny which is to have more goodness than
+beauty, or more beauty than goodness, the Duchess of Clarides was as
+good as she was beautiful, and she was so beautiful that many princes,
+though they had only seen her portrait, demanded her hand in marriage.
+But to all their pleading she replied:
+
+"I shall have but one husband as I have but one soul."
+
+However, after five years of mourning she left off her long veil and her
+black robes so as not to spoil the happiness of those about her, and
+in order that all should smile and be free to enjoy themselves in her
+presence. Her duchy comprised a great extent of country; moorlands,
+overgrown by heather, covered the desolate expanse, lakes in which
+fishermen sometimes caught magic fish, and mountains which rose in
+fearful solitudes over subterraneous regions inhabited by dwarfs.
+
+She governed Clarides with the help of an old monk who, having escaped
+from Constantinople and seen much violence and treachery, had but little
+faith in human goodness. He lived in a tower in the company of birds and
+books, and from this place he filled his position as counsellor by the
+aid of a number of little maxims. His rules were these: "Never revive
+a law once fallen into disuse; always accede to the demands of a people
+for fear of revolt, but accede as slowly as possible, because no sooner
+is one reform granted than the public demands another, and you can be
+turned out for acceding too quickly as well as for resisting too long."
+
+The Duchess let him have his own way, for she understood nothing about
+politics. She was compassionate and, as she was unable to respect all
+men, she pitied those who were unfortunate enough to be wicked. She
+helped the suffering in every possible way, visited the sick, comforted
+the widows, and took the poor orphans under her protection.
+
+She educated her daughter Honey-Bee with a charming wisdom. Having
+brought the child up only to do good, she never denied her any pleasure.
+
+This good woman kept the promise she had made to the poor Countess
+of Blanchelande. She was like a mother to George, and she made no
+difference between him and Honey-Bee. They grew up together, and George
+approved of Honey-Bee, though he thought her rather small. Once, when
+they were very little, he went up to her and asked:
+
+"Will you play with me?"
+
+"I should like to," said Honey-Bee.
+
+"We will make mud pies," said George, which they proceeded to do. But
+as Honey-Bee made hers very badly, George struck her fingers with his
+spade. Whereupon Honey-Bee set up a most awful roar and the squire,
+Francoeur, who was strolling about in the garden, said to his young
+master:
+
+"It is not worthy of a Count of Blanchelande to strike young ladies,
+your lordship."
+
+Whereupon George was seized with an ardent desire to hit Francoeur also
+with his spade. But as this presented insurmountable difficulties, he
+resigned himself to do what was easier, and that was to stand with his
+nose against the trunk of a big tree and weep torrents.
+
+In the meantime Honey-Bee took care to encourage her own tears by
+digging her fists into her eyes; and in her despair she rubbed her nose
+against the trunk of a neighbouring tree. When night came and softly
+covered the earth, Honey-Bee and George were still weeping, each in
+front of a tree. The Duchess of Clarides was obliged to come and take
+her daughter by one hand and George by the other, and lead them back
+to the castle. Their eyes were red and their noses were red and their
+cheeks shone. They sighed and sobbed enough to break one's heart. But
+they ate a good supper, after which they were both put to bed. But as
+soon as the candle was blown out they re-appeared like two little ghosts
+in two little night-gowns, and they hugged each other and laughed at the
+top of their voices.
+
+And thus began the love of Honey-Bee of Clarides and George of
+Blanchelande.
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+     Which treats of Education in general, and George of Blanche
+     lande's in particular
+
+So George grew up in the Castle side by side with Honey-Bee, whom he
+affectionately called his sister though he knew she was not.
+
+He had masters in fencing, riding, swimming, gymnastics, dancing,
+hunting, falconry, tennis, and, indeed, in all the arts. He even had a
+writing-master. This was an old cleric, humble of manner but very proud
+within, who taught him all manner of penmanship, and the more beautiful
+this was the less decipherable it became. Very little pleasure or profit
+did George get out of the old cleric's lessons, as little as out of
+those of an old monk who taught him grammar in barbarous terms. George
+could not understand the sense of learning a language which one knows as
+a matter of course and which is called one's mother tongue.
+
+He only enjoyed himself with Francoeur the squire, who, having knocked
+about the world, understood the ways of men and beasts, could describe
+all sorts of countries and compose songs which he could not write.
+Francoeur was the only one of his masters who taught George anything,
+for he was the only one who really loved him, and the only good lessons
+are those which are given with love. The two old goggle-eyes, the
+writing-master and the grammar-master, who hated each other with all
+their hearts, were, however, united in a common hatred of the old
+squire, whom they accused of being a drunkard.
+
+It is true that Francoeur frequented the tavern "The Pewter Pot"
+somewhat too zealously. It was here that he forgot his sorrows and
+composed his songs. But of course it was very wrong of him.
+
+Homer made better verses than Francoeur, and Homer only drank the water
+of the springs. As for sorrows the whole world has sorrows, and the
+thing to make one forget them is not the wine one drinks, but the good
+one does. But Francoeur was an old man grown grey in harness, faithful
+and trustworthy, and the two masters of writing and grammar should
+have hidden his failings from the duchess instead of giving her an
+exaggerated account of them.
+
+"Francoeur is a drunkard," said the writing-master, "and when he comes
+back from 'The Pewter Pot' he makes a letter S as he walks. Moreover,
+it is the only letter he has ever made; because if it please your Grace,
+this drunkard is an ass."
+
+The grammar-master added, "And the songs Francoeur sings as he staggers
+about err against all rules and are constructed on no model at all. He
+ignores all the rules of rhetoric, please your Grace."
+
+The Duchess had a natural distaste for pedants and tale-bearers. She did
+what we all would have done in her place; at first she did not listen to
+them but as they again began to repeat their tittle-tattle, she ended by
+believing them and decided to send Francoeur away. However, to give him
+an honourable exile, she sent him to Rome to obtain the blessing of the
+Pope. This journey was all the longer for Francoeur the squire because
+a great many taverns much frequented by musicians separated the duchy
+of Clarides from the holy apostolic seat. In the course of this story
+we shall see how soon the Duchess regretted having deprived the two
+children of their most faithful guardian.
+
+
+
+
+V
+
+     Which tells how the Duchess took Honeybee and George to the
+     Hermitage, and of their encounter with a hideous old woman
+
+That morning, it was the first Sunday after Easter, the Duchess rode out
+of the castle on her great sorrel horse, while on? her left George of
+Blanchelande was mounted on a dark horse with a white star on his black
+forehead, and on her right Honey-Bee guided her milk-white steed with
+rose-coloured reins. They were on their way to the Hermitage to hear
+mass. Soldiers armed with lances formed their escort and, as they
+passed, the people crowded forward to admire them, and, indeed, all
+three were very fair to see. Under a veil of silver flowers and with
+flowing mantle the Duchess had an air of lovely majesty; while the
+pearls with which her coif was embroidered shone with a soft radiance
+that well-suited the face and soul of this beautiful lady. George by her
+side with flowing hair and sparkling eyes was very good to see. And on
+the other side rode Honey-Bee, the tender and pure colour of her face
+like a caress for the eyes; but most glorious of all her fair tresses,
+flowing over her shoulders, held by a circlet of gold surmounted by
+three gold flowers, seemed the shining mantle of her youth and beauty.
+The good people said, on seeing her:
+
+"What a lovely young damsel."
+
+The master tailor, old Jean, took his grandson Peter in his arms to
+point out |Honey-Bce to him, and Peter asked was she alive or was she an
+image of wax, for he could not understand how any one could be so white
+and so lovely, and yet belong to the same race as himself, little Peter
+with his good big weather-beaten cheeks, and his little home-spun shirt
+laced behind in country fashion.
+
+While the Duchess accepted the people's homage with gracious kindness,
+the two children showed how it gratified their pride, George by his
+blushes, Honey-Bee by her smiles, and for this reason the Duchess said
+to them:
+
+"How kindly these good people greet us. For what reason, George? And
+what is the reason, Honey-Bee?"
+
+"So they should," said Honey-Bee.
+
+"It's their duty," George added.
+
+"But why should it be their duty?" asked the Duchess.
+
+And as neither replied, she continued:
+
+"I will tell you. For more than three hundred years the dukes of
+Clarides, from father to son, have lance in hand protected these poor
+people so that they could gather the harvests of the fields they had
+sown. For more than three hundred years all the duchesses of Clarides
+have spun the cloth for the poor, have visited the sick, and have held
+the new-born at the baptismal font. That is the reason they greet you,
+my children."
+
+George was lost in deep thought: "We must protect those who toil on the
+land," and Honcy-Bee said: "One should spin for the poor."
+
+And thus chatting and meditating they went on their way through meadows
+starred with flowers. A fringe of blue mountains lay against the distant
+horizon. George pointed towards the east.
+
+"Is that a great steel shield I see over there?"
+
+"Oh no," said Honey-Bee, "it's a round silver clasp, as big as the
+moon."
+
+"It is neither a steel shield nor a silver clasp, my children," replied
+the Duchess, "but a lake glittering in the sunshine. The surface of
+this lake, which seen from here is as smooth as a mirror, is stirred by
+innumerable ripples. Its borders which appear as distinct as it cut in
+metal are really covered by reeds with feathery plumes and irises
+whose flower is like a human glance between the blades of swords. Every
+morning a white mist rises over the lake which shines like armour under
+the midday sun. But none must approach it for in it dwell the nixies who
+lure passers by into their crystal abodes."
+
+At this moment the bell of the Hermitage was heard.
+
+"Let us dismount," said the Duchess, "and walk to the chapel. It was
+neither on elephants nor camels that the wise men of the East approached
+the manger."
+
+They heard the hermit's mass. A hideous old crone covered with rags
+knelt beside the Duchesss, who on leaving the church offered her holy
+water.
+
+"Accept it, good mother," she said.
+
+George was amazed.
+
+"Do you not know," said the Duchess, "that in the poor you honour the
+chosen of our Lord Jesus Christ? A beggar such as this as well as the
+good Duke of Rochesnoires held you at the font when you were baptized;
+and your little sister, Honey-Bee, also had one of these poor creatures
+as godmother."
+
+The old crone who seemed to have guessed the boy's thoughts leaned
+towards him.
+
+"Fair prince," she cried mockingly, "may you conquer as many kingdoms as
+I have lost. I was the queen of the Island of Pearls and the Mountains
+of Gold; each day my table was served with fourteen different kinds of
+fish, and a negro page bore my train."
+
+"And by what misfortune have you lost your islands and your mountains,
+good woman?" asked the Duchess.
+
+"I vexed the dwarfs, and they carried me far away from my dominions."
+
+"Are the dwarfs so powerful?" George asked.
+
+"As they live in the earth," the old woman answered, "they know the
+virtue of precious stones, they work in metals, and they unseal the
+hidden sources of the springs."
+
+"And what did you do to vex them?" asked the Duchess.
+
+"On a December night," said the old woman, "one of them came to ask
+permission to prepare a great midnight banquet in the kitchen of
+the castle, which, vaster than a chapter-house, was furnished
+with casseroles, frying-pans, earthen saucepans, kettles, pans,
+portable-ovens, gridirons, boilers, dripping-pans, dutch-ovens,
+fish-kettles, copper-pans, pastry-moulds, copper-jugs, goblets of
+gold and silver, and mottled wood, not to mention iron roasting-jacks,
+artistically forged, and the huge black cauldron which hung from the
+pothook. He promised neither to disturb nor to damage anything. I
+refused his request, and he disappeared muttering vague threats. The
+third night, it being Christmas, this same dwarf returned to the chamber
+where I slept. He was accompanied by innumerable others, who pulled me
+out of bed and carried me to an unknown land in my nightgown. 'Such,'
+they said as they left me, 'such is the punishment of the rich who
+refuse even a part of their treasure to the industrious and kindly dwarf
+folk who work in gold and cause the springs to flow.'"
+
+Thus said the toothless old woman, and the Duchess having comforted her
+with words and money, she and the two children retraced their way to the
+castle.
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+     Which tells of what can be seen from the Keep of Clarides
+
+It was one day shortly after this that Honey-Bee and George, without
+being observed, climbed the steps of the watch-tower which stands in
+the middle of the Castle of Clarides. Having reached the platform they
+shouted at the top of their voices and clapped their hands.
+
+Their view extended down the hillside divided into brown and green
+squares of cultivated fields. Woods and mountains lay dimly blue against
+the distant horizon.
+
+"Little sister," cried George, "little sister, look at the whole wide
+world!"
+
+"The world is very big," said Honey-Bee. "My teachers," said George,
+"have taught me that it is very big; but, as Gertrude our housekeeper
+says, one must see to believe."
+
+They went the round of the platform.
+
+"Here is something wonderful, little brother," cried Honey-Bee. "The
+castle stands in the middle of the earth and we are on the watch-tower
+in the middle of the castle, and so we are standing in the middle of the
+earth. Ha! ha! ha!"
+
+And, indeed, the horizon formed a circle about the children of which the
+watch-tower was the centre.
+
+"We are in the middle of the earth! Ha! ha! ha!" George repeated.
+
+Whereupon they both started a-thinking.
+
+"What a pity that the world is so big!" said Honey-Bee, "one might get
+lost and be separated from one's friends."
+
+George shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"How lucky that the world is so big! One can go in search of adventures.
+When I am grown up I mean to conquer the mountains that stand at the
+ends of the earth. That is where the moon rises; I shall seize her as
+she passes, and I will give her to you, Honey-Bee."
+
+"Yes," said Honey-Bee, "give her to me and I will put her in my hair."
+
+Then they busied themselves searching for the places they knew as on a
+map.
+
+"I recognise everything," said Honey-Bee, who recognised nothing, "but
+what are those little square stones scattered over the hillside?"
+
+"Houses," George replied. "Those are houses. Don't you recognise the
+capital of the Duchy of Clarides, little sister? After all, it is a
+great city; it has three streets, and one can drive through one of them.
+Don't you remember that we passed through it last week when we went to
+the Hermitage?"
+
+"And what is that winding brook?"
+
+"That is the river. See the old stone bridge down there?"
+
+"The bridge under which we fished for crayfish?"
+
+"That's the one; and in one of the niches stands the statue of the
+'Woman without a Head.' One cannot see her from here because she is too
+small."
+
+"I remember. But why hasn't she got a head?"
+
+"Probably because she has lost it."
+
+Without saying if this explanation was satisfactory, Honey-Bee gazed at
+the horizon.
+
+"Little brother, little brother, just see what sparkles by the side of
+the blue mountains? It is the lake."
+
+"It is the lake."
+
+They then remembered what the Duchess had told them of these beautiful
+and dangerous waters where the nixies dwell.
+
+"We will go there," said Honey-Bee.
+
+George was aghast. He stared at her with his mouth wide open.
+
+"But the Duchess has forbidden us to go out alone, so how can we go to
+this lake which is at the end of the earth?"
+
+"How can we go? I don't know. It's you who ought to know, for you are a
+man and you have a grammar-master."
+
+This piqued George who replied that one might be a man, and even a very
+brave man, and yet not know all the roads on earth. Whereupon Honey-Bee
+said drily with a little air of scorn which made him blush to his ears:
+
+"I never said _I_ would conquer the blue mountains or take down the
+moon. I don't know the way to the lake, but I mean to find it!"
+
+George pretended to laugh.
+
+"You laugh like a cucumber."
+
+"Cucumbers neither laugh nor cry."
+
+"If they did laugh they would laugh like you. I shall go along to the
+lake. And while I search for the beautiful waters in which the nixies
+live you shall stay alone at home like a good girl. I will leave you my
+needle-work and my doll. Take care of them, George, take good care of
+them."
+
+George was proud, and he was conscious of the humiliation with which
+Honey-Bee covered him.
+
+Gloomily and with head bowed he cried in a hollow voice:
+
+"Very well, then, we will go to the lake."
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+     In which is described how George and Honey-Bee went to the
+     lake
+
+The next day after the midday meal, the Duchess having gone to her own
+room George took Honey-Bee by the hand. "Now come!" he said. "Where?"
+"Hush!"
+
+They crept down stairs and crossed the courtyard. After they had passed
+the postern, Honey-Bee again asked where they were going.
+
+"To the lake," George said resolutely. Honey-Bee opened her mouth wide
+but remained speechless. To go so far without permission and in satin
+shoes! For her shoes were of satin. There was no sense in it.
+
+"We must go and there is no need to be sensible."
+
+Such was George's proud reply. She had once humiliated him and now she
+pretended to be astonished.
+
+This time it was he who disdainfully sent her back to her dolls. Girls
+always tempt one on to adventures and then run away. So mean! She could
+remain. He'd go alone.
+
+She clung to his arm; he pushed her away.
+
+She hung about his neck.
+
+"Little brother," she sobbed, "I will follow you."
+
+He allowed himself to be moved by such touching repentance.
+
+"Come then, but not through the town; we may be seen. We will follow the
+ramparts and then we can reach the highway by a cross road."
+
+And so they went hand in hand while George explained his plans.
+
+"We will follow the road we took to the Hermitage and then we shall
+be sure to see the lake, just as we did the other day, and then we can
+cross the fields in a bee line."
+
+"A bee line" is the pretty rustic way of saying a straight line; and
+they both laughed because of the young girl's name which fitted in so
+oddly.
+
+Honey-Bee picked flowers along the ditches; she made a posy of
+marshmallows, white mullein, asters and chrysanthemums; the flowers
+faded in her little hands and it was pitiful to see them when Honey-Bee
+crossed the old stone bridge. As she did not know what to do with them
+she decided to throw them into the water to refresh them, but finally
+she preferred to give them to the "Woman without a head."
+
+She begged George to lift her in his arms so as to make her tall enough,
+and she placed her armful of wild flowers between the folded hands of
+the old stone figure.
+
+After she was far away she looked back and saw a pigeon resting on the
+shoulder of the statue.
+
+When they had been walking some time, said Honey-bee, "I am thirsty."
+
+"So am I," George replied, "but the river is far behind us, and I see
+neither brook nor fountain."
+
+"The sun is so hot that he has drunk them all up. What shall we do?"
+
+So they talked and lamented when they saw a peasant woman approach who
+carried a basket of fruit.
+
+"Cherries!" cried George. "How unlucky: I have no money to buy any."
+
+"I have money," said Honey-Bee.
+
+She pulled out of her pocket a little purse in which were five pieces of
+gold.
+
+"Good woman," she said to the peasant, "will you give me as many
+cherries as my frock will hold?"
+
+And she raised her little skirt with her two hands. The woman threw
+in two or three handfuls of cherries. With one hand Honey-Bee held the
+uplifted skirt and with the other she offered the woman a gold piece.
+
+"Is that enough?"
+
+The woman clutched the gold piece which would amply have paid not only
+for the cherries in the basket but for the tree on which they grew and
+the plot of land on which the tree stood.
+
+The artful one replied:
+
+"I'm satisfied, if only to oblige you, little princess."
+
+"Well then, put some more cherries in my brother's cap," said Honey-Bee,
+"and you shall have another gold piece."
+
+This was done. The peasant woman went on her way meditating in what old
+stocking or under what mattress she should hide her two gold pieces.
+
+And the two children followed the road eating the cherries and throwing
+the stones to the right and the left. George chose the cherries that
+hung two by two on one stem and made earrings for his little sister,
+and he laughed to see the lovely twin fruit dangle its vermillion beauty
+against her cheeks.
+
+A pebble stopped their joyous progress. It had got into Honey-Bee's
+little shoe and she began to limp. At every step she took, her golden
+curls bobbed against her cheek, and so limping she sat down on a bank
+by the roadside. Her brother knelt down and took off the satin shoe. He
+shook it and out dropped a little white pebble.
+
+"Little brother," she said as she looked at her feet, "the next time we
+go to the lake we'll put on boots."
+
+The sun was already sinking against the radiant sky; a soft breeze
+caressed their cheeks and necks, and so, cheered and refreshed, the two
+little travellers proceeded on their way. To make walking easier they
+went hand in hand, and they laughed to see their moving shadows melt
+together before them. They sang:
+
+    Maid Marian, setting forth to find
+    The mill, with sacks of corn to grind,
+        Her donkey, Jan, bestrode.
+    My dainty maiden, Marian,
+    She mounted on her donkey, Jan,
+        And took the mill-ward road.*
+
+
+     * Marian' s'en allant au moulin,
+     Pour y faire moudre son grain,
+          Ell monta sur son �ne,
+     Ma p'tite mam'sell' Marianne!
+     Ell' monta sur son �ne Martin
+          Pour aller au moulin.
+
+
+
+But Honey-Bee stopped:
+
+"I have lost my shoe, my satin shoe," she cried. And so it was. The
+little shoe, whose silken laces had become loose in walking, lay in the
+road covered-with dust. Then as she looked back and saw the towers of
+the castle of Clarides fade into the distant twilight her heart sank and
+the tears came to her eyes.
+
+"The wolves will eat us," she cried, "and our mother will never see us
+again and she will die of grief."
+
+But George comforted her as he put on her shoe.
+
+"When the castle bell rings for supper we shall have returned to
+Clarides. Come!"
+
+    The miller saw her coming nigh
+    And could not well forbear to cry,
+        Your donkey you must tether.
+    My dainty maiden, Marian,
+    Tether you here your donkey, Jan,
+        Who brought us twain together.*
+
+
+    * Le meunier qui la voit venir
+    Ne peut s'emp�cher de lui dire:
+        Attachez l� votre �ne,
+    Ma p'tite Mam'sell' Marianne,
+    Attachez l� votre �ne Martin
+        Qui vous m�ne au moulin.
+
+"The lake, Honey-Bee! See the lake, the lake, the lake!"
+
+"Yes, George, the lake!"
+
+George shouted "hurrah" and flung his hat in the air. Honey-Bee was too
+proper to fling hers up also, so taking off the shoe that wouldn't stay
+on she threw it joyfully over her head.
+
+There lay the lake in the depths of the valley and its curved and
+sloping banks made a framework of foliage and flowers about its silver
+waves. It lay there clear and tranquil, and one could see the swaying of
+the indistinct green of its banks.
+
+But the children could find no path through the underbrush that would
+lead to its beautiful waters.
+
+While they were searching for one their legs were nipped by some geese
+driven by a little girl dressed in a sheepskin and carrying a switch.
+George asked her name.
+
+"Gilberte."
+
+"Well, then, Gilberte, how can one go to the lake?"
+
+"Folks doesn't go."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because..."
+
+"But supposing folks did?"
+
+"If folks did there'd be a path, and one would take that path."
+
+George could think of no adequate reply to this guardian of the geese.
+
+"Let's go," he said, "farther on we shall be sure to find a way through
+the woods."
+
+"And we will pick nuts and eat them," said Honey-Bee, "for I am hungry.
+The next time we go to the lake we must bring a satchel full of good
+things to eat."
+
+"That we will, little sister," said George. "And I quite agree with
+Francoeur, our squire, who when he went to Rome, took a ham with him, in
+case he should hunger, and a flask lest he should be thirsty. But hurry,
+for it is growing late, though I don't know the time."
+
+"The shepherdesses know by looking at the sun," said Honey-Bee; "but I
+am not a shepherdess. Yet it seems to me that when we left the sun was
+over our head, and now it is down there, far behind the town and castle
+of Clarides. I wonder if this happens every day and what it means?"
+
+While they looked at the sun a cloud of dust rose up from the high road,
+and they saw some cavaliers with glittering weapons ride past at full
+speed. The children hid in the underbrush in great terror. "They are
+thieves or probably ogres," they thought. They were really guards sent
+by the Duchess of Clarides in search of the little truants.
+
+The two little adventurers found a footpath in the underbrush, not a
+lovers' lane, for it was impossible to walk side by side holding hands
+as is the fashion of lovers. Nor could the print of human footsteps be
+seen, but only indentations left by innumerable tiny cloven feet.
+
+"Those are the feet of little devils," said Honey-Bee.
+
+"Or deer," suggested George.
+
+The matter was never explained. But what is certain is that the footpath
+descended in a gentle slope towards the edge of the lake which lay
+before the two children in all its languorous and silent beauty. The
+willows surrounded its banks with their tender foliage. The slender
+blades of the reeds with their delicate plumes swayed lightly over the
+water. They formed tremulous islands about which the water-lilies spread
+their great heart-shaped leaves and snow-white flowers. Over these
+blossoming islands dragon-flies, all emerald or azure, with wings of
+flame, sped their shrill flight in suddenly altered curves.
+
+The children plunged their burning feet with joy in the damp sand
+overgrown with tufted horse-tails and the reed-mace with its slender
+lance. The sweet flag wafted towards them its humble fragrance and the
+water plantain unrolled about them its filaments of lace on the margin
+of the sleeping waters which the willow-herb starred with its purple
+flowers.
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+     Wherein we shall see what happened to George of Blanchelande
+     because he approached the lake in which the nixies dwel
+
+Honey-Bee crossed the sand between two clumps of willows, and the little
+spirit of the place leaped into the water in front of her, leaving
+circles that grew greater and greater and finally vanished. This spirit
+was a little green frog with a white belly. All was silent; a fresh
+breeze swept over the clear lake whose every ripple had the gracious
+curve of a smile.
+
+"This lake is pretty," said Honey-Bee, "but my feet are bleeding in
+my little torn shoes, and I am very hungry. I wish I were back in the
+castle."
+
+"Little sister," said George, "sit down on the grass. I will wrap your
+feet in leaves to cool them; then I will go in search of supper for you.
+High up along the road I saw some ripe blackberries. I will fetch you
+the sweetest and best in my hat. Give me your handkerchief; I will fill
+it with strawberries, for there are strawberries near here along the
+footpath under the shade of the trees. And I will fill my pockets with
+nuts."
+
+He made a bed of moss for Honey-Bee under a willow on the edge of the
+lake, and then he left her.
+
+Honey-Bee lay with folded hands on her little mossy bed and watched the
+light of the first stars tremble in the pale sky; then her eyes half
+closed, and yet it seemed to her as if overhead she saw a little dwarf
+mounted on a raven. It was not fancy. For having reined in the black
+bird who was gnawing at the bridle, the dwarf stopped just above the
+young girl and stared down at her with his round eyes. Whereupon he
+disappeared at full gallop. All this Honey-Bee saw vaguely and then she
+fell asleep.
+
+She was still asleep when George returned with the fruit he had
+gathered, which he placed at her side. Then he climbed down to the lake
+while he waited for her to awaken. The lake slept under its delicate
+crown of verdure. A light mist swept softly over the waters. Suddenly
+the moon appeared between the branches, and then the waves were strewn
+as if with countless stars.
+
+But George could see that the lights which irradiated the waters were
+not all the broken reflections of the moon, for blue flames advanced in
+circles, swaying and undulating as if in a dance. Soon he saw that the
+blue flames flickered over the white faces of women, beautiful faces
+rising on the crests of the waves and crowned with sea-weeds and
+sea-shells, with sea-green tresses floating over their shoulders and
+veils flowing from under their breasts that shimmered with pearls. The
+child recognised the nixies and tried to flee. But already their cold
+white arms had seized him, and in spite of his struggles and cries he
+was borne across the waters along the galleries of porphyry and crystal.
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+     Wherein we shall see how Honey-Bee was taken to the dwarfs
+
+The moon had risen over the lake and the water now only showed broken
+reflections of its disc. Honey-Bee still slept. The dwarf who had
+watched her came back again on his raven followed this time by a crowd
+of little men. They were very little men. Their white beards hung down
+to their knees. They looked like old men with the figures of children.
+By their leathern aprons and the hammers which hung from their belts one
+could see that they were workers in metals. They had a curious gait,
+for they leaped to amazing heights and turned the most extraordinary
+somersaults, and showed the most inconceivable agility that made them
+seem more like spirits than human beings.
+
+Yet while cutting their most foolhardy capers they preserved an
+unalterable gravity of demeanour, to such a degree that it was quite
+impossible to make out their real characters.
+
+They placed themselves in a circle about the sleeping child.
+
+"Now then," said the smallest of the dwarfs from the heights of his
+plumed charger; "now then, did I deceive you when I said that the
+loveliest of princesses was lying asleep on the borders of the lake, and
+do you not thank me for bringing you here?"
+
+"We thank you, Bob," replied one of the dwarfs who looked like an
+elderly poet, "indeed there is nothing lovelier in the world than
+this young damsel. She is more rosy than the dawn which rises on the
+mountains, and the gold we forge is not so bright as the gold of her
+tresses."
+
+"Very good, Pic, nothing can be truer," cried the dwarfs, "but what
+shall we do with this lovely little lady?"
+
+Pic, who looked like a very elderly poet, did not reply to this
+question, probably because he knew no better than they what to do with
+this pretty lady.
+
+"Let us build a large cage and put her in," a dwarf by the name of Rug
+suggested.
+
+Against this another dwarf called Dig vehemently protested. It was Dig's
+opinion that only wild beasts were ever put into cages, and there was
+nothing yet to prove that the pretty lady was one of these.
+
+But Rug clung to his idea for the reason possibly that he had no other.
+He defended it with much subtlety. Said he:
+
+"If this person is not savage she will certainly become so as a result
+of the cage, which will be therefore not only useful but indispensable."
+
+This reasoning displeased the dwarfs, and one of them named Tad
+denounced it with much indignation. He was such a good dwarf. He
+proposed to take the beautiful child back to her kindred who must be
+great nobles.
+
+But this advice was rejected as being contrary to the custom of the
+dwarfs.
+
+"We ought to follow the ways of justice not custom," said Tad.
+
+But no one paid any further attention to him and the assembly broke into
+a tumult as a dwarf named Pau, a simple soul but just, gave his advice
+in these terms:
+
+"We must begin by awakening this young lady, seeing she declines to
+awake of herself; if she spends the night here her eyelids will be
+swollen to-morrow and her beauty will be much impaired, for it is very
+unhealthy to sleep in a wood on the borders of a lake."
+
+This opinion met with general approval as it did not clash with any
+other.
+
+Pic, who looked like an elderly poet burdened with care, approached the
+young girl and looked at her very intently, under the impression that a
+single one of his glances would be quite sufficient to rouse the dreamer
+out of the deepest sleep. But Pic was quite mistaken as to the power of
+his glance, for Honey-Bee continued to sleep with folded hands.
+
+Seeing this the good Tad pulled her gently by her sleeve. Thereupon she
+partly opened her eyes and raised herself on her elbow. When she found
+herself lying on a bed of moss surrounded by dwarfs she thought what she
+saw was nothing but a dream, and she rubbed her eyes to open them, so
+that instead of this fantastic vision she should see the pure light of
+morning as it entered her little blue room in which she thought she was.
+For her mind, heavy with sleep, did not recall to her the adventure of
+the lake. But indeed, it was useless to rub her eyes, the dwarfs did not
+vanish, and so she was obliged to believe that they were real.
+
+Then she looked about with frightened eyes and saw the forest and
+remembered.
+
+"George! my brother George!" she cried in anguish. The dwarfs crowded
+about her, and for fear of seeing them she hid her face in her hands.
+
+"George! George! Where is my brother George?" she sobbed.
+
+The dwarfs could not tell her, for the good reason that they did not
+know. And she wept hot tears and cried aloud for her mother and brother.
+
+Pau longed to weep with her, and in his efforts to console, he addressed
+her with rather vague remarks.
+
+"Do not distress yourself so much," he urged, "it would be a pity for
+so lovely a young damsel to spoil her eyes with weeping. Rather tell
+us your story, which cannot fail to be very amusing. We should be so
+pleased."
+
+She did not listen. She rose and tried to escape. But her bare and
+swollen feet caused her such pain that she fell on her knees, sobbing
+most pitifully. Tad held her in his arms, and Pau tenderly kissed her
+hand. It was this that gave her the courage to look at them, and she saw
+that they seemed full of compassion.
+
+Pic looked to her like one inspired, and yet very innocent, and
+perceiving that all these little men were full of compassion for her,
+she said:
+
+"Little men, it is a pity you are so ugly; but I will love you all the
+same if you will only give me something to eat, for I am so hungry."
+
+"Bob," all the dwarfs cried at once, "go and fetch some supper."
+
+And Bob flew off on his raven. All the same, the dwarfs resented this
+small girl's injustice in finding them ugly. Rug was very angry. Pic
+said to himself, "She is only a child, and she does not see the light
+of genius which shines in my eyes, and which gives them the power which
+crushes as well as the grace which charms."
+
+As for Pau, he thought to himself: "Perhaps it would have been better
+if I had not awakened this young lady who finds us ugly." But Tad said
+smiling:
+
+"You will find us less ugly, dear young lady, when you love us more."
+
+As he spoke Bob re-appeared on his raven. He held a dish of gold on
+which were a roast pheasant, an oatmeal cake, and a bottle of claret. He
+cut innumerable capers as he laid this supper at the feet of Honey-Bee.
+
+"Little men," Honey-Bee said as she ate, "your supper is very good. My
+name is Honey-Bee; let us go in search of my brother, and then we
+will all go together to Clarides where mama is waiting for us in great
+anxiety."
+
+But Dig, who was a kind dwarf, represented to Honey-Bee that she was not
+able to walk; that her brother was big enough to find his own way;
+that no misfortune could come to him in a country in which all the wild
+beasts had been destroyed.
+
+"We will make a litter," he added, "and cover it with leaves and moss,
+and we will put you on it, and in this way we will carry you to the
+mountain and present you to the King of the Dwarfs, according to the
+custom of our people."
+
+All the dwarfs applauded. Honey-Bee looked at her aching feet and
+remained silent. She was glad to learn that there were no wild beasts
+in the country. And on the whole she was willing to trust herself to the
+kindness of the dwarfs.
+
+They were already busy constructing the litter. Those with hatchets were
+felling two young fir trees with resounding blows. This brought back to
+Rug his original suggestion.
+
+"If instead of a litter we made a cage," he urged.
+
+But he aroused a unanimous protest. Tad looked at him scornfully.
+
+"You are more like a human being than a dwarf, Rug," he said. "But at
+least it is to the honour of our race that the most wicked dwarf is also
+the most stupid."
+
+In the meantime the task had been accomplished. The dwarfs leaped into
+the air and in a bound seized and cut the branches, out of which they
+deftly wove a basket chair. Having covered it with moss and leaves, they
+placed Honey-Bee upon it, then they seized the two poles, placed them on
+their shoulders and, then! off they went to the mountain.
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+     In which we are faithfully told how King Loc received Honey-
+     Bee of Clarides
+
+They climbed a winding path along the wooded slope of the hill. Here and
+there granite boulders, bare and blasted, broke through the grey verdure
+of the dwarf oaks, and the sombre purple mountain with its bluish
+ravines formed an impassable barrier about the desolate landscape.
+
+The procession, preceded by Bob on his feathered steed, passed through
+a chasm overgrown with brambles. Honey-Bee, with her golden hair flowing
+over her shoulders, looked like the dawn breaking on the mountains,
+supposing, of course, that the dawn was ever frightened and called her
+mother and tried to escape, for all these things she did as she caught
+a confused glimpse of dwarfs, armed to the teeth, lying in ambush along
+the windings of the rocks.
+
+With bows bent or lance at rest they stood immovable. Their tunics of
+wild beast skins and their long knives that hung from their belts gave
+them a most terrible appearance. Game, furred and feathered, lay beside
+them. And yet these huntsmen, to judge only by their faces, did not
+seem very grim; on the contrary, they appeared gentle and grave like the
+dwarfs of the forest, whom they greatly resembled.
+
+In their midst stood a dwarf full of majesty. He wore a cock feather
+over his ear, and on his head a diadem set with enormous gems. His
+mantle raised at the shoulder disclosed a muscular arm covered with
+circlets of gold. A horn of ivory and chased silver hung from his belt.
+His left hand rested on his lance in an attitude of quiet strength, and
+his right he held over his eyes so as to look towards Honey-Bee and the
+light.
+
+"King Loc," said the forest dwarfs, "we have brought you the beautiful
+child we have found; her name is Honey-Bee."
+
+"You have done well," said King Loc. "She shall live amongst us
+according to the custom of the dwarfs."
+
+"Honey-Bee," he said, approaching her, "you are welcome." He spoke very
+gently, for he already felt very kindly towards her. He lifted himself
+on the tips of his toes to kiss her hand that hung at her side, and he
+assured her not only that he would do her no harm, but that he would try
+to gratify all her wishes, even should she long for necklaces, mirrors,
+stuffs from Cashmere and silks from China.
+
+"I wish I had some shoes," replied Honey-Bee. Upon which King Loc struck
+his lance against a bronze disc that hung on the surface of the rock,
+and instantly something bounded like a ball out of the depths of
+the cavern. Increasing in size it disclosed the face of a dwarf with
+features such as painters give to the illustrious Belisarius, but his
+leather apron proclaimed that he was a shoemaker. He was indeed the
+chief of the shoemakers.
+
+"True," said the king, "choose the softest leather out of our
+store-houses, take cloth-of-gold and silver, ask the guardian of my
+treasures for a thousand pearls of the finest water, and with this
+leather, these fabrics, and these pearls create a pair of shoes for the
+lady Honey-Bee."
+
+At these words True threw himself at the feet of Honey-Bee and measured
+them with great care.
+
+"Little King Loc," said Honey-Bee, "I want the pretty shoes you promised
+at once, because as soon as I have them I must return to Clarides to my
+mother." "You shall have the shoes," King Loc replied; "you shall have
+them to walk about the mountain, but not to return to Clarides, for
+never again shall you leave this kingdom, where we will teach you
+wonderful secrets still unknown on earth. The dwarfs are superior to
+men, and it is your good fortune that you are made welcome amongst
+them."
+
+"It is my misfortune," replied Honey-Bee. "Little King Loc, give me a
+pair of wooden shoes, such as the peasants wear, and let me return to
+Clarides."
+
+But King Loc made a sign with his head to signify that this was
+impossible. Then Honey-Bee clasped her hands and said, coaxingly:
+
+"Little King Loc, let me go and I will love you very much."
+
+"You will forget me in your shining world."
+
+"Little King Loc, I will never forget you, and I will love you as much
+as I love Flying Wind."
+
+"And who is Flying Wind?"
+
+"It is my milk-white steed, and he has rose-coloured reins and he eats
+out of my hand. When he was very little Francoeur the squire used to
+bring him to my room every morning and I kissed him. But now Francceur
+is in Rome, and Flying Wind is too big to mount the stairs."
+
+King Loc smiled.
+
+"Will you love me more than Flying Wind?"
+
+"Indeed I would," said Honey-Bee.
+
+"Well said," cried the King.
+
+"Indeed I would, but I cannot, I hate you, little King Loc, because you
+will not let me see my mother and George again."
+
+"Who is George?"
+
+"George is George and I love him."
+
+The friendship of King Loc for Honey-Bee had increased prodigiously in a
+few minutes, and as he had already made up his mind to marry her as soon
+as she was of age, and hoped through her to reconcile men and dwarfs, he
+feared that later on George might become his rival and wreck his plans.
+It was because of this that he turned away frowning, his head bowed as
+if with care.
+
+Honey-Bee seeing that she had offended him pulled him gently by his
+mantle.
+
+"Little King Loc," she said, in a voice both tender and sad, "why should
+we make each other unhappy, you and I?"
+
+"It is in the nature of things," replied King Loc. "I cannot take you
+back to your mother, but I will send her a dream which will tell her
+your fate, dear Honey-Bee, and that will comfort her."
+
+"Little King Loc," and Honey-Bee smiled through her tears, "what a good
+idea, but I will tell you just what you ought to do. You must send my
+mother a dream every night in which she will see me, and every night you
+must send me a dream in which I shall see her."
+
+And King Loc promised, and so said, so done. Every night Honey-Bee
+saw her mother, and every night the Duchess saw her daughter, and that
+satisfied their love just a little.
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+     In which the marvels of the kingdom of the dwarfs are
+     accurately described as well as the dolls that were given to
+     Honey-Bee
+
+The kingdom of the dwarfs was very deep and extended under the greater
+part of the earth. Though one only caught a glimpse of the sky here
+and there through the clefts in the rocks, the roads, the avenues, the
+palaces and the galleries of this subterraneous region were not plunged
+in absolute darkness. Only a few spaces and caverns were lost in
+obscurity. The rest was illumined not by lamps or torches but by stars
+or meteors which diffused a strange and fantastic light, and this light
+revealed the most astonishing marvels. One saw stupendous edifices hewn
+out of the solid rocks, and in some places, palaces cut out of granite,
+of such height that their tracery of stone was lost under the arches of
+this gigantic cavern in a haze across which fell the orange glimmer of
+little stars less lustrous than the moon.
+
+There were fortresses in this kingdom, of the most crushing and
+formidable dimensions; an amphitheatre in which the stone seats formed
+a half-circle whose extent it was impossible to measure at a single
+glance, and vast wells with sculptured sides, in which one could descend
+forever and yet never reach the bottom. All these structures, so out of
+proportion it would seem to the size of the inhabitants, were quite in
+keeping with their curious and fantastic genius.
+
+Dwarfs in pointed hoods pricked with fern leaves whirled about these
+edifices in the airiest fashion. It was common to see them leap up to
+the height of two or three storeys from the lava pavement and rebound
+like balls, their faces meanwhile preserving that impressive dignity
+with which sculptors endow the great men of antiquity.
+
+No one was idle and all worked zealously. Entire districts echoed to
+the sound of hammers. The shrill discord of machinery broke against the
+arches of the cavern, and it was a curious sight to see the crowds of
+miners, blacksmiths, gold-beaters, jewellers, diamond polishers handle
+pickaxes, hammers, pincers and files with the dexterity of monkeys.
+However there was a more peaceful region.
+
+Here coarse and powerful figures and shapeless columns loomed in chaotic
+confusion, hewn out of the virgin rock, and seemed to date back to
+an immemorial antiquity. Here a palace with low portals extended its
+ponderous expanse; it was the palace of King Loc.
+
+Directly opposite was the house of Honey-Bee, a house or rather a
+cottage of one room all hung with white muslin. The furniture of
+pine-wood perfumed the room. A glimpse of daylight penetrated through a
+crevice in the rock, and on fine nights one could see the stars.
+
+Honey-Bee had no special attendants, for all the dwarf people were eager
+to serve her and to anticipate all her wishes except the single one to
+return to earth.
+
+The most erudite dwarfs, familiar with the pro-foundest secrets, were
+glad to teach her, not from books, for dwarfs do not write, but by
+showing her all the plants of mountains and plains, all the diverse
+species of animals, and all the varied gems that are extracted from the
+bosom of the earth. And it was by means of such sights and marvels that
+they taught her, with an innocent gaiety, the wonders of nature and the
+processes of the arts.
+
+They made her playthings such as the richest children on earth never
+have; for these dwarfs were always industrious and invented wonderful
+machinery. In this way they produced for her dolls that could move with
+exquisite grace, and express themselves according to the strictest rules
+of poetry. Placed on the stage of a little theatre, the scenery of which
+represented the shores of the sea, the blue sky, palaces and temples,
+they would portray the most interesting events. Though no taller than
+a man's arm some of them represented respectable old men, others men in
+the prime of life, and, others still, beautiful young girls dressed in
+white.
+
+Among them also were mothers pressing their innocent children to their
+hearts. And these eloquent dolls acted as if they were really moved by
+hate, love and ambition. They passed with the greatest skill from joy
+to sorrow and they imitated nature so well that they could move one to
+laughter or to tears. Honey-Bee clapped her hands at the sight. She had
+a horror of the dolls who tried to be tyrants. On the other hand she
+felt a boundless compassion for a doll who had once been a princess, and
+who, now a captive widow, had no other resource alas, by which to save
+her child, than to marry the barbarian who had made her a widow.
+
+Honey-Bee never tired of this game which the dolls could vary
+indefinitely. The dwarfs also gave concerts and taught her to play the
+lute, the viola, the theorbo, the lyre, and various other instruments.
+
+In short she became an excellent musician, and the dramas acted in the
+theatre by the dolls taught her a knowledge of men and life. King Loc
+was always present at the plays and the concerts, but he neither saw
+nor heard anything but Honey-Bee; little by little he had set his whole
+heart upon her. In the meantime months passed and even years sped by
+and Honey-Bee was still among the dwarfs, always amused and yet always
+longing for earth. She grew to be a beautiful girl. Her singular destiny
+had imparted something strange to her appearance, which gave her,
+however, only an added charm.
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+     In which the treasures of King Loc are described as well as
+     the writer is able
+
+Six years to a day had passed since Honey-Bee had come to live with the
+dwarfs. King Loc called her into his palace and commanded his treasurer
+to displace a huge stone which seemed cemented into the wall, but which
+in reality was only lightly placed there. All three passed through the
+opening left by the great stone and found themselves in a fissure of
+rock too narrow for two persons to stand abreast. King Loc preceded the
+others along the dim path and Honey-Bee followed him holding to a tip of
+the royal mantle. They walked on for a long time, and at intervals the
+sides of the rocks came so close together that the young girl was seized
+with terror lest she should be unable to advance or recede, and so would
+die there. Before her, along the dark and narrow road floated the mantle
+of King Loc. At last King Loc came to a bronze door which he opened and
+out of which poured a blaze of light.
+
+"Little King Loc," said Honey-Bee, "I had no idea that light could be so
+beautiful!"
+
+And King Loc taking her by the hand led her into the hall out of which
+the light shone.
+
+"See!" he cried.
+
+Honey-Bee, dazzled, could sec nothing, for this immense hall, supported
+by high marble columns, was a glitter of gold from floor to roof.
+
+At the end on a dais made of glittering gems set in gold and silver, the
+steps of which were covered by a carpet of marvellous embroidery, stood
+a throne of ivory and gold under a canopy of translucent enamel, and
+on each side two palm-trees three thousand years old, in gigantic vases
+carved in some bygone time by the greatest artists among the dwarfs.
+King Loc mounted his throne and commanded the young girl to stand at his
+right hand.
+
+"Honey-Bee," said King Loc, "these are my treasures. Choose all that
+will give you pleasure."
+
+Immense gold shields hung from the columns and reflected the sunlight,
+and sent it back in glittering rays; swords and lances crossed had each
+a flame at their point.
+
+Tables along the walls were laden with tankards, flagons, ewers,
+chalices, pyxes, patens, goblets, gold cups, drinking horns of ivory
+with silver rings, enormous bottles of rock crystal, chased gold
+and silver dishes, coffers, reliquaries in the form of churches,
+scent-boxes, mirrors, candelabra and torch-holders equally beautiful in
+material and workmanship, and incense-burners in the shape of monsters.
+And on one table stood a chessboard with chessmen carved out of
+moonstones.
+
+"Choose," King Loc repeated.
+
+But lifting her eyes above these treasures, Honey-Bee saw the blue sky
+through an opening in the roof, and as if she had comprehended that the
+light of day could alone give all these things their splendour, she said
+simply:
+
+"Little King Loc, I want to return to earth."
+
+Whereupon King Loc made a sign to his treasurer who, raising heavy
+tapestries, disclosed an enormous iron-bound coffer covered with plates
+of open ironwork. This coffer being opened out poured thousands of rays
+of different and lovely tints, and each ray seemed to leap out of a
+precious stone most artistically cut. King Loc dipped in his hands
+and there flowed in glittering confusion violet amethysts and virgins'
+stones, emeralds of three kinds, one dark green, another called the
+honey emerald because of its colour, and the third a bluish green,
+also called beryl, which gives happy dreams; oriental topazes, rubies
+beautiful as the blood of heroes, dark blue sapphires, called the
+male sapphire, and the pale blue ones, called the female sapphire, the
+cymophanes, hyacinths, euclases, turquoises, opals whose light is softer
+than the dawn, the aquamarine and the Syrian garnet. All these gems
+were of the purest and most luminous water. And in the midst of these
+coloured fires great diamonds flashed their rays of dazzling white.
+
+"Choose, Honey-Bee," said King Loc. But Honey-Bee shook her head.
+
+"Little King Loc," she said, "I would rather have a single beam of
+sunlight that falls on the roof of Clarides than all these gems."
+
+Then King Loc ordered another coffer to be opened, in which were only
+pearls. But these pearls were round and pure; their changing light
+reflected all the colours of sea and sky, and their radiance was so
+tender that they seemed to express a thought of love.
+
+"Accept these," said King Loc
+
+"Little King Loc," Honey-Bee replied, "these pearls are like the glance
+of George of Blanchelande; I love these pearls, but I love his eyes even
+more."
+
+Hearing these words King Loc turned his head away. However he opened
+a third coffer and showed the young girl a crystal in which a drop of
+water had been imprisoned since the beginning of time; and when the
+crystal was moved the drop of water could be seen to stir. He also
+showed her pieces of yellow amber in which insects more brilliant than
+jewels had been imprisoned for thousands of years. One could distinguish
+their delicate feet and their fine antennae, and they would have resumed
+their flight had some power but shattered like glass their perfumed
+prison.
+
+"These are the great marvels of nature; I give them to you, Honey-Bee."
+
+"Little King Loc," Honey-Bee replied, "keep your amber and your crystal,
+for I should not know how to give their freedom either to the fly or the
+drop of water."
+
+King Loc watched her in silence for some time. Then he said, "Honey-Bee,
+the most beautiful treasures will be safe in your keeping. You will
+possess them and they will not possess you. The miser is the prey of his
+gold, only those who despise wealth can be rich without danger; their
+souls will always be greater than their riches."
+
+Having uttered these words he made a sign to his treasurer who presented
+on a cushion a crown of gold to the young girl.
+
+"Accept this jewel as a sign of our regard for you," said King Loc.
+"Henceforth you shall be called the Princess of the Dwarfs."
+
+And he himself placed the crown on the head of Honcy-Bee.
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+     In which King Loc declares himself
+
+The dwarfs celebrated the crowning of their first princess by joyous
+revels. Harmless and innocent games succeeded each other in the huge
+amphitheatre; and the little men, with cockades of fern or two oak
+leaves fastened coquettishly to their hoods, bounded gaily across the
+subterranean streets. The rejoicings lasted thirty days. During
+the universal excitement Pic looked like a mortal inspired; Tad the
+kind-hearted was intoxicated by the universal joy; Dig the tender gave
+expression to his delight in tears; Rug, in his ecstasy, again demanded
+that Honey-Bee should be put in a cage, but this time so that the dwarfs
+need not be afraid to lose so charming a princess; Bob, mounted on his
+raven, filled the air with such cries of rapture that the sable bird,
+infected by the gaiety, gave vent to innumerable playful little croaks.
+
+Only King Loc was sad.
+
+On the thirtieth day, having given the princess and the dwarf people
+a festival of unparalleled magnificence, he mounted his throne, and so
+stood that his kind face just reached her car.
+
+"My Princess Honcy-Bee," he said, "I am about to make a request which
+you are at liberty either to accept or to refuse. Honey-Bee of Clarides,
+Princess of the Dwarfs, will you be my wife?"
+
+As he spoke, King Loc, grave and tender, had something of the gentle
+beauty of a majestic poodle.
+
+"Little King Loc," Honey-Bee replied, as she pulled his beard, "I am
+willing to become your wife for fun, but never your wife for good. The
+moment you asked me to marry you I was reminded of Francoeur, who when
+I was on earth used to amuse me by telling me the most ridiculous
+stories."
+
+At these words King Loc turned his head away, but not so soon but that
+Honey-Bee saw the tears in his eyes. Then Honey-Bee was grieved because
+she had pained him.
+
+"Little King Loc," she said to him, "I love you for the little King Loc
+you are; and if you make me laugh as Francoeur did, there is nothing
+in that to vex you, for Francoeur sang well and he would have been very
+handsome if it had not been for his grey hair and his red nose."
+
+"Honey-Bee of Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs," the king replied, "I
+love you in the hope that some day you will love me. And yet without
+that hope I should love you just the same. The only return I ask for my
+friendship is that you will always be honest with me."
+
+"Little King Loc, I promise."
+
+"Well then, tell me truly, Honey-Bee, do you love some one else enough
+to marry him?"
+
+"Little King Loc, I love no one enough for that."
+
+Whereupon King Loc smiled, and seizing his golden cup he proposed, with
+a resounding voice, the health of the Princess of the Dwarfs. An immense
+uproar rose from the depths of the earth, for the banquet table reached
+from one end to the other of the Empire of the Dwarfs.
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+     In which we are told how Honey-Bee saw her mother again, but
+     could not embrace her
+
+Honey-Bee, a crown on her head, was now more often sad and lost in
+thought than when her hair flowed loose over her shoulders, and when
+she went laughing to the forge and pulled the beards of her good friends
+Pic, Tad and Dig, whose faces, red from the reflected flames, gave her a
+gay welcome. But now these good dwarfs, who had once danced her on their
+knees and called her Honey-Bee, bowed as she passed and maintained a
+respectful silence. She grieved because she was no longer a child, and
+she suffered because she was the Princess of the Dwarfs.
+
+It was no longer a pleasure for her to see King Loc, since she had seen
+him weep because of her. But she loved him, for he was good and unhappy.
+One day, if one may say that there are days in the empire of the dwarfs,
+she took King Loc by the hand and drew him under the cleft in the rock,
+through which a sunbeam shone, along whose rays there danced a haze of
+golden dust.
+
+"Little King Loc," she said, "I suffer. You are a king and you love me
+and I suffer."
+
+Hearing these words from the pretty damsel, King Loc replied:
+
+"I love you, Honey-Bee of Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs; and that
+is why I have held you captive in our world, in order to teach you our
+secrets, which are greater and more wonderful than all those you could
+learn on earth amongst men, for men are less skilful and less learned
+than the dwarfs."
+
+"Yes," said Honey-Bee, "but they are more like me than the dwarfs,
+and for that reason I love them better. Little King Loc, let me see my
+mother again if you do not wish me to die."
+
+Without replying King Loc went away. Honey-Bee, desolate and alone,
+watched the ray of light which bathes the whole face of nature and
+which enfolds all the living, even to the beggars by the wayside, in its
+resplendent waves. Slowly this ray paled, and its golden radiance faded
+to a pale blue light. Night had come upon earth. A star twinkled over
+the cleft in the rock.
+
+Then some one gently touched her on the shoulder, and she saw King Loc
+wrapped in a black cloak. He had another cloak on his arm with which he
+covered the young girl.
+
+"Come," said he.
+
+And he led her out of the under-world. When she saw again the trees
+stirred by the wind, the clouds that floated across the moon, the
+splendour of the night so fresh and blue, when she breathed again the
+fragrance of the herbage, and when the air she had breathed in childhood
+again entered her breast in floods, she gave a great sigh and thought to
+die of joy.
+
+King Loc had taken her in his arms; small though he was, he carried
+her as lightly as a feather, and they glided over the ground like the
+shadows of two birds.
+
+"You shall see your mother again, Honey-Bee. But listen! You know
+that every night I send her your image. Every night she sees your
+dear phantom; she smiles upon it, she talks to it and she caresses it.
+To-night she shall, instead, see you yourself. You will see her, but
+you must not touch her, you must not speak to her, or the charm will be
+broken and she will never again see you nor your image, which she does
+not distinguish from you."
+
+"Then I will be prudent, alas! little King Loc!... See! See!..."
+
+Sure enough the watch-tower of Clarides rose black on the hill.
+Honey-Bee had hardly time to throw a kiss to the beloved old stone walls
+when the ramparts of the town of Clarides, overgrown with gillyflowers
+already flew past; already she was ascending the terrace, where the
+glow-worms glimmer in the grass, to the postern, which King Loc easily
+opened, for the dwarfs are masters of metals, nor can locks, padlocks,
+bolts, chains or bars ever stop them.
+
+She climbed the winding stairs that led to her mother's room, and she
+paused to clasp her beating heart with both her hands. Softly the door
+opened, and by the light of a night lamp that hung from the ceiling she
+saw her mother in the holy silence that reigned, her mother frailer and
+paler, with hair grey at the temples, but in the eyes of her daughter
+more beautiful even than in past days as she remembered her riding
+fearlessly in magnificent attire. As usual the mother beheld her
+daughter as in a dream, and she opened her arms as if to caress her. And
+the child, laughing and sobbing, was about to throw herself into those
+open arms; but King Loc tore her away, and like a wisp of straw he bore
+her through the blue landscape to the Kingdom of the Dwarfs.
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+     In which we shall see how King Loc suffered
+
+Seated on the granite step of the underground palace, Honey-Bee watched
+the blue sky through the cleft in the rock, I and saw the elder-trees
+turn their spreading white parasols to the light. She began to weep.
+
+"Honey-Bee," said King Loc as he took her hand in his, "why do you weep,
+and what is it you desire?" And as she had been grieving these many
+days, the dwarfs at her feet tried to cheer her with simple airs on the
+flute, the flageolet, the rebeck, and the cymbals. And other dwarfs, to
+amuse her, turned such somersaults one after the other that they pricked
+the grass with the points of their hoods with their cockades of leaves,
+and nothing could be more charming than to watch the capers of these
+tiny men with their venerable beards. Tad so kind and Dig so wise, who
+had loved her since the day they had found her asleep on the shore of
+the lake, and Pic, the elderly poet, gently took her arm and implored
+her to tell them the cause of her grief. Pau, a simple just soul,
+offered her a basket of grapes, and all of them gently pulled the edge
+of her skirt and said with King Loc:
+
+"Honey-Bee, Princess of the Dwarfs, why do you weep?"
+
+"Little King Loc," Honey-Bee replied, "and you, little men, my grief
+only increases your love, because you are good; you weep with me. Know
+that I weep when I think of George of Blanchelande, who should now be a
+cavalier, but whom I shall never see again. I love him and I wish to be
+his wife."
+
+King Loc took his hand away from the hand he had pressed.
+
+"Honey-Bee," he said, "why did you deceive me when you told me at the
+banquet that you loved no one else?"
+
+"Little King Loc," Honey-Bee replied, "I did not deceive you at the
+banquet. At that time I had no desire to marry George of Blanchelande,
+but to-day it is my dearest wish that he should ask to marry me. But he
+will never ask me, as I do not know where he now is, nor does he know
+where I am. And this is the reason I weep."
+
+At these words the musicians ceased playing; the acrobats interrupted
+their tumbling and stood immovable, some on their heads and some
+on their haunches; Tad and Dig shed silent tears on the sleeve of
+Honey-Bee; Pau, simple soul, dropped his basket of grapes, and all the
+little men gave vent to the most fearful groans.
+
+But King Loc, more unhappy than all under his splendid jewelled crown,
+silently withdrew, his mantle trailing behind him like a purple torrent.
+
+
+
+
+XVI
+
+     In which an account is given of the learned Nur who was the
+     cause of such extraordinary joy to King Loc
+
+King Loc did not permit the young girl to observe his weakness; but when
+he was alone he sat on the ground and with his feet in his hands gave
+way to grief. He was jealous. "She loves him," he said to himself, "and
+she does not love me! And yet I am a king and very wise; great treasures
+are mine and I know the most marvellous secrets. I am superior to all
+other dwarfs, who are in turn superior to all men. She does not love
+me but she loves a young man who not only has not the learning of the
+dwarfs, but no other learning either.
+
+"It must be acknowledged that she does not appreciate merit--nor has she
+much sense. I ought to laugh at her want of judgment; but I love her and
+I care for nothing in the world because she does not love me."
+
+For many long days King Loc roamed alone through the most desolate
+mountain passes, turning over in his mind thoughts both sad and,
+sometimes, wicked. He even thought of trying by imprisonment and
+starvation to force Honey-Bee to become his wife. But rejecting this
+plan as soon as formed he decided to go in search of her and throw
+himself at her feet. But he could come to no decision, and at last he
+was quite at a loss what to do. The truth being that whether Honey-Bee
+would love him did not depend on him.
+
+Suddenly his anger turned against George of Blanchelande; and he hoped
+that the young man had been carried far away by some enchanter, and that
+at any rate, should he ever hear of Honey-Bee's love, he would disdain
+it.
+
+"Without being old," the king meditated, "I have already lived too long
+not to have suffered sometimes. And yet my sufferings, intense though
+they were, were less painful than those of which I am conscious to-day.
+With the tenderness and pity which caused them was mingled something
+of their own divine sweetness. Now, on the contrary, my grief has the
+baseness and bitterness of an evil desire. My soul is desolate and the
+tears in my eyes are like an acid that burns them."
+
+So thought King Loc. And fearing that jealousy might make him unjust
+and wicked he avoided meeting the young girl, for fear that in spite of
+himself, he might use towards her the language of a man either weak or
+brutal.
+
+One day when he was more than ever tormented by the thought that
+Honey-Bec loved George, he decided to consult Nur, the most learned
+of all the dwarfs, who lived at the bottom of a well deep down in the
+bowels of the earth.
+
+This well had the advantage of an even and soft temperature. It was
+not dark, for two little stars, a pale sun and a red moon, alternately
+illumined all parts. King Loc descended into the well and found Nur in
+his laboratory. Nur looked like a kind little old man, and he wore a
+sprig of wild thyme in his hood. In spite of his learning he had the
+innocence and candour characteristic of his race.
+
+"Nur," said the king as he embraced him, "I have come to consult you
+because you know many things."
+
+"King Loc," replied Nur, "I might know a good deal and yet be an idiot.
+But I possess the knowledge of how to learn some of the innumerable
+things I do not know, and that is the reason I am so justly famous for
+my learning."
+
+"Well, then," said King Loc, "can you tell me the whereabouts at present
+of a young man by the name of George of Blanchelande?"
+
+"I do not know and I never cared to know," replied Nur. "Knowing as I
+do the ignorance, stupidity and wickedness of mankind, I don't trouble
+myself as to what they say or do. Humanity, King Loc, would be entirely
+deplorable and ridiculous if it were not that something of value is
+given to this proud and miserable race, inasmuch as the men are endowed
+with courage, the women with beauty, and the little children with
+innocence. Obliged by necessity, as are also the dwarfs, to toil,
+mankind has rebelled against this divine law, and instead of being, like
+ourselves, willing and cheerful toilers, they prefer war to work, and
+they would rather kill each other than help each other. But to be just
+one must admit that their shortness of life is the principal cause of
+their ignorance and cruelty. Their life is too short for them to learn
+how to live. The race of the dwarfs who dwell under the earth is happier
+and better. If we are not immortal we shall at least last as long as
+the earth which bears us in her bosom, and which permeates us with her
+intimate and fruitful warmth, while for the races born on her rugged
+surface she has only the turbulent winds which sometimes scorch and
+sometimes freeze, and whose breath is at once the bearer of death and
+of life. And yet men owe to their overwhelming miseries and wickedness
+a virtue which makes the souls of some amongst them more beautiful than
+the souls of dwarfs. And this virtue, O King Loc, which for the mind is
+what the soft radiance of pearls is for the eyes, is pity. It is taught
+by suffering, and the dwarfs know it but little, because being wiser
+than men they escape much anguish. Yet sometimes the dwarfs leave their
+deep grottoes and seek the pitiless surface of the earth to mingle with
+men so as to love them, to suffer with them and through them, and thus
+to feel this pity which refreshes the soul like a heavenly dew. This
+is the truth concerning men, King Loc. But did you not ask me as to the
+exact fate of some one amongst them?"
+
+King Loc having repeated his question, Nur looked into one of the many
+telescopes which filled the room. For the dwarfs have no books, those
+which are found amongst them have come from men, and are only used as
+playthings. They do not learn as we do by consulting marks on paper,
+but they look through telescopes and see the subject itself of their
+inquiry. The only difficulty is to choose the right telescope and get
+the right focus.
+
+There are telescopes of crystal, of topaz and of opal; but those whose
+lens is a great polished diamond are more powerful, and permit them to
+see the most distant objects.
+
+The dwarfs also have lenses of a translucent substance unknown to men.
+These enable the sight to pass through rocks and walls as if they were
+glass. Others, more remarkable still, reconstruct as accurately as a
+mirror all that has vanished with the flight of time. For the dwarfs, in
+the depths of their caverns, have the power to recall from the infinite
+surface of the ether the light of immemorial days and the forms and
+colours of vanished times. They can create for themselves a phantasm
+of the past by re-arranging the splinters of light which were once
+shattered against the forms of men, animals, plants and rocks, so that
+they again flash across the centuries through the unfathomable ether.
+
+The venerable Nur excelled in discovering figures of antiquity and even
+such, inconceivable though it may seem, as lived before the earth
+had assumed the shape with which we are familiar. So it was really no
+trouble at all for him to find George of Blanchelande.
+
+Having looked for a moment through a very ordinary telescope indeed, he
+said to King Loc:
+
+"King Loc, he for whom you search is with the nixies in their palace of
+crystal, from which none ever return, and whose iridescent walls adjoin
+your kingdom."
+
+"Is he there?" cried the king, "Let him stay!" and he rubbed his hands.
+"I wish him joy."
+
+And having embraced the venerable dwarf, he emerged out of the well
+roaring with laughter.
+
+The whole length of the road he held his sides so as to laugh at his
+ease; his head shook, and his beard swung backwards and forwards on his
+stomach. How he laughed! The little men who met him laughed out of sheer
+sympathy. Seeing them laugh made others laugh. A contagion of laughter
+spread from place to place until the whole interior of the earth was
+shaken as if with a mighty and jovial hiccough. Ha! ha! ha!
+
+
+
+
+XVII
+
+     Which tells of the wonderful adventure of George of
+     Blanchelande
+
+King Loc did not laugh long; indeed he hid the face of a very unhappy
+little man under the bed-clothes.
+
+He lay awake all night long thinking of George of Blanchelande, the
+prisoner of the nixies.
+
+So about the hour when such of the dwarfs as have a dairymaid for
+sweetheart go in her stead to milk the cows while she sleeps in her
+white bed with folded hands, little King Loc again sought the astute Nur
+in the depths of his well.
+
+"You did not tell me, Nur, what he is doing down there with the nixies?"
+
+The venerable Nur was quite convinced that the king was mad, though that
+did not alarm him because he knew if King Loc should lose his reason
+he would be a most gracious, charming, amiable and kindly lunatic. The
+madness of the dwarfs is gentle like their reason, and full of the most
+delicious fancies. But King Loc was not mad; at least not more so than
+lovers usually are.
+
+"I wish to speak of George of Blanchelande," he said to the venerable
+Nur, who had forgotten all about this young man as soon as possible.
+
+Thereupon Nur the wise placed a series of lenses and mirrors before
+the king in an order so exact that it looked like disorder, but
+which enabled him to show the king in a mirror the form of George of
+Blanchelande as he was when the nixies carried him away. By a lucky
+choice and a skilful adjustment of instruments the dwarf was able to
+reproduce for the love-sick king all the adventures of the son of that
+Countess to whom a white rose announced her end. And the following,
+expressed in words, is what the little man saw in all the reality of
+form and colour.
+
+When George was borne away in the icy arms of the daughters of the lake
+the water pressed upon his eyes and his breast and he felt that he was
+about to die. And yet he heard songs that sounded like a caress and his
+whole being was permeated by a sense of delicious freshness. When
+he opened his eyes he found himself in a grotto whose crystal columns
+reflected the delicate tints of the rainbow. At the end of the grotto
+was a great sea shell of mother-of-pearl iridescent with the tenderest
+colours, and this served as a dais to the throne of coral and seaweed
+of the Queen of the Nixies. But the face of the Sovereign of the waters
+shone with a light more tender than either the mother-of-pearl or the
+crystal. She smiled at the child which her women brought her, and her
+green eyes lingered long upon him.
+
+"Friend," she said at last, "be welcome into our world, in which you
+shall be spared all sorrow. For you neither dry lessons nor rough
+sports; nothing coarse shall remind you of earth and its toil, for you
+only the songs and the dances and the love of the nixies."
+
+And indeed the women of the green hair taught the child music and
+dancing and a thousand graces. They loved to bind his forehead with the
+cockle shells that decked their own tresses. But he, remembering his
+country, gnawed his clenched hands with impatience.
+
+Years passed and George longed with a passion unceasing to see the earth
+again, the rude earth where the sun burns and where the snow hardens,
+the mother earth where one suffers, where one loves, the earth where he
+had seen Honey-Bee, and where he longed to see her again. He had in the
+meantime grown to be a tall lad with a fine golden down on his upper
+lip. Courage came with the beard, and so one day he presented himself
+before the Queen of the Nixies and bowing low, said:
+
+"Madam, I have come, with your gracious permission, to take leave of
+you; I am about to return to Clarides."
+
+"Fair youth," the queen replied smiling, "I cannot grant you the leave
+you ask, for I guard you in my crystal palace, to make of you my lover."
+
+"Madam," he replied, "I am not worthy of so great an honour."
+
+"That is but your courtesy. What gallant cavalier ever believes that he
+has sufficiently deserved his lady's favour. Besides you are still too
+young to know your own worth. Let me tell you, fair youth, that we do
+but desire your welfare; obey your lady and her alone."
+
+"Madam, I love Honey-Bee of Clarides. I will have no other lady but
+her."
+
+"A mortal maid!" the queen cried, turning pale, but more beautiful
+still, "a coarse daughter of men, this Honey-Bee! How can you love such
+a thing?"
+
+"I do not know, but I know that I love her."
+
+"Never mind. It will pass."
+
+And she still held the young man captive by means of the allurements of
+her crystal abode.
+
+He did not comprehend the devious thing called a woman; he was more
+like Achilles among the daughters of Lycomedes than Tannhauser in the
+enchanted castle. And that is why he wandered sadly along the walls of
+the mighty palace searching for an outlet through which to escape; but
+he only saw the splendid and silent empire of the waves sealing his
+shining prison. Through the transparent walls he watched the blooming
+sea anemones and the spreading coral, while over the delicate streams of
+the madrepores and the sparkling shells, purple, blue, and gold fishes
+made a glitter of stars with a stroke of their tails. These marvels he
+left unheeded, for, lulled by the delicious songs of the nixies, he
+felt little by little his will broken and his soul grow weak. He was all
+indolence and indifference when one day he found by chance in a gallery
+of the palace, an ancient well-worn book bound in pigskin and studded
+with great copper nail-heads. The book, saved from some wreck in
+mid-ocean, treated of chivalry and fair ladies, and related at great
+length the adventures of heroes who went about the world redressing
+wrongs, protecting widows and succouring orphans for the love of justice
+and in honour of beauty. George flushed and paled with wonder, shame,
+and anger as he read these tales of splendid adventures. He could not
+contain himself.
+
+"I also," he cried, "will be a gallant knight. I also will go about the
+world punishing the wicked and succouring the unfortunate for the good
+of mankind and in the name of my lady Honey-Bee."
+
+With sword drawn and his heart big with valour he dashed across the
+crystal dwellings. The white ladies fled and swooned before him like the
+silver ripples of a lake. Their queen alone beheld his approach without
+a tremor; she turned on him the icy glance of her green eyes.
+
+"Break the enchantment which binds me," he cried, running towards her.
+"Open to me the road to earth. I wish to fight in the light of the
+sun like a cavalier. I wish to return to where one loves, to where one
+suffers, to where one struggles! Give back to me the life that is real
+and the light that is real. Give mc back my prowess! If not, I will kill
+you, you wicked woman!"
+
+With a smile she shook her head as if to refuse. Beautiful she was and
+serene. With all the strength that was in him George struck her; but his
+sword broke against her glittering breast.
+
+"Child!" she said, and she commanded that he be cast into a dungeon
+which formed a kind of crystal tunnel under her palace, and about which
+sharks roamed with wide-stretched monstrous jaws armed with triple rows
+of pointed teeth. At every touch it seemed as if they must crush the
+frail glass wall, which made it impossible to sleep in this strange
+prison.
+
+The extremity of this under-sea tunnel rested on a bed of rock which
+formed the vaulting of the most distant and unexplored cavern in the
+empire of the dwarfs.
+
+And this is what the two little men saw in a single hour and quite as
+accurately as if they had followed George all the days of his life.
+The venerable Nur, having described the dungeon scene in all its tragic
+gloom, addressed the King in much the same way as the Savoyards speak to
+the little children when they show their magic lanterns.
+
+"King Loc," he said, "I have shown you all you wished to see, and now
+that you know all I can add nothing more. It's nothing to me whether
+you liked what you saw; it is enough to know that what you saw was the
+truth. Science neither cares to please nor to displease. She is inhuman.
+It is not science but poetry that charms and consoles. And that is why
+poetry is more necessary than science. Go, King Loc, and get them to
+sing you a song."
+
+And without uttering a word King Loc left the well.
+
+
+
+
+XVIII
+
+     In which King Loc undertakes a terrible journey
+
+Having left the well of wisdom, King Loc went to his treasure house and
+out of a casket, of which he alone had the key, he took a ring which
+he placed on his finger. The stone set in the ring emitted a brilliant
+light, for it was a magic stone of whose power we shall learn more
+further on. Thereupon King Loc went to his palace, put on a travelling
+cloak and thick boots and took a stick; then he started on a journey
+across crowded streets, great highways, villages, galleries of porphyry,
+torrents of rock-oil, and crystal grottoes, all of which communicated
+with each other through narrow openings.
+
+He seemed lost in deep meditation and he uttered words that had no
+meaning. But he trudged on doggedly. Mountains obstructed his path
+and he climbed the mountains. Precipices opened under his feet and he
+descended into the precipices; he forded streams, he crossed horrible
+regions black with the fumes of sulphur. He trudged across burning
+lava on which his feet left their imprint; he had the appearance of a
+desperately dogged traveller. He penetrated into gloomy caverns into
+which the water of the ocean oozed drop by drop, and flowed like tears
+along the sea wrack, forming pools on the uneven ground where countless
+crustaceans increased and multiplied into hideous shapes. Enormous
+crabs, crayfish, giant lobsters and sea spiders crackled under the
+dwarfs feet, then crawled away leaving some of their claws behind, and
+in their flight rousing horrible molluscs and octopuses centuries old
+that suddenly writhed their hundred arms and spat fetid poison out of
+their bird-beaks. And yet King Loc went on undaunted. He made his way
+to the ends of these caverns, through the midst of a heaped up chaos of
+shelled monsters armed with spikes, with double saw-edged nippers, with
+claws that crept stealthily up to his neck and bleared eyes on swaying
+tentacles. He crept up the sides of the cavern by clinging to the rough
+surface of the rocks and the mailed monsters crept with him, but he
+never faltered until he recognised by touch a stone that projected from
+the centre of the natural arch. He touched the stone with his magic
+ring and suddenly it rolled away with a horrible crash, and at once a
+glory of light flooded the cavern with its beautiful waves and put to
+flight the swarming monsters bred in its gloom.
+
+As King Loc thrust his head into the opening through which daylight
+poured, he saw George of Blanchelande in his glass dungeon where he was
+lamenting grievously as he thought of Honey-Bee and of earth. For King
+Loc had undertaken this subterranean journey only to deliver the captive
+of the nixies.
+
+But seeing this huge dishevelled head, frowning and bearded, watching
+him from under his tunnel, George believed himself to be menaced by a
+mighty danger and he felt for the sword at his side forgetting that he
+had broken it against the breast of the woman with the green eyes. In
+the meantime King Loc examined him curiously.
+
+"Bah," said he to himself, "it is only a child!" And indeed he was only
+an ignorant child, and it was because of his great ignorance that he had
+escaped from the deadly and delicious kisses of the Queen of the Nixies.
+Aristotle with all his wisdom might not have done so well.
+
+"What do you want, fathead?" George cried, seeing himself defenceless,
+"why harm me if I have never harmed you?"
+
+"Little one," King Loc replied in a voice at once jovial and testy, "you
+do not know whether or not you have harmed me, for you are ignorant of
+effects and causes and reflections, and all philosophy in general. But
+we'll not talk of that. If you don't mind leaving your tunnel, come this
+way."
+
+George at once crept into the cavern, slipped down the length of the
+wall, and as soon as he had reached the bottom he said to his deliverer:
+
+"You are a good little man; I shall love you for ever; but do you know
+where Honey-Bee of Clarides is?"
+
+"I know a great many things," retorted the dwarf, "and especially that I
+don't like people who ask questions."
+
+Hearing this George paused in great confusion and followed his guide in
+silence through the dense black air where the octopuses and crustaceans
+writhed. King Loc said mockingly:
+
+"This is not a carriage road, young prince."
+
+"Sir," George replied, "the road to liberty is always beautiful, and I
+fear not to be led astray when I follow my benefactor."
+
+Little King Loc bit his lips. On reaching the gallery of porphyry
+he pointed out to the youth a flight of steps cut in the rock by the
+dwarfs, by which they ascend to earth.
+
+"This is your way," he said, "farewell."
+
+"Do not bid me farewell," George replied, "say I shall see you again.
+After what you have done my life is yours."
+
+"What I have done," King Loc replied, "I have not done for your sake,
+but for another's. It will be better for us never to meet again, for we
+can never be friends."
+
+"I would not have believed that my deliverance could have caused me such
+pain," George said simply and gravely, "and yet it does. Farewell."
+
+"A pleasant journey," cried King Loc, in a gruff voice.
+
+Now it happened that these steps of the dwarfs adjoined a deserted stone
+quarry less than a mile from the castle of Clarides.
+
+"This young lad," King Loc murmured as he went on his way, "has neither
+the wisdom nor the wealth. Truly I cannot imagine why Honey-Bee loves
+him, unless it is because he is young, handsome, faithful and brave."
+
+As he went back to the town he laughed to himself as a man does who has
+done some one a good turn. As he passed Honey-Bee's cottage he thrust
+his big head into the open window just as he had thrust it into the
+crystal tunnel, and he saw the young girl, who was embroidering a veil
+with silver flowers.
+
+"I wish you joy, Honey-Bee," he cried.
+
+"And you also, little King Loc, seeing you have nothing to wish for and
+nothing to regret."
+
+He had much to wish for, but, indeed, he had nothing to regret. And it
+was probably this which gave him such a good appetite for supper. Having
+eaten a huge number of truffled pheasants he called Bob.
+
+"Bob," said he, "mount your raven; go to the Princess of the Dwarfs and
+tell her that George or Blanchelande, long a captive of the nixies, has
+this day returned to Clarides."
+
+Thus he spoke and Bob flew off on his raven.
+
+
+
+
+XIX
+
+     Which tells of the extraordinary encounter of Jean the
+     master tailor, and of the blessed song the birds in the
+     grove sang to the duchess
+
+When George again found himself on the earth on which he was born, the
+very first person he met was Jean, the master tailor, with a red suit of
+clothes on his arm for the steward of the castle. The good man shrieked
+at sight of his young master.
+
+"Holy St. James," he cried, "if you are not his lordship George of
+Blanchelande who was drowned in the lake seven years ago, you are either
+his ghost or the devil in person."
+
+"I am neither ghost nor devil, good Jean, but I am truly that same
+George of Blanchelande who used to creep to your shop and beg bits
+of stuff out of which to make dresses for the dolls of my sister
+Honey-Bee."
+
+"Then you were not drowned, your lordship," the good man exclaimed. "I
+am so glad! And how well you look. My little Peter who climbed into my
+arms to see you pass on horseback by the side of the Duchess that Sunday
+morning has become a good workman and a fine fellow. He is all of that,
+God be praised, your lordship. He will be glad to hear that you are not
+at the bottom of the sea, and that the fish have not eaten you as he
+always declared. He was in the habit of saying many pleasant things
+about it, your lordship, for he is very amusing. And it is a fact that
+you are much mourned in Clarides. You were such a promising child. I
+shall remember to my dying day how you once asked me for a needle to
+sew with, and as I refused, for you were not of an age to use it without
+danger, you replied you would go to the woods and pick beautiful green
+pine needles. That is what you said, and it still makes me laugh.
+Upon my soul you said that. Our little Peter, also, used to say clever
+things. Now he is a cooper and at your service, your lordship."
+
+"I shall employ no one else. But give me news of Honey-Bee and the
+Duchess, Master Jean."
+
+"Alack, where do you come from, your lordship, seeing that you do not
+know that it is now seven years since the Princess Honey-Bee was stolen
+by the dwarfs of the mountain? She disappeared the very day you were
+drowned; and one can truly say that on that day Clarides lost its
+sweetest flowers. The Duchess is in deep mourning. And it's that which
+makes me say that the great of the earth have their sorrows just as well
+as the humblest artisans, if only to prove that we are all the sons of
+Adam. And because of this a cat may well look at a king, as the saying
+is. And by the same token the good Duchess has seen her hair grow white
+and her gaiety vanish. And when in the springtime she walks in her black
+robes along the hedgerow where the birds sing, the smallest of these is
+more to be envied than the sovereign lady of Clarides. And yet her grief
+is not quite without hope, your lordship; for though she had no tidings
+of you, she at least knows by dreams that her daughter Honey-Bee is
+alive."
+
+This and much else said good man Jean, but George listened no longer
+after he heard that Honey-Bee was a captive among the dwarfs.
+
+"The dwarfs hold Honey-Bee captive under the earth," he pondered; "a
+dwarf rescued me from my crystal dungeon; these little men have not all
+the same customs; my deliverer cannot be of the same race as those who
+stole my sister."
+
+He knew not what to think except that he must rescue Honey-Bee.
+
+In the meantime they crossed the town, and on their way the gossips
+standing on the thresholds of their houses asked each other who was
+this young stranger, but they all agreed that he was very handsome.
+The better informed amongst them, having recognised the young lord of
+Blanchelande, decided that it must be his ghost, wherefore they fled,
+making great signs of the cross.
+
+"He must be sprinkled with holy water," said one old crone, "and he will
+vanish leaving a disgusting smell of sulphur. He will carry away Master
+Jean, and he will of course plunge him alive into the fire of hell."
+
+"Softly! old woman," a citizen replied, "his lordship is alive and much
+more alive than you or I. He is as fresh as a rose, and he looks as if
+he had come from some noble court rather than from the other world. One
+does return from afar, good dame. As witness Francoeur the squire who
+came back from Rome last midsummer day."
+
+And Margaret the helmet-maker, having greatly admired George, mounted
+to her maiden chamber and kneeling before the image of the Holy Virgin
+prayed, "Holy Virgin, grant me a husband who shall look precisely like
+this young lord."
+
+So each in his way talked of George's return until the news spread
+from mouth to mouth and finally reached the ears of the Duchess who was
+walking-in the orchard. Her heart beat violently and she heard all the
+birds in the hedge-row sing:
+
+
+           "Cui, cui, cui,
+          Oui, oui, oui,
+     Georges de Blanchelande,
+          Cui, cui, cui.
+     Dont vous avez nourri l'enfance
+          Cui, cui, cui,
+          Est ici, est ici, est ici!
+          Oui, oui, oui."
+
+Francoeur approached her respectfully and said: "Your Grace, George de
+Blanchelande whom you thought dead has returned. I shall make it into a
+song." In the meantime the birds sang:
+
+     "Cucui, cui, cui, cui, cui,
+     Oui, oui, oui, oui, oui, oui,
+     Il est ici, ici, ici, ici, ici, ici."
+
+And when she saw the child who had been to her as a son, she opened her
+arms and fell senseless at his feet.
+
+
+
+
+
+XX
+
+     Which treats of a little satin shoe
+
+Everybody in Clarides was quite convinced that Honey-Bee had been stolen
+by the dwarfs. Even the Duchess believed it, though her dreams did not
+tell her precisely. "We will find her again," said George. "We will
+find her again," replied Francoeur. "And we will bring her back to her
+mother," said George.
+
+"And we will bring her back," replied Francoeur. "And we will marry
+her," said George.
+
+"And we will marry her," replied Francoeur. And they inquired among the
+inhabitants as to the habits of the dwarfs and the mysterious
+circumstances of Honey-Bee's disappearance.
+
+And so it happened that they questioned Nurse Maurille who had once been
+the nurse of the Duchess of Clarides; but now as she had no more milk
+for babies Maurille instead nursed the chickens in the poultry yard. It
+was there that the master and squire found her. She cried: "Psit! Psit!
+psit! psit! lil--lil--lil--lil--psit, psit, psit, psit!" as she threw
+grain to the chicks.
+
+"Psit, psit, psit, psit! Is it you, your lordship? Psit, psit, psit! Is
+it possible that you have grown so tall--psit! and so handsome? Psit,
+psit! Shoo! shoo, shoo! Just look at that fat one there eating the
+little one's portion! Shoo, shoo, shoo! The way of the world, your
+lordship. Riches go the rich, lean ones grow leaner, while the fat ones
+grow fatter. There's no justice on earth! What can I do for you, my
+lord? May I offer you each a glass of beer?"
+
+"We will accept it gladly, Maurille, and I must embrace you because you
+nursed the mother of her whom I love best on earth."
+
+"That's true, my lord, my foster child cut her first tooth at the age
+of six months and fourteen days. On which occasion the deceased duchess
+made me a present. She did indeed."
+
+"Now, Maurille, tell us all you know about the dwarfs who carried away
+Honey-Bee."
+
+"Alas, my lord, I know nothing of the dwarfs who carried her away. And
+how can you expect an old woman like me to know anything? It's ages ago
+since I forgot the little I ever knew, and I haven't even enough memory
+left to remember where I put my spectacles. Sometimes I look for them
+when they're on my nose. Try this drink; it's fresh."
+
+"Here's to your health, Maurille; but I was told that your husband knew
+something about the disappearance of Honey-Bee."
+
+"That's true, your lordship. Though he never was taught anything he
+learnt a great deal in the pothouses and the taverns. And he never
+forgot anything. Why if he were alive now and sitting at this table he
+could tell you stories until to-morrow. He used to tell me so many that
+they quite muddled my head and even now I can't tell the tail of one
+from the head of the other. That's true, your lordship."
+
+Indeed, it was true, for the head of the old nurse could only be
+compared to a cracked soup-pot. It was with the greatest difficulty that
+George and Francoeur got anything good out of it. Finally, however, by
+means of much repetition they did extract a tale which began somewhat as
+follows:
+
+"It's seven years ago, your lordship, the very day you and Honey-Bee
+went on that frolic from which neither of you ever returned. My deceased
+husband went up the mountain to sell a horse. That's the truth. He fed
+the beast with a good peck of oats soaked in cider to give him a firm
+leg and a brilliant eye; he took him to market near the mountain. He had
+no cause to regret his oats or his cider, for he sold his horse for
+a much better price. Beasts are like human beings; one judges them by
+their appearance. My deceased husband was so rejoiced at his good stroke
+of business that he invited his friends to drink with him, and glass in
+hand he drank to their health.
+
+"You must know, your lordship, that there wasn't a man in all Clarides
+could equal my husband when glass in hand he drank to the health of
+his friends. So much so that on that day, after a number of such
+compliments, when he returned alone at twilight he took the wrong
+road for the reason that he could not recognise the right one. Finding
+himself near a cavern he saw as distinctly as possible, considering his
+condition and the hour, a crowd of little men carrying a girl or a boy
+on a litter. He ran away for fear of ill-luck; for the wine had not
+robbed him of prudence. But at some distance from the cavern he dropped
+his pipe, and on stooping to pick it up he picked up instead a little
+satin shoe. When he was in a good humour he used to amuse himself by
+saying, 'It's the first time a pipe has changed into a shoe.' And as it
+was the shoe of a little girl he decided that she who had lost it in the
+forest was the one who had been carried away by the dwarfs and that it
+was this he had seen. He was about to put the shoe into his pocket when
+a crowd of little men in hoods pounced down on him and gave him such a
+thrashing that he lay there quite stunned."
+
+"Maurille! Maurille!" cried George, "it's Honey-Bee's shoe. Give it to
+me and I will kiss it a thousand times. It shall rest for ever on my
+heart, and when I die it shall be buried with me."
+
+"As you please, your lordship; but where will you find it? The dwarfs
+took it away from my poor husband and he always thought that they only
+gave him such a sound thrashing because he wanted to put it in his
+pocket to show to the magistrates. He used to say when he was in a good
+humour----"
+
+"Enough--enough! Only tell me the name of the cavern!"
+
+"It is called the cavern of the dwarfs, your lordship, and very well
+named too. My deceased husband----"
+
+"Not another word, Maurille! But you. Francoeur, do you know where this
+cavern is?"
+
+"Your lordship," replied Francoeur as he emptied the pot of beer, "you
+would certainly know it if you knew my songs better. I have written
+at least a dozen about this cavern, and I've described it without even
+forgetting a single sprig of moss. I venture to say, your lordship, that
+of these dozen songs, six are of great merit. And even the other six are
+not to be despised. I will sing you one or two...."
+
+"Francoeur," cried George, "we will take possession of this cavern of
+the dwarfs and rescue Honey-Bee."
+
+"Of course we will!" replied Francoeur.
+
+
+
+
+XXI
+
+     In which a perilous adventure is described
+
+That night when all were asleep George and Francoeur crept into the
+lower hall in search of weapons. Lances, swords, dirks, broadswords,
+hunting-knives and daggers glittered under the time-stained
+rafters--everything necessary to kill both man and brute. A complete
+suit of armour stood upright under each beam in an attitude as resolute
+and proud as if it were still filled with the soul of the brave man it
+had once decked for mighty adventures. The gauntlet grasped the lance in
+its ten iron fingers, while the shield rested against the plates of the
+greaves as if to prove that prudence is necessary to courage, and that
+the best fighter is armed as well for defence as for attack.
+
+From among all these suits of armour George chose the one that
+Honey-Bee's father had worn as far away as the isles of Avalon and
+Thule. He donned it with the aid of Francoeur, nor did he forget the
+shield on which was emblazoned the golden sun of Clarides. As for
+Francoeur, he put on a good old steel coat of mail of his grandfather's
+and on his head a casque of a bygone time, to which he attached a ragged
+and moth-eaten tuft or plume. This he chose merely as a matter of fancy
+and to give himself an air of rejoicing, for, as he justly reasoned,
+gaiety, which is good under every circumstance, is especially so in the
+face of great dangers.
+
+Having thus armed themselves they passed under the light of the moon
+into the dark open country. Francoeur had fastened the horses on
+the edge of a little grove near the postern, and there he found them
+nibbling at the bark of the bushes; they were swift steeds, and it took
+them less than an hour to reach the mountain of the dwarfs, through a
+crowd of goblins and phantoms.
+
+"Here is the cave," said Francoeur.
+
+Master and man dismounted and, sword in hand, penetrated into the
+cavern. It required great courage to attempt such an adventure; but
+George was in love and Francoeur was faithful, and this was a case in
+which one could say with the most delightful of poets:
+
+"What may not friendship do with Love for guide!"
+
+Master and man had trudged through the gloom for nearly an hour when
+they were astonished to see a brilliant light. It was one of the meteors
+which we know illumines the kingdom of the dwarfs. By the light of this
+subterranean luminary they discovered that they were standing at the
+foot of an ancient castle.
+
+"This," said George, "is the castle we must capture."
+
+"To be sure," said Francceur; "but first permit me to drink a few drops
+of this wine which I brought with me as a precaution, because the better
+the wine the better the man, and the better the man the better the
+lance, the better the lance the less dangerous the enemy."
+
+George, seeing no living soul, struck the hilt of his sword sharply
+against the door of the castle. He looked up at the sound of a little
+tremulous voice, and he saw at one of the windows a little old man with
+a long beard, who asked:
+
+"Who are you!"
+
+"George of Blanchelande."
+
+"And who do you want?"
+
+"I have come to deliver Honey-Bee of Clarides whom you unjustly hold
+captive in your mole-hill, hideous little moles that you are!"
+
+The dwarf disappeared and again George was left alone with Francoeur who
+said to him:
+
+"Your lordship, possibly I may exaggerate if I remark that in your
+answer to the dwarf you have not quite exhausted all the persuasive
+powers of eloquence."
+
+Francoeur was afraid of nothing, but he was old; his heart like his head
+was polished by age, and he disliked to offend people.
+
+As for George he stormed and clamoured at the top of his voice.
+
+"Vile dwellers in the earth, moles, badgers, dormice, ferrets, and
+water-rats, open the door and I'll cut off all your ears."
+
+But hardly had he uttered these words when the bronze door of the castle
+slowly opened of itself, for no one could be seen pushing back its
+enormous wings.
+
+George was seized with terror and yet he sprang through the mysterious
+door because his courage was even greater than his terror. Entering the
+courtyard he saw that all the windows, the galleries, the roofs, the
+gables, the skylights, and even the chimney-pots, were crowded with
+dwarfs armed with bows and cross-bows.
+
+He heard the bronze door close behind him and suddenly a shower of
+arrows fell thick and fast on his head and shoulders, and for the
+second time he was filled with a great fear, and for the second time he
+conquered his fear.
+
+Sword in hand and his shield on his arm he mounted the steps until
+suddenly he perceived on the very highest, a majestic dwarf who stood
+there in serene dignity, gold sceptre in hand and wearing the royal
+crown and the purple mantle. And in this dwarf he recognised the little
+man who had delivered him out of his crystal dungeon.
+
+Thereupon he threw himself at his feet and cried weeping:
+
+"O my benefactor, who are you? Are you one of those who have robbed me
+of Honey-Bee, whom I love?"
+
+"I am King Loc," replied the dwarf. "I have kept Honey-Bee with me
+to teach her the wisdom of the dwarfs. Child, you have fallen into my
+kingdom like a hail-storm in a garden of flowers. But the dwarfs, less
+weak than men, are never angered as are they. My intelligence raises me
+too high above you for me to resent your actions whatever they are. And
+of all the attributes that render me superior to you that which I guard
+most jealously is justice. Honey-Bee shall be brought before me and I
+will ask her if she wishes to follow you. This I do, not because you
+desire it, but because I must."
+
+A great silence ensued and Honey-Bee appeared attired all in white and
+with flowing golden hair. No sooner did she see George than she ran
+and threw herself in his arms and clasped his iron breast with all her
+strength.
+
+Then King Loc said to her:
+
+"Honey-Bee, is it true that this is the man you wish to marry?"
+
+"It is true, very true that this is he, little King Loc," replied
+Honey-Bee. "See, all you little men, how I laugh and how happy I am."
+
+And she began to weep. Her tears fell on her lover's face, but they were
+tears of joy; and with them were mingled tiny bursts of laughter and a
+thousand endearing words without sense, like the lisp of a little child.
+She quite forgot that the sight of her joy might sadden the heart of
+King Loc.
+
+"My beloved," said George, "I find you again such as I had longed for:
+the fairest and dearest of beings. You love me! Thank heaven, you
+love me! But, Honey-Bee, do you not also love King Loc a little, who
+delivered me out of the glass dungeon in which the nixies held me
+captive far away from you?"
+
+Honey-Bee turned to King Loc.
+
+"Little King Loc, and did you do this?" she cried. "You loved me, and
+yet you rescued the one I love and who loves me----"
+
+Words failed her and she fell on her knees, her head in her hands.
+
+All the little men who witnessed this scene deluged their cross-bows
+with tears. Only King Loc remained serene. And Honcy-Bee, overcome by
+his magnanimity and his goodness, felt for him the love of a daughter
+for a father.
+
+She took her lover's hand.
+
+"George," she said, "I love you. God knows how much I love you. But how
+can I leave little King Loc?"
+
+"Hallo, there?" King Loc cried in a terrible voice, "now you are my
+prisoners!"
+
+But this terrible voice he only used for fun and just as a joke, for he
+really was not at all angry. Here Francoeur approached and knelt before
+him.
+
+"Sire," he cried, "may it please your Majesty to let me share the
+captivity of the masters I serve?"
+
+Said Honey-Bee, recognising him:
+
+"Is it you, my good Francoeur? How glad I am to see you again. What a
+horrid cap you've got on! Tell me, have you composed any new songs?"
+
+And King Loc took them all three to dinner.
+
+
+
+
+XXII
+
+     In which all ends well
+
+The next morning Honey-Bee, George and Francoeur again arrayed
+themselves in the splendid garments prepared for them by the dwarfs, and
+proceeded to the banquet-hall where, as he had promised, King Loc,
+in the robes of an Emperor, soon joined them. He was followed by his
+officers fully armed, and covered with furs of barbarous magnificence,
+and in their helmets the wings of swans. Crowds of hurrying dwarfs came
+in through the windows, the air-holes and the chimneys, and rolled under
+the benches.
+
+King Loc mounted a stone table one end of which was laden with flagons,
+candelabra, tankards, and cups of gold of marvellous workmanship. He
+signed to Honey-Bee and to George to approach.
+
+"Honey-Bee," he said, "by a law of the nation of the dwarfs it is
+decreed that a stranger received in our midst shall be free after seven
+years. You have been with us seven years, Honey-Bee, and I should be a
+disloyal citizen and a blameworthy king should I keep you longer. But
+before permitting you to go I wish, not having been able to wed you
+myself, to betroth you to the one you have chosen. I do so with joy for
+I love you more than I love myself, and my pain, if such remains, is
+like a little cloud which your happiness will dispel. Honey-Bee of
+Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs, give me your hand, and you, George of
+Blanchelande, give me yours."
+
+Placing the hand of George in the hand of Honey-Bee he turned to his
+people and said with a ringing voice:
+
+"Little men, my children, you bear witness that these two pledge
+themselves to marry one another on earth. They shall go back together
+and together help courage, modesty, and fidelity to blossom, as roses,
+pinks, and peonies bloom for good gardeners."
+
+At these words the dwarfs burst into a mighty shout, but not knowing
+if they ought to grieve or to rejoice, they were torn by conflicting
+emotions.
+
+King Loc, again turning to the lovers, said as he pointed to the
+flagons, the tankards, all the beautiful art of the goldsmith:
+
+"Behold the gifts of the dwarfs. Take them, Honey-Bee, they will remind
+you of your little friends. It is their gift to you, not mine. What I am
+about to give you, you shall know before long."
+
+A lengthy silence ensued.
+
+With an expression sublime in its tenderness, King Loc gazed at
+Honey-Bee, whose beautiful and radiant head, crowned by roses, rested on
+her lover's shoulder.
+
+Then he continued:
+
+"My children, it is not enough to love passionately; you must also
+love well. A passionate love is good doubtless, but a beautiful love
+is better. May you have as much strength as gentleness; may it lack
+nothing, not even forbearance, and let even a little compassion be
+mingled with it. You are young, fair and good; but you are human,
+and because of this capable of much suffering. If then something of
+compassion does not enter into the feelings you have one for the other,
+these feelings will not always befit all the circumstances of your life
+together; they will be like festive robes that will not shield you from
+wind and rain. We love truly only those we love even in their weakness
+and their poverty. To forbear, to forgive, to console, that alone is the
+science of love."
+
+King Loc paused, seized by a gentle but strong emotion.
+
+"My children," he then continued; "may you be happy; guard your
+happiness well, guard it well."
+
+While he addressed them Pic, Tad, Dig, Bob, True, and Pau clung to
+Honey-Bee's white mantle and covered her hands and arms with kisses and
+they implored her not to leave them. Thereupon King Loc took from his
+girdle a ring set with a glittering gem. It was the magic ring which had
+unclosed the dungeon of the nixies. He placed it on Honey-Bee's finger.
+
+"Honey-Bee," he said, "receive from my hand this ring which will permit
+you, you and your husband, to enter at any hour the kingdom of the
+dwarfs. You will be welcomed with joy and succoured at need. In return
+teach the children that will be yours not to despise the little men, so
+innocent and industrious, who dwell under the earth."
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Honey-Bee, by Anatole France
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+
+<!DOCTYPE html
+   PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN"
+   "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" >
+
+<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" />
+    <title>
+      Honey-Bee, by Anatole France
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve">
+
+    body { margin:15%; text-align:justify}
+    P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; }
+    H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; }
+    hr  { width: 50%; text-align: center;}
+    .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; }
+    blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;}
+    .mynote    {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;}
+    .toc       { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;}
+    .toc2      { margin-left: 20%;}
+    div.fig    { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; }
+    div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; }
+    .figleft   {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;}
+    .figright  {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}
+    .pagenum   {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal;
+               margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%;
+               text-align: right;}
+    pre        { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;}
+
+</style>
+  </head>
+  <body>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Honey-Bee, by Anatole France
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Honey-Bee
+       1911
+
+Author: Anatole France
+
+Illustrator: Florence Lundborg
+
+Translator: Mrs. John Lane
+
+Release Date: May 9, 2008 [EBook #25405]
+Last Updated: March 3, 2019
+
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HONEY-BEE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="frontispiece (74K)" src="images/frontispiece.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="titlepage (48K)" src="images/titlepage.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h1>
+      HONEY-BEE
+    </h1>
+    <h2>
+      By Anatole France
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <h3>
+      A Translation By Mrs. John Lane <br /> <br /> Illustrated By Florence
+      Lundborg
+    </h3>
+    <h4>
+      Published by John Lane MCMXI
+    </h4>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <h4>
+      TO <br /><br /> H. B. H. &nbsp;&nbsp;DEAR AND LIFE-LONG FRIEND
+    </h4>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto" cellpadding="4" border="3">
+      <tr>
+        <td></td>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_INTR"> INTRODUCTION </a>
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td></td>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> <big><b>"HONEY-BEE"</b></big> </a>
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0003"> I </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which treats of the appearance of the country and serves as
+          Introduction
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0004"> II </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which we learn what the white rose meant to the Countess of
+          Blanchelande
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0005"> III </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Wherein begins the love of George of Blanchelande and Honey-Bee of
+          Claride
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0006"> IV </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which treats of Education in general, and George of Blanchelande’s in
+          particular
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0007"> V </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which tells how the Duchess took Honeybee and George to the Hermitage,
+          and of their encounter with a hideous old woman
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0008"> VI </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which tells of what can be seen from the Keep of Clarides
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0009"> VII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which is described how George and Honey-Bee went to the lake
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0010"> VIII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Wherein we shall see what happened to George of Blanchelande because
+          he approached the lake in which the nixies dwel
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0011"> IX </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Wherein we shall see how Honey-Bee was taken to the dwarfs
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0012"> X </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which we are faithfully told how King Loc received Honey-Bee of
+          Clarides
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0013"> XI </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which the marvels of the kingdom of the dwarfs are accurately
+          described as well as the dolls that were given to Honey-Bee
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0014"> XII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which the treasures of King Loc are described as well as the writer
+          is able
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0015"> XIII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which King Loc declares himself
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0016"> XIV </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which we are told how Honey-Bee saw her mother again, but could not
+          embrace her
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0017"> XV </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which we shall see how King Loc suffered
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0018"> XVI </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which an account is given of the learned Nur who was the cause of
+          such extraordinary joy to King Loc
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0019"> XVII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which tells of the wonderful adventure of George of Blanchelande
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0020"> XVIII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which King Loc undertakes a terrible journey
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0021"> XIX </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which tells of the extraordinary encounter of Jean the master tailor,
+          and of the blessed song the birds in the grove sang to the duchess
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0022"> XX </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which treats of a little satin shoe
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0023"> XXI </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which a perilous adventure is described
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0024"> XXII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which all ends well
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+    </table>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_INTR" id="link2H_INTR">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      INTRODUCTION
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      It is an honour, but, also, a great responsibility, to introduce through
+      the dangerous medium of a translation one of the most distinguished
+      writers of our time, and, probably, the greatest living master of style,
+      to a new world&mdash;the world of childhood. One is conscious that it is
+      as impossible to translate the charm and art of Anatole France as it is to
+      describe in dull, colourless words the exquisite perfume of the rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such as this translation is I offer it with diffidence, realising that I
+      have undertaken a difficult task. And yet I venture to do so for I long to
+      make known to English and American children one of the loveliest and
+      noblest of stories&mdash;a story overflowing with poetic imagination,
+      wisdom and humour, divine qualities to which the heart of the child is
+      always open as the flower to the dew.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I want young children as well as others, older only by accident of years,
+      but whose hearts are always young&mdash;which is the eternal youth&mdash;to
+      know the greatest French writer of his day, when, by the magic of his pen,
+      he, like them, becomes young, gentle and charming. I want them to learn to
+      love his &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; newest and sweetest of those darlings of
+      childhood who have come down to us from bygone ages, distant lands and
+      half-forgotten races, but who in their eternal charm appeal to all
+      children since children first heard those wonderful stories or pored over
+      treasured books that awaken the ardent young imagination to love, beauty,
+      romance and goodness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So, too, some day will &ldquo;Honey-Bee&rdquo; the golden-haired princess
+      of the dear, good dwarfs, join her enchanting companions, Cinderella,
+      Beauty and the Beast, Red Riding Hood, The Sleeping Beauty, The Frog
+      Prince, Puss in Boots, Aladdin, and all the others of that immortal galaxy
+      whose glorious destiny it has been to be beloved by childhood. May they
+      welcome &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; youngest of all. And so the Master,
+      supreme when he writes for men and women, will find open to him a new
+      world, purer and more beautiful, in the hearts of English and American
+      children.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A. E. L. <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h1>
+      &ldquo;HONEY-BEE&rdquo;
+    </h1>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0003" id="link2H_4_0003">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="026 (111K)" src="images/026.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      I
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which treats of the appearance of the country and serves as
+     Introduction
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The sea covers to-day what was once the Duchy of Clarides. No trace of the
+      town or the castle remains. But when it is calm there can be seen, it is
+      said, within the circumference of a mile, huge trunks of trees standing on
+      the bottom of the sea. A spot on the banks, which now serves as a station
+      for the customhouse officers, is still called &ldquo;The Tailor&rsquo;s
+      Booth,&rdquo; and it is quite probable that this name is in memory of a
+      certain Master Jean who is mentioned in this story. The sea, which
+      encroaches year by year, will soon cover this spot so curiously named.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such changes are in the nature of things. The mountains sink in the course
+      of ages, and the depths of the seas, on the contrary, rise until their
+      shells and corals are carried to the regions of clouds and ice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nothing endures. The face of land and sea is for ever changing. Tradition
+      alone preserves the memory of men and places across the ages and renders
+      real to us what has long ceased to exist. In telling you of Clarides I
+      wish to take you back to times that have long since vanished. Thus I
+      begin:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Countess of Blanchelande having placed on her golden hair a little
+      black hood embroidered with pearls....
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But before proceeding I must beg very serious persons not to read this. It
+      is not written for them. It is not written for grave people who despise
+      trifles and who always require to be instructed. I only venture to offer
+      this to those who like to be entertained, and whose minds are both young
+      and gay. Only those who are amused by innocent pleasures will read this to
+      the end. Of these I beg, should they have little children, that they will
+      tell them about my Honey-Bee. I wish this story to please both boys and
+      girls and yet I hardly dare to hope it will. It is too frivolous for them
+      and, really, only suitable for old-fashioned children. I have a pretty
+      little neighbour of nine whose library I examined the other day. I found
+      many books on the microscope and the zoophytes, as well as several
+      scientific story-books. One of these I opened at the following lines:
+      &ldquo;The cuttle-fish <i>Sepia Officinalis</i> is a cephalopodic mollusc
+      whose body includes a spongy organ containing a chylaqueous fluid
+      saturated with carbonate of lime.&rdquo; My pretty little neighbour finds
+      this story very interesting. I beg of her, unless she wishes me to die of
+      mortification, never to read the story of Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0004" id="link2H_4_0004">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="032 (113K)" src="images/032.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      II
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which we learn what the white rose meant to the Countess
+     of Blanchelande
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Having placed on her golden hair a little black hood embroidered with
+      pearls and bound about her waist a widow&rsquo;s girdle, the Countess of
+      Blanchelande entered the chapel where it was her daily custom to pray for
+      the soul of her husband who had been killed in single-handed combat with a
+      giant from Ireland.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That day she saw a white rose lying on the cushion of her <i>prie-Dieu</i>;
+      at sight of this she turned pale; her eyes grew dim; she bowed her head
+      and wrung her hand. For she knew that when a Countess of Blanchelande is
+      about to die she always finds a white rose on her <i>prie-Dieu</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Warned by this that her time had come to leave a world in which in so
+      short a time she had been wife, mother and widow, she entered the chamber
+      where her son George slept in the care of the nurses. He was three years
+      old. His long eyelashes threw a lovely shadow on his cheeks, and his mouth
+      looked like a flower. At sight of him, so helpless and so beautiful, she
+      began to weep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My little child,&rdquo; she cried in anguish, &ldquo;my dear little
+      child, you will never have known me and my image will fade for ever from
+      your dear eyes. And yet, to be truly your mother, I nourished you with my
+      own milk, and for love of you I refused the hand of the noblest cavaliers.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So speaking she kissed a medallion in which was her own portrait and a
+      lock of her hair, and this she hung about the neck of her son. A mothers
+      tear fell on the little one&rsquo;s cheek as he stirred in his cradle and
+      rubbed his eyes with his little hands. But the Countess turned her head
+      away and fled out of the room. How could eyes about to be extinguished for
+      ever bear the light of two dear eyes in which the soul was only beginning
+      to dawn?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She ordered a steed to be saddled and followed by her squire, Francoeur,
+      she rode to the castle of Clarides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Duchess of Clarides embraced the Countess of Blanchelande.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Loveliest! what good fortune brings you here?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The fortune that brings me here is not good. Listen, my friend. We
+      were married within a few years of each other, and similar fates have made
+      us widows. For in these times of chivalry the best perish first, and in
+      order to live long one must be a monk. When you became a mother I had
+      already been one for two years. Your daughter Honey-Bee is lovely as the
+      day, and my little George is good. I love you and you love me. Know then
+      that I have found a white rose on the cushion of my <i>prie-Dieu</i>. I am
+      about to die; I leave you my son.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Duchess knew what the white rose meant to the ladies of Blanchelande.
+      She began to weep and in the midst of her tears she promised to bring up
+      Honey-Bee and George as brother and sister, and to give nothing to one
+      which the other did not share.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Still in each other&rsquo;s arms the two women approached the cradle where
+      little Honey-Bee slept under light curtains, blue as the sky, and without
+      opening her eyes, she moved her little arms. And as she spread her fingers
+      five little rosy rays came out of each sleeve.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He will defend her,&rdquo; said the mother of George.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And she will love him,&rdquo; the mother of Honey-Bee replied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She will love him,&rdquo; a clear little voice repeated, which the
+      Duchess recognised as that of a spirit which for a long time had lived
+      under the hearth-stone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On her return to her manor the lady of Blanchelande divided her jewels
+      among her women and having had herself anointed with perfumed ointments
+      and robed in her richest raiment in order to honour the body destined to
+      rise again at the Day of Judgment, she lay down on her bed and fell asleep
+      never again to awaken.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0005" id="link2H_4_0005">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="038 (103K)" src="images/038.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      III
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Wherein begins the love of George of Blanchelande and Honey-
+     Bee of Claride
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Contrary to the common destiny which is to have more goodness than beauty,
+      or more beauty than goodness, the Duchess of Clarides was as good as she
+      was beautiful, and she was so beautiful that many princes, though they had
+      only seen her portrait, demanded her hand in marriage. But to all their
+      pleading she replied:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall have but one husband as I have but one soul.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      However, after five years of mourning she left off her long veil and her
+      black robes so as not to spoil the happiness of those about her, and in
+      order that all should smile and be free to enjoy themselves in her
+      presence. Her duchy comprised a great extent of country; moorlands,
+      overgrown by heather, covered the desolate expanse, lakes in which
+      fishermen sometimes caught magic fish, and mountains which rose in fearful
+      solitudes over subterraneous regions inhabited by dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She governed Clarides with the help of an old monk who, having escaped
+      from Constantinople and seen much violence and treachery, had but little
+      faith in human goodness. He lived in a tower in the company of birds and
+      books, and from this place he filled his position as counsellor by the aid
+      of a number of little maxims. His rules were these: &ldquo;Never revive a
+      law once fallen into disuse; always accede to the demands of a people for
+      fear of revolt, but accede as slowly as possible, because no sooner is one
+      reform granted than the public demands another, and you can be turned out
+      for acceding too quickly as well as for resisting too long.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Duchess let him have his own way, for she understood nothing about
+      politics. She was compassionate and, as she was unable to respect all men,
+      she pitied those who were unfortunate enough to be wicked. She helped the
+      suffering in every possible way, visited the sick, comforted the widows,
+      and took the poor orphans under her protection.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She educated her daughter Honey-Bee with a charming wisdom. Having brought
+      the child up only to do good, she never denied her any pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This good woman kept the promise she had made to the poor Countess of
+      Blanchelande. She was like a mother to George, and she made no difference
+      between him and Honey-Bee. They grew up together, and George approved of
+      Honey-Bee, though he thought her rather small. Once, when they were very
+      little, he went up to her and asked:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you play with me?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should like to,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will make mud pies,&rdquo; said George, which they proceeded to
+      do. But as Honey-Bee made hers very badly, George struck her fingers with
+      his spade. Whereupon Honey-Bee set up a most awful roar and the squire,
+      Francoeur, who was strolling about in the garden, said to his young
+      master:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not worthy of a Count of Blanchelande to strike young ladies,
+      your lordship.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whereupon George was seized with an ardent desire to hit Francoeur also
+      with his spade. But as this presented insurmountable difficulties, he
+      resigned himself to do what was easier, and that was to stand with his
+      nose against the trunk of a big tree and weep torrents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the meantime Honey-Bee took care to encourage her own tears by digging
+      her fists into her eyes; and in her despair she rubbed her nose against
+      the trunk of a neighbouring tree. When night came and softly covered the
+      earth, Honey-Bee and George were still weeping, each in front of a tree.
+      The Duchess of Clarides was obliged to come and take her daughter by one
+      hand and George by the other, and lead them back to the castle. Their eyes
+      were red and their noses were red and their cheeks shone. They sighed and
+      sobbed enough to break one&rsquo;s heart. But they ate a good supper,
+      after which they were both put to bed. But as soon as the candle was blown
+      out they re-appeared like two little ghosts in two little night-gowns, and
+      they hugged each other and laughed at the top of their voices.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And thus began the love of Honey-Bee of Clarides and George of
+      Blanchelande.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0006" id="link2H_4_0006">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="046 (114K)" src="images/046.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      IV
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which treats of Education in general, and George of Blanche
+     lande&rsquo;s in particular
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      So George grew up in the Castle side by side with Honey-Bee, whom he
+      affectionately called his sister though he knew she was not.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He had masters in fencing, riding, swimming, gymnastics, dancing, hunting,
+      falconry, tennis, and, indeed, in all the arts. He even had a
+      writing-master. This was an old cleric, humble of manner but very proud
+      within, who taught him all manner of penmanship, and the more beautiful
+      this was the less decipherable it became. Very little pleasure or profit
+      did George get out of the old cleric&rsquo;s lessons, as little as out of
+      those of an old monk who taught him grammar in barbarous terms. George
+      could not understand the sense of learning a language which one knows as a
+      matter of course and which is called one&rsquo;s mother tongue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He only enjoyed himself with Francoeur the squire, who, having knocked
+      about the world, understood the ways of men and beasts, could describe all
+      sorts of countries and compose songs which he could not write. Francoeur
+      was the only one of his masters who taught George anything, for he was the
+      only one who really loved him, and the only good lessons are those which
+      are given with love. The two old goggle-eyes, the writing-master and the
+      grammar-master, who hated each other with all their hearts, were, however,
+      united in a common hatred of the old squire, whom they accused of being a
+      drunkard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is true that Francoeur frequented the tavern &ldquo;The Pewter Pot&rdquo;
+      somewhat too zealously. It was here that he forgot his sorrows and
+      composed his songs. But of course it was very wrong of him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Homer made better verses than Francoeur, and Homer only drank the water of
+      the springs. As for sorrows the whole world has sorrows, and the thing to
+      make one forget them is not the wine one drinks, but the good one does.
+      But Francoeur was an old man grown grey in harness, faithful and
+      trustworthy, and the two masters of writing and grammar should have hidden
+      his failings from the duchess instead of giving her an exaggerated account
+      of them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Francoeur is a drunkard,&rdquo; said the writing-master, &ldquo;and
+      when he comes back from &lsquo;The Pewter Pot&rsquo; he makes a letter S
+      as he walks. Moreover, it is the only letter he has ever made; because if
+      it please your Grace, this drunkard is an ass.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The grammar-master added, &ldquo;And the songs Francoeur sings as he
+      staggers about err against all rules and are constructed on no model at
+      all. He ignores all the rules of rhetoric, please your Grace.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Duchess had a natural distaste for pedants and tale-bearers. She did
+      what we all would have done in her place; at first she did not listen to
+      them but as they again began to repeat their tittle-tattle, she ended by
+      believing them and decided to send Francoeur away. However, to give him an
+      honourable exile, she sent him to Rome to obtain the blessing of the Pope.
+      This journey was all the longer for Francoeur the squire because a great
+      many taverns much frequented by musicians separated the duchy of Clarides
+      from the holy apostolic seat. In the course of this story we shall see how
+      soon the Duchess regretted having deprived the two children of their most
+      faithful guardian.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0007" id="link2H_4_0007">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="052 (117K)" src="images/052.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      V
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which tells how the Duchess took Honeybee and George to the
+     Hermitage, and of their encounter with a hideous old woman
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      That morning, it was the first Sunday after Easter, the Duchess rode out
+      of the castle on her great sorrel horse, while on? her left George of
+      Blanchelande was mounted on a dark horse with a white star on his black
+      forehead, and on her right Honey-Bee guided her milk-white steed with
+      rose-coloured reins. They were on their way to the Hermitage to hear mass.
+      Soldiers armed with lances formed their escort and, as they passed, the
+      people crowded forward to admire them, and, indeed, all three were very
+      fair to see. Under a veil of silver flowers and with flowing mantle the
+      Duchess had an air of lovely majesty; while the pearls with which her coif
+      was embroidered shone with a soft radiance that well-suited the face and
+      soul of this beautiful lady. George by her side with flowing hair and
+      sparkling eyes was very good to see. And on the other side rode Honey-Bee,
+      the tender and pure colour of her face like a caress for the eyes; but
+      most glorious of all her fair tresses, flowing over her shoulders, held by
+      a circlet of gold surmounted by three gold flowers, seemed the shining
+      mantle of her youth and beauty. The good people said, on seeing her:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a lovely young damsel.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The master tailor, old Jean, took his grandson Peter in his arms to point
+      out |Honey-Bce to him, and Peter asked was she alive or was she an image
+      of wax, for he could not understand how any one could be so white and so
+      lovely, and yet belong to the same race as himself, little Peter with his
+      good big weather-beaten cheeks, and his little home-spun shirt laced
+      behind in country fashion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While the Duchess accepted the people&rsquo;s homage with gracious
+      kindness, the two children showed how it gratified their pride, George by
+      his blushes, Honey-Bee by her smiles, and for this reason the Duchess said
+      to them:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How kindly these good people greet us. For what reason, George? And
+      what is the reason, Honey-Bee?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So they should,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;s their duty,&rdquo; George added.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But why should it be their duty?&rdquo; asked the Duchess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And as neither replied, she continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will tell you. For more than three hundred years the dukes of
+      Clarides, from father to son, have lance in hand protected these poor
+      people so that they could gather the harvests of the fields they had sown.
+      For more than three hundred years all the duchesses of Clarides have spun
+      the cloth for the poor, have visited the sick, and have held the new-born
+      at the baptismal font. That is the reason they greet you, my children.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George was lost in deep thought: &ldquo;We must protect those who toil on
+      the land,&rdquo; and Honcy-Bee said: &ldquo;One should spin for the poor.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And thus chatting and meditating they went on their way through meadows
+      starred with flowers. A fringe of blue mountains lay against the distant
+      horizon. George pointed towards the east.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that a great steel shield I see over there?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh no,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s a round silver
+      clasp, as big as the moon.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is neither a steel shield nor a silver clasp, my children,&rdquo;
+      replied the Duchess, &ldquo;but a lake glittering in the sunshine. The
+      surface of this lake, which seen from here is as smooth as a mirror, is
+      stirred by innumerable ripples. Its borders which appear as distinct as it
+      cut in metal are really covered by reeds with feathery plumes and irises
+      whose flower is like a human glance between the blades of swords. Every
+      morning a white mist rises over the lake which shines like armour under
+      the midday sun. But none must approach it for in it dwell the nixies who
+      lure passers by into their crystal abodes.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment the bell of the Hermitage was heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us dismount,&rdquo; said the Duchess, &ldquo;and walk to the
+      chapel. It was neither on elephants nor camels that the wise men of the
+      East approached the manger.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="056 (75K)" src="images/056.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They heard the hermit&rsquo;s mass. A hideous old crone covered with rags
+      knelt beside the Duchesss, who on leaving the church offered her holy
+      water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Accept it, good mother,&rdquo; she said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George was amazed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you not know,&rdquo; said the Duchess, &ldquo;that in the poor
+      you honour the chosen of our Lord Jesus Christ? A beggar such as this as
+      well as the good Duke of Rochesnoires held you at the font when you were
+      baptized; and your little sister, Honey-Bee, also had one of these poor
+      creatures as godmother.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old crone who seemed to have guessed the boy&rsquo;s thoughts leaned
+      towards him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fair prince,&rdquo; she cried mockingly, &ldquo;may you conquer as
+      many kingdoms as I have lost. I was the queen of the Island of Pearls and
+      the Mountains of Gold; each day my table was served with fourteen
+      different kinds of fish, and a negro page bore my train.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And by what misfortune have you lost your islands and your
+      mountains, good woman?&rdquo; asked the Duchess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I vexed the dwarfs, and they carried me far away from my dominions.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are the dwarfs so powerful?&rdquo; George asked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As they live in the earth,&rdquo; the old woman answered, &ldquo;they
+      know the virtue of precious stones, they work in metals, and they unseal
+      the hidden sources of the springs.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what did you do to vex them?&rdquo; asked the Duchess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On a December night,&rdquo; said the old woman, &ldquo;one of them
+      came to ask permission to prepare a great midnight banquet in the kitchen
+      of the castle, which, vaster than a chapter-house, was furnished with
+      casseroles, frying-pans, earthen saucepans, kettles, pans, portable-ovens,
+      gridirons, boilers, dripping-pans, dutch-ovens, fish-kettles, copper-pans,
+      pastry-moulds, copper-jugs, goblets of gold and silver, and mottled wood,
+      not to mention iron roasting-jacks, artistically forged, and the huge
+      black cauldron which hung from the pothook. He promised neither to disturb
+      nor to damage anything. I refused his request, and he disappeared
+      muttering vague threats. The third night, it being Christmas, this same
+      dwarf returned to the chamber where I slept. He was accompanied by
+      innumerable others, who pulled me out of bed and carried me to an unknown
+      land in my nightgown. &lsquo;Such,&rsquo; they said as they left me,
+      &lsquo;such is the punishment of the rich who refuse even a part of their
+      treasure to the industrious and kindly dwarf folk who work in gold and
+      cause the springs to flow.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus said the toothless old woman, and the Duchess having comforted her
+      with words and money, she and the two children retraced their way to the
+      castle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0008" id="link2H_4_0008">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="062 (104K)" src="images/062.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      VI
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which tells of what can be seen from the Keep of Clarides
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      It was one day shortly after this that Honey-Bee and George, without being
+      observed, climbed the steps of the watch-tower which stands in the middle
+      of the Castle of Clarides. Having reached the platform they shouted at the
+      top of their voices and clapped their hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Their view extended down the hillside divided into brown and green squares
+      of cultivated fields. Woods and mountains lay dimly blue against the
+      distant horizon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little sister,&rdquo; cried George, &ldquo;little sister, look at
+      the whole wide world!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The world is very big,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee. &ldquo;My teachers,&rdquo;
+      said George, &ldquo;have taught me that it is very big; but, as Gertrude
+      our housekeeper says, one must see to believe.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They went the round of the platform.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is something wonderful, little brother,&rdquo; cried
+      Honey-Bee. &ldquo;The castle stands in the middle of the earth and we are
+      on the watch-tower in the middle of the castle, and so we are standing in
+      the middle of the earth. Ha! ha! ha!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And, indeed, the horizon formed a circle about the children of which the
+      watch-tower was the centre.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are in the middle of the earth! Ha! ha! ha!&rdquo; George
+      repeated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whereupon they both started a-thinking.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a pity that the world is so big!&rdquo; said Honey-Bee,
+      &ldquo;one might get lost and be separated from one&rsquo;s friends.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George shrugged his shoulders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How lucky that the world is so big! One can go in search of
+      adventures. When I am grown up I mean to conquer the mountains that stand
+      at the ends of the earth. That is where the moon rises; I shall seize her
+      as she passes, and I will give her to you, Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;give her to me and I will put
+      her in my hair.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then they busied themselves searching for the places they knew as on a
+      map.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I recognise everything,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, who recognised
+      nothing, &ldquo;but what are those little square stones scattered over the
+      hillside?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Houses,&rdquo; George replied. &ldquo;Those are houses. Don&rsquo;t
+      you recognise the capital of the Duchy of Clarides, little sister? After
+      all, it is a great city; it has three streets, and one can drive through
+      one of them. Don&rsquo;t you remember that we passed through it last week
+      when we went to the Hermitage?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what is that winding brook?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is the river. See the old stone bridge down there?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The bridge under which we fished for crayfish?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the one; and in one of the niches stands the statue of
+      the &lsquo;Woman without a Head.&rsquo; One cannot see her from here
+      because she is too small.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I remember. But why hasn&rsquo;t she got a head?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Probably because she has lost it.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without saying if this explanation was satisfactory, Honey-Bee gazed at
+      the horizon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little brother, little brother, just see what sparkles by the side
+      of the blue mountains? It is the lake.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the lake.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They then remembered what the Duchess had told them of these beautiful and
+      dangerous waters where the nixies dwell.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will go there,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George was aghast. He stared at her with his mouth wide open.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the Duchess has forbidden us to go out alone, so how can we go
+      to this lake which is at the end of the earth?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How can we go? I don&rsquo;t know. It&rsquo;s you who ought to
+      know, for you are a man and you have a grammar-master.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This piqued George who replied that one might be a man, and even a very
+      brave man, and yet not know all the roads on earth. Whereupon Honey-Bee
+      said drily with a little air of scorn which made him blush to his ears:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I never said <i>I</i> would conquer the blue mountains or take down
+      the moon. I don&rsquo;t know the way to the lake, but I mean to find it!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George pretended to laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You laugh like a cucumber.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cucumbers neither laugh nor cry.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If they did laugh they would laugh like you. I shall go along to
+      the lake. And while I search for the beautiful waters in which the nixies
+      live you shall stay alone at home like a good girl. I will leave you my
+      needle-work and my doll. Take care of them, George, take good care of
+      them.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George was proud, and he was conscious of the humiliation with which
+      Honey-Bee covered him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gloomily and with head bowed he cried in a hollow voice:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well, then, we will go to the lake.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0009" id="link2H_4_0009">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="072 (87K)" src="images/072.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      VII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which is described how George and Honey-Bee went to the
+     lake
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The next day after the midday meal, the Duchess having gone to her own
+      room George took Honey-Bee by the hand. &ldquo;Now come!&rdquo; he said.
+      &ldquo;Where?&rdquo; &ldquo;Hush!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They crept down stairs and crossed the courtyard. After they had passed
+      the postern, Honey-Bee again asked where they were going.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To the lake,&rdquo; George said resolutely. Honey-Bee opened her
+      mouth wide but remained speechless. To go so far without permission and in
+      satin shoes! For her shoes were of satin. There was no sense in it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must go and there is no need to be sensible.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was George&rsquo;s proud reply. She had once humiliated him and now
+      she pretended to be astonished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This time it was he who disdainfully sent her back to her dolls. Girls
+      always tempt one on to adventures and then run away. So mean! She could
+      remain. He&rsquo;d go alone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She clung to his arm; he pushed her away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She hung about his neck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little brother,&rdquo; she sobbed, &ldquo;I will follow you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He allowed himself to be moved by such touching repentance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come then, but not through the town; we may be seen. We will follow
+      the ramparts and then we can reach the highway by a cross road.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And so they went hand in hand while George explained his plans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will follow the road we took to the Hermitage and then we shall
+      be sure to see the lake, just as we did the other day, and then we can
+      cross the fields in a bee line.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A bee line&rdquo; is the pretty rustic way of saying a straight
+      line; and they both laughed because of the young girl&rsquo;s name which
+      fitted in so oddly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee picked flowers along the ditches; she made a posy of
+      marshmallows, white mullein, asters and chrysanthemums; the flowers faded
+      in her little hands and it was pitiful to see them when Honey-Bee crossed
+      the old stone bridge. As she did not know what to do with them she decided
+      to throw them into the water to refresh them, but finally she preferred to
+      give them to the &ldquo;Woman without a head.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She begged George to lift her in his arms so as to make her tall enough,
+      and she placed her armful of wild flowers between the folded hands of the
+      old stone figure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After she was far away she looked back and saw a pigeon resting on the
+      shoulder of the statue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When they had been walking some time, said Honey-bee, &ldquo;I am thirsty.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So am I,&rdquo; George replied, &ldquo;but the river is far behind
+      us, and I see neither brook nor fountain.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The sun is so hot that he has drunk them all up. What shall we do?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So they talked and lamented when they saw a peasant woman approach who
+      carried a basket of fruit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cherries!&rdquo; cried George. &ldquo;How unlucky: I have no money
+      to buy any.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have money,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She pulled out of her pocket a little purse in which were five pieces of
+      gold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good woman,&rdquo; she said to the peasant, &ldquo;will you give me
+      as many cherries as my frock will hold?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And she raised her little skirt with her two hands. The woman threw in two
+      or three handfuls of cherries. With one hand Honey-Bee held the uplifted
+      skirt and with the other she offered the woman a gold piece.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that enough?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The woman clutched the gold piece which would amply have paid not only for
+      the cherries in the basket but for the tree on which they grew and the
+      plot of land on which the tree stood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The artful one replied:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;m satisfied, if only to oblige you, little princess.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well then, put some more cherries in my brother&rsquo;s cap,&rdquo;
+      said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;and you shall have another gold piece.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was done. The peasant woman went on her way meditating in what old
+      stocking or under what mattress she should hide her two gold pieces.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And the two children followed the road eating the cherries and throwing
+      the stones to the right and the left. George chose the cherries that hung
+      two by two on one stem and made earrings for his little sister, and he
+      laughed to see the lovely twin fruit dangle its vermillion beauty against
+      her cheeks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A pebble stopped their joyous progress. It had got into Honey-Bee&rsquo;s
+      little shoe and she began to limp. At every step she took, her golden
+      curls bobbed against her cheek, and so limping she sat down on a bank by
+      the roadside. Her brother knelt down and took off the satin shoe. He shook
+      it and out dropped a little white pebble.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little brother,&rdquo; she said as she looked at her feet, &ldquo;the
+      next time we go to the lake we&rsquo;ll put on boots.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun was already sinking against the radiant sky; a soft breeze
+      caressed their cheeks and necks, and so, cheered and refreshed, the two
+      little travellers proceeded on their way. To make walking easier they went
+      hand in hand, and they laughed to see their moving shadows melt together
+      before them. They sang:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    Maid Marian, setting forth to find
+    The mill, with sacks of corn to grind,
+        Her donkey, Jan, bestrode.
+    My dainty maiden, Marian,
+    She mounted on her donkey, Jan,
+        And took the mill-ward road.*
+</pre>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     * Marian&rsquo; s&rsquo;en allant au moulin,
+     Pour y faire moudre son grain,
+          Ell monta sur son âne,
+     Ma p&rsquo;tite mam&rsquo;sell&rsquo; Marianne!
+     Ell&rsquo; monta sur son âne Martin
+          Pour aller au moulin.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      But Honey-Bee stopped:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have lost my shoe, my satin shoe,&rdquo; she cried. And so it
+      was. The little shoe, whose silken laces had become loose in walking, lay
+      in the road covered-with dust. Then as she looked back and saw the towers
+      of the castle of Clarides fade into the distant twilight her heart sank
+      and the tears came to her eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The wolves will eat us,&rdquo; she cried, &ldquo;and our mother
+      will never see us again and she will die of grief.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But George comforted her as he put on her shoe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When the castle bell rings for supper we shall have returned to
+      Clarides. Come!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    The miller saw her coming nigh
+    And could not well forbear to cry,
+        Your donkey you must tether.
+    My dainty maiden, Marian,
+    Tether you here your donkey, Jan,
+        Who brought us twain together.*
+</pre>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    * Le meunier qui la voit venir
+    Ne peut s&rsquo;empêcher de lui dire:
+        Attachez là votre âne,
+    Ma p&rsquo;tite Mam&rsquo;sell&rsquo; Marianne,
+    Attachez là votre âne Martin
+        Qui vous mène au moulin.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The lake, Honey-Bee! See the lake, the lake, the lake!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, George, the lake!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George shouted &ldquo;hurrah&rdquo; and flung his hat in the air.
+      Honey-Bee was too proper to fling hers up also, so taking off the shoe
+      that wouldn&rsquo;t stay on she threw it joyfully over her head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There lay the lake in the depths of the valley and its curved and sloping
+      banks made a framework of foliage and flowers about its silver waves. It
+      lay there clear and tranquil, and one could see the swaying of the
+      indistinct green of its banks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the children could find no path through the underbrush that would lead
+      to its beautiful waters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While they were searching for one their legs were nipped by some geese
+      driven by a little girl dressed in a sheepskin and carrying a switch.
+      George asked her name.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gilberte.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, Gilberte, how can one go to the lake?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Folks doesn&rsquo;t go.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because...&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But supposing folks did?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If folks did there&rsquo;d be a path, and one would take that path.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George could think of no adequate reply to this guardian of the geese.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s go,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;farther on we shall be sure
+      to find a way through the woods.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And we will pick nuts and eat them,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;for
+      I am hungry. The next time we go to the lake we must bring a satchel full
+      of good things to eat.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That we will, little sister,&rdquo; said George. &ldquo;And I quite
+      agree with Francoeur, our squire, who when he went to Rome, took a ham
+      with him, in case he should hunger, and a flask lest he should be thirsty.
+      But hurry, for it is growing late, though I don&rsquo;t know the time.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The shepherdesses know by looking at the sun,&rdquo; said
+      Honey-Bee; &ldquo;but I am not a shepherdess. Yet it seems to me that when
+      we left the sun was over our head, and now it is down there, far behind
+      the town and castle of Clarides. I wonder if this happens every day and
+      what it means?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While they looked at the sun a cloud of dust rose up from the high road,
+      and they saw some cavaliers with glittering weapons ride past at full
+      speed. The children hid in the underbrush in great terror. &ldquo;They are
+      thieves or probably ogres,&rdquo; they thought. They were really guards
+      sent by the Duchess of Clarides in search of the little truants.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two little adventurers found a footpath in the underbrush, not a
+      lovers&rsquo; lane, for it was impossible to walk side by side holding
+      hands as is the fashion of lovers. Nor could the print of human footsteps
+      be seen, but only indentations left by innumerable tiny cloven feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Those are the feet of little devils,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or deer,&rdquo; suggested George.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The matter was never explained. But what is certain is that the footpath
+      descended in a gentle slope towards the edge of the lake which lay before
+      the two children in all its languorous and silent beauty. The willows
+      surrounded its banks with their tender foliage. The slender blades of the
+      reeds with their delicate plumes swayed lightly over the water. They
+      formed tremulous islands about which the water-lilies spread their great
+      heart-shaped leaves and snow-white flowers. Over these blossoming islands
+      dragon-flies, all emerald or azure, with wings of flame, sped their shrill
+      flight in suddenly altered curves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The children plunged their burning feet with joy in the damp sand
+      overgrown with tufted horse-tails and the reed-mace with its slender
+      lance. The sweet flag wafted towards them its humble fragrance and the
+      water plantain unrolled about them its filaments of lace on the margin of
+      the sleeping waters which the willow-herb starred with its purple flowers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0010" id="link2H_4_0010">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="090 (112K)" src="images/090.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      VIII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Wherein we shall see what happened to George of Blanchelande
+     because he approached the lake in which the nixies dwel
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee crossed the sand between two clumps of willows, and the little
+      spirit of the place leaped into the water in front of her, leaving circles
+      that grew greater and greater and finally vanished. This spirit was a
+      little green frog with a white belly. All was silent; a fresh breeze swept
+      over the clear lake whose every ripple had the gracious curve of a smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This lake is pretty,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;but my feet are
+      bleeding in my little torn shoes, and I am very hungry. I wish I were back
+      in the castle.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little sister,&rdquo; said George, &ldquo;sit down on the grass. I
+      will wrap your feet in leaves to cool them; then I will go in search of
+      supper for you. High up along the road I saw some ripe blackberries. I
+      will fetch you the sweetest and best in my hat. Give me your handkerchief;
+      I will fill it with strawberries, for there are strawberries near here
+      along the footpath under the shade of the trees. And I will fill my
+      pockets with nuts.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He made a bed of moss for Honey-Bee under a willow on the edge of the
+      lake, and then he left her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee lay with folded hands on her little mossy bed and watched the
+      light of the first stars tremble in the pale sky; then her eyes half
+      closed, and yet it seemed to her as if overhead she saw a little dwarf
+      mounted on a raven. It was not fancy. For having reined in the black bird
+      who was gnawing at the bridle, the dwarf stopped just above the young girl
+      and stared down at her with his round eyes. Whereupon he disappeared at
+      full gallop. All this Honey-Bee saw vaguely and then she fell asleep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She was still asleep when George returned with the fruit he had gathered,
+      which he placed at her side. Then he climbed down to the lake while he
+      waited for her to awaken. The lake slept under its delicate crown of
+      verdure. A light mist swept softly over the waters. Suddenly the moon
+      appeared between the branches, and then the waves were strewn as if with
+      countless stars.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But George could see that the lights which irradiated the waters were not
+      all the broken reflections of the moon, for blue flames advanced in
+      circles, swaying and undulating as if in a dance. Soon he saw that the
+      blue flames flickered over the white faces of women, beautiful faces
+      rising on the crests of the waves and crowned with sea-weeds and
+      sea-shells, with sea-green tresses floating over their shoulders and veils
+      flowing from under their breasts that shimmered with pearls. The child
+      recognised the nixies and tried to flee. But already their cold white arms
+      had seized him, and in spite of his struggles and cries he was borne
+      across the waters along the galleries of porphyry and crystal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0011" id="link2H_4_0011">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="098 (115K)" src="images/098.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      IX
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Wherein we shall see how Honey-Bee was taken to the dwarfs
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The moon had risen over the lake and the water now only showed broken
+      reflections of its disc. Honey-Bee still slept. The dwarf who had watched
+      her came back again on his raven followed this time by a crowd of little
+      men. They were very little men. Their white beards hung down to their
+      knees. They looked like old men with the figures of children. By their
+      leathern aprons and the hammers which hung from their belts one could see
+      that they were workers in metals. They had a curious gait, for they leaped
+      to amazing heights and turned the most extraordinary somersaults, and
+      showed the most inconceivable agility that made them seem more like
+      spirits than human beings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yet while cutting their most foolhardy capers they preserved an
+      unalterable gravity of demeanour, to such a degree that it was quite
+      impossible to make out their real characters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They placed themselves in a circle about the sleeping child.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now then,&rdquo; said the smallest of the dwarfs from the heights
+      of his plumed charger; &ldquo;now then, did I deceive you when I said that
+      the loveliest of princesses was lying asleep on the borders of the lake,
+      and do you not thank me for bringing you here?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We thank you, Bob,&rdquo; replied one of the dwarfs who looked like
+      an elderly poet, &ldquo;indeed there is nothing lovelier in the world than
+      this young damsel. She is more rosy than the dawn which rises on the
+      mountains, and the gold we forge is not so bright as the gold of her
+      tresses.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very good, Pic, nothing can be truer,&rdquo; cried the dwarfs,
+      &ldquo;but what shall we do with this lovely little lady?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Pic, who looked like a very elderly poet, did not reply to this question,
+      probably because he knew no better than they what to do with this pretty
+      lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us build a large cage and put her in,&rdquo; a dwarf by the
+      name of Rug suggested.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Against this another dwarf called Dig vehemently protested. It was Dig&rsquo;s
+      opinion that only wild beasts were ever put into cages, and there was
+      nothing yet to prove that the pretty lady was one of these.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Rug clung to his idea for the reason possibly that he had no other. He
+      defended it with much subtlety. Said he:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If this person is not savage she will certainly become so as a
+      result of the cage, which will be therefore not only useful but
+      indispensable.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This reasoning displeased the dwarfs, and one of them named Tad denounced
+      it with much indignation. He was such a good dwarf. He proposed to take
+      the beautiful child back to her kindred who must be great nobles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But this advice was rejected as being contrary to the custom of the
+      dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We ought to follow the ways of justice not custom,&rdquo; said Tad.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But no one paid any further attention to him and the assembly broke into a
+      tumult as a dwarf named Pau, a simple soul but just, gave his advice in
+      these terms:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must begin by awakening this young lady, seeing she declines to
+      awake of herself; if she spends the night here her eyelids will be swollen
+      to-morrow and her beauty will be much impaired, for it is very unhealthy
+      to sleep in a wood on the borders of a lake.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This opinion met with general approval as it did not clash with any other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Pic, who looked like an elderly poet burdened with care, approached the
+      young girl and looked at her very intently, under the impression that a
+      single one of his glances would be quite sufficient to rouse the dreamer
+      out of the deepest sleep. But Pic was quite mistaken as to the power of
+      his glance, for Honey-Bee continued to sleep with folded hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seeing this the good Tad pulled her gently by her sleeve. Thereupon she
+      partly opened her eyes and raised herself on her elbow. When she found
+      herself lying on a bed of moss surrounded by dwarfs she thought what she
+      saw was nothing but a dream, and she rubbed her eyes to open them, so that
+      instead of this fantastic vision she should see the pure light of morning
+      as it entered her little blue room in which she thought she was. For her
+      mind, heavy with sleep, did not recall to her the adventure of the lake.
+      But indeed, it was useless to rub her eyes, the dwarfs did not vanish, and
+      so she was obliged to believe that they were real.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then she looked about with frightened eyes and saw the forest and
+      remembered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;George! my brother George!&rdquo; she cried in anguish. The dwarfs
+      crowded about her, and for fear of seeing them she hid her face in her
+      hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;George! George! Where is my brother George?&rdquo; she sobbed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dwarfs could not tell her, for the good reason that they did not know.
+      And she wept hot tears and cried aloud for her mother and brother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Pau longed to weep with her, and in his efforts to console, he addressed
+      her with rather vague remarks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not distress yourself so much,&rdquo; he urged, &ldquo;it would
+      be a pity for so lovely a young damsel to spoil her eyes with weeping.
+      Rather tell us your story, which cannot fail to be very amusing. We should
+      be so pleased.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She did not listen. She rose and tried to escape. But her bare and swollen
+      feet caused her such pain that she fell on her knees, sobbing most
+      pitifully. Tad held her in his arms, and Pau tenderly kissed her hand. It
+      was this that gave her the courage to look at them, and she saw that they
+      seemed full of compassion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Pic looked to her like one inspired, and yet very innocent, and perceiving
+      that all these little men were full of compassion for her, she said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little men, it is a pity you are so ugly; but I will love you all
+      the same if you will only give me something to eat, for I am so hungry.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bob,&rdquo; all the dwarfs cried at once, &ldquo;go and fetch some
+      supper.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And Bob flew off on his raven. All the same, the dwarfs resented this
+      small girl&rsquo;s injustice in finding them ugly. Rug was very angry. Pic
+      said to himself, &ldquo;She is only a child, and she does not see the
+      light of genius which shines in my eyes, and which gives them the power
+      which crushes as well as the grace which charms.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As for Pau, he thought to himself: &ldquo;Perhaps it would have been
+      better if I had not awakened this young lady who finds us ugly.&rdquo; But
+      Tad said smiling:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will find us less ugly, dear young lady, when you love us more.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke Bob re-appeared on his raven. He held a dish of gold on which
+      were a roast pheasant, an oatmeal cake, and a bottle of claret. He cut
+      innumerable capers as he laid this supper at the feet of Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little men,&rdquo; Honey-Bee said as she ate, &ldquo;your supper is
+      very good. My name is Honey-Bee; let us go in search of my brother, and
+      then we will all go together to Clarides where mama is waiting for us in
+      great anxiety.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Dig, who was a kind dwarf, represented to Honey-Bee that she was not
+      able to walk; that her brother was big enough to find his own way; that no
+      misfortune could come to him in a country in which all the wild beasts had
+      been destroyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will make a litter,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;and cover it with
+      leaves and moss, and we will put you on it, and in this way we will carry
+      you to the mountain and present you to the King of the Dwarfs, according
+      to the custom of our people.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All the dwarfs applauded. Honey-Bee looked at her aching feet and remained
+      silent. She was glad to learn that there were no wild beasts in the
+      country. And on the whole she was willing to trust herself to the kindness
+      of the dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They were already busy constructing the litter. Those with hatchets were
+      felling two young fir trees with resounding blows. This brought back to
+      Rug his original suggestion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If instead of a litter we made a cage,&rdquo; he urged.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But he aroused a unanimous protest. Tad looked at him scornfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are more like a human being than a dwarf, Rug,&rdquo; he said.
+      &ldquo;But at least it is to the honour of our race that the most wicked
+      dwarf is also the most stupid.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the meantime the task had been accomplished. The dwarfs leaped into the
+      air and in a bound seized and cut the branches, out of which they deftly
+      wove a basket chair. Having covered it with moss and leaves, they placed
+      Honey-Bee upon it, then they seized the two poles, placed them on their
+      shoulders and, then! off they went to the mountain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0012" id="link2H_4_0012">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="108 (112K)" src="images/108.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      X
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which we are faithfully told how King Loc received Honey-
+     Bee of Clarides
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      They climbed a winding path along the wooded slope of the hill. Here and
+      there granite boulders, bare and blasted, broke through the grey verdure
+      of the dwarf oaks, and the sombre purple mountain with its bluish ravines
+      formed an impassable barrier about the desolate landscape.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The procession, preceded by Bob on his feathered steed, passed through a
+      chasm overgrown with brambles. Honey-Bee, with her golden hair flowing
+      over her shoulders, looked like the dawn breaking on the mountains,
+      supposing, of course, that the dawn was ever frightened and called her
+      mother and tried to escape, for all these things she did as she caught a
+      confused glimpse of dwarfs, armed to the teeth, lying in ambush along the
+      windings of the rocks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With bows bent or lance at rest they stood immovable. Their tunics of wild
+      beast skins and their long knives that hung from their belts gave them a
+      most terrible appearance. Game, furred and feathered, lay beside them. And
+      yet these huntsmen, to judge only by their faces, did not seem very grim;
+      on the contrary, they appeared gentle and grave like the dwarfs of the
+      forest, whom they greatly resembled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In their midst stood a dwarf full of majesty. He wore a cock feather over
+      his ear, and on his head a diadem set with enormous gems. His mantle
+      raised at the shoulder disclosed a muscular arm covered with circlets of
+      gold. A horn of ivory and chased silver hung from his belt. His left hand
+      rested on his lance in an attitude of quiet strength, and his right he
+      held over his eyes so as to look towards Honey-Bee and the light.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;King Loc,&rdquo; said the forest dwarfs, &ldquo;we have brought you
+      the beautiful child we have found; her name is Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have done well,&rdquo; said King Loc. &ldquo;She shall live
+      amongst us according to the custom of the dwarfs.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; he said, approaching her, &ldquo;you are welcome.&rdquo;
+      He spoke very gently, for he already felt very kindly towards her. He
+      lifted himself on the tips of his toes to kiss her hand that hung at her
+      side, and he assured her not only that he would do her no harm, but that
+      he would try to gratify all her wishes, even should she long for
+      necklaces, mirrors, stuffs from Cashmere and silks from China.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish I had some shoes,&rdquo; replied Honey-Bee. Upon which King
+      Loc struck his lance against a bronze disc that hung on the surface of the
+      rock, and instantly something bounded like a ball out of the depths of the
+      cavern. Increasing in size it disclosed the face of a dwarf with features
+      such as painters give to the illustrious Belisarius, but his leather apron
+      proclaimed that he was a shoemaker. He was indeed the chief of the
+      shoemakers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True,&rdquo; said the king, &ldquo;choose the softest leather out
+      of our store-houses, take cloth-of-gold and silver, ask the guardian of my
+      treasures for a thousand pearls of the finest water, and with this
+      leather, these fabrics, and these pearls create a pair of shoes for the
+      lady Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words True threw himself at the feet of Honey-Bee and measured
+      them with great care.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;I want the pretty
+      shoes you promised at once, because as soon as I have them I must return
+      to Clarides to my mother.&rdquo; &ldquo;You shall have the shoes,&rdquo;
+      King Loc replied; &ldquo;you shall have them to walk about the mountain,
+      but not to return to Clarides, for never again shall you leave this
+      kingdom, where we will teach you wonderful secrets still unknown on earth.
+      The dwarfs are superior to men, and it is your good fortune that you are
+      made welcome amongst them.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is my misfortune,&rdquo; replied Honey-Bee. &ldquo;Little King
+      Loc, give me a pair of wooden shoes, such as the peasants wear, and let me
+      return to Clarides.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But King Loc made a sign with his head to signify that this was
+      impossible. Then Honey-Bee clasped her hands and said, coaxingly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc, let me go and I will love you very much.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will forget me in your shining world.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc, I will never forget you, and I will love you as
+      much as I love Flying Wind.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who is Flying Wind?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is my milk-white steed, and he has rose-coloured reins and he
+      eats out of my hand. When he was very little Francoeur the squire used to
+      bring him to my room every morning and I kissed him. But now Francceur is
+      in Rome, and Flying Wind is too big to mount the stairs.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc smiled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you love me more than Flying Wind?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed I would,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well said,&rdquo; cried the King.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed I would, but I cannot, I hate you, little King Loc, because
+      you will not let me see my mother and George again.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who is George?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;George is George and I love him.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The friendship of King Loc for Honey-Bee had increased prodigiously in a
+      few minutes, and as he had already made up his mind to marry her as soon
+      as she was of age, and hoped through her to reconcile men and dwarfs, he
+      feared that later on George might become his rival and wreck his plans. It
+      was because of this that he turned away frowning, his head bowed as if
+      with care.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee seeing that she had offended him pulled him gently by his
+      mantle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; she said, in a voice both tender and sad,
+      &ldquo;why should we make each other unhappy, you and I?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is in the nature of things,&rdquo; replied King Loc. &ldquo;I
+      cannot take you back to your mother, but I will send her a dream which
+      will tell her your fate, dear Honey-Bee, and that will comfort her.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; and Honey-Bee smiled through her tears,
+      &ldquo;what a good idea, but I will tell you just what you ought to do.
+      You must send my mother a dream every night in which she will see me, and
+      every night you must send me a dream in which I shall see her.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And King Loc promised, and so said, so done. Every night Honey-Bee saw her
+      mother, and every night the Duchess saw her daughter, and that satisfied
+      their love just a little.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0013" id="link2H_4_0013">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="118 (118K)" src="images/118.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XI
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which the marvels of the kingdom of the dwarfs are
+     accurately described as well as the dolls that were given to
+     Honey-Bee
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The kingdom of the dwarfs was very deep and extended under the greater
+      part of the earth. Though one only caught a glimpse of the sky here and
+      there through the clefts in the rocks, the roads, the avenues, the palaces
+      and the galleries of this subterraneous region were not plunged in
+      absolute darkness. Only a few spaces and caverns were lost in obscurity.
+      The rest was illumined not by lamps or torches but by stars or meteors
+      which diffused a strange and fantastic light, and this light revealed the
+      most astonishing marvels. One saw stupendous edifices hewn out of the
+      solid rocks, and in some places, palaces cut out of granite, of such
+      height that their tracery of stone was lost under the arches of this
+      gigantic cavern in a haze across which fell the orange glimmer of little
+      stars less lustrous than the moon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There were fortresses in this kingdom, of the most crushing and formidable
+      dimensions; an amphitheatre in which the stone seats formed a half-circle
+      whose extent it was impossible to measure at a single glance, and vast
+      wells with sculptured sides, in which one could descend forever and yet
+      never reach the bottom. All these structures, so out of proportion it
+      would seem to the size of the inhabitants, were quite in keeping with
+      their curious and fantastic genius.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dwarfs in pointed hoods pricked with fern leaves whirled about these
+      edifices in the airiest fashion. It was common to see them leap up to the
+      height of two or three storeys from the lava pavement and rebound like
+      balls, their faces meanwhile preserving that impressive dignity with which
+      sculptors endow the great men of antiquity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No one was idle and all worked zealously. Entire districts echoed to the
+      sound of hammers. The shrill discord of machinery broke against the arches
+      of the cavern, and it was a curious sight to see the crowds of miners,
+      blacksmiths, gold-beaters, jewellers, diamond polishers handle pickaxes,
+      hammers, pincers and files with the dexterity of monkeys. However there
+      was a more peaceful region.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here coarse and powerful figures and shapeless columns loomed in chaotic
+      confusion, hewn out of the virgin rock, and seemed to date back to an
+      immemorial antiquity. Here a palace with low portals extended its
+      ponderous expanse; it was the palace of King Loc.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Directly opposite was the house of Honey-Bee, a house or rather a cottage
+      of one room all hung with white muslin. The furniture of pine-wood
+      perfumed the room. A glimpse of daylight penetrated through a crevice in
+      the rock, and on fine nights one could see the stars.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee had no special attendants, for all the dwarf people were eager
+      to serve her and to anticipate all her wishes except the single one to
+      return to earth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The most erudite dwarfs, familiar with the pro-foundest secrets, were glad
+      to teach her, not from books, for dwarfs do not write, but by showing her
+      all the plants of mountains and plains, all the diverse species of
+      animals, and all the varied gems that are extracted from the bosom of the
+      earth. And it was by means of such sights and marvels that they taught
+      her, with an innocent gaiety, the wonders of nature and the processes of
+      the arts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They made her playthings such as the richest children on earth never have;
+      for these dwarfs were always industrious and invented wonderful machinery.
+      In this way they produced for her dolls that could move with exquisite
+      grace, and express themselves according to the strictest rules of poetry.
+      Placed on the stage of a little theatre, the scenery of which represented
+      the shores of the sea, the blue sky, palaces and temples, they would
+      portray the most interesting events. Though no taller than a man&rsquo;s
+      arm some of them represented respectable old men, others men in the prime
+      of life, and, others still, beautiful young girls dressed in white.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among them also were mothers pressing their innocent children to their
+      hearts. And these eloquent dolls acted as if they were really moved by
+      hate, love and ambition. They passed with the greatest skill from joy to
+      sorrow and they imitated nature so well that they could move one to
+      laughter or to tears. Honey-Bee clapped her hands at the sight. She had a
+      horror of the dolls who tried to be tyrants. On the other hand she felt a
+      boundless compassion for a doll who had once been a princess, and who, now
+      a captive widow, had no other resource alas, by which to save her child,
+      than to marry the barbarian who had made her a widow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee never tired of this game which the dolls could vary
+      indefinitely. The dwarfs also gave concerts and taught her to play the
+      lute, the viola, the theorbo, the lyre, and various other instruments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In short she became an excellent musician, and the dramas acted in the
+      theatre by the dolls taught her a knowledge of men and life. King Loc was
+      always present at the plays and the concerts, but he neither saw nor heard
+      anything but Honey-Bee; little by little he had set his whole heart upon
+      her. In the meantime months passed and even years sped by and Honey-Bee
+      was still among the dwarfs, always amused and yet always longing for
+      earth. She grew to be a beautiful girl. Her singular destiny had imparted
+      something strange to her appearance, which gave her, however, only an
+      added charm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0014" id="link2H_4_0014">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="126 (118K)" src="images/126.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which the treasures of King Loc are described as well as
+     the writer is able
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Six years to a day had passed since Honey-Bee had come to live with the
+      dwarfs. King Loc called her into his palace and commanded his treasurer to
+      displace a huge stone which seemed cemented into the wall, but which in
+      reality was only lightly placed there. All three passed through the
+      opening left by the great stone and found themselves in a fissure of rock
+      too narrow for two persons to stand abreast. King Loc preceded the others
+      along the dim path and Honey-Bee followed him holding to a tip of the
+      royal mantle. They walked on for a long time, and at intervals the sides
+      of the rocks came so close together that the young girl was seized with
+      terror lest she should be unable to advance or recede, and so would die
+      there. Before her, along the dark and narrow road floated the mantle of
+      King Loc. At last King Loc came to a bronze door which he opened and out
+      of which poured a blaze of light.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;I had no idea that
+      light could be so beautiful!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And King Loc taking her by the hand led her into the hall out of which the
+      light shone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See!&rdquo; he cried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee, dazzled, could sec nothing, for this immense hall, supported by
+      high marble columns, was a glitter of gold from floor to roof.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the end on a dais made of glittering gems set in gold and silver, the
+      steps of which were covered by a carpet of marvellous embroidery, stood a
+      throne of ivory and gold under a canopy of translucent enamel, and on each
+      side two palm-trees three thousand years old, in gigantic vases carved in
+      some bygone time by the greatest artists among the dwarfs. King Loc
+      mounted his throne and commanded the young girl to stand at his right
+      hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; said King Loc, &ldquo;these are my treasures.
+      Choose all that will give you pleasure.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Immense gold shields hung from the columns and reflected the sunlight, and
+      sent it back in glittering rays; swords and lances crossed had each a
+      flame at their point.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tables along the walls were laden with tankards, flagons, ewers, chalices,
+      pyxes, patens, goblets, gold cups, drinking horns of ivory with silver
+      rings, enormous bottles of rock crystal, chased gold and silver dishes,
+      coffers, reliquaries in the form of churches, scent-boxes, mirrors,
+      candelabra and torch-holders equally beautiful in material and
+      workmanship, and incense-burners in the shape of monsters. And on one
+      table stood a chessboard with chessmen carved out of moonstones.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Choose,&rdquo; King Loc repeated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But lifting her eyes above these treasures, Honey-Bee saw the blue sky
+      through an opening in the roof, and as if she had comprehended that the
+      light of day could alone give all these things their splendour, she said
+      simply:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc, I want to return to earth.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whereupon King Loc made a sign to his treasurer who, raising heavy
+      tapestries, disclosed an enormous iron-bound coffer covered with plates of
+      open ironwork. This coffer being opened out poured thousands of rays of
+      different and lovely tints, and each ray seemed to leap out of a precious
+      stone most artistically cut. King Loc dipped in his hands and there flowed
+      in glittering confusion violet amethysts and virgins&rsquo; stones,
+      emeralds of three kinds, one dark green, another called the honey emerald
+      because of its colour, and the third a bluish green, also called beryl,
+      which gives happy dreams; oriental topazes, rubies beautiful as the blood
+      of heroes, dark blue sapphires, called the male sapphire, and the pale
+      blue ones, called the female sapphire, the cymophanes, hyacinths,
+      euclases, turquoises, opals whose light is softer than the dawn, the
+      aquamarine and the Syrian garnet. All these gems were of the purest and
+      most luminous water. And in the midst of these coloured fires great
+      diamonds flashed their rays of dazzling white.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Choose, Honey-Bee,&rdquo; said King Loc. But Honey-Bee shook her
+      head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I would rather have a
+      single beam of sunlight that falls on the roof of Clarides than all these
+      gems.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then King Loc ordered another coffer to be opened, in which were only
+      pearls. But these pearls were round and pure; their changing light
+      reflected all the colours of sea and sky, and their radiance was so tender
+      that they seemed to express a thought of love.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Accept these,&rdquo; said King Loc
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; Honey-Bee replied, &ldquo;these pearls are
+      like the glance of George of Blanchelande; I love these pearls, but I love
+      his eyes even more.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hearing these words King Loc turned his head away. However he opened a
+      third coffer and showed the young girl a crystal in which a drop of water
+      had been imprisoned since the beginning of time; and when the crystal was
+      moved the drop of water could be seen to stir. He also showed her pieces
+      of yellow amber in which insects more brilliant than jewels had been
+      imprisoned for thousands of years. One could distinguish their delicate
+      feet and their fine antennae, and they would have resumed their flight had
+      some power but shattered like glass their perfumed prison.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These are the great marvels of nature; I give them to you,
+      Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; Honey-Bee replied, &ldquo;keep your amber
+      and your crystal, for I should not know how to give their freedom either
+      to the fly or the drop of water.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc watched her in silence for some time. Then he said, &ldquo;Honey-Bee,
+      the most beautiful treasures will be safe in your keeping. You will
+      possess them and they will not possess you. The miser is the prey of his
+      gold, only those who despise wealth can be rich without danger; their
+      souls will always be greater than their riches.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having uttered these words he made a sign to his treasurer who presented
+      on a cushion a crown of gold to the young girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Accept this jewel as a sign of our regard for you,&rdquo; said King
+      Loc. &ldquo;Henceforth you shall be called the Princess of the Dwarfs.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And he himself placed the crown on the head of Honcy-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0015" id="link2H_4_0015">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="134 (119K)" src="images/134.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XIII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which King Loc declares himself
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The dwarfs celebrated the crowning of their first princess by joyous
+      revels. Harmless and innocent games succeeded each other in the huge
+      amphitheatre; and the little men, with cockades of fern or two oak leaves
+      fastened coquettishly to their hoods, bounded gaily across the
+      subterranean streets. The rejoicings lasted thirty days. During the
+      universal excitement Pic looked like a mortal inspired; Tad the
+      kind-hearted was intoxicated by the universal joy; Dig the tender gave
+      expression to his delight in tears; Rug, in his ecstasy, again demanded
+      that Honey-Bee should be put in a cage, but this time so that the dwarfs
+      need not be afraid to lose so charming a princess; Bob, mounted on his
+      raven, filled the air with such cries of rapture that the sable bird,
+      infected by the gaiety, gave vent to innumerable playful little croaks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Only King Loc was sad.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the thirtieth day, having given the princess and the dwarf people a
+      festival of unparalleled magnificence, he mounted his throne, and so stood
+      that his kind face just reached her car.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My Princess Honcy-Bee,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I am about to make a
+      request which you are at liberty either to accept or to refuse. Honey-Bee
+      of Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs, will you be my wife?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, King Loc, grave and tender, had something of the gentle
+      beauty of a majestic poodle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; Honey-Bee replied, as she pulled his beard,
+      &ldquo;I am willing to become your wife for fun, but never your wife for
+      good. The moment you asked me to marry you I was reminded of Francoeur,
+      who when I was on earth used to amuse me by telling me the most ridiculous
+      stories.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words King Loc turned his head away, but not so soon but that
+      Honey-Bee saw the tears in his eyes. Then Honey-Bee was grieved because
+      she had pained him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; she said to him, &ldquo;I love you for the
+      little King Loc you are; and if you make me laugh as Francoeur did, there
+      is nothing in that to vex you, for Francoeur sang well and he would have
+      been very handsome if it had not been for his grey hair and his red nose.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee of Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs,&rdquo; the king
+      replied, &ldquo;I love you in the hope that some day you will love me. And
+      yet without that hope I should love you just the same. The only return I
+      ask for my friendship is that you will always be honest with me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc, I promise.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well then, tell me truly, Honey-Bee, do you love some one else
+      enough to marry him?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc, I love no one enough for that.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whereupon King Loc smiled, and seizing his golden cup he proposed, with a
+      resounding voice, the health of the Princess of the Dwarfs. An immense
+      uproar rose from the depths of the earth, for the banquet table reached
+      from one end to the other of the Empire of the Dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0016" id="link2H_4_0016">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="140 (115K)" src="images/140.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XIV
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which we are told how Honey-Bee saw her mother again, but
+     could not embrace her
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee, a crown on her head, was now more often sad and lost in thought
+      than when her hair flowed loose over her shoulders, and when she went
+      laughing to the forge and pulled the beards of her good friends Pic, Tad
+      and Dig, whose faces, red from the reflected flames, gave her a gay
+      welcome. But now these good dwarfs, who had once danced her on their knees
+      and called her Honey-Bee, bowed as she passed and maintained a respectful
+      silence. She grieved because she was no longer a child, and she suffered
+      because she was the Princess of the Dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was no longer a pleasure for her to see King Loc, since she had seen
+      him weep because of her. But she loved him, for he was good and unhappy.
+      One day, if one may say that there are days in the empire of the dwarfs,
+      she took King Loc by the hand and drew him under the cleft in the rock,
+      through which a sunbeam shone, along whose rays there danced a haze of
+      golden dust.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I suffer. You are a king
+      and you love me and I suffer.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hearing these words from the pretty damsel, King Loc replied:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I love you, Honey-Bee of Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs; and that
+      is why I have held you captive in our world, in order to teach you our
+      secrets, which are greater and more wonderful than all those you could
+      learn on earth amongst men, for men are less skilful and less learned than
+      the dwarfs.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;but they are more like me than
+      the dwarfs, and for that reason I love them better. Little King Loc, let
+      me see my mother again if you do not wish me to die.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without replying King Loc went away. Honey-Bee, desolate and alone,
+      watched the ray of light which bathes the whole face of nature and which
+      enfolds all the living, even to the beggars by the wayside, in its
+      resplendent waves. Slowly this ray paled, and its golden radiance faded to
+      a pale blue light. Night had come upon earth. A star twinkled over the
+      cleft in the rock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then some one gently touched her on the shoulder, and she saw King Loc
+      wrapped in a black cloak. He had another cloak on his arm with which he
+      covered the young girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And he led her out of the under-world. When she saw again the trees
+      stirred by the wind, the clouds that floated across the moon, the
+      splendour of the night so fresh and blue, when she breathed again the
+      fragrance of the herbage, and when the air she had breathed in childhood
+      again entered her breast in floods, she gave a great sigh and thought to
+      die of joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc had taken her in his arms; small though he was, he carried her as
+      lightly as a feather, and they glided over the ground like the shadows of
+      two birds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall see your mother again, Honey-Bee. But listen! You know
+      that every night I send her your image. Every night she sees your dear
+      phantom; she smiles upon it, she talks to it and she caresses it. To-night
+      she shall, instead, see you yourself. You will see her, but you must not
+      touch her, you must not speak to her, or the charm will be broken and she
+      will never again see you nor your image, which she does not distinguish
+      from you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I will be prudent, alas! little King Loc!... See! See!...&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sure enough the watch-tower of Clarides rose black on the hill. Honey-Bee
+      had hardly time to throw a kiss to the beloved old stone walls when the
+      ramparts of the town of Clarides, overgrown with gillyflowers already flew
+      past; already she was ascending the terrace, where the glow-worms glimmer
+      in the grass, to the postern, which King Loc easily opened, for the dwarfs
+      are masters of metals, nor can locks, padlocks, bolts, chains or bars ever
+      stop them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She climbed the winding stairs that led to her mother&rsquo;s room, and
+      she paused to clasp her beating heart with both her hands. Softly the door
+      opened, and by the light of a night lamp that hung from the ceiling she
+      saw her mother in the holy silence that reigned, her mother frailer and
+      paler, with hair grey at the temples, but in the eyes of her daughter more
+      beautiful even than in past days as she remembered her riding fearlessly
+      in magnificent attire. As usual the mother beheld her daughter as in a
+      dream, and she opened her arms as if to caress her. And the child,
+      laughing and sobbing, was about to throw herself into those open arms; but
+      King Loc tore her away, and like a wisp of straw he bore her through the
+      blue landscape to the Kingdom of the Dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0017" id="link2H_4_0017">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="148 (116K)" src="images/148.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XV
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which we shall see how King Loc suffered
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Seated on the granite step of the underground palace, Honey-Bee watched
+      the blue sky through the cleft in the rock, I and saw the elder-trees turn
+      their spreading white parasols to the light. She began to weep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; said King Loc as he took her hand in his, &ldquo;why
+      do you weep, and what is it you desire?&rdquo; And as she had been
+      grieving these many days, the dwarfs at her feet tried to cheer her with
+      simple airs on the flute, the flageolet, the rebeck, and the cymbals. And
+      other dwarfs, to amuse her, turned such somersaults one after the other
+      that they pricked the grass with the points of their hoods with their
+      cockades of leaves, and nothing could be more charming than to watch the
+      capers of these tiny men with their venerable beards. Tad so kind and Dig
+      so wise, who had loved her since the day they had found her asleep on the
+      shore of the lake, and Pic, the elderly poet, gently took her arm and
+      implored her to tell them the cause of her grief. Pau, a simple just soul,
+      offered her a basket of grapes, and all of them gently pulled the edge of
+      her skirt and said with King Loc:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee, Princess of the Dwarfs, why do you weep?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; Honey-Bee replied, &ldquo;and you, little
+      men, my grief only increases your love, because you are good; you weep
+      with me. Know that I weep when I think of George of Blanchelande, who
+      should now be a cavalier, but whom I shall never see again. I love him and
+      I wish to be his wife.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc took his hand away from the hand he had pressed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;why did you deceive me when you
+      told me at the banquet that you loved no one else?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; Honey-Bee replied, &ldquo;I did not deceive
+      you at the banquet. At that time I had no desire to marry George of
+      Blanchelande, but to-day it is my dearest wish that he should ask to marry
+      me. But he will never ask me, as I do not know where he now is, nor does
+      he know where I am. And this is the reason I weep.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words the musicians ceased playing; the acrobats interrupted
+      their tumbling and stood immovable, some on their heads and some on their
+      haunches; Tad and Dig shed silent tears on the sleeve of Honey-Bee; Pau,
+      simple soul, dropped his basket of grapes, and all the little men gave
+      vent to the most fearful groans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But King Loc, more unhappy than all under his splendid jewelled crown,
+      silently withdrew, his mantle trailing behind him like a purple torrent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0018" id="link2H_4_0018">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="156 (114K)" src="images/156.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XVI
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which an account is given of the learned Nur who was the
+     cause of such extraordinary joy to King Loc
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      King Loc did not permit the young girl to observe his weakness; but when
+      he was alone he sat on the ground and with his feet in his hands gave way
+      to grief. He was jealous. &ldquo;She loves him,&rdquo; he said to himself,
+      &ldquo;and she does not love me! And yet I am a king and very wise; great
+      treasures are mine and I know the most marvellous secrets. I am superior
+      to all other dwarfs, who are in turn superior to all men. She does not
+      love me but she loves a young man who not only has not the learning of the
+      dwarfs, but no other learning either.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It must be acknowledged that she does not appreciate merit&mdash;nor
+      has she much sense. I ought to laugh at her want of judgment; but I love
+      her and I care for nothing in the world because she does not love me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For many long days King Loc roamed alone through the most desolate
+      mountain passes, turning over in his mind thoughts both sad and,
+      sometimes, wicked. He even thought of trying by imprisonment and
+      starvation to force Honey-Bee to become his wife. But rejecting this plan
+      as soon as formed he decided to go in search of her and throw himself at
+      her feet. But he could come to no decision, and at last he was quite at a
+      loss what to do. The truth being that whether Honey-Bee would love him did
+      not depend on him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly his anger turned against George of Blanchelande; and he hoped
+      that the young man had been carried far away by some enchanter, and that
+      at any rate, should he ever hear of Honey-Bee&rsquo;s love, he would
+      disdain it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Without being old,&rdquo; the king meditated, &ldquo;I have already
+      lived too long not to have suffered sometimes. And yet my sufferings,
+      intense though they were, were less painful than those of which I am
+      conscious to-day. With the tenderness and pity which caused them was
+      mingled something of their own divine sweetness. Now, on the contrary, my
+      grief has the baseness and bitterness of an evil desire. My soul is
+      desolate and the tears in my eyes are like an acid that burns them.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So thought King Loc. And fearing that jealousy might make him unjust and
+      wicked he avoided meeting the young girl, for fear that in spite of
+      himself, he might use towards her the language of a man either weak or
+      brutal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One day when he was more than ever tormented by the thought that Honey-Bec
+      loved George, he decided to consult Nur, the most learned of all the
+      dwarfs, who lived at the bottom of a well deep down in the bowels of the
+      earth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This well had the advantage of an even and soft temperature. It was not
+      dark, for two little stars, a pale sun and a red moon, alternately
+      illumined all parts. King Loc descended into the well and found Nur in his
+      laboratory. Nur looked like a kind little old man, and he wore a sprig of
+      wild thyme in his hood. In spite of his learning he had the innocence and
+      candour characteristic of his race.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nur,&rdquo; said the king as he embraced him, &ldquo;I have come to
+      consult you because you know many things.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;King Loc,&rdquo; replied Nur, &ldquo;I might know a good deal and
+      yet be an idiot. But I possess the knowledge of how to learn some of the
+      innumerable things I do not know, and that is the reason I am so justly
+      famous for my learning.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then,&rdquo; said King Loc, &ldquo;can you tell me the
+      whereabouts at present of a young man by the name of George of
+      Blanchelande?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know and I never cared to know,&rdquo; replied Nur.
+      &ldquo;Knowing as I do the ignorance, stupidity and wickedness of mankind,
+      I don&rsquo;t trouble myself as to what they say or do. Humanity, King
+      Loc, would be entirely deplorable and ridiculous if it were not that
+      something of value is given to this proud and miserable race, inasmuch as
+      the men are endowed with courage, the women with beauty, and the little
+      children with innocence. Obliged by necessity, as are also the dwarfs, to
+      toil, mankind has rebelled against this divine law, and instead of being,
+      like ourselves, willing and cheerful toilers, they prefer war to work, and
+      they would rather kill each other than help each other. But to be just one
+      must admit that their shortness of life is the principal cause of their
+      ignorance and cruelty. Their life is too short for them to learn how to
+      live. The race of the dwarfs who dwell under the earth is happier and
+      better. If we are not immortal we shall at least last as long as the earth
+      which bears us in her bosom, and which permeates us with her intimate and
+      fruitful warmth, while for the races born on her rugged surface she has
+      only the turbulent winds which sometimes scorch and sometimes freeze, and
+      whose breath is at once the bearer of death and of life. And yet men owe
+      to their overwhelming miseries and wickedness a virtue which makes the
+      souls of some amongst them more beautiful than the souls of dwarfs. And
+      this virtue, O King Loc, which for the mind is what the soft radiance of
+      pearls is for the eyes, is pity. It is taught by suffering, and the dwarfs
+      know it but little, because being wiser than men they escape much anguish.
+      Yet sometimes the dwarfs leave their deep grottoes and seek the pitiless
+      surface of the earth to mingle with men so as to love them, to suffer with
+      them and through them, and thus to feel this pity which refreshes the soul
+      like a heavenly dew. This is the truth concerning men, King Loc. But did
+      you not ask me as to the exact fate of some one amongst them?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc having repeated his question, Nur looked into one of the many
+      telescopes which filled the room. For the dwarfs have no books, those
+      which are found amongst them have come from men, and are only used as
+      playthings. They do not learn as we do by consulting marks on paper, but
+      they look through telescopes and see the subject itself of their inquiry.
+      The only difficulty is to choose the right telescope and get the right
+      focus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There are telescopes of crystal, of topaz and of opal; but those whose
+      lens is a great polished diamond are more powerful, and permit them to see
+      the most distant objects.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dwarfs also have lenses of a translucent substance unknown to men.
+      These enable the sight to pass through rocks and walls as if they were
+      glass. Others, more remarkable still, reconstruct as accurately as a
+      mirror all that has vanished with the flight of time. For the dwarfs, in
+      the depths of their caverns, have the power to recall from the infinite
+      surface of the ether the light of immemorial days and the forms and
+      colours of vanished times. They can create for themselves a phantasm of
+      the past by re-arranging the splinters of light which were once shattered
+      against the forms of men, animals, plants and rocks, so that they again
+      flash across the centuries through the unfathomable ether.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The venerable Nur excelled in discovering figures of antiquity and even
+      such, inconceivable though it may seem, as lived before the earth had
+      assumed the shape with which we are familiar. So it was really no trouble
+      at all for him to find George of Blanchelande.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having looked for a moment through a very ordinary telescope indeed, he
+      said to King Loc:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;King Loc, he for whom you search is with the nixies in their palace
+      of crystal, from which none ever return, and whose iridescent walls adjoin
+      your kingdom.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is he there?&rdquo; cried the king, &ldquo;Let him stay!&rdquo; and
+      he rubbed his hands. &ldquo;I wish him joy.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And having embraced the venerable dwarf, he emerged out of the well
+      roaring with laughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The whole length of the road he held his sides so as to laugh at his ease;
+      his head shook, and his beard swung backwards and forwards on his stomach.
+      How he laughed! The little men who met him laughed out of sheer sympathy.
+      Seeing them laugh made others laugh. A contagion of laughter spread from
+      place to place until the whole interior of the earth was shaken as if with
+      a mighty and jovial hiccough. Ha! ha! ha!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0019" id="link2H_4_0019">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="166 (103K)" src="images/166.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XVII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which tells of the wonderful adventure of George of
+     Blanchelande
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      King Loc did not laugh long; indeed he hid the face of a very unhappy
+      little man under the bed-clothes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He lay awake all night long thinking of George of Blanchelande, the
+      prisoner of the nixies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So about the hour when such of the dwarfs as have a dairymaid for
+      sweetheart go in her stead to milk the cows while she sleeps in her white
+      bed with folded hands, little King Loc again sought the astute Nur in the
+      depths of his well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You did not tell me, Nur, what he is doing down there with the
+      nixies?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The venerable Nur was quite convinced that the king was mad, though that
+      did not alarm him because he knew if King Loc should lose his reason he
+      would be a most gracious, charming, amiable and kindly lunatic. The
+      madness of the dwarfs is gentle like their reason, and full of the most
+      delicious fancies. But King Loc was not mad; at least not more so than
+      lovers usually are.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to speak of George of Blanchelande,&rdquo; he said to the
+      venerable Nur, who had forgotten all about this young man as soon as
+      possible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thereupon Nur the wise placed a series of lenses and mirrors before the
+      king in an order so exact that it looked like disorder, but which enabled
+      him to show the king in a mirror the form of George of Blanchelande as he
+      was when the nixies carried him away. By a lucky choice and a skilful
+      adjustment of instruments the dwarf was able to reproduce for the
+      love-sick king all the adventures of the son of that Countess to whom a
+      white rose announced her end. And the following, expressed in words, is
+      what the little man saw in all the reality of form and colour.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When George was borne away in the icy arms of the daughters of the lake
+      the water pressed upon his eyes and his breast and he felt that he was
+      about to die. And yet he heard songs that sounded like a caress and his
+      whole being was permeated by a sense of delicious freshness. When he
+      opened his eyes he found himself in a grotto whose crystal columns
+      reflected the delicate tints of the rainbow. At the end of the grotto was
+      a great sea shell of mother-of-pearl iridescent with the tenderest
+      colours, and this served as a dais to the throne of coral and seaweed of
+      the Queen of the Nixies. But the face of the Sovereign of the waters shone
+      with a light more tender than either the mother-of-pearl or the crystal.
+      She smiled at the child which her women brought her, and her green eyes
+      lingered long upon him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Friend,&rdquo; she said at last, &ldquo;be welcome into our world,
+      in which you shall be spared all sorrow. For you neither dry lessons nor
+      rough sports; nothing coarse shall remind you of earth and its toil, for
+      you only the songs and the dances and the love of the nixies.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And indeed the women of the green hair taught the child music and dancing
+      and a thousand graces. They loved to bind his forehead with the cockle
+      shells that decked their own tresses. But he, remembering his country,
+      gnawed his clenched hands with impatience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Years passed and George longed with a passion unceasing to see the earth
+      again, the rude earth where the sun burns and where the snow hardens, the
+      mother earth where one suffers, where one loves, the earth where he had
+      seen Honey-Bee, and where he longed to see her again. He had in the
+      meantime grown to be a tall lad with a fine golden down on his upper lip.
+      Courage came with the beard, and so one day he presented himself before
+      the Queen of the Nixies and bowing low, said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madam, I have come, with your gracious permission, to take leave of
+      you; I am about to return to Clarides.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fair youth,&rdquo; the queen replied smiling, &ldquo;I cannot grant
+      you the leave you ask, for I guard you in my crystal palace, to make of
+      you my lover.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madam,&rdquo; he replied, &ldquo;I am not worthy of so great an
+      honour.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is but your courtesy. What gallant cavalier ever believes that
+      he has sufficiently deserved his lady&rsquo;s favour. Besides you are
+      still too young to know your own worth. Let me tell you, fair youth, that
+      we do but desire your welfare; obey your lady and her alone.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madam, I love Honey-Bee of Clarides. I will have no other lady but
+      her.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A mortal maid!&rdquo; the queen cried, turning pale, but more
+      beautiful still, &ldquo;a coarse daughter of men, this Honey-Bee! How can
+      you love such a thing?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know, but I know that I love her.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind. It will pass.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And she still held the young man captive by means of the allurements of
+      her crystal abode.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He did not comprehend the devious thing called a woman; he was more like
+      Achilles among the daughters of Lycomedes than Tannhauser in the enchanted
+      castle. And that is why he wandered sadly along the walls of the mighty
+      palace searching for an outlet through which to escape; but he only saw
+      the splendid and silent empire of the waves sealing his shining prison.
+      Through the transparent walls he watched the blooming sea anemones and the
+      spreading coral, while over the delicate streams of the madrepores and the
+      sparkling shells, purple, blue, and gold fishes made a glitter of stars
+      with a stroke of their tails. These marvels he left unheeded, for, lulled
+      by the delicious songs of the nixies, he felt little by little his will
+      broken and his soul grow weak. He was all indolence and indifference when
+      one day he found by chance in a gallery of the palace, an ancient
+      well-worn book bound in pigskin and studded with great copper nail-heads.
+      The book, saved from some wreck in mid-ocean, treated of chivalry and fair
+      ladies, and related at great length the adventures of heroes who went
+      about the world redressing wrongs, protecting widows and succouring
+      orphans for the love of justice and in honour of beauty. George flushed
+      and paled with wonder, shame, and anger as he read these tales of splendid
+      adventures. He could not contain himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I also,&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;will be a gallant knight. I also
+      will go about the world punishing the wicked and succouring the
+      unfortunate for the good of mankind and in the name of my lady Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With sword drawn and his heart big with valour he dashed across the
+      crystal dwellings. The white ladies fled and swooned before him like the
+      silver ripples of a lake. Their queen alone beheld his approach without a
+      tremor; she turned on him the icy glance of her green eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Break the enchantment which binds me,&rdquo; he cried, running
+      towards her. &ldquo;Open to me the road to earth. I wish to fight in the
+      light of the sun like a cavalier. I wish to return to where one loves, to
+      where one suffers, to where one struggles! Give back to me the life that
+      is real and the light that is real. Give mc back my prowess! If not, I
+      will kill you, you wicked woman!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a smile she shook her head as if to refuse. Beautiful she was and
+      serene. With all the strength that was in him George struck her; but his
+      sword broke against her glittering breast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Child!&rdquo; she said, and she commanded that he be cast into a
+      dungeon which formed a kind of crystal tunnel under her palace, and about
+      which sharks roamed with wide-stretched monstrous jaws armed with triple
+      rows of pointed teeth. At every touch it seemed as if they must crush the
+      frail glass wall, which made it impossible to sleep in this strange
+      prison.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The extremity of this under-sea tunnel rested on a bed of rock which
+      formed the vaulting of the most distant and unexplored cavern in the
+      empire of the dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And this is what the two little men saw in a single hour and quite as
+      accurately as if they had followed George all the days of his life. The
+      venerable Nur, having described the dungeon scene in all its tragic gloom,
+      addressed the King in much the same way as the Savoyards speak to the
+      little children when they show their magic lanterns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;King Loc,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I have shown you all you wished to
+      see, and now that you know all I can add nothing more. It&rsquo;s nothing
+      to me whether you liked what you saw; it is enough to know that what you
+      saw was the truth. Science neither cares to please nor to displease. She
+      is inhuman. It is not science but poetry that charms and consoles. And
+      that is why poetry is more necessary than science. Go, King Loc, and get
+      them to sing you a song.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And without uttering a word King Loc left the well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0020" id="link2H_4_0020">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="178 (118K)" src="images/178.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XVIII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which King Loc undertakes a terrible journey
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Having left the well of wisdom, King Loc went to his treasure house and
+      out of a casket, of which he alone had the key, he took a ring which he
+      placed on his finger. The stone set in the ring emitted a brilliant light,
+      for it was a magic stone of whose power we shall learn more further on.
+      Thereupon King Loc went to his palace, put on a travelling cloak and thick
+      boots and took a stick; then he started on a journey across crowded
+      streets, great highways, villages, galleries of porphyry, torrents of
+      rock-oil, and crystal grottoes, all of which communicated with each other
+      through narrow openings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He seemed lost in deep meditation and he uttered words that had no
+      meaning. But he trudged on doggedly. Mountains obstructed his path and he
+      climbed the mountains. Precipices opened under his feet and he descended
+      into the precipices; he forded streams, he crossed horrible regions black
+      with the fumes of sulphur. He trudged across burning lava on which his
+      feet left their imprint; he had the appearance of a desperately dogged
+      traveller. He penetrated into gloomy caverns into which the water of the
+      ocean oozed drop by drop, and flowed like tears along the sea wrack,
+      forming pools on the uneven ground where countless crustaceans increased
+      and multiplied into hideous shapes. Enormous crabs, crayfish, giant
+      lobsters and sea spiders crackled under the dwarfs feet, then crawled away
+      leaving some of their claws behind, and in their flight rousing horrible
+      molluscs and octopuses centuries old that suddenly writhed their hundred
+      arms and spat fetid poison out of their bird-beaks. And yet King Loc went
+      on undaunted. He made his way to the ends of these caverns, through the
+      midst of a heaped up chaos of shelled monsters armed with spikes, with
+      double saw-edged nippers, with claws that crept stealthily up to his neck
+      and bleared eyes on swaying tentacles. He crept up the sides of the cavern
+      by clinging to the rough surface of the rocks and the mailed monsters
+      crept with him, but he never faltered until he recognised by touch a stone
+      that projected from the centre of the natural arch. He touched the stone
+      with his magic ring and suddenly it rolled away with a horrible crash, and
+      at once a glory of light flooded the cavern with its beautiful waves and
+      put to flight the swarming monsters bred in its gloom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As King Loc thrust his head into the opening through which daylight
+      poured, he saw George of Blanchelande in his glass dungeon where he was
+      lamenting grievously as he thought of Honey-Bee and of earth. For King Loc
+      had undertaken this subterranean journey only to deliver the captive of
+      the nixies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But seeing this huge dishevelled head, frowning and bearded, watching him
+      from under his tunnel, George believed himself to be menaced by a mighty
+      danger and he felt for the sword at his side forgetting that he had broken
+      it against the breast of the woman with the green eyes. In the meantime
+      King Loc examined him curiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bah,&rdquo; said he to himself, &ldquo;it is only a child!&rdquo;
+      And indeed he was only an ignorant child, and it was because of his great
+      ignorance that he had escaped from the deadly and delicious kisses of the
+      Queen of the Nixies. Aristotle with all his wisdom might not have done so
+      well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you want, fathead?&rdquo; George cried, seeing himself
+      defenceless, &ldquo;why harm me if I have never harmed you?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little one,&rdquo; King Loc replied in a voice at once jovial and
+      testy, &ldquo;you do not know whether or not you have harmed me, for you
+      are ignorant of effects and causes and reflections, and all philosophy in
+      general. But we&rsquo;ll not talk of that. If you don&rsquo;t mind leaving
+      your tunnel, come this way.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George at once crept into the cavern, slipped down the length of the wall,
+      and as soon as he had reached the bottom he said to his deliverer:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are a good little man; I shall love you for ever; but do you
+      know where Honey-Bee of Clarides is?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know a great many things,&rdquo; retorted the dwarf, &ldquo;and
+      especially that I don&rsquo;t like people who ask questions.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hearing this George paused in great confusion and followed his guide in
+      silence through the dense black air where the octopuses and crustaceans
+      writhed. King Loc said mockingly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is not a carriage road, young prince.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; George replied, &ldquo;the road to liberty is always
+      beautiful, and I fear not to be led astray when I follow my benefactor.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Little King Loc bit his lips. On reaching the gallery of porphyry he
+      pointed out to the youth a flight of steps cut in the rock by the dwarfs,
+      by which they ascend to earth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is your way,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;farewell.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not bid me farewell,&rdquo; George replied, &ldquo;say I shall
+      see you again. After what you have done my life is yours.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I have done,&rdquo; King Loc replied, &ldquo;I have not done
+      for your sake, but for another&rsquo;s. It will be better for us never to
+      meet again, for we can never be friends.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I would not have believed that my deliverance could have caused me
+      such pain,&rdquo; George said simply and gravely, &ldquo;and yet it does.
+      Farewell.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A pleasant journey,&rdquo; cried King Loc, in a gruff voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now it happened that these steps of the dwarfs adjoined a deserted stone
+      quarry less than a mile from the castle of Clarides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This young lad,&rdquo; King Loc murmured as he went on his way,
+      &ldquo;has neither the wisdom nor the wealth. Truly I cannot imagine why
+      Honey-Bee loves him, unless it is because he is young, handsome, faithful
+      and brave.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he went back to the town he laughed to himself as a man does who has
+      done some one a good turn. As he passed Honey-Bee&rsquo;s cottage he
+      thrust his big head into the open window just as he had thrust it into the
+      crystal tunnel, and he saw the young girl, who was embroidering a veil
+      with silver flowers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish you joy, Honey-Bee,&rdquo; he cried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you also, little King Loc, seeing you have nothing to wish for
+      and nothing to regret.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He had much to wish for, but, indeed, he had nothing to regret. And it was
+      probably this which gave him such a good appetite for supper. Having eaten
+      a huge number of truffled pheasants he called Bob.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bob,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;mount your raven; go to the Princess of
+      the Dwarfs and tell her that George or Blanchelande, long a captive of the
+      nixies, has this day returned to Clarides.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus he spoke and Bob flew off on his raven.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0021" id="link2H_4_0021">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="188 (107K)" src="images/188.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XIX
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which tells of the extraordinary encounter of Jean the
+     master tailor, and of the blessed song the birds in the
+     grove sang to the duchess
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      When George again found himself on the earth on which he was born, the
+      very first person he met was Jean, the master tailor, with a red suit of
+      clothes on his arm for the steward of the castle. The good man shrieked at
+      sight of his young master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Holy St. James,&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;if you are not his lordship
+      George of Blanchelande who was drowned in the lake seven years ago, you
+      are either his ghost or the devil in person.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am neither ghost nor devil, good Jean, but I am truly that same
+      George of Blanchelande who used to creep to your shop and beg bits of
+      stuff out of which to make dresses for the dolls of my sister Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then you were not drowned, your lordship,&rdquo; the good man
+      exclaimed. &ldquo;I am so glad! And how well you look. My little Peter who
+      climbed into my arms to see you pass on horseback by the side of the
+      Duchess that Sunday morning has become a good workman and a fine fellow.
+      He is all of that, God be praised, your lordship. He will be glad to hear
+      that you are not at the bottom of the sea, and that the fish have not
+      eaten you as he always declared. He was in the habit of saying many
+      pleasant things about it, your lordship, for he is very amusing. And it is
+      a fact that you are much mourned in Clarides. You were such a promising
+      child. I shall remember to my dying day how you once asked me for a needle
+      to sew with, and as I refused, for you were not of an age to use it
+      without danger, you replied you would go to the woods and pick beautiful
+      green pine needles. That is what you said, and it still makes me laugh.
+      Upon my soul you said that. Our little Peter, also, used to say clever
+      things. Now he is a cooper and at your service, your lordship.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall employ no one else. But give me news of Honey-Bee and the
+      Duchess, Master Jean.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alack, where do you come from, your lordship, seeing that you do
+      not know that it is now seven years since the Princess Honey-Bee was
+      stolen by the dwarfs of the mountain? She disappeared the very day you
+      were drowned; and one can truly say that on that day Clarides lost its
+      sweetest flowers. The Duchess is in deep mourning. And it&rsquo;s that
+      which makes me say that the great of the earth have their sorrows just as
+      well as the humblest artisans, if only to prove that we are all the sons
+      of Adam. And because of this a cat may well look at a king, as the saying
+      is. And by the same token the good Duchess has seen her hair grow white
+      and her gaiety vanish. And when in the springtime she walks in her black
+      robes along the hedgerow where the birds sing, the smallest of these is
+      more to be envied than the sovereign lady of Clarides. And yet her grief
+      is not quite without hope, your lordship; for though she had no tidings of
+      you, she at least knows by dreams that her daughter Honey-Bee is alive.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This and much else said good man Jean, but George listened no longer after
+      he heard that Honey-Bee was a captive among the dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The dwarfs hold Honey-Bee captive under the earth,&rdquo; he
+      pondered; &ldquo;a dwarf rescued me from my crystal dungeon; these little
+      men have not all the same customs; my deliverer cannot be of the same race
+      as those who stole my sister.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He knew not what to think except that he must rescue Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the meantime they crossed the town, and on their way the gossips
+      standing on the thresholds of their houses asked each other who was this
+      young stranger, but they all agreed that he was very handsome. The better
+      informed amongst them, having recognised the young lord of Blanchelande,
+      decided that it must be his ghost, wherefore they fled, making great signs
+      of the cross.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He must be sprinkled with holy water,&rdquo; said one old crone,
+      &ldquo;and he will vanish leaving a disgusting smell of sulphur. He will
+      carry away Master Jean, and he will of course plunge him alive into the
+      fire of hell.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Softly! old woman,&rdquo; a citizen replied, &ldquo;his lordship is
+      alive and much more alive than you or I. He is as fresh as a rose, and he
+      looks as if he had come from some noble court rather than from the other
+      world. One does return from afar, good dame. As witness Francoeur the
+      squire who came back from Rome last midsummer day.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And Margaret the helmet-maker, having greatly admired George, mounted to
+      her maiden chamber and kneeling before the image of the Holy Virgin
+      prayed, &ldquo;Holy Virgin, grant me a husband who shall look precisely
+      like this young lord.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So each in his way talked of George&rsquo;s return until the news spread
+      from mouth to mouth and finally reached the ears of the Duchess who was
+      walking-in the orchard. Her heart beat violently and she heard all the
+      birds in the hedge-row sing:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+           &ldquo;Cui, cui, cui,
+          Oui, oui, oui,
+     Georges de Blanchelande,
+          Cui, cui, cui.
+     Dont vous avez nourri l&rsquo;enfance
+          Cui, cui, cui,
+          Est ici, est ici, est ici!
+          Oui, oui, oui.&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      Francoeur approached her respectfully and said: &ldquo;Your Grace, George
+      de Blanchelande whom you thought dead has returned. I shall make it into a
+      song.&rdquo; In the meantime the birds sang:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     &ldquo;Cucui, cui, cui, cui, cui,
+     Oui, oui, oui, oui, oui, oui,
+     Il est ici, ici, ici, ici, ici, ici.&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      And when she saw the child who had been to her as a son, she opened her
+      arms and fell senseless at his feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0022" id="link2H_4_0022">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="196 (101K)" src="images/196.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XX
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which treats of a little satin shoe
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Everybody in Clarides was quite convinced that Honey-Bee had been stolen
+      by the dwarfs. Even the Duchess believed it, though her dreams did not
+      tell her precisely. &ldquo;We will find her again,&rdquo; said George.
+      &ldquo;We will find her again,&rdquo; replied Francoeur. &ldquo;And we
+      will bring her back to her mother,&rdquo; said George.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And we will bring her back,&rdquo; replied Francoeur. &ldquo;And we
+      will marry her,&rdquo; said George.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And we will marry her,&rdquo; replied Francoeur. And they inquired
+      among the inhabitants as to the habits of the dwarfs and the mysterious
+      circumstances of Honey-Bee&rsquo;s disappearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And so it happened that they questioned Nurse Maurille who had once been
+      the nurse of the Duchess of Clarides; but now as she had no more milk for
+      babies Maurille instead nursed the chickens in the poultry yard. It was
+      there that the master and squire found her. She cried: &ldquo;Psit! Psit!
+      psit! psit! lil&mdash;lil&mdash;lil&mdash;lil&mdash;psit, psit, psit,
+      psit!&rdquo; as she threw grain to the chicks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Psit, psit, psit, psit! Is it you, your lordship? Psit, psit, psit!
+      Is it possible that you have grown so tall&mdash;psit! and so handsome?
+      Psit, psit! Shoo! shoo, shoo! Just look at that fat one there eating the
+      little one&rsquo;s portion! Shoo, shoo, shoo! The way of the world, your
+      lordship. Riches go the rich, lean ones grow leaner, while the fat ones
+      grow fatter. There&rsquo;s no justice on earth! What can I do for you, my
+      lord? May I offer you each a glass of beer?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will accept it gladly, Maurille, and I must embrace you because
+      you nursed the mother of her whom I love best on earth.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s true, my lord, my foster child cut her first tooth at
+      the age of six months and fourteen days. On which occasion the deceased
+      duchess made me a present. She did indeed.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, Maurille, tell us all you know about the dwarfs who carried
+      away Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, my lord, I know nothing of the dwarfs who carried her away.
+      And how can you expect an old woman like me to know anything? It&rsquo;s
+      ages ago since I forgot the little I ever knew, and I haven&rsquo;t even
+      enough memory left to remember where I put my spectacles. Sometimes I look
+      for them when they&rsquo;re on my nose. Try this drink; it&rsquo;s fresh.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s to your health, Maurille; but I was told that your
+      husband knew something about the disappearance of Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s true, your lordship. Though he never was taught
+      anything he learnt a great deal in the pothouses and the taverns. And he
+      never forgot anything. Why if he were alive now and sitting at this table
+      he could tell you stories until to-morrow. He used to tell me so many that
+      they quite muddled my head and even now I can&rsquo;t tell the tail of one
+      from the head of the other. That&rsquo;s true, your lordship.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed, it was true, for the head of the old nurse could only be compared
+      to a cracked soup-pot. It was with the greatest difficulty that George and
+      Francoeur got anything good out of it. Finally, however, by means of much
+      repetition they did extract a tale which began somewhat as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;s seven years ago, your lordship, the very day you and
+      Honey-Bee went on that frolic from which neither of you ever returned. My
+      deceased husband went up the mountain to sell a horse. That&rsquo;s the
+      truth. He fed the beast with a good peck of oats soaked in cider to give
+      him a firm leg and a brilliant eye; he took him to market near the
+      mountain. He had no cause to regret his oats or his cider, for he sold his
+      horse for a much better price. Beasts are like human beings; one judges
+      them by their appearance. My deceased husband was so rejoiced at his good
+      stroke of business that he invited his friends to drink with him, and
+      glass in hand he drank to their health.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must know, your lordship, that there wasn&rsquo;t a man in all
+      Clarides could equal my husband when glass in hand he drank to the health
+      of his friends. So much so that on that day, after a number of such
+      compliments, when he returned alone at twilight he took the wrong road for
+      the reason that he could not recognise the right one. Finding himself near
+      a cavern he saw as distinctly as possible, considering his condition and
+      the hour, a crowd of little men carrying a girl or a boy on a litter. He
+      ran away for fear of ill-luck; for the wine had not robbed him of
+      prudence. But at some distance from the cavern he dropped his pipe, and on
+      stooping to pick it up he picked up instead a little satin shoe. When he
+      was in a good humour he used to amuse himself by saying, &lsquo;It&rsquo;s
+      the first time a pipe has changed into a shoe.&rsquo; And as it was the
+      shoe of a little girl he decided that she who had lost it in the forest
+      was the one who had been carried away by the dwarfs and that it was this
+      he had seen. He was about to put the shoe into his pocket when a crowd of
+      little men in hoods pounced down on him and gave him such a thrashing that
+      he lay there quite stunned.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Maurille! Maurille!&rdquo; cried George, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s
+      Honey-Bee&rsquo;s shoe. Give it to me and I will kiss it a thousand times.
+      It shall rest for ever on my heart, and when I die it shall be buried with
+      me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you please, your lordship; but where will you find it? The
+      dwarfs took it away from my poor husband and he always thought that they
+      only gave him such a sound thrashing because he wanted to put it in his
+      pocket to show to the magistrates. He used to say when he was in a good
+      humour&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough&mdash;enough! Only tell me the name of the cavern!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is called the cavern of the dwarfs, your lordship, and very well
+      named too. My deceased husband&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not another word, Maurille! But you. Francoeur, do you know where
+      this cavern is?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your lordship,&rdquo; replied Francoeur as he emptied the pot of
+      beer, &ldquo;you would certainly know it if you knew my songs better. I
+      have written at least a dozen about this cavern, and I&rsquo;ve described
+      it without even forgetting a single sprig of moss. I venture to say, your
+      lordship, that of these dozen songs, six are of great merit. And even the
+      other six are not to be despised. I will sing you one or two....&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Francoeur,&rdquo; cried George, &ldquo;we will take possession of
+      this cavern of the dwarfs and rescue Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course we will!&rdquo; replied Francoeur.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0023" id="link2H_4_0023">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="204 (118K)" src="images/204.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XXI
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which a perilous adventure is described
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      That night when all were asleep George and Francoeur crept into the lower
+      hall in search of weapons. Lances, swords, dirks, broadswords,
+      hunting-knives and daggers glittered under the time-stained rafters&mdash;everything
+      necessary to kill both man and brute. A complete suit of armour stood
+      upright under each beam in an attitude as resolute and proud as if it were
+      still filled with the soul of the brave man it had once decked for mighty
+      adventures. The gauntlet grasped the lance in its ten iron fingers, while
+      the shield rested against the plates of the greaves as if to prove that
+      prudence is necessary to courage, and that the best fighter is armed as
+      well for defence as for attack.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From among all these suits of armour George chose the one that Honey-Bee&rsquo;s
+      father had worn as far away as the isles of Avalon and Thule. He donned it
+      with the aid of Francoeur, nor did he forget the shield on which was
+      emblazoned the golden sun of Clarides. As for Francoeur, he put on a good
+      old steel coat of mail of his grandfather&rsquo;s and on his head a casque
+      of a bygone time, to which he attached a ragged and moth-eaten tuft or
+      plume. This he chose merely as a matter of fancy and to give himself an
+      air of rejoicing, for, as he justly reasoned, gaiety, which is good under
+      every circumstance, is especially so in the face of great dangers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having thus armed themselves they passed under the light of the moon into
+      the dark open country. Francoeur had fastened the horses on the edge of a
+      little grove near the postern, and there he found them nibbling at the
+      bark of the bushes; they were swift steeds, and it took them less than an
+      hour to reach the mountain of the dwarfs, through a crowd of goblins and
+      phantoms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is the cave,&rdquo; said Francoeur.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Master and man dismounted and, sword in hand, penetrated into the cavern.
+      It required great courage to attempt such an adventure; but George was in
+      love and Francoeur was faithful, and this was a case in which one could
+      say with the most delightful of poets:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What may not friendship do with Love for guide!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Master and man had trudged through the gloom for nearly an hour when they
+      were astonished to see a brilliant light. It was one of the meteors which
+      we know illumines the kingdom of the dwarfs. By the light of this
+      subterranean luminary they discovered that they were standing at the foot
+      of an ancient castle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This,&rdquo; said George, &ldquo;is the castle we must capture.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure,&rdquo; said Francceur; &ldquo;but first permit me to
+      drink a few drops of this wine which I brought with me as a precaution,
+      because the better the wine the better the man, and the better the man the
+      better the lance, the better the lance the less dangerous the enemy.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George, seeing no living soul, struck the hilt of his sword sharply
+      against the door of the castle. He looked up at the sound of a little
+      tremulous voice, and he saw at one of the windows a little old man with a
+      long beard, who asked:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who are you!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;George of Blanchelande.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who do you want?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have come to deliver Honey-Bee of Clarides whom you unjustly hold
+      captive in your mole-hill, hideous little moles that you are!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dwarf disappeared and again George was left alone with Francoeur who
+      said to him:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your lordship, possibly I may exaggerate if I remark that in your
+      answer to the dwarf you have not quite exhausted all the persuasive powers
+      of eloquence.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Francoeur was afraid of nothing, but he was old; his heart like his head
+      was polished by age, and he disliked to offend people.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As for George he stormed and clamoured at the top of his voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Vile dwellers in the earth, moles, badgers, dormice, ferrets, and
+      water-rats, open the door and I&rsquo;ll cut off all your ears.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But hardly had he uttered these words when the bronze door of the castle
+      slowly opened of itself, for no one could be seen pushing back its
+      enormous wings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George was seized with terror and yet he sprang through the mysterious
+      door because his courage was even greater than his terror. Entering the
+      courtyard he saw that all the windows, the galleries, the roofs, the
+      gables, the skylights, and even the chimney-pots, were crowded with dwarfs
+      armed with bows and cross-bows.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He heard the bronze door close behind him and suddenly a shower of arrows
+      fell thick and fast on his head and shoulders, and for the second time he
+      was filled with a great fear, and for the second time he conquered his
+      fear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sword in hand and his shield on his arm he mounted the steps until
+      suddenly he perceived on the very highest, a majestic dwarf who stood
+      there in serene dignity, gold sceptre in hand and wearing the royal crown
+      and the purple mantle. And in this dwarf he recognised the little man who
+      had delivered him out of his crystal dungeon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thereupon he threw himself at his feet and cried weeping:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;O my benefactor, who are you? Are you one of those who have robbed
+      me of Honey-Bee, whom I love?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am King Loc,&rdquo; replied the dwarf. &ldquo;I have kept
+      Honey-Bee with me to teach her the wisdom of the dwarfs. Child, you have
+      fallen into my kingdom like a hail-storm in a garden of flowers. But the
+      dwarfs, less weak than men, are never angered as are they. My intelligence
+      raises me too high above you for me to resent your actions whatever they
+      are. And of all the attributes that render me superior to you that which I
+      guard most jealously is justice. Honey-Bee shall be brought before me and
+      I will ask her if she wishes to follow you. This I do, not because you
+      desire it, but because I must.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A great silence ensued and Honey-Bee appeared attired all in white and
+      with flowing golden hair. No sooner did she see George than she ran and
+      threw herself in his arms and clasped his iron breast with all her
+      strength.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then King Loc said to her:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee, is it true that this is the man you wish to marry?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, very true that this is he, little King Loc,&rdquo;
+      replied Honey-Bee. &ldquo;See, all you little men, how I laugh and how
+      happy I am.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And she began to weep. Her tears fell on her lover&rsquo;s face, but they
+      were tears of joy; and with them were mingled tiny bursts of laughter and
+      a thousand endearing words without sense, like the lisp of a little child.
+      She quite forgot that the sight of her joy might sadden the heart of King
+      Loc.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My beloved,&rdquo; said George, &ldquo;I find you again such as I
+      had longed for: the fairest and dearest of beings. You love me! Thank
+      heaven, you love me! But, Honey-Bee, do you not also love King Loc a
+      little, who delivered me out of the glass dungeon in which the nixies held
+      me captive far away from you?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee turned to King Loc.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc, and did you do this?&rdquo; she cried. &ldquo;You
+      loved me, and yet you rescued the one I love and who loves me&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Words failed her and she fell on her knees, her head in her hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All the little men who witnessed this scene deluged their cross-bows with
+      tears. Only King Loc remained serene. And Honcy-Bee, overcome by his
+      magnanimity and his goodness, felt for him the love of a daughter for a
+      father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She took her lover&rsquo;s hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;George,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I love you. God knows how much I
+      love you. But how can I leave little King Loc?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hallo, there?&rdquo; King Loc cried in a terrible voice, &ldquo;now
+      you are my prisoners!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But this terrible voice he only used for fun and just as a joke, for he
+      really was not at all angry. Here Francoeur approached and knelt before
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sire,&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;may it please your Majesty to let me
+      share the captivity of the masters I serve?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Said Honey-Bee, recognising him:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it you, my good Francoeur? How glad I am to see you again. What
+      a horrid cap you&rsquo;ve got on! Tell me, have you composed any new
+      songs?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And King Loc took them all three to dinner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0024" id="link2H_4_0024">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="214 (116K)" src="images/214.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XXII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which all ends well
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The next morning Honey-Bee, George and Francoeur again arrayed themselves
+      in the splendid garments prepared for them by the dwarfs, and proceeded to
+      the banquet-hall where, as he had promised, King Loc, in the robes of an
+      Emperor, soon joined them. He was followed by his officers fully armed,
+      and covered with furs of barbarous magnificence, and in their helmets the
+      wings of swans. Crowds of hurrying dwarfs came in through the windows, the
+      air-holes and the chimneys, and rolled under the benches.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc mounted a stone table one end of which was laden with flagons,
+      candelabra, tankards, and cups of gold of marvellous workmanship. He
+      signed to Honey-Bee and to George to approach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;by a law of the nation of the
+      dwarfs it is decreed that a stranger received in our midst shall be free
+      after seven years. You have been with us seven years, Honey-Bee, and I
+      should be a disloyal citizen and a blameworthy king should I keep you
+      longer. But before permitting you to go I wish, not having been able to
+      wed you myself, to betroth you to the one you have chosen. I do so with
+      joy for I love you more than I love myself, and my pain, if such remains,
+      is like a little cloud which your happiness will dispel. Honey-Bee of
+      Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs, give me your hand, and you, George of
+      Blanchelande, give me yours.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Placing the hand of George in the hand of Honey-Bee he turned to his
+      people and said with a ringing voice:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little men, my children, you bear witness that these two pledge
+      themselves to marry one another on earth. They shall go back together and
+      together help courage, modesty, and fidelity to blossom, as roses, pinks,
+      and peonies bloom for good gardeners.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words the dwarfs burst into a mighty shout, but not knowing if
+      they ought to grieve or to rejoice, they were torn by conflicting
+      emotions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc, again turning to the lovers, said as he pointed to the flagons,
+      the tankards, all the beautiful art of the goldsmith:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Behold the gifts of the dwarfs. Take them, Honey-Bee, they will
+      remind you of your little friends. It is their gift to you, not mine. What
+      I am about to give you, you shall know before long.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A lengthy silence ensued.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With an expression sublime in its tenderness, King Loc gazed at Honey-Bee,
+      whose beautiful and radiant head, crowned by roses, rested on her lover&rsquo;s
+      shoulder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then he continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My children, it is not enough to love passionately; you must also
+      love well. A passionate love is good doubtless, but a beautiful love is
+      better. May you have as much strength as gentleness; may it lack nothing,
+      not even forbearance, and let even a little compassion be mingled with it.
+      You are young, fair and good; but you are human, and because of this
+      capable of much suffering. If then something of compassion does not enter
+      into the feelings you have one for the other, these feelings will not
+      always befit all the circumstances of your life together; they will be
+      like festive robes that will not shield you from wind and rain. We love
+      truly only those we love even in their weakness and their poverty. To
+      forbear, to forgive, to console, that alone is the science of love.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc paused, seized by a gentle but strong emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My children,&rdquo; he then continued; &ldquo;may you be happy;
+      guard your happiness well, guard it well.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While he addressed them Pic, Tad, Dig, Bob, True, and Pau clung to
+      Honey-Bee&rsquo;s white mantle and covered her hands and arms with kisses
+      and they implored her not to leave them. Thereupon King Loc took from his
+      girdle a ring set with a glittering gem. It was the magic ring which had
+      unclosed the dungeon of the nixies. He placed it on Honey-Bee&rsquo;s
+      finger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;receive from my hand this ring
+      which will permit you, you and your husband, to enter at any hour the
+      kingdom of the dwarfs. You will be welcomed with joy and succoured at
+      need. In return teach the children that will be yours not to despise the
+      little men, so innocent and industrious, who dwell under the earth.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Honey-Bee, by Anatole France
+
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+</pre>
+  </body>
+</html>
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@@ -0,0 +1,3039 @@
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Honey-Bee, by Anatole France
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Honey-Bee
+       1911
+
+Author: Anatole France
+
+Illustrator: Florence Lundborg
+
+Translator: Mrs. John Lane
+
+Release Date: May 9, 2008 [EBook #25405]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HONEY-BEE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+HONEY-BEE
+
+By Anatole France
+
+A Translation By Mrs. John Lane
+
+Illustrated By Florence Lundborg
+
+John Lane MCMXI
+
+
+TO
+
+H. B. H. DEAR AND LIFE-LONG FRIEND
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+It is an honour, but, also, a great responsibility, to introduce through
+the dangerous medium of a translation one of the most distinguished
+writers of our time, and, probably, the greatest living master of style,
+to a new world--the world of childhood. One is conscious that it is as
+impossible to translate the charm and art of Anatole France as it is to
+describe in dull, colourless words the exquisite perfume of the rose.
+
+Such as this translation is I offer it with diffidence, realising that I
+have undertaken a difficult task. And yet I venture to do so for I long
+to make known to English and American children one of the loveliest and
+noblest of stories--a story overflowing with poetic imagination, wisdom
+and humour, divine qualities to which the heart of the child is always
+open as the flower to the dew.
+
+I want young children as well as others, older only by accident of
+years, but whose hearts are always young--which is the eternal youth--to
+know the greatest French writer of his day, when, by the magic of his
+pen, he, like them, becomes young, gentle and charming. I want them to
+learn to love his "Honey-Bee," newest and sweetest of those darlings of
+childhood who have come down to us from bygone ages, distant lands
+and half-forgotten races, but who in their eternal charm appeal to all
+children since children first heard those wonderful stories or pored
+over treasured books that awaken the ardent young imagination to love,
+beauty, romance and goodness.
+
+So, too, some day will "Honey-Bee" the golden-haired princess of the
+dear, good dwarfs, join her enchanting companions, Cinderella, Beauty
+and the Beast, Red Riding Hood, The Sleeping Beauty, The Frog Prince,
+Puss in Boots, Aladdin, and all the others of that immortal galaxy
+whose glorious destiny it has been to be beloved by childhood. May they
+welcome "Honey-Bee," youngest of all. And so the Master, supreme when he
+writes for men and women, will find open to him a new world, purer and
+more beautiful, in the hearts of English and American children.
+
+A. E. L.
+
+
+
+
+"HONEY-BEE"
+
+
+
+
+I
+
+     Which treats of the appearance of the country and serves as
+     Introduction
+
+The sea covers to-day what was once the Duchy of Clarides. No trace of
+the town or the castle remains. But when it is calm there can be seen,
+it is said, within the circumference of a mile, huge trunks of trees
+standing on the bottom of the sea. A spot on the banks, which now serves
+as a station for the customhouse officers, is still called "The Tailor's
+Booth," and it is quite probable that this name is in memory of a
+certain Master Jean who is mentioned in this story. The sea, which
+encroaches year by year, will soon cover this spot so curiously named.
+
+Such changes are in the nature of things. The mountains sink in the
+course of ages, and the depths of the seas, on the contrary, rise until
+their shells and corals are carried to the regions of clouds and ice.
+
+Nothing endures. The face of land and sea is for ever changing.
+Tradition alone preserves the memory of men and places across the ages
+and renders real to us what has long ceased to exist. In telling you of
+Clarides I wish to take you back to times that have long since vanished.
+Thus I begin:
+
+The Countess of Blanchelande having placed on her golden hair a little
+black hood embroidered with pearls....
+
+But before proceeding I must beg very serious persons not to read this.
+It is not written for them. It is not written for grave people who
+despise trifles and who always require to be instructed. I only venture
+to offer this to those who like to be entertained, and whose minds are
+both young and gay. Only those who are amused by innocent pleasures will
+read this to the end. Of these I beg, should they have little children,
+that they will tell them about my Honey-Bee. I wish this story to please
+both boys and girls and yet I hardly dare to hope it will. It is
+too frivolous for them and, really, only suitable for old-fashioned
+children. I have a pretty little neighbour of nine whose library I
+examined the other day. I found many books on the microscope and the
+zoophytes, as well as several scientific story-books. One of these I
+opened at the following lines: "The cuttle-fish _Sepia Officinalis_ is
+a cephalopodic mollusc whose body includes a spongy organ containing a
+chylaqueous fluid saturated with carbonate of lime." My pretty little
+neighbour finds this story very interesting. I beg of her, unless she
+wishes me to die of mortification, never to read the story of Honey-Bee.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+     In which we learn what the white rose meant to the Countess
+     of Blanchelande
+
+Having placed on her golden hair a little black hood embroidered with
+pearls and bound about her waist a widow's girdle, the Countess of
+Blanchelande entered the chapel where it was her daily custom to pray
+for the soul of her husband who had been killed in single-handed combat
+with a giant from Ireland.
+
+That day she saw a white rose lying on the cushion of her _prie-Dieu_;
+at sight of this she turned pale; her eyes grew dim; she bowed her head
+and wrung her hand. For she knew that when a Countess of Blanchelande is
+about to die she always finds a white rose on her _prie-Dieu_.
+
+Warned by this that her time had come to leave a world in which in
+so short a time she had been wife, mother and widow, she entered the
+chamber where her son George slept in the care of the nurses. He was
+three years old. His long eyelashes threw a lovely shadow on his cheeks,
+and his mouth looked like a flower. At sight of him, so helpless and so
+beautiful, she began to weep.
+
+"My little child," she cried in anguish, "my dear little child, you will
+never have known me and my image will fade for ever from your dear eyes.
+And yet, to be truly your mother, I nourished you with my own milk, and
+for love of you I refused the hand of the noblest cavaliers."
+
+So speaking she kissed a medallion in which was her own portrait and a
+lock of her hair, and this she hung about the neck of her son. A mothers
+tear fell on the little one's cheek as he stirred in his cradle and
+rubbed his eyes with his little hands. But the Countess turned her head
+away and fled out of the room. How could eyes about to be extinguished
+for ever bear the light of two dear eyes in which the soul was only
+beginning to dawn?
+
+She ordered a steed to be saddled and followed by her squire, Francoeur,
+she rode to the castle of Clarides.
+
+The Duchess of Clarides embraced the Countess of Blanchelande.
+
+"Loveliest! what good fortune brings you here?"
+
+"The fortune that brings me here is not good. Listen, my friend. We were
+married within a few years of each other, and similar fates have made
+us widows. For in these times of chivalry the best perish first, and in
+order to live long one must be a monk. When you became a mother I had
+already been one for two years. Your daughter Honey-Bee is lovely as the
+day, and my little George is good. I love you and you love me. Know then
+that I have found a white rose on the cushion of my _prie-Dieu_. I am
+about to die; I leave you my son."
+
+The Duchess knew what the white rose meant to the ladies of
+Blanchelande. She began to weep and in the midst of her tears she
+promised to bring up Honey-Bee and George as brother and sister, and to
+give nothing to one which the other did not share.
+
+Still in each other's arms the two women approached the cradle where
+little Honey-Bee slept under light curtains, blue as the sky, and
+without opening her eyes, she moved her little arms. And as she spread
+her fingers five little rosy rays came out of each sleeve.
+
+"He will defend her," said the mother of George.
+
+"And she will love him," the mother of Honey-Bee replied.
+
+"She will love him," a clear little voice repeated, which the Duchess
+recognised as that of a spirit which for a long time had lived under the
+hearth-stone.
+
+On her return to her manor the lady of Blanchelande divided her jewels
+among her women and having had herself anointed with perfumed ointments
+and robed in her richest raiment in order to honour the body destined to
+rise again at the Day of Judgment, she lay down on her bed and fell
+asleep never again to awaken.
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+     Wherein begins the love of George of Blanchelande and Honey-
+     Bee of Claride
+
+Contrary to the common destiny which is to have more goodness than
+beauty, or more beauty than goodness, the Duchess of Clarides was as
+good as she was beautiful, and she was so beautiful that many princes,
+though they had only seen her portrait, demanded her hand in marriage.
+But to all their pleading she replied:
+
+"I shall have but one husband as I have but one soul."
+
+However, after five years of mourning she left off her long veil and her
+black robes so as not to spoil the happiness of those about her, and
+in order that all should smile and be free to enjoy themselves in her
+presence. Her duchy comprised a great extent of country; moorlands,
+overgrown by heather, covered the desolate expanse, lakes in which
+fishermen sometimes caught magic fish, and mountains which rose in
+fearful solitudes over subterraneous regions inhabited by dwarfs.
+
+She governed Clarides with the help of an old monk who, having escaped
+from Constantinople and seen much violence and treachery, had but little
+faith in human goodness. He lived in a tower in the company of birds and
+books, and from this place he filled his position as counsellor by the
+aid of a number of little maxims. His rules were these: "Never revive
+a law once fallen into disuse; always accede to the demands of a people
+for fear of revolt, but accede as slowly as possible, because no sooner
+is one reform granted than the public demands another, and you can be
+turned out for acceding too quickly as well as for resisting too long."
+
+The Duchess let him have his own way, for she understood nothing about
+politics. She was compassionate and, as she was unable to respect all
+men, she pitied those who were unfortunate enough to be wicked. She
+helped the suffering in every possible way, visited the sick, comforted
+the widows, and took the poor orphans under her protection.
+
+She educated her daughter Honey-Bee with a charming wisdom. Having
+brought the child up only to do good, she never denied her any pleasure.
+
+This good woman kept the promise she had made to the poor Countess
+of Blanchelande. She was like a mother to George, and she made no
+difference between him and Honey-Bee. They grew up together, and George
+approved of Honey-Bee, though he thought her rather small. Once, when
+they were very little, he went up to her and asked:
+
+"Will you play with me?"
+
+"I should like to," said Honey-Bee.
+
+"We will make mud pies," said George, which they proceeded to do. But
+as Honey-Bee made hers very badly, George struck her fingers with his
+spade. Whereupon Honey-Bee set up a most awful roar and the squire,
+Francoeur, who was strolling about in the garden, said to his young
+master:
+
+"It is not worthy of a Count of Blanchelande to strike young ladies,
+your lordship."
+
+Whereupon George was seized with an ardent desire to hit Francoeur also
+with his spade. But as this presented insurmountable difficulties, he
+resigned himself to do what was easier, and that was to stand with his
+nose against the trunk of a big tree and weep torrents.
+
+In the meantime Honey-Bee took care to encourage her own tears by
+digging her fists into her eyes; and in her despair she rubbed her nose
+against the trunk of a neighbouring tree. When night came and softly
+covered the earth, Honey-Bee and George were still weeping, each in
+front of a tree. The Duchess of Clarides was obliged to come and take
+her daughter by one hand and George by the other, and lead them back
+to the castle. Their eyes were red and their noses were red and their
+cheeks shone. They sighed and sobbed enough to break one's heart. But
+they ate a good supper, after which they were both put to bed. But as
+soon as the candle was blown out they re-appeared like two little ghosts
+in two little night-gowns, and they hugged each other and laughed at the
+top of their voices.
+
+And thus began the love of Honey-Bee of Clarides and George of
+Blanchelande.
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+     Which treats of Education in general, and George of Blanche
+     lande's in particular
+
+So George grew up in the Castle side by side with Honey-Bee, whom he
+affectionately called his sister though he knew she was not.
+
+He had masters in fencing, riding, swimming, gymnastics, dancing,
+hunting, falconry, tennis, and, indeed, in all the arts. He even had a
+writing-master. This was an old cleric, humble of manner but very proud
+within, who taught him all manner of penmanship, and the more beautiful
+this was the less decipherable it became. Very little pleasure or profit
+did George get out of the old cleric's lessons, as little as out of
+those of an old monk who taught him grammar in barbarous terms. George
+could not understand the sense of learning a language which one knows as
+a matter of course and which is called one's mother tongue.
+
+He only enjoyed himself with Francoeur the squire, who, having knocked
+about the world, understood the ways of men and beasts, could describe
+all sorts of countries and compose songs which he could not write.
+Francoeur was the only one of his masters who taught George anything,
+for he was the only one who really loved him, and the only good lessons
+are those which are given with love. The two old goggle-eyes, the
+writing-master and the grammar-master, who hated each other with all
+their hearts, were, however, united in a common hatred of the old
+squire, whom they accused of being a drunkard.
+
+It is true that Francoeur frequented the tavern "The Pewter Pot"
+somewhat too zealously. It was here that he forgot his sorrows and
+composed his songs. But of course it was very wrong of him.
+
+Homer made better verses than Francoeur, and Homer only drank the water
+of the springs. As for sorrows the whole world has sorrows, and the
+thing to make one forget them is not the wine one drinks, but the good
+one does. But Francoeur was an old man grown grey in harness, faithful
+and trustworthy, and the two masters of writing and grammar should
+have hidden his failings from the duchess instead of giving her an
+exaggerated account of them.
+
+"Francoeur is a drunkard," said the writing-master, "and when he comes
+back from 'The Pewter Pot' he makes a letter S as he walks. Moreover,
+it is the only letter he has ever made; because if it please your Grace,
+this drunkard is an ass."
+
+The grammar-master added, "And the songs Francoeur sings as he staggers
+about err against all rules and are constructed on no model at all. He
+ignores all the rules of rhetoric, please your Grace."
+
+The Duchess had a natural distaste for pedants and tale-bearers. She did
+what we all would have done in her place; at first she did not listen to
+them but as they again began to repeat their tittle-tattle, she ended by
+believing them and decided to send Francoeur away. However, to give him
+an honourable exile, she sent him to Rome to obtain the blessing of the
+Pope. This journey was all the longer for Francoeur the squire because
+a great many taverns much frequented by musicians separated the duchy
+of Clarides from the holy apostolic seat. In the course of this story
+we shall see how soon the Duchess regretted having deprived the two
+children of their most faithful guardian.
+
+
+
+
+V
+
+     Which tells how the Duchess took Honeybee and George to the
+     Hermitage, and of their encounter with a hideous old woman
+
+That morning, it was the first Sunday after Easter, the Duchess rode out
+of the castle on her great sorrel horse, while on? her left George of
+Blanchelande was mounted on a dark horse with a white star on his black
+forehead, and on her right Honey-Bee guided her milk-white steed with
+rose-coloured reins. They were on their way to the Hermitage to hear
+mass. Soldiers armed with lances formed their escort and, as they
+passed, the people crowded forward to admire them, and, indeed, all
+three were very fair to see. Under a veil of silver flowers and with
+flowing mantle the Duchess had an air of lovely majesty; while the
+pearls with which her coif was embroidered shone with a soft radiance
+that well-suited the face and soul of this beautiful lady. George by her
+side with flowing hair and sparkling eyes was very good to see. And on
+the other side rode Honey-Bee, the tender and pure colour of her face
+like a caress for the eyes; but most glorious of all her fair tresses,
+flowing over her shoulders, held by a circlet of gold surmounted by
+three gold flowers, seemed the shining mantle of her youth and beauty.
+The good people said, on seeing her:
+
+"What a lovely young damsel."
+
+The master tailor, old Jean, took his grandson Peter in his arms to
+point out |Honey-Bce to him, and Peter asked was she alive or was she an
+image of wax, for he could not understand how any one could be so white
+and so lovely, and yet belong to the same race as himself, little Peter
+with his good big weather-beaten cheeks, and his little home-spun shirt
+laced behind in country fashion.
+
+While the Duchess accepted the people's homage with gracious kindness,
+the two children showed how it gratified their pride, George by his
+blushes, Honey-Bee by her smiles, and for this reason the Duchess said
+to them:
+
+"How kindly these good people greet us. For what reason, George? And
+what is the reason, Honey-Bee?"
+
+"So they should," said Honey-Bee.
+
+"It's their duty," George added.
+
+"But why should it be their duty?" asked the Duchess.
+
+And as neither replied, she continued:
+
+"I will tell you. For more than three hundred years the dukes of
+Clarides, from father to son, have lance in hand protected these poor
+people so that they could gather the harvests of the fields they had
+sown. For more than three hundred years all the duchesses of Clarides
+have spun the cloth for the poor, have visited the sick, and have held
+the new-born at the baptismal font. That is the reason they greet you,
+my children."
+
+George was lost in deep thought: "We must protect those who toil on the
+land," and Honcy-Bee said: "One should spin for the poor."
+
+And thus chatting and meditating they went on their way through meadows
+starred with flowers. A fringe of blue mountains lay against the distant
+horizon. George pointed towards the east.
+
+"Is that a great steel shield I see over there?"
+
+"Oh no," said Honey-Bee, "it's a round silver clasp, as big as the
+moon."
+
+"It is neither a steel shield nor a silver clasp, my children," replied
+the Duchess, "but a lake glittering in the sunshine. The surface of
+this lake, which seen from here is as smooth as a mirror, is stirred by
+innumerable ripples. Its borders which appear as distinct as it cut in
+metal are really covered by reeds with feathery plumes and irises
+whose flower is like a human glance between the blades of swords. Every
+morning a white mist rises over the lake which shines like armour under
+the midday sun. But none must approach it for in it dwell the nixies who
+lure passers by into their crystal abodes."
+
+At this moment the bell of the Hermitage was heard.
+
+"Let us dismount," said the Duchess, "and walk to the chapel. It was
+neither on elephants nor camels that the wise men of the East approached
+the manger."
+
+They heard the hermit's mass. A hideous old crone covered with rags
+knelt beside the Duchesss, who on leaving the church offered her holy
+water.
+
+"Accept it, good mother," she said.
+
+George was amazed.
+
+"Do you not know," said the Duchess, "that in the poor you honour the
+chosen of our Lord Jesus Christ? A beggar such as this as well as the
+good Duke of Rochesnoires held you at the font when you were baptized;
+and your little sister, Honey-Bee, also had one of these poor creatures
+as godmother."
+
+The old crone who seemed to have guessed the boy's thoughts leaned
+towards him.
+
+"Fair prince," she cried mockingly, "may you conquer as many kingdoms as
+I have lost. I was the queen of the Island of Pearls and the Mountains
+of Gold; each day my table was served with fourteen different kinds of
+fish, and a negro page bore my train."
+
+"And by what misfortune have you lost your islands and your mountains,
+good woman?" asked the Duchess.
+
+"I vexed the dwarfs, and they carried me far away from my dominions."
+
+"Are the dwarfs so powerful?" George asked.
+
+"As they live in the earth," the old woman answered, "they know the
+virtue of precious stones, they work in metals, and they unseal the
+hidden sources of the springs."
+
+"And what did you do to vex them?" asked the Duchess.
+
+"On a December night," said the old woman, "one of them came to ask
+permission to prepare a great midnight banquet in the kitchen of
+the castle, which, vaster than a chapter-house, was furnished
+with casseroles, frying-pans, earthen saucepans, kettles, pans,
+portable-ovens, gridirons, boilers, dripping-pans, dutch-ovens,
+fish-kettles, copper-pans, pastry-moulds, copper-jugs, goblets of
+gold and silver, and mottled wood, not to mention iron roasting-jacks,
+artistically forged, and the huge black cauldron which hung from the
+pothook. He promised neither to disturb nor to damage anything. I
+refused his request, and he disappeared muttering vague threats. The
+third night, it being Christmas, this same dwarf returned to the chamber
+where I slept. He was accompanied by innumerable others, who pulled me
+out of bed and carried me to an unknown land in my nightgown. 'Such,'
+they said as they left me, 'such is the punishment of the rich who
+refuse even a part of their treasure to the industrious and kindly dwarf
+folk who work in gold and cause the springs to flow.'"
+
+Thus said the toothless old woman, and the Duchess having comforted her
+with words and money, she and the two children retraced their way to the
+castle.
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+     Which tells of what can be seen from the Keep of Clarides
+
+It was one day shortly after this that Honey-Bee and George, without
+being observed, climbed the steps of the watch-tower which stands in
+the middle of the Castle of Clarides. Having reached the platform they
+shouted at the top of their voices and clapped their hands.
+
+Their view extended down the hillside divided into brown and green
+squares of cultivated fields. Woods and mountains lay dimly blue against
+the distant horizon.
+
+"Little sister," cried George, "little sister, look at the whole wide
+world!"
+
+"The world is very big," said Honey-Bee. "My teachers," said George,
+"have taught me that it is very big; but, as Gertrude our housekeeper
+says, one must see to believe."
+
+They went the round of the platform.
+
+"Here is something wonderful, little brother," cried Honey-Bee. "The
+castle stands in the middle of the earth and we are on the watch-tower
+in the middle of the castle, and so we are standing in the middle of the
+earth. Ha! ha! ha!"
+
+And, indeed, the horizon formed a circle about the children of which the
+watch-tower was the centre.
+
+"We are in the middle of the earth! Ha! ha! ha!" George repeated.
+
+Whereupon they both started a-thinking.
+
+"What a pity that the world is so big!" said Honey-Bee, "one might get
+lost and be separated from one's friends."
+
+George shrugged his shoulders.
+
+"How lucky that the world is so big! One can go in search of adventures.
+When I am grown up I mean to conquer the mountains that stand at the
+ends of the earth. That is where the moon rises; I shall seize her as
+she passes, and I will give her to you, Honey-Bee."
+
+"Yes," said Honey-Bee, "give her to me and I will put her in my hair."
+
+Then they busied themselves searching for the places they knew as on a
+map.
+
+"I recognise everything," said Honey-Bee, who recognised nothing, "but
+what are those little square stones scattered over the hillside?"
+
+"Houses," George replied. "Those are houses. Don't you recognise the
+capital of the Duchy of Clarides, little sister? After all, it is a
+great city; it has three streets, and one can drive through one of them.
+Don't you remember that we passed through it last week when we went to
+the Hermitage?"
+
+"And what is that winding brook?"
+
+"That is the river. See the old stone bridge down there?"
+
+"The bridge under which we fished for crayfish?"
+
+"That's the one; and in one of the niches stands the statue of the
+'Woman without a Head.' One cannot see her from here because she is too
+small."
+
+"I remember. But why hasn't she got a head?"
+
+"Probably because she has lost it."
+
+Without saying if this explanation was satisfactory, Honey-Bee gazed at
+the horizon.
+
+"Little brother, little brother, just see what sparkles by the side of
+the blue mountains? It is the lake."
+
+"It is the lake."
+
+They then remembered what the Duchess had told them of these beautiful
+and dangerous waters where the nixies dwell.
+
+"We will go there," said Honey-Bee.
+
+George was aghast. He stared at her with his mouth wide open.
+
+"But the Duchess has forbidden us to go out alone, so how can we go to
+this lake which is at the end of the earth?"
+
+"How can we go? I don't know. It's you who ought to know, for you are a
+man and you have a grammar-master."
+
+This piqued George who replied that one might be a man, and even a very
+brave man, and yet not know all the roads on earth. Whereupon Honey-Bee
+said drily with a little air of scorn which made him blush to his ears:
+
+"I never said _I_ would conquer the blue mountains or take down the
+moon. I don't know the way to the lake, but I mean to find it!"
+
+George pretended to laugh.
+
+"You laugh like a cucumber."
+
+"Cucumbers neither laugh nor cry."
+
+"If they did laugh they would laugh like you. I shall go along to the
+lake. And while I search for the beautiful waters in which the nixies
+live you shall stay alone at home like a good girl. I will leave you my
+needle-work and my doll. Take care of them, George, take good care of
+them."
+
+George was proud, and he was conscious of the humiliation with which
+Honey-Bee covered him.
+
+Gloomily and with head bowed he cried in a hollow voice:
+
+"Very well, then, we will go to the lake."
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+     In which is described how George and Honey-Bee went to the
+     lake
+
+The next day after the midday meal, the Duchess having gone to her own
+room George took Honey-Bee by the hand. "Now come!" he said. "Where?"
+"Hush!"
+
+They crept down stairs and crossed the courtyard. After they had passed
+the postern, Honey-Bee again asked where they were going.
+
+"To the lake," George said resolutely. Honey-Bee opened her mouth wide
+but remained speechless. To go so far without permission and in satin
+shoes! For her shoes were of satin. There was no sense in it.
+
+"We must go and there is no need to be sensible."
+
+Such was George's proud reply. She had once humiliated him and now she
+pretended to be astonished.
+
+This time it was he who disdainfully sent her back to her dolls. Girls
+always tempt one on to adventures and then run away. So mean! She could
+remain. He'd go alone.
+
+She clung to his arm; he pushed her away.
+
+She hung about his neck.
+
+"Little brother," she sobbed, "I will follow you."
+
+He allowed himself to be moved by such touching repentance.
+
+"Come then, but not through the town; we may be seen. We will follow the
+ramparts and then we can reach the highway by a cross road."
+
+And so they went hand in hand while George explained his plans.
+
+"We will follow the road we took to the Hermitage and then we shall
+be sure to see the lake, just as we did the other day, and then we can
+cross the fields in a bee line."
+
+"A bee line" is the pretty rustic way of saying a straight line; and
+they both laughed because of the young girl's name which fitted in so
+oddly.
+
+Honey-Bee picked flowers along the ditches; she made a posy of
+marshmallows, white mullein, asters and chrysanthemums; the flowers
+faded in her little hands and it was pitiful to see them when Honey-Bee
+crossed the old stone bridge. As she did not know what to do with them
+she decided to throw them into the water to refresh them, but finally
+she preferred to give them to the "Woman without a head."
+
+She begged George to lift her in his arms so as to make her tall enough,
+and she placed her armful of wild flowers between the folded hands of
+the old stone figure.
+
+After she was far away she looked back and saw a pigeon resting on the
+shoulder of the statue.
+
+When they had been walking some time, said Honey-bee, "I am thirsty."
+
+"So am I," George replied, "but the river is far behind us, and I see
+neither brook nor fountain."
+
+"The sun is so hot that he has drunk them all up. What shall we do?"
+
+So they talked and lamented when they saw a peasant woman approach who
+carried a basket of fruit.
+
+"Cherries!" cried George. "How unlucky: I have no money to buy any."
+
+"I have money," said Honey-Bee.
+
+She pulled out of her pocket a little purse in which were five pieces of
+gold.
+
+"Good woman," she said to the peasant, "will you give me as many
+cherries as my frock will hold?"
+
+And she raised her little skirt with her two hands. The woman threw
+in two or three handfuls of cherries. With one hand Honey-Bee held the
+uplifted skirt and with the other she offered the woman a gold piece.
+
+"Is that enough?"
+
+The woman clutched the gold piece which would amply have paid not only
+for the cherries in the basket but for the tree on which they grew and
+the plot of land on which the tree stood.
+
+The artful one replied:
+
+"I'm satisfied, if only to oblige you, little princess."
+
+"Well then, put some more cherries in my brother's cap," said Honey-Bee,
+"and you shall have another gold piece."
+
+This was done. The peasant woman went on her way meditating in what old
+stocking or under what mattress she should hide her two gold pieces.
+
+And the two children followed the road eating the cherries and throwing
+the stones to the right and the left. George chose the cherries that
+hung two by two on one stem and made earrings for his little sister,
+and he laughed to see the lovely twin fruit dangle its vermillion beauty
+against her cheeks.
+
+A pebble stopped their joyous progress. It had got into Honey-Bee's
+little shoe and she began to limp. At every step she took, her golden
+curls bobbed against her cheek, and so limping she sat down on a bank
+by the roadside. Her brother knelt down and took off the satin shoe. He
+shook it and out dropped a little white pebble.
+
+"Little brother," she said as she looked at her feet, "the next time we
+go to the lake we'll put on boots."
+
+The sun was already sinking against the radiant sky; a soft breeze
+caressed their cheeks and necks, and so, cheered and refreshed, the two
+little travellers proceeded on their way. To make walking easier they
+went hand in hand, and they laughed to see their moving shadows melt
+together before them. They sang:
+
+    Maid Marian, setting forth to find
+    The mill, with sacks of corn to grind,
+        Her donkey, Jan, bestrode.
+    My dainty maiden, Marian,
+    She mounted on her donkey, Jan,
+        And took the mill-ward road.*
+
+
+     * Marian' s'en allant au moulin,
+     Pour y faire moudre son grain,
+          Ell monta sur son ane,
+     Ma p'tite mam'sell' Marianne!
+     Ell' monta sur son ane Martin
+          Pour aller au moulin.
+
+
+
+But Honey-Bee stopped:
+
+"I have lost my shoe, my satin shoe," she cried. And so it was. The
+little shoe, whose silken laces had become loose in walking, lay in the
+road covered-with dust. Then as she looked back and saw the towers of
+the castle of Clarides fade into the distant twilight her heart sank and
+the tears came to her eyes.
+
+"The wolves will eat us," she cried, "and our mother will never see us
+again and she will die of grief."
+
+But George comforted her as he put on her shoe.
+
+"When the castle bell rings for supper we shall have returned to
+Clarides. Come!"
+
+    The miller saw her coming nigh
+    And could not well forbear to cry,
+        Your donkey you must tether.
+    My dainty maiden, Marian,
+    Tether you here your donkey, Jan,
+        Who brought us twain together.*
+
+
+    * Le meunier qui la voit venir
+    Ne peut s'empecher de lui dire:
+        Attachez la votre ane,
+    Ma p'tite Mam'sell' Marianne,
+    Attachez la votre ane Martin
+        Qui vous mene au moulin.
+
+"The lake, Honey-Bee! See the lake, the lake, the lake!"
+
+"Yes, George, the lake!"
+
+George shouted "hurrah" and flung his hat in the air. Honey-Bee was too
+proper to fling hers up also, so taking off the shoe that wouldn't stay
+on she threw it joyfully over her head.
+
+There lay the lake in the depths of the valley and its curved and
+sloping banks made a framework of foliage and flowers about its silver
+waves. It lay there clear and tranquil, and one could see the swaying of
+the indistinct green of its banks.
+
+But the children could find no path through the underbrush that would
+lead to its beautiful waters.
+
+While they were searching for one their legs were nipped by some geese
+driven by a little girl dressed in a sheepskin and carrying a switch.
+George asked her name.
+
+"Gilberte."
+
+"Well, then, Gilberte, how can one go to the lake?"
+
+"Folks doesn't go."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because..."
+
+"But supposing folks did?"
+
+"If folks did there'd be a path, and one would take that path."
+
+George could think of no adequate reply to this guardian of the geese.
+
+"Let's go," he said, "farther on we shall be sure to find a way through
+the woods."
+
+"And we will pick nuts and eat them," said Honey-Bee, "for I am hungry.
+The next time we go to the lake we must bring a satchel full of good
+things to eat."
+
+"That we will, little sister," said George. "And I quite agree with
+Francoeur, our squire, who when he went to Rome, took a ham with him, in
+case he should hunger, and a flask lest he should be thirsty. But hurry,
+for it is growing late, though I don't know the time."
+
+"The shepherdesses know by looking at the sun," said Honey-Bee; "but I
+am not a shepherdess. Yet it seems to me that when we left the sun was
+over our head, and now it is down there, far behind the town and castle
+of Clarides. I wonder if this happens every day and what it means?"
+
+While they looked at the sun a cloud of dust rose up from the high road,
+and they saw some cavaliers with glittering weapons ride past at full
+speed. The children hid in the underbrush in great terror. "They are
+thieves or probably ogres," they thought. They were really guards sent
+by the Duchess of Clarides in search of the little truants.
+
+The two little adventurers found a footpath in the underbrush, not a
+lovers' lane, for it was impossible to walk side by side holding hands
+as is the fashion of lovers. Nor could the print of human footsteps be
+seen, but only indentations left by innumerable tiny cloven feet.
+
+"Those are the feet of little devils," said Honey-Bee.
+
+"Or deer," suggested George.
+
+The matter was never explained. But what is certain is that the footpath
+descended in a gentle slope towards the edge of the lake which lay
+before the two children in all its languorous and silent beauty. The
+willows surrounded its banks with their tender foliage. The slender
+blades of the reeds with their delicate plumes swayed lightly over the
+water. They formed tremulous islands about which the water-lilies spread
+their great heart-shaped leaves and snow-white flowers. Over these
+blossoming islands dragon-flies, all emerald or azure, with wings of
+flame, sped their shrill flight in suddenly altered curves.
+
+The children plunged their burning feet with joy in the damp sand
+overgrown with tufted horse-tails and the reed-mace with its slender
+lance. The sweet flag wafted towards them its humble fragrance and the
+water plantain unrolled about them its filaments of lace on the margin
+of the sleeping waters which the willow-herb starred with its purple
+flowers.
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+     Wherein we shall see what happened to George of Blanchelande
+     because he approached the lake in which the nixies dwel
+
+Honey-Bee crossed the sand between two clumps of willows, and the little
+spirit of the place leaped into the water in front of her, leaving
+circles that grew greater and greater and finally vanished. This spirit
+was a little green frog with a white belly. All was silent; a fresh
+breeze swept over the clear lake whose every ripple had the gracious
+curve of a smile.
+
+"This lake is pretty," said Honey-Bee, "but my feet are bleeding in
+my little torn shoes, and I am very hungry. I wish I were back in the
+castle."
+
+"Little sister," said George, "sit down on the grass. I will wrap your
+feet in leaves to cool them; then I will go in search of supper for you.
+High up along the road I saw some ripe blackberries. I will fetch you
+the sweetest and best in my hat. Give me your handkerchief; I will fill
+it with strawberries, for there are strawberries near here along the
+footpath under the shade of the trees. And I will fill my pockets with
+nuts."
+
+He made a bed of moss for Honey-Bee under a willow on the edge of the
+lake, and then he left her.
+
+Honey-Bee lay with folded hands on her little mossy bed and watched the
+light of the first stars tremble in the pale sky; then her eyes half
+closed, and yet it seemed to her as if overhead she saw a little dwarf
+mounted on a raven. It was not fancy. For having reined in the black
+bird who was gnawing at the bridle, the dwarf stopped just above the
+young girl and stared down at her with his round eyes. Whereupon he
+disappeared at full gallop. All this Honey-Bee saw vaguely and then she
+fell asleep.
+
+She was still asleep when George returned with the fruit he had
+gathered, which he placed at her side. Then he climbed down to the lake
+while he waited for her to awaken. The lake slept under its delicate
+crown of verdure. A light mist swept softly over the waters. Suddenly
+the moon appeared between the branches, and then the waves were strewn
+as if with countless stars.
+
+But George could see that the lights which irradiated the waters were
+not all the broken reflections of the moon, for blue flames advanced in
+circles, swaying and undulating as if in a dance. Soon he saw that the
+blue flames flickered over the white faces of women, beautiful faces
+rising on the crests of the waves and crowned with sea-weeds and
+sea-shells, with sea-green tresses floating over their shoulders and
+veils flowing from under their breasts that shimmered with pearls. The
+child recognised the nixies and tried to flee. But already their cold
+white arms had seized him, and in spite of his struggles and cries he
+was borne across the waters along the galleries of porphyry and crystal.
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+     Wherein we shall see how Honey-Bee was taken to the dwarfs
+
+The moon had risen over the lake and the water now only showed broken
+reflections of its disc. Honey-Bee still slept. The dwarf who had
+watched her came back again on his raven followed this time by a crowd
+of little men. They were very little men. Their white beards hung down
+to their knees. They looked like old men with the figures of children.
+By their leathern aprons and the hammers which hung from their belts one
+could see that they were workers in metals. They had a curious gait,
+for they leaped to amazing heights and turned the most extraordinary
+somersaults, and showed the most inconceivable agility that made them
+seem more like spirits than human beings.
+
+Yet while cutting their most foolhardy capers they preserved an
+unalterable gravity of demeanour, to such a degree that it was quite
+impossible to make out their real characters.
+
+They placed themselves in a circle about the sleeping child.
+
+"Now then," said the smallest of the dwarfs from the heights of his
+plumed charger; "now then, did I deceive you when I said that the
+loveliest of princesses was lying asleep on the borders of the lake, and
+do you not thank me for bringing you here?"
+
+"We thank you, Bob," replied one of the dwarfs who looked like an
+elderly poet, "indeed there is nothing lovelier in the world than
+this young damsel. She is more rosy than the dawn which rises on the
+mountains, and the gold we forge is not so bright as the gold of her
+tresses."
+
+"Very good, Pic, nothing can be truer," cried the dwarfs, "but what
+shall we do with this lovely little lady?"
+
+Pic, who looked like a very elderly poet, did not reply to this
+question, probably because he knew no better than they what to do with
+this pretty lady.
+
+"Let us build a large cage and put her in," a dwarf by the name of Rug
+suggested.
+
+Against this another dwarf called Dig vehemently protested. It was Dig's
+opinion that only wild beasts were ever put into cages, and there was
+nothing yet to prove that the pretty lady was one of these.
+
+But Rug clung to his idea for the reason possibly that he had no other.
+He defended it with much subtlety. Said he:
+
+"If this person is not savage she will certainly become so as a result
+of the cage, which will be therefore not only useful but indispensable."
+
+This reasoning displeased the dwarfs, and one of them named Tad
+denounced it with much indignation. He was such a good dwarf. He
+proposed to take the beautiful child back to her kindred who must be
+great nobles.
+
+But this advice was rejected as being contrary to the custom of the
+dwarfs.
+
+"We ought to follow the ways of justice not custom," said Tad.
+
+But no one paid any further attention to him and the assembly broke into
+a tumult as a dwarf named Pau, a simple soul but just, gave his advice
+in these terms:
+
+"We must begin by awakening this young lady, seeing she declines to
+awake of herself; if she spends the night here her eyelids will be
+swollen to-morrow and her beauty will be much impaired, for it is very
+unhealthy to sleep in a wood on the borders of a lake."
+
+This opinion met with general approval as it did not clash with any
+other.
+
+Pic, who looked like an elderly poet burdened with care, approached the
+young girl and looked at her very intently, under the impression that a
+single one of his glances would be quite sufficient to rouse the dreamer
+out of the deepest sleep. But Pic was quite mistaken as to the power of
+his glance, for Honey-Bee continued to sleep with folded hands.
+
+Seeing this the good Tad pulled her gently by her sleeve. Thereupon she
+partly opened her eyes and raised herself on her elbow. When she found
+herself lying on a bed of moss surrounded by dwarfs she thought what she
+saw was nothing but a dream, and she rubbed her eyes to open them, so
+that instead of this fantastic vision she should see the pure light of
+morning as it entered her little blue room in which she thought she was.
+For her mind, heavy with sleep, did not recall to her the adventure of
+the lake. But indeed, it was useless to rub her eyes, the dwarfs did not
+vanish, and so she was obliged to believe that they were real.
+
+Then she looked about with frightened eyes and saw the forest and
+remembered.
+
+"George! my brother George!" she cried in anguish. The dwarfs crowded
+about her, and for fear of seeing them she hid her face in her hands.
+
+"George! George! Where is my brother George?" she sobbed.
+
+The dwarfs could not tell her, for the good reason that they did not
+know. And she wept hot tears and cried aloud for her mother and brother.
+
+Pau longed to weep with her, and in his efforts to console, he addressed
+her with rather vague remarks.
+
+"Do not distress yourself so much," he urged, "it would be a pity for
+so lovely a young damsel to spoil her eyes with weeping. Rather tell
+us your story, which cannot fail to be very amusing. We should be so
+pleased."
+
+She did not listen. She rose and tried to escape. But her bare and
+swollen feet caused her such pain that she fell on her knees, sobbing
+most pitifully. Tad held her in his arms, and Pau tenderly kissed her
+hand. It was this that gave her the courage to look at them, and she saw
+that they seemed full of compassion.
+
+Pic looked to her like one inspired, and yet very innocent, and
+perceiving that all these little men were full of compassion for her,
+she said:
+
+"Little men, it is a pity you are so ugly; but I will love you all the
+same if you will only give me something to eat, for I am so hungry."
+
+"Bob," all the dwarfs cried at once, "go and fetch some supper."
+
+And Bob flew off on his raven. All the same, the dwarfs resented this
+small girl's injustice in finding them ugly. Rug was very angry. Pic
+said to himself, "She is only a child, and she does not see the light
+of genius which shines in my eyes, and which gives them the power which
+crushes as well as the grace which charms."
+
+As for Pau, he thought to himself: "Perhaps it would have been better
+if I had not awakened this young lady who finds us ugly." But Tad said
+smiling:
+
+"You will find us less ugly, dear young lady, when you love us more."
+
+As he spoke Bob re-appeared on his raven. He held a dish of gold on
+which were a roast pheasant, an oatmeal cake, and a bottle of claret. He
+cut innumerable capers as he laid this supper at the feet of Honey-Bee.
+
+"Little men," Honey-Bee said as she ate, "your supper is very good. My
+name is Honey-Bee; let us go in search of my brother, and then we
+will all go together to Clarides where mama is waiting for us in great
+anxiety."
+
+But Dig, who was a kind dwarf, represented to Honey-Bee that she was not
+able to walk; that her brother was big enough to find his own way;
+that no misfortune could come to him in a country in which all the wild
+beasts had been destroyed.
+
+"We will make a litter," he added, "and cover it with leaves and moss,
+and we will put you on it, and in this way we will carry you to the
+mountain and present you to the King of the Dwarfs, according to the
+custom of our people."
+
+All the dwarfs applauded. Honey-Bee looked at her aching feet and
+remained silent. She was glad to learn that there were no wild beasts
+in the country. And on the whole she was willing to trust herself to the
+kindness of the dwarfs.
+
+They were already busy constructing the litter. Those with hatchets were
+felling two young fir trees with resounding blows. This brought back to
+Rug his original suggestion.
+
+"If instead of a litter we made a cage," he urged.
+
+But he aroused a unanimous protest. Tad looked at him scornfully.
+
+"You are more like a human being than a dwarf, Rug," he said. "But at
+least it is to the honour of our race that the most wicked dwarf is also
+the most stupid."
+
+In the meantime the task had been accomplished. The dwarfs leaped into
+the air and in a bound seized and cut the branches, out of which they
+deftly wove a basket chair. Having covered it with moss and leaves, they
+placed Honey-Bee upon it, then they seized the two poles, placed them on
+their shoulders and, then! off they went to the mountain.
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+     In which we are faithfully told how King Loc received Honey-
+     Bee of Clarides
+
+They climbed a winding path along the wooded slope of the hill. Here and
+there granite boulders, bare and blasted, broke through the grey verdure
+of the dwarf oaks, and the sombre purple mountain with its bluish
+ravines formed an impassable barrier about the desolate landscape.
+
+The procession, preceded by Bob on his feathered steed, passed through
+a chasm overgrown with brambles. Honey-Bee, with her golden hair flowing
+over her shoulders, looked like the dawn breaking on the mountains,
+supposing, of course, that the dawn was ever frightened and called her
+mother and tried to escape, for all these things she did as she caught
+a confused glimpse of dwarfs, armed to the teeth, lying in ambush along
+the windings of the rocks.
+
+With bows bent or lance at rest they stood immovable. Their tunics of
+wild beast skins and their long knives that hung from their belts gave
+them a most terrible appearance. Game, furred and feathered, lay beside
+them. And yet these huntsmen, to judge only by their faces, did not
+seem very grim; on the contrary, they appeared gentle and grave like the
+dwarfs of the forest, whom they greatly resembled.
+
+In their midst stood a dwarf full of majesty. He wore a cock feather
+over his ear, and on his head a diadem set with enormous gems. His
+mantle raised at the shoulder disclosed a muscular arm covered with
+circlets of gold. A horn of ivory and chased silver hung from his belt.
+His left hand rested on his lance in an attitude of quiet strength, and
+his right he held over his eyes so as to look towards Honey-Bee and the
+light.
+
+"King Loc," said the forest dwarfs, "we have brought you the beautiful
+child we have found; her name is Honey-Bee."
+
+"You have done well," said King Loc. "She shall live amongst us
+according to the custom of the dwarfs."
+
+"Honey-Bee," he said, approaching her, "you are welcome." He spoke very
+gently, for he already felt very kindly towards her. He lifted himself
+on the tips of his toes to kiss her hand that hung at her side, and he
+assured her not only that he would do her no harm, but that he would try
+to gratify all her wishes, even should she long for necklaces, mirrors,
+stuffs from Cashmere and silks from China.
+
+"I wish I had some shoes," replied Honey-Bee. Upon which King Loc struck
+his lance against a bronze disc that hung on the surface of the rock,
+and instantly something bounded like a ball out of the depths of
+the cavern. Increasing in size it disclosed the face of a dwarf with
+features such as painters give to the illustrious Belisarius, but his
+leather apron proclaimed that he was a shoemaker. He was indeed the
+chief of the shoemakers.
+
+"True," said the king, "choose the softest leather out of our
+store-houses, take cloth-of-gold and silver, ask the guardian of my
+treasures for a thousand pearls of the finest water, and with this
+leather, these fabrics, and these pearls create a pair of shoes for the
+lady Honey-Bee."
+
+At these words True threw himself at the feet of Honey-Bee and measured
+them with great care.
+
+"Little King Loc," said Honey-Bee, "I want the pretty shoes you promised
+at once, because as soon as I have them I must return to Clarides to my
+mother." "You shall have the shoes," King Loc replied; "you shall have
+them to walk about the mountain, but not to return to Clarides, for
+never again shall you leave this kingdom, where we will teach you
+wonderful secrets still unknown on earth. The dwarfs are superior to
+men, and it is your good fortune that you are made welcome amongst
+them."
+
+"It is my misfortune," replied Honey-Bee. "Little King Loc, give me a
+pair of wooden shoes, such as the peasants wear, and let me return to
+Clarides."
+
+But King Loc made a sign with his head to signify that this was
+impossible. Then Honey-Bee clasped her hands and said, coaxingly:
+
+"Little King Loc, let me go and I will love you very much."
+
+"You will forget me in your shining world."
+
+"Little King Loc, I will never forget you, and I will love you as much
+as I love Flying Wind."
+
+"And who is Flying Wind?"
+
+"It is my milk-white steed, and he has rose-coloured reins and he eats
+out of my hand. When he was very little Francoeur the squire used to
+bring him to my room every morning and I kissed him. But now Francceur
+is in Rome, and Flying Wind is too big to mount the stairs."
+
+King Loc smiled.
+
+"Will you love me more than Flying Wind?"
+
+"Indeed I would," said Honey-Bee.
+
+"Well said," cried the King.
+
+"Indeed I would, but I cannot, I hate you, little King Loc, because you
+will not let me see my mother and George again."
+
+"Who is George?"
+
+"George is George and I love him."
+
+The friendship of King Loc for Honey-Bee had increased prodigiously in a
+few minutes, and as he had already made up his mind to marry her as soon
+as she was of age, and hoped through her to reconcile men and dwarfs, he
+feared that later on George might become his rival and wreck his plans.
+It was because of this that he turned away frowning, his head bowed as
+if with care.
+
+Honey-Bee seeing that she had offended him pulled him gently by his
+mantle.
+
+"Little King Loc," she said, in a voice both tender and sad, "why should
+we make each other unhappy, you and I?"
+
+"It is in the nature of things," replied King Loc. "I cannot take you
+back to your mother, but I will send her a dream which will tell her
+your fate, dear Honey-Bee, and that will comfort her."
+
+"Little King Loc," and Honey-Bee smiled through her tears, "what a good
+idea, but I will tell you just what you ought to do. You must send my
+mother a dream every night in which she will see me, and every night you
+must send me a dream in which I shall see her."
+
+And King Loc promised, and so said, so done. Every night Honey-Bee
+saw her mother, and every night the Duchess saw her daughter, and that
+satisfied their love just a little.
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+     In which the marvels of the kingdom of the dwarfs are
+     accurately described as well as the dolls that were given to
+     Honey-Bee
+
+The kingdom of the dwarfs was very deep and extended under the greater
+part of the earth. Though one only caught a glimpse of the sky here
+and there through the clefts in the rocks, the roads, the avenues, the
+palaces and the galleries of this subterraneous region were not plunged
+in absolute darkness. Only a few spaces and caverns were lost in
+obscurity. The rest was illumined not by lamps or torches but by stars
+or meteors which diffused a strange and fantastic light, and this light
+revealed the most astonishing marvels. One saw stupendous edifices hewn
+out of the solid rocks, and in some places, palaces cut out of granite,
+of such height that their tracery of stone was lost under the arches of
+this gigantic cavern in a haze across which fell the orange glimmer of
+little stars less lustrous than the moon.
+
+There were fortresses in this kingdom, of the most crushing and
+formidable dimensions; an amphitheatre in which the stone seats formed
+a half-circle whose extent it was impossible to measure at a single
+glance, and vast wells with sculptured sides, in which one could descend
+forever and yet never reach the bottom. All these structures, so out of
+proportion it would seem to the size of the inhabitants, were quite in
+keeping with their curious and fantastic genius.
+
+Dwarfs in pointed hoods pricked with fern leaves whirled about these
+edifices in the airiest fashion. It was common to see them leap up to
+the height of two or three storeys from the lava pavement and rebound
+like balls, their faces meanwhile preserving that impressive dignity
+with which sculptors endow the great men of antiquity.
+
+No one was idle and all worked zealously. Entire districts echoed to
+the sound of hammers. The shrill discord of machinery broke against the
+arches of the cavern, and it was a curious sight to see the crowds of
+miners, blacksmiths, gold-beaters, jewellers, diamond polishers handle
+pickaxes, hammers, pincers and files with the dexterity of monkeys.
+However there was a more peaceful region.
+
+Here coarse and powerful figures and shapeless columns loomed in chaotic
+confusion, hewn out of the virgin rock, and seemed to date back to
+an immemorial antiquity. Here a palace with low portals extended its
+ponderous expanse; it was the palace of King Loc.
+
+Directly opposite was the house of Honey-Bee, a house or rather a
+cottage of one room all hung with white muslin. The furniture of
+pine-wood perfumed the room. A glimpse of daylight penetrated through a
+crevice in the rock, and on fine nights one could see the stars.
+
+Honey-Bee had no special attendants, for all the dwarf people were eager
+to serve her and to anticipate all her wishes except the single one to
+return to earth.
+
+The most erudite dwarfs, familiar with the pro-foundest secrets, were
+glad to teach her, not from books, for dwarfs do not write, but by
+showing her all the plants of mountains and plains, all the diverse
+species of animals, and all the varied gems that are extracted from the
+bosom of the earth. And it was by means of such sights and marvels that
+they taught her, with an innocent gaiety, the wonders of nature and the
+processes of the arts.
+
+They made her playthings such as the richest children on earth never
+have; for these dwarfs were always industrious and invented wonderful
+machinery. In this way they produced for her dolls that could move with
+exquisite grace, and express themselves according to the strictest rules
+of poetry. Placed on the stage of a little theatre, the scenery of which
+represented the shores of the sea, the blue sky, palaces and temples,
+they would portray the most interesting events. Though no taller than
+a man's arm some of them represented respectable old men, others men in
+the prime of life, and, others still, beautiful young girls dressed in
+white.
+
+Among them also were mothers pressing their innocent children to their
+hearts. And these eloquent dolls acted as if they were really moved by
+hate, love and ambition. They passed with the greatest skill from joy
+to sorrow and they imitated nature so well that they could move one to
+laughter or to tears. Honey-Bee clapped her hands at the sight. She had
+a horror of the dolls who tried to be tyrants. On the other hand she
+felt a boundless compassion for a doll who had once been a princess, and
+who, now a captive widow, had no other resource alas, by which to save
+her child, than to marry the barbarian who had made her a widow.
+
+Honey-Bee never tired of this game which the dolls could vary
+indefinitely. The dwarfs also gave concerts and taught her to play the
+lute, the viola, the theorbo, the lyre, and various other instruments.
+
+In short she became an excellent musician, and the dramas acted in the
+theatre by the dolls taught her a knowledge of men and life. King Loc
+was always present at the plays and the concerts, but he neither saw
+nor heard anything but Honey-Bee; little by little he had set his whole
+heart upon her. In the meantime months passed and even years sped by
+and Honey-Bee was still among the dwarfs, always amused and yet always
+longing for earth. She grew to be a beautiful girl. Her singular destiny
+had imparted something strange to her appearance, which gave her,
+however, only an added charm.
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+     In which the treasures of King Loc are described as well as
+     the writer is able
+
+Six years to a day had passed since Honey-Bee had come to live with the
+dwarfs. King Loc called her into his palace and commanded his treasurer
+to displace a huge stone which seemed cemented into the wall, but which
+in reality was only lightly placed there. All three passed through the
+opening left by the great stone and found themselves in a fissure of
+rock too narrow for two persons to stand abreast. King Loc preceded the
+others along the dim path and Honey-Bee followed him holding to a tip of
+the royal mantle. They walked on for a long time, and at intervals the
+sides of the rocks came so close together that the young girl was seized
+with terror lest she should be unable to advance or recede, and so would
+die there. Before her, along the dark and narrow road floated the mantle
+of King Loc. At last King Loc came to a bronze door which he opened and
+out of which poured a blaze of light.
+
+"Little King Loc," said Honey-Bee, "I had no idea that light could be so
+beautiful!"
+
+And King Loc taking her by the hand led her into the hall out of which
+the light shone.
+
+"See!" he cried.
+
+Honey-Bee, dazzled, could sec nothing, for this immense hall, supported
+by high marble columns, was a glitter of gold from floor to roof.
+
+At the end on a dais made of glittering gems set in gold and silver, the
+steps of which were covered by a carpet of marvellous embroidery, stood
+a throne of ivory and gold under a canopy of translucent enamel, and
+on each side two palm-trees three thousand years old, in gigantic vases
+carved in some bygone time by the greatest artists among the dwarfs.
+King Loc mounted his throne and commanded the young girl to stand at his
+right hand.
+
+"Honey-Bee," said King Loc, "these are my treasures. Choose all that
+will give you pleasure."
+
+Immense gold shields hung from the columns and reflected the sunlight,
+and sent it back in glittering rays; swords and lances crossed had each
+a flame at their point.
+
+Tables along the walls were laden with tankards, flagons, ewers,
+chalices, pyxes, patens, goblets, gold cups, drinking horns of ivory
+with silver rings, enormous bottles of rock crystal, chased gold
+and silver dishes, coffers, reliquaries in the form of churches,
+scent-boxes, mirrors, candelabra and torch-holders equally beautiful in
+material and workmanship, and incense-burners in the shape of monsters.
+And on one table stood a chessboard with chessmen carved out of
+moonstones.
+
+"Choose," King Loc repeated.
+
+But lifting her eyes above these treasures, Honey-Bee saw the blue sky
+through an opening in the roof, and as if she had comprehended that the
+light of day could alone give all these things their splendour, she said
+simply:
+
+"Little King Loc, I want to return to earth."
+
+Whereupon King Loc made a sign to his treasurer who, raising heavy
+tapestries, disclosed an enormous iron-bound coffer covered with plates
+of open ironwork. This coffer being opened out poured thousands of rays
+of different and lovely tints, and each ray seemed to leap out of a
+precious stone most artistically cut. King Loc dipped in his hands
+and there flowed in glittering confusion violet amethysts and virgins'
+stones, emeralds of three kinds, one dark green, another called the
+honey emerald because of its colour, and the third a bluish green,
+also called beryl, which gives happy dreams; oriental topazes, rubies
+beautiful as the blood of heroes, dark blue sapphires, called the
+male sapphire, and the pale blue ones, called the female sapphire, the
+cymophanes, hyacinths, euclases, turquoises, opals whose light is softer
+than the dawn, the aquamarine and the Syrian garnet. All these gems
+were of the purest and most luminous water. And in the midst of these
+coloured fires great diamonds flashed their rays of dazzling white.
+
+"Choose, Honey-Bee," said King Loc. But Honey-Bee shook her head.
+
+"Little King Loc," she said, "I would rather have a single beam of
+sunlight that falls on the roof of Clarides than all these gems."
+
+Then King Loc ordered another coffer to be opened, in which were only
+pearls. But these pearls were round and pure; their changing light
+reflected all the colours of sea and sky, and their radiance was so
+tender that they seemed to express a thought of love.
+
+"Accept these," said King Loc
+
+"Little King Loc," Honey-Bee replied, "these pearls are like the glance
+of George of Blanchelande; I love these pearls, but I love his eyes even
+more."
+
+Hearing these words King Loc turned his head away. However he opened
+a third coffer and showed the young girl a crystal in which a drop of
+water had been imprisoned since the beginning of time; and when the
+crystal was moved the drop of water could be seen to stir. He also
+showed her pieces of yellow amber in which insects more brilliant than
+jewels had been imprisoned for thousands of years. One could distinguish
+their delicate feet and their fine antennae, and they would have resumed
+their flight had some power but shattered like glass their perfumed
+prison.
+
+"These are the great marvels of nature; I give them to you, Honey-Bee."
+
+"Little King Loc," Honey-Bee replied, "keep your amber and your crystal,
+for I should not know how to give their freedom either to the fly or the
+drop of water."
+
+King Loc watched her in silence for some time. Then he said, "Honey-Bee,
+the most beautiful treasures will be safe in your keeping. You will
+possess them and they will not possess you. The miser is the prey of his
+gold, only those who despise wealth can be rich without danger; their
+souls will always be greater than their riches."
+
+Having uttered these words he made a sign to his treasurer who presented
+on a cushion a crown of gold to the young girl.
+
+"Accept this jewel as a sign of our regard for you," said King Loc.
+"Henceforth you shall be called the Princess of the Dwarfs."
+
+And he himself placed the crown on the head of Honcy-Bee.
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+     In which King Loc declares himself
+
+The dwarfs celebrated the crowning of their first princess by joyous
+revels. Harmless and innocent games succeeded each other in the huge
+amphitheatre; and the little men, with cockades of fern or two oak
+leaves fastened coquettishly to their hoods, bounded gaily across the
+subterranean streets. The rejoicings lasted thirty days. During
+the universal excitement Pic looked like a mortal inspired; Tad the
+kind-hearted was intoxicated by the universal joy; Dig the tender gave
+expression to his delight in tears; Rug, in his ecstasy, again demanded
+that Honey-Bee should be put in a cage, but this time so that the dwarfs
+need not be afraid to lose so charming a princess; Bob, mounted on his
+raven, filled the air with such cries of rapture that the sable bird,
+infected by the gaiety, gave vent to innumerable playful little croaks.
+
+Only King Loc was sad.
+
+On the thirtieth day, having given the princess and the dwarf people
+a festival of unparalleled magnificence, he mounted his throne, and so
+stood that his kind face just reached her car.
+
+"My Princess Honcy-Bee," he said, "I am about to make a request which
+you are at liberty either to accept or to refuse. Honey-Bee of Clarides,
+Princess of the Dwarfs, will you be my wife?"
+
+As he spoke, King Loc, grave and tender, had something of the gentle
+beauty of a majestic poodle.
+
+"Little King Loc," Honey-Bee replied, as she pulled his beard, "I am
+willing to become your wife for fun, but never your wife for good. The
+moment you asked me to marry you I was reminded of Francoeur, who when
+I was on earth used to amuse me by telling me the most ridiculous
+stories."
+
+At these words King Loc turned his head away, but not so soon but that
+Honey-Bee saw the tears in his eyes. Then Honey-Bee was grieved because
+she had pained him.
+
+"Little King Loc," she said to him, "I love you for the little King Loc
+you are; and if you make me laugh as Francoeur did, there is nothing
+in that to vex you, for Francoeur sang well and he would have been very
+handsome if it had not been for his grey hair and his red nose."
+
+"Honey-Bee of Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs," the king replied, "I
+love you in the hope that some day you will love me. And yet without
+that hope I should love you just the same. The only return I ask for my
+friendship is that you will always be honest with me."
+
+"Little King Loc, I promise."
+
+"Well then, tell me truly, Honey-Bee, do you love some one else enough
+to marry him?"
+
+"Little King Loc, I love no one enough for that."
+
+Whereupon King Loc smiled, and seizing his golden cup he proposed, with
+a resounding voice, the health of the Princess of the Dwarfs. An immense
+uproar rose from the depths of the earth, for the banquet table reached
+from one end to the other of the Empire of the Dwarfs.
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+     In which we are told how Honey-Bee saw her mother again, but
+     could not embrace her
+
+Honey-Bee, a crown on her head, was now more often sad and lost in
+thought than when her hair flowed loose over her shoulders, and when
+she went laughing to the forge and pulled the beards of her good friends
+Pic, Tad and Dig, whose faces, red from the reflected flames, gave her a
+gay welcome. But now these good dwarfs, who had once danced her on their
+knees and called her Honey-Bee, bowed as she passed and maintained a
+respectful silence. She grieved because she was no longer a child, and
+she suffered because she was the Princess of the Dwarfs.
+
+It was no longer a pleasure for her to see King Loc, since she had seen
+him weep because of her. But she loved him, for he was good and unhappy.
+One day, if one may say that there are days in the empire of the dwarfs,
+she took King Loc by the hand and drew him under the cleft in the rock,
+through which a sunbeam shone, along whose rays there danced a haze of
+golden dust.
+
+"Little King Loc," she said, "I suffer. You are a king and you love me
+and I suffer."
+
+Hearing these words from the pretty damsel, King Loc replied:
+
+"I love you, Honey-Bee of Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs; and that
+is why I have held you captive in our world, in order to teach you our
+secrets, which are greater and more wonderful than all those you could
+learn on earth amongst men, for men are less skilful and less learned
+than the dwarfs."
+
+"Yes," said Honey-Bee, "but they are more like me than the dwarfs,
+and for that reason I love them better. Little King Loc, let me see my
+mother again if you do not wish me to die."
+
+Without replying King Loc went away. Honey-Bee, desolate and alone,
+watched the ray of light which bathes the whole face of nature and
+which enfolds all the living, even to the beggars by the wayside, in its
+resplendent waves. Slowly this ray paled, and its golden radiance faded
+to a pale blue light. Night had come upon earth. A star twinkled over
+the cleft in the rock.
+
+Then some one gently touched her on the shoulder, and she saw King Loc
+wrapped in a black cloak. He had another cloak on his arm with which he
+covered the young girl.
+
+"Come," said he.
+
+And he led her out of the under-world. When she saw again the trees
+stirred by the wind, the clouds that floated across the moon, the
+splendour of the night so fresh and blue, when she breathed again the
+fragrance of the herbage, and when the air she had breathed in childhood
+again entered her breast in floods, she gave a great sigh and thought to
+die of joy.
+
+King Loc had taken her in his arms; small though he was, he carried
+her as lightly as a feather, and they glided over the ground like the
+shadows of two birds.
+
+"You shall see your mother again, Honey-Bee. But listen! You know
+that every night I send her your image. Every night she sees your
+dear phantom; she smiles upon it, she talks to it and she caresses it.
+To-night she shall, instead, see you yourself. You will see her, but
+you must not touch her, you must not speak to her, or the charm will be
+broken and she will never again see you nor your image, which she does
+not distinguish from you."
+
+"Then I will be prudent, alas! little King Loc!... See! See!..."
+
+Sure enough the watch-tower of Clarides rose black on the hill.
+Honey-Bee had hardly time to throw a kiss to the beloved old stone walls
+when the ramparts of the town of Clarides, overgrown with gillyflowers
+already flew past; already she was ascending the terrace, where the
+glow-worms glimmer in the grass, to the postern, which King Loc easily
+opened, for the dwarfs are masters of metals, nor can locks, padlocks,
+bolts, chains or bars ever stop them.
+
+She climbed the winding stairs that led to her mother's room, and she
+paused to clasp her beating heart with both her hands. Softly the door
+opened, and by the light of a night lamp that hung from the ceiling she
+saw her mother in the holy silence that reigned, her mother frailer and
+paler, with hair grey at the temples, but in the eyes of her daughter
+more beautiful even than in past days as she remembered her riding
+fearlessly in magnificent attire. As usual the mother beheld her
+daughter as in a dream, and she opened her arms as if to caress her. And
+the child, laughing and sobbing, was about to throw herself into those
+open arms; but King Loc tore her away, and like a wisp of straw he bore
+her through the blue landscape to the Kingdom of the Dwarfs.
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+     In which we shall see how King Loc suffered
+
+Seated on the granite step of the underground palace, Honey-Bee watched
+the blue sky through the cleft in the rock, I and saw the elder-trees
+turn their spreading white parasols to the light. She began to weep.
+
+"Honey-Bee," said King Loc as he took her hand in his, "why do you weep,
+and what is it you desire?" And as she had been grieving these many
+days, the dwarfs at her feet tried to cheer her with simple airs on the
+flute, the flageolet, the rebeck, and the cymbals. And other dwarfs, to
+amuse her, turned such somersaults one after the other that they pricked
+the grass with the points of their hoods with their cockades of leaves,
+and nothing could be more charming than to watch the capers of these
+tiny men with their venerable beards. Tad so kind and Dig so wise, who
+had loved her since the day they had found her asleep on the shore of
+the lake, and Pic, the elderly poet, gently took her arm and implored
+her to tell them the cause of her grief. Pau, a simple just soul,
+offered her a basket of grapes, and all of them gently pulled the edge
+of her skirt and said with King Loc:
+
+"Honey-Bee, Princess of the Dwarfs, why do you weep?"
+
+"Little King Loc," Honey-Bee replied, "and you, little men, my grief
+only increases your love, because you are good; you weep with me. Know
+that I weep when I think of George of Blanchelande, who should now be a
+cavalier, but whom I shall never see again. I love him and I wish to be
+his wife."
+
+King Loc took his hand away from the hand he had pressed.
+
+"Honey-Bee," he said, "why did you deceive me when you told me at the
+banquet that you loved no one else?"
+
+"Little King Loc," Honey-Bee replied, "I did not deceive you at the
+banquet. At that time I had no desire to marry George of Blanchelande,
+but to-day it is my dearest wish that he should ask to marry me. But he
+will never ask me, as I do not know where he now is, nor does he know
+where I am. And this is the reason I weep."
+
+At these words the musicians ceased playing; the acrobats interrupted
+their tumbling and stood immovable, some on their heads and some
+on their haunches; Tad and Dig shed silent tears on the sleeve of
+Honey-Bee; Pau, simple soul, dropped his basket of grapes, and all the
+little men gave vent to the most fearful groans.
+
+But King Loc, more unhappy than all under his splendid jewelled crown,
+silently withdrew, his mantle trailing behind him like a purple torrent.
+
+
+
+
+XVI
+
+     In which an account is given of the learned Nur who was the
+     cause of such extraordinary joy to King Loc
+
+King Loc did not permit the young girl to observe his weakness; but when
+he was alone he sat on the ground and with his feet in his hands gave
+way to grief. He was jealous. "She loves him," he said to himself, "and
+she does not love me! And yet I am a king and very wise; great treasures
+are mine and I know the most marvellous secrets. I am superior to all
+other dwarfs, who are in turn superior to all men. She does not love
+me but she loves a young man who not only has not the learning of the
+dwarfs, but no other learning either.
+
+"It must be acknowledged that she does not appreciate merit--nor has she
+much sense. I ought to laugh at her want of judgment; but I love her and
+I care for nothing in the world because she does not love me."
+
+For many long days King Loc roamed alone through the most desolate
+mountain passes, turning over in his mind thoughts both sad and,
+sometimes, wicked. He even thought of trying by imprisonment and
+starvation to force Honey-Bee to become his wife. But rejecting this
+plan as soon as formed he decided to go in search of her and throw
+himself at her feet. But he could come to no decision, and at last he
+was quite at a loss what to do. The truth being that whether Honey-Bee
+would love him did not depend on him.
+
+Suddenly his anger turned against George of Blanchelande; and he hoped
+that the young man had been carried far away by some enchanter, and that
+at any rate, should he ever hear of Honey-Bee's love, he would disdain
+it.
+
+"Without being old," the king meditated, "I have already lived too long
+not to have suffered sometimes. And yet my sufferings, intense though
+they were, were less painful than those of which I am conscious to-day.
+With the tenderness and pity which caused them was mingled something
+of their own divine sweetness. Now, on the contrary, my grief has the
+baseness and bitterness of an evil desire. My soul is desolate and the
+tears in my eyes are like an acid that burns them."
+
+So thought King Loc. And fearing that jealousy might make him unjust
+and wicked he avoided meeting the young girl, for fear that in spite of
+himself, he might use towards her the language of a man either weak or
+brutal.
+
+One day when he was more than ever tormented by the thought that
+Honey-Bec loved George, he decided to consult Nur, the most learned
+of all the dwarfs, who lived at the bottom of a well deep down in the
+bowels of the earth.
+
+This well had the advantage of an even and soft temperature. It was
+not dark, for two little stars, a pale sun and a red moon, alternately
+illumined all parts. King Loc descended into the well and found Nur in
+his laboratory. Nur looked like a kind little old man, and he wore a
+sprig of wild thyme in his hood. In spite of his learning he had the
+innocence and candour characteristic of his race.
+
+"Nur," said the king as he embraced him, "I have come to consult you
+because you know many things."
+
+"King Loc," replied Nur, "I might know a good deal and yet be an idiot.
+But I possess the knowledge of how to learn some of the innumerable
+things I do not know, and that is the reason I am so justly famous for
+my learning."
+
+"Well, then," said King Loc, "can you tell me the whereabouts at present
+of a young man by the name of George of Blanchelande?"
+
+"I do not know and I never cared to know," replied Nur. "Knowing as I
+do the ignorance, stupidity and wickedness of mankind, I don't trouble
+myself as to what they say or do. Humanity, King Loc, would be entirely
+deplorable and ridiculous if it were not that something of value is
+given to this proud and miserable race, inasmuch as the men are endowed
+with courage, the women with beauty, and the little children with
+innocence. Obliged by necessity, as are also the dwarfs, to toil,
+mankind has rebelled against this divine law, and instead of being, like
+ourselves, willing and cheerful toilers, they prefer war to work, and
+they would rather kill each other than help each other. But to be just
+one must admit that their shortness of life is the principal cause of
+their ignorance and cruelty. Their life is too short for them to learn
+how to live. The race of the dwarfs who dwell under the earth is happier
+and better. If we are not immortal we shall at least last as long as
+the earth which bears us in her bosom, and which permeates us with her
+intimate and fruitful warmth, while for the races born on her rugged
+surface she has only the turbulent winds which sometimes scorch and
+sometimes freeze, and whose breath is at once the bearer of death and
+of life. And yet men owe to their overwhelming miseries and wickedness
+a virtue which makes the souls of some amongst them more beautiful than
+the souls of dwarfs. And this virtue, O King Loc, which for the mind is
+what the soft radiance of pearls is for the eyes, is pity. It is taught
+by suffering, and the dwarfs know it but little, because being wiser
+than men they escape much anguish. Yet sometimes the dwarfs leave their
+deep grottoes and seek the pitiless surface of the earth to mingle with
+men so as to love them, to suffer with them and through them, and thus
+to feel this pity which refreshes the soul like a heavenly dew. This
+is the truth concerning men, King Loc. But did you not ask me as to the
+exact fate of some one amongst them?"
+
+King Loc having repeated his question, Nur looked into one of the many
+telescopes which filled the room. For the dwarfs have no books, those
+which are found amongst them have come from men, and are only used as
+playthings. They do not learn as we do by consulting marks on paper,
+but they look through telescopes and see the subject itself of their
+inquiry. The only difficulty is to choose the right telescope and get
+the right focus.
+
+There are telescopes of crystal, of topaz and of opal; but those whose
+lens is a great polished diamond are more powerful, and permit them to
+see the most distant objects.
+
+The dwarfs also have lenses of a translucent substance unknown to men.
+These enable the sight to pass through rocks and walls as if they were
+glass. Others, more remarkable still, reconstruct as accurately as a
+mirror all that has vanished with the flight of time. For the dwarfs, in
+the depths of their caverns, have the power to recall from the infinite
+surface of the ether the light of immemorial days and the forms and
+colours of vanished times. They can create for themselves a phantasm
+of the past by re-arranging the splinters of light which were once
+shattered against the forms of men, animals, plants and rocks, so that
+they again flash across the centuries through the unfathomable ether.
+
+The venerable Nur excelled in discovering figures of antiquity and even
+such, inconceivable though it may seem, as lived before the earth
+had assumed the shape with which we are familiar. So it was really no
+trouble at all for him to find George of Blanchelande.
+
+Having looked for a moment through a very ordinary telescope indeed, he
+said to King Loc:
+
+"King Loc, he for whom you search is with the nixies in their palace of
+crystal, from which none ever return, and whose iridescent walls adjoin
+your kingdom."
+
+"Is he there?" cried the king, "Let him stay!" and he rubbed his hands.
+"I wish him joy."
+
+And having embraced the venerable dwarf, he emerged out of the well
+roaring with laughter.
+
+The whole length of the road he held his sides so as to laugh at his
+ease; his head shook, and his beard swung backwards and forwards on his
+stomach. How he laughed! The little men who met him laughed out of sheer
+sympathy. Seeing them laugh made others laugh. A contagion of laughter
+spread from place to place until the whole interior of the earth was
+shaken as if with a mighty and jovial hiccough. Ha! ha! ha!
+
+
+
+
+XVII
+
+     Which tells of the wonderful adventure of George of
+     Blanchelande
+
+King Loc did not laugh long; indeed he hid the face of a very unhappy
+little man under the bed-clothes.
+
+He lay awake all night long thinking of George of Blanchelande, the
+prisoner of the nixies.
+
+So about the hour when such of the dwarfs as have a dairymaid for
+sweetheart go in her stead to milk the cows while she sleeps in her
+white bed with folded hands, little King Loc again sought the astute Nur
+in the depths of his well.
+
+"You did not tell me, Nur, what he is doing down there with the nixies?"
+
+The venerable Nur was quite convinced that the king was mad, though that
+did not alarm him because he knew if King Loc should lose his reason
+he would be a most gracious, charming, amiable and kindly lunatic. The
+madness of the dwarfs is gentle like their reason, and full of the most
+delicious fancies. But King Loc was not mad; at least not more so than
+lovers usually are.
+
+"I wish to speak of George of Blanchelande," he said to the venerable
+Nur, who had forgotten all about this young man as soon as possible.
+
+Thereupon Nur the wise placed a series of lenses and mirrors before
+the king in an order so exact that it looked like disorder, but
+which enabled him to show the king in a mirror the form of George of
+Blanchelande as he was when the nixies carried him away. By a lucky
+choice and a skilful adjustment of instruments the dwarf was able to
+reproduce for the love-sick king all the adventures of the son of that
+Countess to whom a white rose announced her end. And the following,
+expressed in words, is what the little man saw in all the reality of
+form and colour.
+
+When George was borne away in the icy arms of the daughters of the lake
+the water pressed upon his eyes and his breast and he felt that he was
+about to die. And yet he heard songs that sounded like a caress and his
+whole being was permeated by a sense of delicious freshness. When
+he opened his eyes he found himself in a grotto whose crystal columns
+reflected the delicate tints of the rainbow. At the end of the grotto
+was a great sea shell of mother-of-pearl iridescent with the tenderest
+colours, and this served as a dais to the throne of coral and seaweed
+of the Queen of the Nixies. But the face of the Sovereign of the waters
+shone with a light more tender than either the mother-of-pearl or the
+crystal. She smiled at the child which her women brought her, and her
+green eyes lingered long upon him.
+
+"Friend," she said at last, "be welcome into our world, in which you
+shall be spared all sorrow. For you neither dry lessons nor rough
+sports; nothing coarse shall remind you of earth and its toil, for you
+only the songs and the dances and the love of the nixies."
+
+And indeed the women of the green hair taught the child music and
+dancing and a thousand graces. They loved to bind his forehead with the
+cockle shells that decked their own tresses. But he, remembering his
+country, gnawed his clenched hands with impatience.
+
+Years passed and George longed with a passion unceasing to see the earth
+again, the rude earth where the sun burns and where the snow hardens,
+the mother earth where one suffers, where one loves, the earth where he
+had seen Honey-Bee, and where he longed to see her again. He had in the
+meantime grown to be a tall lad with a fine golden down on his upper
+lip. Courage came with the beard, and so one day he presented himself
+before the Queen of the Nixies and bowing low, said:
+
+"Madam, I have come, with your gracious permission, to take leave of
+you; I am about to return to Clarides."
+
+"Fair youth," the queen replied smiling, "I cannot grant you the leave
+you ask, for I guard you in my crystal palace, to make of you my lover."
+
+"Madam," he replied, "I am not worthy of so great an honour."
+
+"That is but your courtesy. What gallant cavalier ever believes that he
+has sufficiently deserved his lady's favour. Besides you are still too
+young to know your own worth. Let me tell you, fair youth, that we do
+but desire your welfare; obey your lady and her alone."
+
+"Madam, I love Honey-Bee of Clarides. I will have no other lady but
+her."
+
+"A mortal maid!" the queen cried, turning pale, but more beautiful
+still, "a coarse daughter of men, this Honey-Bee! How can you love such
+a thing?"
+
+"I do not know, but I know that I love her."
+
+"Never mind. It will pass."
+
+And she still held the young man captive by means of the allurements of
+her crystal abode.
+
+He did not comprehend the devious thing called a woman; he was more
+like Achilles among the daughters of Lycomedes than Tannhauser in the
+enchanted castle. And that is why he wandered sadly along the walls of
+the mighty palace searching for an outlet through which to escape; but
+he only saw the splendid and silent empire of the waves sealing his
+shining prison. Through the transparent walls he watched the blooming
+sea anemones and the spreading coral, while over the delicate streams of
+the madrepores and the sparkling shells, purple, blue, and gold fishes
+made a glitter of stars with a stroke of their tails. These marvels he
+left unheeded, for, lulled by the delicious songs of the nixies, he
+felt little by little his will broken and his soul grow weak. He was all
+indolence and indifference when one day he found by chance in a gallery
+of the palace, an ancient well-worn book bound in pigskin and studded
+with great copper nail-heads. The book, saved from some wreck in
+mid-ocean, treated of chivalry and fair ladies, and related at great
+length the adventures of heroes who went about the world redressing
+wrongs, protecting widows and succouring orphans for the love of justice
+and in honour of beauty. George flushed and paled with wonder, shame,
+and anger as he read these tales of splendid adventures. He could not
+contain himself.
+
+"I also," he cried, "will be a gallant knight. I also will go about the
+world punishing the wicked and succouring the unfortunate for the good
+of mankind and in the name of my lady Honey-Bee."
+
+With sword drawn and his heart big with valour he dashed across the
+crystal dwellings. The white ladies fled and swooned before him like the
+silver ripples of a lake. Their queen alone beheld his approach without
+a tremor; she turned on him the icy glance of her green eyes.
+
+"Break the enchantment which binds me," he cried, running towards her.
+"Open to me the road to earth. I wish to fight in the light of the
+sun like a cavalier. I wish to return to where one loves, to where one
+suffers, to where one struggles! Give back to me the life that is real
+and the light that is real. Give mc back my prowess! If not, I will kill
+you, you wicked woman!"
+
+With a smile she shook her head as if to refuse. Beautiful she was and
+serene. With all the strength that was in him George struck her; but his
+sword broke against her glittering breast.
+
+"Child!" she said, and she commanded that he be cast into a dungeon
+which formed a kind of crystal tunnel under her palace, and about which
+sharks roamed with wide-stretched monstrous jaws armed with triple rows
+of pointed teeth. At every touch it seemed as if they must crush the
+frail glass wall, which made it impossible to sleep in this strange
+prison.
+
+The extremity of this under-sea tunnel rested on a bed of rock which
+formed the vaulting of the most distant and unexplored cavern in the
+empire of the dwarfs.
+
+And this is what the two little men saw in a single hour and quite as
+accurately as if they had followed George all the days of his life.
+The venerable Nur, having described the dungeon scene in all its tragic
+gloom, addressed the King in much the same way as the Savoyards speak to
+the little children when they show their magic lanterns.
+
+"King Loc," he said, "I have shown you all you wished to see, and now
+that you know all I can add nothing more. It's nothing to me whether
+you liked what you saw; it is enough to know that what you saw was the
+truth. Science neither cares to please nor to displease. She is inhuman.
+It is not science but poetry that charms and consoles. And that is why
+poetry is more necessary than science. Go, King Loc, and get them to
+sing you a song."
+
+And without uttering a word King Loc left the well.
+
+
+
+
+XVIII
+
+     In which King Loc undertakes a terrible journey
+
+Having left the well of wisdom, King Loc went to his treasure house and
+out of a casket, of which he alone had the key, he took a ring which
+he placed on his finger. The stone set in the ring emitted a brilliant
+light, for it was a magic stone of whose power we shall learn more
+further on. Thereupon King Loc went to his palace, put on a travelling
+cloak and thick boots and took a stick; then he started on a journey
+across crowded streets, great highways, villages, galleries of porphyry,
+torrents of rock-oil, and crystal grottoes, all of which communicated
+with each other through narrow openings.
+
+He seemed lost in deep meditation and he uttered words that had no
+meaning. But he trudged on doggedly. Mountains obstructed his path
+and he climbed the mountains. Precipices opened under his feet and he
+descended into the precipices; he forded streams, he crossed horrible
+regions black with the fumes of sulphur. He trudged across burning
+lava on which his feet left their imprint; he had the appearance of a
+desperately dogged traveller. He penetrated into gloomy caverns into
+which the water of the ocean oozed drop by drop, and flowed like tears
+along the sea wrack, forming pools on the uneven ground where countless
+crustaceans increased and multiplied into hideous shapes. Enormous
+crabs, crayfish, giant lobsters and sea spiders crackled under the
+dwarfs feet, then crawled away leaving some of their claws behind, and
+in their flight rousing horrible molluscs and octopuses centuries old
+that suddenly writhed their hundred arms and spat fetid poison out of
+their bird-beaks. And yet King Loc went on undaunted. He made his way
+to the ends of these caverns, through the midst of a heaped up chaos of
+shelled monsters armed with spikes, with double saw-edged nippers, with
+claws that crept stealthily up to his neck and bleared eyes on swaying
+tentacles. He crept up the sides of the cavern by clinging to the rough
+surface of the rocks and the mailed monsters crept with him, but he
+never faltered until he recognised by touch a stone that projected from
+the centre of the natural arch. He touched the stone with his magic
+ring and suddenly it rolled away with a horrible crash, and at once a
+glory of light flooded the cavern with its beautiful waves and put to
+flight the swarming monsters bred in its gloom.
+
+As King Loc thrust his head into the opening through which daylight
+poured, he saw George of Blanchelande in his glass dungeon where he was
+lamenting grievously as he thought of Honey-Bee and of earth. For King
+Loc had undertaken this subterranean journey only to deliver the captive
+of the nixies.
+
+But seeing this huge dishevelled head, frowning and bearded, watching
+him from under his tunnel, George believed himself to be menaced by a
+mighty danger and he felt for the sword at his side forgetting that he
+had broken it against the breast of the woman with the green eyes. In
+the meantime King Loc examined him curiously.
+
+"Bah," said he to himself, "it is only a child!" And indeed he was only
+an ignorant child, and it was because of his great ignorance that he had
+escaped from the deadly and delicious kisses of the Queen of the Nixies.
+Aristotle with all his wisdom might not have done so well.
+
+"What do you want, fathead?" George cried, seeing himself defenceless,
+"why harm me if I have never harmed you?"
+
+"Little one," King Loc replied in a voice at once jovial and testy, "you
+do not know whether or not you have harmed me, for you are ignorant of
+effects and causes and reflections, and all philosophy in general. But
+we'll not talk of that. If you don't mind leaving your tunnel, come this
+way."
+
+George at once crept into the cavern, slipped down the length of the
+wall, and as soon as he had reached the bottom he said to his deliverer:
+
+"You are a good little man; I shall love you for ever; but do you know
+where Honey-Bee of Clarides is?"
+
+"I know a great many things," retorted the dwarf, "and especially that I
+don't like people who ask questions."
+
+Hearing this George paused in great confusion and followed his guide in
+silence through the dense black air where the octopuses and crustaceans
+writhed. King Loc said mockingly:
+
+"This is not a carriage road, young prince."
+
+"Sir," George replied, "the road to liberty is always beautiful, and I
+fear not to be led astray when I follow my benefactor."
+
+Little King Loc bit his lips. On reaching the gallery of porphyry
+he pointed out to the youth a flight of steps cut in the rock by the
+dwarfs, by which they ascend to earth.
+
+"This is your way," he said, "farewell."
+
+"Do not bid me farewell," George replied, "say I shall see you again.
+After what you have done my life is yours."
+
+"What I have done," King Loc replied, "I have not done for your sake,
+but for another's. It will be better for us never to meet again, for we
+can never be friends."
+
+"I would not have believed that my deliverance could have caused me such
+pain," George said simply and gravely, "and yet it does. Farewell."
+
+"A pleasant journey," cried King Loc, in a gruff voice.
+
+Now it happened that these steps of the dwarfs adjoined a deserted stone
+quarry less than a mile from the castle of Clarides.
+
+"This young lad," King Loc murmured as he went on his way, "has neither
+the wisdom nor the wealth. Truly I cannot imagine why Honey-Bee loves
+him, unless it is because he is young, handsome, faithful and brave."
+
+As he went back to the town he laughed to himself as a man does who has
+done some one a good turn. As he passed Honey-Bee's cottage he thrust
+his big head into the open window just as he had thrust it into the
+crystal tunnel, and he saw the young girl, who was embroidering a veil
+with silver flowers.
+
+"I wish you joy, Honey-Bee," he cried.
+
+"And you also, little King Loc, seeing you have nothing to wish for and
+nothing to regret."
+
+He had much to wish for, but, indeed, he had nothing to regret. And it
+was probably this which gave him such a good appetite for supper. Having
+eaten a huge number of truffled pheasants he called Bob.
+
+"Bob," said he, "mount your raven; go to the Princess of the Dwarfs and
+tell her that George or Blanchelande, long a captive of the nixies, has
+this day returned to Clarides."
+
+Thus he spoke and Bob flew off on his raven.
+
+
+
+
+XIX
+
+     Which tells of the extraordinary encounter of Jean the
+     master tailor, and of the blessed song the birds in the
+     grove sang to the duchess
+
+When George again found himself on the earth on which he was born, the
+very first person he met was Jean, the master tailor, with a red suit of
+clothes on his arm for the steward of the castle. The good man shrieked
+at sight of his young master.
+
+"Holy St. James," he cried, "if you are not his lordship George of
+Blanchelande who was drowned in the lake seven years ago, you are either
+his ghost or the devil in person."
+
+"I am neither ghost nor devil, good Jean, but I am truly that same
+George of Blanchelande who used to creep to your shop and beg bits
+of stuff out of which to make dresses for the dolls of my sister
+Honey-Bee."
+
+"Then you were not drowned, your lordship," the good man exclaimed. "I
+am so glad! And how well you look. My little Peter who climbed into my
+arms to see you pass on horseback by the side of the Duchess that Sunday
+morning has become a good workman and a fine fellow. He is all of that,
+God be praised, your lordship. He will be glad to hear that you are not
+at the bottom of the sea, and that the fish have not eaten you as he
+always declared. He was in the habit of saying many pleasant things
+about it, your lordship, for he is very amusing. And it is a fact that
+you are much mourned in Clarides. You were such a promising child. I
+shall remember to my dying day how you once asked me for a needle to
+sew with, and as I refused, for you were not of an age to use it without
+danger, you replied you would go to the woods and pick beautiful green
+pine needles. That is what you said, and it still makes me laugh.
+Upon my soul you said that. Our little Peter, also, used to say clever
+things. Now he is a cooper and at your service, your lordship."
+
+"I shall employ no one else. But give me news of Honey-Bee and the
+Duchess, Master Jean."
+
+"Alack, where do you come from, your lordship, seeing that you do not
+know that it is now seven years since the Princess Honey-Bee was stolen
+by the dwarfs of the mountain? She disappeared the very day you were
+drowned; and one can truly say that on that day Clarides lost its
+sweetest flowers. The Duchess is in deep mourning. And it's that which
+makes me say that the great of the earth have their sorrows just as well
+as the humblest artisans, if only to prove that we are all the sons of
+Adam. And because of this a cat may well look at a king, as the saying
+is. And by the same token the good Duchess has seen her hair grow white
+and her gaiety vanish. And when in the springtime she walks in her black
+robes along the hedgerow where the birds sing, the smallest of these is
+more to be envied than the sovereign lady of Clarides. And yet her grief
+is not quite without hope, your lordship; for though she had no tidings
+of you, she at least knows by dreams that her daughter Honey-Bee is
+alive."
+
+This and much else said good man Jean, but George listened no longer
+after he heard that Honey-Bee was a captive among the dwarfs.
+
+"The dwarfs hold Honey-Bee captive under the earth," he pondered; "a
+dwarf rescued me from my crystal dungeon; these little men have not all
+the same customs; my deliverer cannot be of the same race as those who
+stole my sister."
+
+He knew not what to think except that he must rescue Honey-Bee.
+
+In the meantime they crossed the town, and on their way the gossips
+standing on the thresholds of their houses asked each other who was
+this young stranger, but they all agreed that he was very handsome.
+The better informed amongst them, having recognised the young lord of
+Blanchelande, decided that it must be his ghost, wherefore they fled,
+making great signs of the cross.
+
+"He must be sprinkled with holy water," said one old crone, "and he will
+vanish leaving a disgusting smell of sulphur. He will carry away Master
+Jean, and he will of course plunge him alive into the fire of hell."
+
+"Softly! old woman," a citizen replied, "his lordship is alive and much
+more alive than you or I. He is as fresh as a rose, and he looks as if
+he had come from some noble court rather than from the other world. One
+does return from afar, good dame. As witness Francoeur the squire who
+came back from Rome last midsummer day."
+
+And Margaret the helmet-maker, having greatly admired George, mounted
+to her maiden chamber and kneeling before the image of the Holy Virgin
+prayed, "Holy Virgin, grant me a husband who shall look precisely like
+this young lord."
+
+So each in his way talked of George's return until the news spread
+from mouth to mouth and finally reached the ears of the Duchess who was
+walking-in the orchard. Her heart beat violently and she heard all the
+birds in the hedge-row sing:
+
+
+           "Cui, cui, cui,
+          Oui, oui, oui,
+     Georges de Blanchelande,
+          Cui, cui, cui.
+     Dont vous avez nourri l'enfance
+          Cui, cui, cui,
+          Est ici, est ici, est ici!
+          Oui, oui, oui."
+
+Francoeur approached her respectfully and said: "Your Grace, George de
+Blanchelande whom you thought dead has returned. I shall make it into a
+song." In the meantime the birds sang:
+
+     "Cucui, cui, cui, cui, cui,
+     Oui, oui, oui, oui, oui, oui,
+     Il est ici, ici, ici, ici, ici, ici."
+
+And when she saw the child who had been to her as a son, she opened her
+arms and fell senseless at his feet.
+
+
+
+
+
+XX
+
+     Which treats of a little satin shoe
+
+Everybody in Clarides was quite convinced that Honey-Bee had been stolen
+by the dwarfs. Even the Duchess believed it, though her dreams did not
+tell her precisely. "We will find her again," said George. "We will
+find her again," replied Francoeur. "And we will bring her back to her
+mother," said George.
+
+"And we will bring her back," replied Francoeur. "And we will marry
+her," said George.
+
+"And we will marry her," replied Francoeur. And they inquired among the
+inhabitants as to the habits of the dwarfs and the mysterious
+circumstances of Honey-Bee's disappearance.
+
+And so it happened that they questioned Nurse Maurille who had once been
+the nurse of the Duchess of Clarides; but now as she had no more milk
+for babies Maurille instead nursed the chickens in the poultry yard. It
+was there that the master and squire found her. She cried: "Psit! Psit!
+psit! psit! lil--lil--lil--lil--psit, psit, psit, psit!" as she threw
+grain to the chicks.
+
+"Psit, psit, psit, psit! Is it you, your lordship? Psit, psit, psit! Is
+it possible that you have grown so tall--psit! and so handsome? Psit,
+psit! Shoo! shoo, shoo! Just look at that fat one there eating the
+little one's portion! Shoo, shoo, shoo! The way of the world, your
+lordship. Riches go the rich, lean ones grow leaner, while the fat ones
+grow fatter. There's no justice on earth! What can I do for you, my
+lord? May I offer you each a glass of beer?"
+
+"We will accept it gladly, Maurille, and I must embrace you because you
+nursed the mother of her whom I love best on earth."
+
+"That's true, my lord, my foster child cut her first tooth at the age
+of six months and fourteen days. On which occasion the deceased duchess
+made me a present. She did indeed."
+
+"Now, Maurille, tell us all you know about the dwarfs who carried away
+Honey-Bee."
+
+"Alas, my lord, I know nothing of the dwarfs who carried her away. And
+how can you expect an old woman like me to know anything? It's ages ago
+since I forgot the little I ever knew, and I haven't even enough memory
+left to remember where I put my spectacles. Sometimes I look for them
+when they're on my nose. Try this drink; it's fresh."
+
+"Here's to your health, Maurille; but I was told that your husband knew
+something about the disappearance of Honey-Bee."
+
+"That's true, your lordship. Though he never was taught anything he
+learnt a great deal in the pothouses and the taverns. And he never
+forgot anything. Why if he were alive now and sitting at this table he
+could tell you stories until to-morrow. He used to tell me so many that
+they quite muddled my head and even now I can't tell the tail of one
+from the head of the other. That's true, your lordship."
+
+Indeed, it was true, for the head of the old nurse could only be
+compared to a cracked soup-pot. It was with the greatest difficulty that
+George and Francoeur got anything good out of it. Finally, however, by
+means of much repetition they did extract a tale which began somewhat as
+follows:
+
+"It's seven years ago, your lordship, the very day you and Honey-Bee
+went on that frolic from which neither of you ever returned. My deceased
+husband went up the mountain to sell a horse. That's the truth. He fed
+the beast with a good peck of oats soaked in cider to give him a firm
+leg and a brilliant eye; he took him to market near the mountain. He had
+no cause to regret his oats or his cider, for he sold his horse for
+a much better price. Beasts are like human beings; one judges them by
+their appearance. My deceased husband was so rejoiced at his good stroke
+of business that he invited his friends to drink with him, and glass in
+hand he drank to their health.
+
+"You must know, your lordship, that there wasn't a man in all Clarides
+could equal my husband when glass in hand he drank to the health of
+his friends. So much so that on that day, after a number of such
+compliments, when he returned alone at twilight he took the wrong
+road for the reason that he could not recognise the right one. Finding
+himself near a cavern he saw as distinctly as possible, considering his
+condition and the hour, a crowd of little men carrying a girl or a boy
+on a litter. He ran away for fear of ill-luck; for the wine had not
+robbed him of prudence. But at some distance from the cavern he dropped
+his pipe, and on stooping to pick it up he picked up instead a little
+satin shoe. When he was in a good humour he used to amuse himself by
+saying, 'It's the first time a pipe has changed into a shoe.' And as it
+was the shoe of a little girl he decided that she who had lost it in the
+forest was the one who had been carried away by the dwarfs and that it
+was this he had seen. He was about to put the shoe into his pocket when
+a crowd of little men in hoods pounced down on him and gave him such a
+thrashing that he lay there quite stunned."
+
+"Maurille! Maurille!" cried George, "it's Honey-Bee's shoe. Give it to
+me and I will kiss it a thousand times. It shall rest for ever on my
+heart, and when I die it shall be buried with me."
+
+"As you please, your lordship; but where will you find it? The dwarfs
+took it away from my poor husband and he always thought that they only
+gave him such a sound thrashing because he wanted to put it in his
+pocket to show to the magistrates. He used to say when he was in a good
+humour----"
+
+"Enough--enough! Only tell me the name of the cavern!"
+
+"It is called the cavern of the dwarfs, your lordship, and very well
+named too. My deceased husband----"
+
+"Not another word, Maurille! But you. Francoeur, do you know where this
+cavern is?"
+
+"Your lordship," replied Francoeur as he emptied the pot of beer, "you
+would certainly know it if you knew my songs better. I have written
+at least a dozen about this cavern, and I've described it without even
+forgetting a single sprig of moss. I venture to say, your lordship, that
+of these dozen songs, six are of great merit. And even the other six are
+not to be despised. I will sing you one or two...."
+
+"Francoeur," cried George, "we will take possession of this cavern of
+the dwarfs and rescue Honey-Bee."
+
+"Of course we will!" replied Francoeur.
+
+
+
+
+XXI
+
+     In which a perilous adventure is described
+
+That night when all were asleep George and Francoeur crept into the
+lower hall in search of weapons. Lances, swords, dirks, broadswords,
+hunting-knives and daggers glittered under the time-stained
+rafters--everything necessary to kill both man and brute. A complete
+suit of armour stood upright under each beam in an attitude as resolute
+and proud as if it were still filled with the soul of the brave man it
+had once decked for mighty adventures. The gauntlet grasped the lance in
+its ten iron fingers, while the shield rested against the plates of the
+greaves as if to prove that prudence is necessary to courage, and that
+the best fighter is armed as well for defence as for attack.
+
+From among all these suits of armour George chose the one that
+Honey-Bee's father had worn as far away as the isles of Avalon and
+Thule. He donned it with the aid of Francoeur, nor did he forget the
+shield on which was emblazoned the golden sun of Clarides. As for
+Francoeur, he put on a good old steel coat of mail of his grandfather's
+and on his head a casque of a bygone time, to which he attached a ragged
+and moth-eaten tuft or plume. This he chose merely as a matter of fancy
+and to give himself an air of rejoicing, for, as he justly reasoned,
+gaiety, which is good under every circumstance, is especially so in the
+face of great dangers.
+
+Having thus armed themselves they passed under the light of the moon
+into the dark open country. Francoeur had fastened the horses on
+the edge of a little grove near the postern, and there he found them
+nibbling at the bark of the bushes; they were swift steeds, and it took
+them less than an hour to reach the mountain of the dwarfs, through a
+crowd of goblins and phantoms.
+
+"Here is the cave," said Francoeur.
+
+Master and man dismounted and, sword in hand, penetrated into the
+cavern. It required great courage to attempt such an adventure; but
+George was in love and Francoeur was faithful, and this was a case in
+which one could say with the most delightful of poets:
+
+"What may not friendship do with Love for guide!"
+
+Master and man had trudged through the gloom for nearly an hour when
+they were astonished to see a brilliant light. It was one of the meteors
+which we know illumines the kingdom of the dwarfs. By the light of this
+subterranean luminary they discovered that they were standing at the
+foot of an ancient castle.
+
+"This," said George, "is the castle we must capture."
+
+"To be sure," said Francceur; "but first permit me to drink a few drops
+of this wine which I brought with me as a precaution, because the better
+the wine the better the man, and the better the man the better the
+lance, the better the lance the less dangerous the enemy."
+
+George, seeing no living soul, struck the hilt of his sword sharply
+against the door of the castle. He looked up at the sound of a little
+tremulous voice, and he saw at one of the windows a little old man with
+a long beard, who asked:
+
+"Who are you!"
+
+"George of Blanchelande."
+
+"And who do you want?"
+
+"I have come to deliver Honey-Bee of Clarides whom you unjustly hold
+captive in your mole-hill, hideous little moles that you are!"
+
+The dwarf disappeared and again George was left alone with Francoeur who
+said to him:
+
+"Your lordship, possibly I may exaggerate if I remark that in your
+answer to the dwarf you have not quite exhausted all the persuasive
+powers of eloquence."
+
+Francoeur was afraid of nothing, but he was old; his heart like his head
+was polished by age, and he disliked to offend people.
+
+As for George he stormed and clamoured at the top of his voice.
+
+"Vile dwellers in the earth, moles, badgers, dormice, ferrets, and
+water-rats, open the door and I'll cut off all your ears."
+
+But hardly had he uttered these words when the bronze door of the castle
+slowly opened of itself, for no one could be seen pushing back its
+enormous wings.
+
+George was seized with terror and yet he sprang through the mysterious
+door because his courage was even greater than his terror. Entering the
+courtyard he saw that all the windows, the galleries, the roofs, the
+gables, the skylights, and even the chimney-pots, were crowded with
+dwarfs armed with bows and cross-bows.
+
+He heard the bronze door close behind him and suddenly a shower of
+arrows fell thick and fast on his head and shoulders, and for the
+second time he was filled with a great fear, and for the second time he
+conquered his fear.
+
+Sword in hand and his shield on his arm he mounted the steps until
+suddenly he perceived on the very highest, a majestic dwarf who stood
+there in serene dignity, gold sceptre in hand and wearing the royal
+crown and the purple mantle. And in this dwarf he recognised the little
+man who had delivered him out of his crystal dungeon.
+
+Thereupon he threw himself at his feet and cried weeping:
+
+"O my benefactor, who are you? Are you one of those who have robbed me
+of Honey-Bee, whom I love?"
+
+"I am King Loc," replied the dwarf. "I have kept Honey-Bee with me
+to teach her the wisdom of the dwarfs. Child, you have fallen into my
+kingdom like a hail-storm in a garden of flowers. But the dwarfs, less
+weak than men, are never angered as are they. My intelligence raises me
+too high above you for me to resent your actions whatever they are. And
+of all the attributes that render me superior to you that which I guard
+most jealously is justice. Honey-Bee shall be brought before me and I
+will ask her if she wishes to follow you. This I do, not because you
+desire it, but because I must."
+
+A great silence ensued and Honey-Bee appeared attired all in white and
+with flowing golden hair. No sooner did she see George than she ran
+and threw herself in his arms and clasped his iron breast with all her
+strength.
+
+Then King Loc said to her:
+
+"Honey-Bee, is it true that this is the man you wish to marry?"
+
+"It is true, very true that this is he, little King Loc," replied
+Honey-Bee. "See, all you little men, how I laugh and how happy I am."
+
+And she began to weep. Her tears fell on her lover's face, but they were
+tears of joy; and with them were mingled tiny bursts of laughter and a
+thousand endearing words without sense, like the lisp of a little child.
+She quite forgot that the sight of her joy might sadden the heart of
+King Loc.
+
+"My beloved," said George, "I find you again such as I had longed for:
+the fairest and dearest of beings. You love me! Thank heaven, you
+love me! But, Honey-Bee, do you not also love King Loc a little, who
+delivered me out of the glass dungeon in which the nixies held me
+captive far away from you?"
+
+Honey-Bee turned to King Loc.
+
+"Little King Loc, and did you do this?" she cried. "You loved me, and
+yet you rescued the one I love and who loves me----"
+
+Words failed her and she fell on her knees, her head in her hands.
+
+All the little men who witnessed this scene deluged their cross-bows
+with tears. Only King Loc remained serene. And Honcy-Bee, overcome by
+his magnanimity and his goodness, felt for him the love of a daughter
+for a father.
+
+She took her lover's hand.
+
+"George," she said, "I love you. God knows how much I love you. But how
+can I leave little King Loc?"
+
+"Hallo, there?" King Loc cried in a terrible voice, "now you are my
+prisoners!"
+
+But this terrible voice he only used for fun and just as a joke, for he
+really was not at all angry. Here Francoeur approached and knelt before
+him.
+
+"Sire," he cried, "may it please your Majesty to let me share the
+captivity of the masters I serve?"
+
+Said Honey-Bee, recognising him:
+
+"Is it you, my good Francoeur? How glad I am to see you again. What a
+horrid cap you've got on! Tell me, have you composed any new songs?"
+
+And King Loc took them all three to dinner.
+
+
+
+
+XXII
+
+     In which all ends well
+
+The next morning Honey-Bee, George and Francoeur again arrayed
+themselves in the splendid garments prepared for them by the dwarfs, and
+proceeded to the banquet-hall where, as he had promised, King Loc,
+in the robes of an Emperor, soon joined them. He was followed by his
+officers fully armed, and covered with furs of barbarous magnificence,
+and in their helmets the wings of swans. Crowds of hurrying dwarfs came
+in through the windows, the air-holes and the chimneys, and rolled under
+the benches.
+
+King Loc mounted a stone table one end of which was laden with flagons,
+candelabra, tankards, and cups of gold of marvellous workmanship. He
+signed to Honey-Bee and to George to approach.
+
+"Honey-Bee," he said, "by a law of the nation of the dwarfs it is
+decreed that a stranger received in our midst shall be free after seven
+years. You have been with us seven years, Honey-Bee, and I should be a
+disloyal citizen and a blameworthy king should I keep you longer. But
+before permitting you to go I wish, not having been able to wed you
+myself, to betroth you to the one you have chosen. I do so with joy for
+I love you more than I love myself, and my pain, if such remains, is
+like a little cloud which your happiness will dispel. Honey-Bee of
+Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs, give me your hand, and you, George of
+Blanchelande, give me yours."
+
+Placing the hand of George in the hand of Honey-Bee he turned to his
+people and said with a ringing voice:
+
+"Little men, my children, you bear witness that these two pledge
+themselves to marry one another on earth. They shall go back together
+and together help courage, modesty, and fidelity to blossom, as roses,
+pinks, and peonies bloom for good gardeners."
+
+At these words the dwarfs burst into a mighty shout, but not knowing
+if they ought to grieve or to rejoice, they were torn by conflicting
+emotions.
+
+King Loc, again turning to the lovers, said as he pointed to the
+flagons, the tankards, all the beautiful art of the goldsmith:
+
+"Behold the gifts of the dwarfs. Take them, Honey-Bee, they will remind
+you of your little friends. It is their gift to you, not mine. What I am
+about to give you, you shall know before long."
+
+A lengthy silence ensued.
+
+With an expression sublime in its tenderness, King Loc gazed at
+Honey-Bee, whose beautiful and radiant head, crowned by roses, rested on
+her lover's shoulder.
+
+Then he continued:
+
+"My children, it is not enough to love passionately; you must also
+love well. A passionate love is good doubtless, but a beautiful love
+is better. May you have as much strength as gentleness; may it lack
+nothing, not even forbearance, and let even a little compassion be
+mingled with it. You are young, fair and good; but you are human,
+and because of this capable of much suffering. If then something of
+compassion does not enter into the feelings you have one for the other,
+these feelings will not always befit all the circumstances of your life
+together; they will be like festive robes that will not shield you from
+wind and rain. We love truly only those we love even in their weakness
+and their poverty. To forbear, to forgive, to console, that alone is the
+science of love."
+
+King Loc paused, seized by a gentle but strong emotion.
+
+"My children," he then continued; "may you be happy; guard your
+happiness well, guard it well."
+
+While he addressed them Pic, Tad, Dig, Bob, True, and Pau clung to
+Honey-Bee's white mantle and covered her hands and arms with kisses and
+they implored her not to leave them. Thereupon King Loc took from his
+girdle a ring set with a glittering gem. It was the magic ring which had
+unclosed the dungeon of the nixies. He placed it on Honey-Bee's finger.
+
+"Honey-Bee," he said, "receive from my hand this ring which will permit
+you, you and your husband, to enter at any hour the kingdom of the
+dwarfs. You will be welcomed with joy and succoured at need. In return
+teach the children that will be yours not to despise the little men, so
+innocent and industrious, who dwell under the earth."
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Honey-Bee, by Anatole France
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+  <head>
+    <title>
+      Honey-Bee, by Anatole France
+    </title>
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+
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+    .toc       { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;}
+    .toc2      { margin-left: 20%;}
+    div.fig    { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; }
+    div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; }
+    .figleft   {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;}
+    .figright  {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;}
+    .pagenum   {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal;
+               margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%;
+               text-align: right;}
+    pre        { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;}
+
+</style>
+  </head>
+  <body>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Honey-Bee, by Anatole France
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Honey-Bee
+       1911
+
+Author: Anatole France
+
+Illustrator: Florence Lundborg
+
+Translator: Mrs. John Lane
+
+Release Date: May 9, 2008 [EBook #25405]
+Last Updated: March 3, 2019
+
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HONEY-BEE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by David Widger
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="frontispiece (74K)" src="images/frontispiece.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="titlepage (48K)" src="images/titlepage.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h1>
+      HONEY-BEE
+    </h1>
+    <h2>
+      By Anatole France
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <h3>
+      A Translation By Mrs. John Lane <br /> <br /> Illustrated By Florence
+      Lundborg
+    </h3>
+    <h4>
+      Published by John Lane MCMXI
+    </h4>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <h4>
+      TO <br /><br /> H. B. H. &nbsp;&nbsp;DEAR AND LIFE-LONG FRIEND
+    </h4>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <p class="toc">
+      <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big>
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto" cellpadding="4" border="3">
+      <tr>
+        <td></td>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_INTR"> INTRODUCTION </a>
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td></td>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> <big><b>"HONEY-BEE"</b></big> </a>
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0003"> I </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which treats of the appearance of the country and serves as
+          Introduction
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0004"> II </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which we learn what the white rose meant to the Countess of
+          Blanchelande
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0005"> III </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Wherein begins the love of George of Blanchelande and Honey-Bee of
+          Claride
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0006"> IV </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which treats of Education in general, and George of Blanchelande’s in
+          particular
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0007"> V </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which tells how the Duchess took Honeybee and George to the Hermitage,
+          and of their encounter with a hideous old woman
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0008"> VI </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which tells of what can be seen from the Keep of Clarides
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0009"> VII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which is described how George and Honey-Bee went to the lake
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0010"> VIII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Wherein we shall see what happened to George of Blanchelande because
+          he approached the lake in which the nixies dwel
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0011"> IX </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Wherein we shall see how Honey-Bee was taken to the dwarfs
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0012"> X </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which we are faithfully told how King Loc received Honey-Bee of
+          Clarides
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0013"> XI </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which the marvels of the kingdom of the dwarfs are accurately
+          described as well as the dolls that were given to Honey-Bee
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0014"> XII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which the treasures of King Loc are described as well as the writer
+          is able
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0015"> XIII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which King Loc declares himself
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0016"> XIV </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which we are told how Honey-Bee saw her mother again, but could not
+          embrace her
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0017"> XV </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which we shall see how King Loc suffered
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0018"> XVI </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which an account is given of the learned Nur who was the cause of
+          such extraordinary joy to King Loc
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0019"> XVII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which tells of the wonderful adventure of George of Blanchelande
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0020"> XVIII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which King Loc undertakes a terrible journey
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0021"> XIX </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which tells of the extraordinary encounter of Jean the master tailor,
+          and of the blessed song the birds in the grove sang to the duchess
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0022"> XX </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          Which treats of a little satin shoe
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0023"> XXI </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which a perilous adventure is described
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+      <tr>
+        <td>
+          <a href="#link2H_4_0024"> XXII </a>
+        </td>
+        <td>
+          In which all ends well
+        </td>
+      </tr>
+    </table>
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br />
+    </p>
+    <hr />
+    <p>
+      <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_INTR" id="link2H_INTR">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h2>
+      INTRODUCTION
+    </h2>
+    <p>
+      It is an honour, but, also, a great responsibility, to introduce through
+      the dangerous medium of a translation one of the most distinguished
+      writers of our time, and, probably, the greatest living master of style,
+      to a new world&mdash;the world of childhood. One is conscious that it is
+      as impossible to translate the charm and art of Anatole France as it is to
+      describe in dull, colourless words the exquisite perfume of the rose.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such as this translation is I offer it with diffidence, realising that I
+      have undertaken a difficult task. And yet I venture to do so for I long to
+      make known to English and American children one of the loveliest and
+      noblest of stories&mdash;a story overflowing with poetic imagination,
+      wisdom and humour, divine qualities to which the heart of the child is
+      always open as the flower to the dew.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      I want young children as well as others, older only by accident of years,
+      but whose hearts are always young&mdash;which is the eternal youth&mdash;to
+      know the greatest French writer of his day, when, by the magic of his pen,
+      he, like them, becomes young, gentle and charming. I want them to learn to
+      love his &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; newest and sweetest of those darlings of
+      childhood who have come down to us from bygone ages, distant lands and
+      half-forgotten races, but who in their eternal charm appeal to all
+      children since children first heard those wonderful stories or pored over
+      treasured books that awaken the ardent young imagination to love, beauty,
+      romance and goodness.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So, too, some day will &ldquo;Honey-Bee&rdquo; the golden-haired princess
+      of the dear, good dwarfs, join her enchanting companions, Cinderella,
+      Beauty and the Beast, Red Riding Hood, The Sleeping Beauty, The Frog
+      Prince, Puss in Boots, Aladdin, and all the others of that immortal galaxy
+      whose glorious destiny it has been to be beloved by childhood. May they
+      welcome &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; youngest of all. And so the Master,
+      supreme when he writes for men and women, will find open to him a new
+      world, purer and more beautiful, in the hearts of English and American
+      children.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A. E. L. <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <h1>
+      &ldquo;HONEY-BEE&rdquo;
+    </h1>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0003" id="link2H_4_0003">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="026 (111K)" src="images/026.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      I
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which treats of the appearance of the country and serves as
+     Introduction
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The sea covers to-day what was once the Duchy of Clarides. No trace of the
+      town or the castle remains. But when it is calm there can be seen, it is
+      said, within the circumference of a mile, huge trunks of trees standing on
+      the bottom of the sea. A spot on the banks, which now serves as a station
+      for the customhouse officers, is still called &ldquo;The Tailor&rsquo;s
+      Booth,&rdquo; and it is quite probable that this name is in memory of a
+      certain Master Jean who is mentioned in this story. The sea, which
+      encroaches year by year, will soon cover this spot so curiously named.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such changes are in the nature of things. The mountains sink in the course
+      of ages, and the depths of the seas, on the contrary, rise until their
+      shells and corals are carried to the regions of clouds and ice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Nothing endures. The face of land and sea is for ever changing. Tradition
+      alone preserves the memory of men and places across the ages and renders
+      real to us what has long ceased to exist. In telling you of Clarides I
+      wish to take you back to times that have long since vanished. Thus I
+      begin:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Countess of Blanchelande having placed on her golden hair a little
+      black hood embroidered with pearls....
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But before proceeding I must beg very serious persons not to read this. It
+      is not written for them. It is not written for grave people who despise
+      trifles and who always require to be instructed. I only venture to offer
+      this to those who like to be entertained, and whose minds are both young
+      and gay. Only those who are amused by innocent pleasures will read this to
+      the end. Of these I beg, should they have little children, that they will
+      tell them about my Honey-Bee. I wish this story to please both boys and
+      girls and yet I hardly dare to hope it will. It is too frivolous for them
+      and, really, only suitable for old-fashioned children. I have a pretty
+      little neighbour of nine whose library I examined the other day. I found
+      many books on the microscope and the zoophytes, as well as several
+      scientific story-books. One of these I opened at the following lines:
+      &ldquo;The cuttle-fish <i>Sepia Officinalis</i> is a cephalopodic mollusc
+      whose body includes a spongy organ containing a chylaqueous fluid
+      saturated with carbonate of lime.&rdquo; My pretty little neighbour finds
+      this story very interesting. I beg of her, unless she wishes me to die of
+      mortification, never to read the story of Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0004" id="link2H_4_0004">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="032 (113K)" src="images/032.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      II
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which we learn what the white rose meant to the Countess
+     of Blanchelande
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Having placed on her golden hair a little black hood embroidered with
+      pearls and bound about her waist a widow&rsquo;s girdle, the Countess of
+      Blanchelande entered the chapel where it was her daily custom to pray for
+      the soul of her husband who had been killed in single-handed combat with a
+      giant from Ireland.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      That day she saw a white rose lying on the cushion of her <i>prie-Dieu</i>;
+      at sight of this she turned pale; her eyes grew dim; she bowed her head
+      and wrung her hand. For she knew that when a Countess of Blanchelande is
+      about to die she always finds a white rose on her <i>prie-Dieu</i>.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Warned by this that her time had come to leave a world in which in so
+      short a time she had been wife, mother and widow, she entered the chamber
+      where her son George slept in the care of the nurses. He was three years
+      old. His long eyelashes threw a lovely shadow on his cheeks, and his mouth
+      looked like a flower. At sight of him, so helpless and so beautiful, she
+      began to weep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My little child,&rdquo; she cried in anguish, &ldquo;my dear little
+      child, you will never have known me and my image will fade for ever from
+      your dear eyes. And yet, to be truly your mother, I nourished you with my
+      own milk, and for love of you I refused the hand of the noblest cavaliers.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So speaking she kissed a medallion in which was her own portrait and a
+      lock of her hair, and this she hung about the neck of her son. A mothers
+      tear fell on the little one&rsquo;s cheek as he stirred in his cradle and
+      rubbed his eyes with his little hands. But the Countess turned her head
+      away and fled out of the room. How could eyes about to be extinguished for
+      ever bear the light of two dear eyes in which the soul was only beginning
+      to dawn?
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She ordered a steed to be saddled and followed by her squire, Francoeur,
+      she rode to the castle of Clarides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Duchess of Clarides embraced the Countess of Blanchelande.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Loveliest! what good fortune brings you here?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The fortune that brings me here is not good. Listen, my friend. We
+      were married within a few years of each other, and similar fates have made
+      us widows. For in these times of chivalry the best perish first, and in
+      order to live long one must be a monk. When you became a mother I had
+      already been one for two years. Your daughter Honey-Bee is lovely as the
+      day, and my little George is good. I love you and you love me. Know then
+      that I have found a white rose on the cushion of my <i>prie-Dieu</i>. I am
+      about to die; I leave you my son.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Duchess knew what the white rose meant to the ladies of Blanchelande.
+      She began to weep and in the midst of her tears she promised to bring up
+      Honey-Bee and George as brother and sister, and to give nothing to one
+      which the other did not share.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Still in each other&rsquo;s arms the two women approached the cradle where
+      little Honey-Bee slept under light curtains, blue as the sky, and without
+      opening her eyes, she moved her little arms. And as she spread her fingers
+      five little rosy rays came out of each sleeve.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He will defend her,&rdquo; said the mother of George.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And she will love him,&rdquo; the mother of Honey-Bee replied.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;She will love him,&rdquo; a clear little voice repeated, which the
+      Duchess recognised as that of a spirit which for a long time had lived
+      under the hearth-stone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On her return to her manor the lady of Blanchelande divided her jewels
+      among her women and having had herself anointed with perfumed ointments
+      and robed in her richest raiment in order to honour the body destined to
+      rise again at the Day of Judgment, she lay down on her bed and fell asleep
+      never again to awaken.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0005" id="link2H_4_0005">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="038 (103K)" src="images/038.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      III
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Wherein begins the love of George of Blanchelande and Honey-
+     Bee of Claride
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Contrary to the common destiny which is to have more goodness than beauty,
+      or more beauty than goodness, the Duchess of Clarides was as good as she
+      was beautiful, and she was so beautiful that many princes, though they had
+      only seen her portrait, demanded her hand in marriage. But to all their
+      pleading she replied:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall have but one husband as I have but one soul.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      However, after five years of mourning she left off her long veil and her
+      black robes so as not to spoil the happiness of those about her, and in
+      order that all should smile and be free to enjoy themselves in her
+      presence. Her duchy comprised a great extent of country; moorlands,
+      overgrown by heather, covered the desolate expanse, lakes in which
+      fishermen sometimes caught magic fish, and mountains which rose in fearful
+      solitudes over subterraneous regions inhabited by dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She governed Clarides with the help of an old monk who, having escaped
+      from Constantinople and seen much violence and treachery, had but little
+      faith in human goodness. He lived in a tower in the company of birds and
+      books, and from this place he filled his position as counsellor by the aid
+      of a number of little maxims. His rules were these: &ldquo;Never revive a
+      law once fallen into disuse; always accede to the demands of a people for
+      fear of revolt, but accede as slowly as possible, because no sooner is one
+      reform granted than the public demands another, and you can be turned out
+      for acceding too quickly as well as for resisting too long.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Duchess let him have his own way, for she understood nothing about
+      politics. She was compassionate and, as she was unable to respect all men,
+      she pitied those who were unfortunate enough to be wicked. She helped the
+      suffering in every possible way, visited the sick, comforted the widows,
+      and took the poor orphans under her protection.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She educated her daughter Honey-Bee with a charming wisdom. Having brought
+      the child up only to do good, she never denied her any pleasure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This good woman kept the promise she had made to the poor Countess of
+      Blanchelande. She was like a mother to George, and she made no difference
+      between him and Honey-Bee. They grew up together, and George approved of
+      Honey-Bee, though he thought her rather small. Once, when they were very
+      little, he went up to her and asked:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you play with me?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I should like to,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will make mud pies,&rdquo; said George, which they proceeded to
+      do. But as Honey-Bee made hers very badly, George struck her fingers with
+      his spade. Whereupon Honey-Bee set up a most awful roar and the squire,
+      Francoeur, who was strolling about in the garden, said to his young
+      master:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is not worthy of a Count of Blanchelande to strike young ladies,
+      your lordship.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whereupon George was seized with an ardent desire to hit Francoeur also
+      with his spade. But as this presented insurmountable difficulties, he
+      resigned himself to do what was easier, and that was to stand with his
+      nose against the trunk of a big tree and weep torrents.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the meantime Honey-Bee took care to encourage her own tears by digging
+      her fists into her eyes; and in her despair she rubbed her nose against
+      the trunk of a neighbouring tree. When night came and softly covered the
+      earth, Honey-Bee and George were still weeping, each in front of a tree.
+      The Duchess of Clarides was obliged to come and take her daughter by one
+      hand and George by the other, and lead them back to the castle. Their eyes
+      were red and their noses were red and their cheeks shone. They sighed and
+      sobbed enough to break one&rsquo;s heart. But they ate a good supper,
+      after which they were both put to bed. But as soon as the candle was blown
+      out they re-appeared like two little ghosts in two little night-gowns, and
+      they hugged each other and laughed at the top of their voices.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And thus began the love of Honey-Bee of Clarides and George of
+      Blanchelande.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0006" id="link2H_4_0006">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="046 (114K)" src="images/046.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      IV
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which treats of Education in general, and George of Blanche
+     lande&rsquo;s in particular
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      So George grew up in the Castle side by side with Honey-Bee, whom he
+      affectionately called his sister though he knew she was not.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He had masters in fencing, riding, swimming, gymnastics, dancing, hunting,
+      falconry, tennis, and, indeed, in all the arts. He even had a
+      writing-master. This was an old cleric, humble of manner but very proud
+      within, who taught him all manner of penmanship, and the more beautiful
+      this was the less decipherable it became. Very little pleasure or profit
+      did George get out of the old cleric&rsquo;s lessons, as little as out of
+      those of an old monk who taught him grammar in barbarous terms. George
+      could not understand the sense of learning a language which one knows as a
+      matter of course and which is called one&rsquo;s mother tongue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He only enjoyed himself with Francoeur the squire, who, having knocked
+      about the world, understood the ways of men and beasts, could describe all
+      sorts of countries and compose songs which he could not write. Francoeur
+      was the only one of his masters who taught George anything, for he was the
+      only one who really loved him, and the only good lessons are those which
+      are given with love. The two old goggle-eyes, the writing-master and the
+      grammar-master, who hated each other with all their hearts, were, however,
+      united in a common hatred of the old squire, whom they accused of being a
+      drunkard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It is true that Francoeur frequented the tavern &ldquo;The Pewter Pot&rdquo;
+      somewhat too zealously. It was here that he forgot his sorrows and
+      composed his songs. But of course it was very wrong of him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Homer made better verses than Francoeur, and Homer only drank the water of
+      the springs. As for sorrows the whole world has sorrows, and the thing to
+      make one forget them is not the wine one drinks, but the good one does.
+      But Francoeur was an old man grown grey in harness, faithful and
+      trustworthy, and the two masters of writing and grammar should have hidden
+      his failings from the duchess instead of giving her an exaggerated account
+      of them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Francoeur is a drunkard,&rdquo; said the writing-master, &ldquo;and
+      when he comes back from &lsquo;The Pewter Pot&rsquo; he makes a letter S
+      as he walks. Moreover, it is the only letter he has ever made; because if
+      it please your Grace, this drunkard is an ass.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The grammar-master added, &ldquo;And the songs Francoeur sings as he
+      staggers about err against all rules and are constructed on no model at
+      all. He ignores all the rules of rhetoric, please your Grace.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The Duchess had a natural distaste for pedants and tale-bearers. She did
+      what we all would have done in her place; at first she did not listen to
+      them but as they again began to repeat their tittle-tattle, she ended by
+      believing them and decided to send Francoeur away. However, to give him an
+      honourable exile, she sent him to Rome to obtain the blessing of the Pope.
+      This journey was all the longer for Francoeur the squire because a great
+      many taverns much frequented by musicians separated the duchy of Clarides
+      from the holy apostolic seat. In the course of this story we shall see how
+      soon the Duchess regretted having deprived the two children of their most
+      faithful guardian.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0007" id="link2H_4_0007">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="052 (117K)" src="images/052.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      V
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which tells how the Duchess took Honeybee and George to the
+     Hermitage, and of their encounter with a hideous old woman
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      That morning, it was the first Sunday after Easter, the Duchess rode out
+      of the castle on her great sorrel horse, while on? her left George of
+      Blanchelande was mounted on a dark horse with a white star on his black
+      forehead, and on her right Honey-Bee guided her milk-white steed with
+      rose-coloured reins. They were on their way to the Hermitage to hear mass.
+      Soldiers armed with lances formed their escort and, as they passed, the
+      people crowded forward to admire them, and, indeed, all three were very
+      fair to see. Under a veil of silver flowers and with flowing mantle the
+      Duchess had an air of lovely majesty; while the pearls with which her coif
+      was embroidered shone with a soft radiance that well-suited the face and
+      soul of this beautiful lady. George by her side with flowing hair and
+      sparkling eyes was very good to see. And on the other side rode Honey-Bee,
+      the tender and pure colour of her face like a caress for the eyes; but
+      most glorious of all her fair tresses, flowing over her shoulders, held by
+      a circlet of gold surmounted by three gold flowers, seemed the shining
+      mantle of her youth and beauty. The good people said, on seeing her:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a lovely young damsel.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The master tailor, old Jean, took his grandson Peter in his arms to point
+      out |Honey-Bce to him, and Peter asked was she alive or was she an image
+      of wax, for he could not understand how any one could be so white and so
+      lovely, and yet belong to the same race as himself, little Peter with his
+      good big weather-beaten cheeks, and his little home-spun shirt laced
+      behind in country fashion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While the Duchess accepted the people&rsquo;s homage with gracious
+      kindness, the two children showed how it gratified their pride, George by
+      his blushes, Honey-Bee by her smiles, and for this reason the Duchess said
+      to them:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How kindly these good people greet us. For what reason, George? And
+      what is the reason, Honey-Bee?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So they should,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;s their duty,&rdquo; George added.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But why should it be their duty?&rdquo; asked the Duchess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And as neither replied, she continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I will tell you. For more than three hundred years the dukes of
+      Clarides, from father to son, have lance in hand protected these poor
+      people so that they could gather the harvests of the fields they had sown.
+      For more than three hundred years all the duchesses of Clarides have spun
+      the cloth for the poor, have visited the sick, and have held the new-born
+      at the baptismal font. That is the reason they greet you, my children.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George was lost in deep thought: &ldquo;We must protect those who toil on
+      the land,&rdquo; and Honcy-Bee said: &ldquo;One should spin for the poor.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And thus chatting and meditating they went on their way through meadows
+      starred with flowers. A fringe of blue mountains lay against the distant
+      horizon. George pointed towards the east.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that a great steel shield I see over there?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Oh no,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s a round silver
+      clasp, as big as the moon.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is neither a steel shield nor a silver clasp, my children,&rdquo;
+      replied the Duchess, &ldquo;but a lake glittering in the sunshine. The
+      surface of this lake, which seen from here is as smooth as a mirror, is
+      stirred by innumerable ripples. Its borders which appear as distinct as it
+      cut in metal are really covered by reeds with feathery plumes and irises
+      whose flower is like a human glance between the blades of swords. Every
+      morning a white mist rises over the lake which shines like armour under
+      the midday sun. But none must approach it for in it dwell the nixies who
+      lure passers by into their crystal abodes.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At this moment the bell of the Hermitage was heard.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us dismount,&rdquo; said the Duchess, &ldquo;and walk to the
+      chapel. It was neither on elephants nor camels that the wise men of the
+      East approached the manger.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="056 (75K)" src="images/056.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They heard the hermit&rsquo;s mass. A hideous old crone covered with rags
+      knelt beside the Duchesss, who on leaving the church offered her holy
+      water.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Accept it, good mother,&rdquo; she said.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George was amazed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do you not know,&rdquo; said the Duchess, &ldquo;that in the poor
+      you honour the chosen of our Lord Jesus Christ? A beggar such as this as
+      well as the good Duke of Rochesnoires held you at the font when you were
+      baptized; and your little sister, Honey-Bee, also had one of these poor
+      creatures as godmother.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The old crone who seemed to have guessed the boy&rsquo;s thoughts leaned
+      towards him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fair prince,&rdquo; she cried mockingly, &ldquo;may you conquer as
+      many kingdoms as I have lost. I was the queen of the Island of Pearls and
+      the Mountains of Gold; each day my table was served with fourteen
+      different kinds of fish, and a negro page bore my train.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And by what misfortune have you lost your islands and your
+      mountains, good woman?&rdquo; asked the Duchess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I vexed the dwarfs, and they carried me far away from my dominions.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Are the dwarfs so powerful?&rdquo; George asked.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As they live in the earth,&rdquo; the old woman answered, &ldquo;they
+      know the virtue of precious stones, they work in metals, and they unseal
+      the hidden sources of the springs.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what did you do to vex them?&rdquo; asked the Duchess.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;On a December night,&rdquo; said the old woman, &ldquo;one of them
+      came to ask permission to prepare a great midnight banquet in the kitchen
+      of the castle, which, vaster than a chapter-house, was furnished with
+      casseroles, frying-pans, earthen saucepans, kettles, pans, portable-ovens,
+      gridirons, boilers, dripping-pans, dutch-ovens, fish-kettles, copper-pans,
+      pastry-moulds, copper-jugs, goblets of gold and silver, and mottled wood,
+      not to mention iron roasting-jacks, artistically forged, and the huge
+      black cauldron which hung from the pothook. He promised neither to disturb
+      nor to damage anything. I refused his request, and he disappeared
+      muttering vague threats. The third night, it being Christmas, this same
+      dwarf returned to the chamber where I slept. He was accompanied by
+      innumerable others, who pulled me out of bed and carried me to an unknown
+      land in my nightgown. &lsquo;Such,&rsquo; they said as they left me,
+      &lsquo;such is the punishment of the rich who refuse even a part of their
+      treasure to the industrious and kindly dwarf folk who work in gold and
+      cause the springs to flow.&rsquo;&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus said the toothless old woman, and the Duchess having comforted her
+      with words and money, she and the two children retraced their way to the
+      castle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0008" id="link2H_4_0008">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="062 (104K)" src="images/062.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      VI
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which tells of what can be seen from the Keep of Clarides
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      It was one day shortly after this that Honey-Bee and George, without being
+      observed, climbed the steps of the watch-tower which stands in the middle
+      of the Castle of Clarides. Having reached the platform they shouted at the
+      top of their voices and clapped their hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Their view extended down the hillside divided into brown and green squares
+      of cultivated fields. Woods and mountains lay dimly blue against the
+      distant horizon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little sister,&rdquo; cried George, &ldquo;little sister, look at
+      the whole wide world!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The world is very big,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee. &ldquo;My teachers,&rdquo;
+      said George, &ldquo;have taught me that it is very big; but, as Gertrude
+      our housekeeper says, one must see to believe.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They went the round of the platform.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is something wonderful, little brother,&rdquo; cried
+      Honey-Bee. &ldquo;The castle stands in the middle of the earth and we are
+      on the watch-tower in the middle of the castle, and so we are standing in
+      the middle of the earth. Ha! ha! ha!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And, indeed, the horizon formed a circle about the children of which the
+      watch-tower was the centre.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We are in the middle of the earth! Ha! ha! ha!&rdquo; George
+      repeated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whereupon they both started a-thinking.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What a pity that the world is so big!&rdquo; said Honey-Bee,
+      &ldquo;one might get lost and be separated from one&rsquo;s friends.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George shrugged his shoulders.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How lucky that the world is so big! One can go in search of
+      adventures. When I am grown up I mean to conquer the mountains that stand
+      at the ends of the earth. That is where the moon rises; I shall seize her
+      as she passes, and I will give her to you, Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;give her to me and I will put
+      her in my hair.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then they busied themselves searching for the places they knew as on a
+      map.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I recognise everything,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, who recognised
+      nothing, &ldquo;but what are those little square stones scattered over the
+      hillside?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Houses,&rdquo; George replied. &ldquo;Those are houses. Don&rsquo;t
+      you recognise the capital of the Duchy of Clarides, little sister? After
+      all, it is a great city; it has three streets, and one can drive through
+      one of them. Don&rsquo;t you remember that we passed through it last week
+      when we went to the Hermitage?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And what is that winding brook?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is the river. See the old stone bridge down there?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The bridge under which we fished for crayfish?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the one; and in one of the niches stands the statue of
+      the &lsquo;Woman without a Head.&rsquo; One cannot see her from here
+      because she is too small.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I remember. But why hasn&rsquo;t she got a head?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Probably because she has lost it.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without saying if this explanation was satisfactory, Honey-Bee gazed at
+      the horizon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little brother, little brother, just see what sparkles by the side
+      of the blue mountains? It is the lake.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is the lake.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They then remembered what the Duchess had told them of these beautiful and
+      dangerous waters where the nixies dwell.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will go there,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George was aghast. He stared at her with his mouth wide open.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But the Duchess has forbidden us to go out alone, so how can we go
+      to this lake which is at the end of the earth?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;How can we go? I don&rsquo;t know. It&rsquo;s you who ought to
+      know, for you are a man and you have a grammar-master.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This piqued George who replied that one might be a man, and even a very
+      brave man, and yet not know all the roads on earth. Whereupon Honey-Bee
+      said drily with a little air of scorn which made him blush to his ears:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I never said <i>I</i> would conquer the blue mountains or take down
+      the moon. I don&rsquo;t know the way to the lake, but I mean to find it!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George pretended to laugh.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You laugh like a cucumber.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cucumbers neither laugh nor cry.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If they did laugh they would laugh like you. I shall go along to
+      the lake. And while I search for the beautiful waters in which the nixies
+      live you shall stay alone at home like a good girl. I will leave you my
+      needle-work and my doll. Take care of them, George, take good care of
+      them.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George was proud, and he was conscious of the humiliation with which
+      Honey-Bee covered him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Gloomily and with head bowed he cried in a hollow voice:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very well, then, we will go to the lake.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0009" id="link2H_4_0009">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="072 (87K)" src="images/072.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      VII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which is described how George and Honey-Bee went to the
+     lake
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The next day after the midday meal, the Duchess having gone to her own
+      room George took Honey-Bee by the hand. &ldquo;Now come!&rdquo; he said.
+      &ldquo;Where?&rdquo; &ldquo;Hush!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They crept down stairs and crossed the courtyard. After they had passed
+      the postern, Honey-Bee again asked where they were going.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To the lake,&rdquo; George said resolutely. Honey-Bee opened her
+      mouth wide but remained speechless. To go so far without permission and in
+      satin shoes! For her shoes were of satin. There was no sense in it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must go and there is no need to be sensible.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Such was George&rsquo;s proud reply. She had once humiliated him and now
+      she pretended to be astonished.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This time it was he who disdainfully sent her back to her dolls. Girls
+      always tempt one on to adventures and then run away. So mean! She could
+      remain. He&rsquo;d go alone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She clung to his arm; he pushed her away.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She hung about his neck.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little brother,&rdquo; she sobbed, &ldquo;I will follow you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He allowed himself to be moved by such touching repentance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come then, but not through the town; we may be seen. We will follow
+      the ramparts and then we can reach the highway by a cross road.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And so they went hand in hand while George explained his plans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will follow the road we took to the Hermitage and then we shall
+      be sure to see the lake, just as we did the other day, and then we can
+      cross the fields in a bee line.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A bee line&rdquo; is the pretty rustic way of saying a straight
+      line; and they both laughed because of the young girl&rsquo;s name which
+      fitted in so oddly.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee picked flowers along the ditches; she made a posy of
+      marshmallows, white mullein, asters and chrysanthemums; the flowers faded
+      in her little hands and it was pitiful to see them when Honey-Bee crossed
+      the old stone bridge. As she did not know what to do with them she decided
+      to throw them into the water to refresh them, but finally she preferred to
+      give them to the &ldquo;Woman without a head.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She begged George to lift her in his arms so as to make her tall enough,
+      and she placed her armful of wild flowers between the folded hands of the
+      old stone figure.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      After she was far away she looked back and saw a pigeon resting on the
+      shoulder of the statue.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When they had been walking some time, said Honey-bee, &ldquo;I am thirsty.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;So am I,&rdquo; George replied, &ldquo;but the river is far behind
+      us, and I see neither brook nor fountain.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The sun is so hot that he has drunk them all up. What shall we do?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So they talked and lamented when they saw a peasant woman approach who
+      carried a basket of fruit.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Cherries!&rdquo; cried George. &ldquo;How unlucky: I have no money
+      to buy any.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have money,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She pulled out of her pocket a little purse in which were five pieces of
+      gold.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Good woman,&rdquo; she said to the peasant, &ldquo;will you give me
+      as many cherries as my frock will hold?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And she raised her little skirt with her two hands. The woman threw in two
+      or three handfuls of cherries. With one hand Honey-Bee held the uplifted
+      skirt and with the other she offered the woman a gold piece.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is that enough?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The woman clutched the gold piece which would amply have paid not only for
+      the cherries in the basket but for the tree on which they grew and the
+      plot of land on which the tree stood.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The artful one replied:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I&rsquo;m satisfied, if only to oblige you, little princess.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well then, put some more cherries in my brother&rsquo;s cap,&rdquo;
+      said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;and you shall have another gold piece.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This was done. The peasant woman went on her way meditating in what old
+      stocking or under what mattress she should hide her two gold pieces.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And the two children followed the road eating the cherries and throwing
+      the stones to the right and the left. George chose the cherries that hung
+      two by two on one stem and made earrings for his little sister, and he
+      laughed to see the lovely twin fruit dangle its vermillion beauty against
+      her cheeks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A pebble stopped their joyous progress. It had got into Honey-Bee&rsquo;s
+      little shoe and she began to limp. At every step she took, her golden
+      curls bobbed against her cheek, and so limping she sat down on a bank by
+      the roadside. Her brother knelt down and took off the satin shoe. He shook
+      it and out dropped a little white pebble.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little brother,&rdquo; she said as she looked at her feet, &ldquo;the
+      next time we go to the lake we&rsquo;ll put on boots.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The sun was already sinking against the radiant sky; a soft breeze
+      caressed their cheeks and necks, and so, cheered and refreshed, the two
+      little travellers proceeded on their way. To make walking easier they went
+      hand in hand, and they laughed to see their moving shadows melt together
+      before them. They sang:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    Maid Marian, setting forth to find
+    The mill, with sacks of corn to grind,
+        Her donkey, Jan, bestrode.
+    My dainty maiden, Marian,
+    She mounted on her donkey, Jan,
+        And took the mill-ward road.*
+</pre>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     * Marian&rsquo; s&rsquo;en allant au moulin,
+     Pour y faire moudre son grain,
+          Ell monta sur son âne,
+     Ma p&rsquo;tite mam&rsquo;sell&rsquo; Marianne!
+     Ell&rsquo; monta sur son âne Martin
+          Pour aller au moulin.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      But Honey-Bee stopped:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have lost my shoe, my satin shoe,&rdquo; she cried. And so it
+      was. The little shoe, whose silken laces had become loose in walking, lay
+      in the road covered-with dust. Then as she looked back and saw the towers
+      of the castle of Clarides fade into the distant twilight her heart sank
+      and the tears came to her eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The wolves will eat us,&rdquo; she cried, &ldquo;and our mother
+      will never see us again and she will die of grief.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But George comforted her as he put on her shoe.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;When the castle bell rings for supper we shall have returned to
+      Clarides. Come!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    The miller saw her coming nigh
+    And could not well forbear to cry,
+        Your donkey you must tether.
+    My dainty maiden, Marian,
+    Tether you here your donkey, Jan,
+        Who brought us twain together.*
+</pre>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+    * Le meunier qui la voit venir
+    Ne peut s&rsquo;empêcher de lui dire:
+        Attachez là votre âne,
+    Ma p&rsquo;tite Mam&rsquo;sell&rsquo; Marianne,
+    Attachez là votre âne Martin
+        Qui vous mène au moulin.
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The lake, Honey-Bee! See the lake, the lake, the lake!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes, George, the lake!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George shouted &ldquo;hurrah&rdquo; and flung his hat in the air.
+      Honey-Bee was too proper to fling hers up also, so taking off the shoe
+      that wouldn&rsquo;t stay on she threw it joyfully over her head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There lay the lake in the depths of the valley and its curved and sloping
+      banks made a framework of foliage and flowers about its silver waves. It
+      lay there clear and tranquil, and one could see the swaying of the
+      indistinct green of its banks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But the children could find no path through the underbrush that would lead
+      to its beautiful waters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While they were searching for one their legs were nipped by some geese
+      driven by a little girl dressed in a sheepskin and carrying a switch.
+      George asked her name.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Gilberte.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then, Gilberte, how can one go to the lake?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Folks doesn&rsquo;t go.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Why?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Because...&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;But supposing folks did?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If folks did there&rsquo;d be a path, and one would take that path.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George could think of no adequate reply to this guardian of the geese.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s go,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;farther on we shall be sure
+      to find a way through the woods.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And we will pick nuts and eat them,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;for
+      I am hungry. The next time we go to the lake we must bring a satchel full
+      of good things to eat.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That we will, little sister,&rdquo; said George. &ldquo;And I quite
+      agree with Francoeur, our squire, who when he went to Rome, took a ham
+      with him, in case he should hunger, and a flask lest he should be thirsty.
+      But hurry, for it is growing late, though I don&rsquo;t know the time.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The shepherdesses know by looking at the sun,&rdquo; said
+      Honey-Bee; &ldquo;but I am not a shepherdess. Yet it seems to me that when
+      we left the sun was over our head, and now it is down there, far behind
+      the town and castle of Clarides. I wonder if this happens every day and
+      what it means?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While they looked at the sun a cloud of dust rose up from the high road,
+      and they saw some cavaliers with glittering weapons ride past at full
+      speed. The children hid in the underbrush in great terror. &ldquo;They are
+      thieves or probably ogres,&rdquo; they thought. They were really guards
+      sent by the Duchess of Clarides in search of the little truants.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The two little adventurers found a footpath in the underbrush, not a
+      lovers&rsquo; lane, for it was impossible to walk side by side holding
+      hands as is the fashion of lovers. Nor could the print of human footsteps
+      be seen, but only indentations left by innumerable tiny cloven feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Those are the feet of little devils,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Or deer,&rdquo; suggested George.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The matter was never explained. But what is certain is that the footpath
+      descended in a gentle slope towards the edge of the lake which lay before
+      the two children in all its languorous and silent beauty. The willows
+      surrounded its banks with their tender foliage. The slender blades of the
+      reeds with their delicate plumes swayed lightly over the water. They
+      formed tremulous islands about which the water-lilies spread their great
+      heart-shaped leaves and snow-white flowers. Over these blossoming islands
+      dragon-flies, all emerald or azure, with wings of flame, sped their shrill
+      flight in suddenly altered curves.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The children plunged their burning feet with joy in the damp sand
+      overgrown with tufted horse-tails and the reed-mace with its slender
+      lance. The sweet flag wafted towards them its humble fragrance and the
+      water plantain unrolled about them its filaments of lace on the margin of
+      the sleeping waters which the willow-herb starred with its purple flowers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0010" id="link2H_4_0010">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="090 (112K)" src="images/090.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      VIII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Wherein we shall see what happened to George of Blanchelande
+     because he approached the lake in which the nixies dwel
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee crossed the sand between two clumps of willows, and the little
+      spirit of the place leaped into the water in front of her, leaving circles
+      that grew greater and greater and finally vanished. This spirit was a
+      little green frog with a white belly. All was silent; a fresh breeze swept
+      over the clear lake whose every ripple had the gracious curve of a smile.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This lake is pretty,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;but my feet are
+      bleeding in my little torn shoes, and I am very hungry. I wish I were back
+      in the castle.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little sister,&rdquo; said George, &ldquo;sit down on the grass. I
+      will wrap your feet in leaves to cool them; then I will go in search of
+      supper for you. High up along the road I saw some ripe blackberries. I
+      will fetch you the sweetest and best in my hat. Give me your handkerchief;
+      I will fill it with strawberries, for there are strawberries near here
+      along the footpath under the shade of the trees. And I will fill my
+      pockets with nuts.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He made a bed of moss for Honey-Bee under a willow on the edge of the
+      lake, and then he left her.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee lay with folded hands on her little mossy bed and watched the
+      light of the first stars tremble in the pale sky; then her eyes half
+      closed, and yet it seemed to her as if overhead she saw a little dwarf
+      mounted on a raven. It was not fancy. For having reined in the black bird
+      who was gnawing at the bridle, the dwarf stopped just above the young girl
+      and stared down at her with his round eyes. Whereupon he disappeared at
+      full gallop. All this Honey-Bee saw vaguely and then she fell asleep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She was still asleep when George returned with the fruit he had gathered,
+      which he placed at her side. Then he climbed down to the lake while he
+      waited for her to awaken. The lake slept under its delicate crown of
+      verdure. A light mist swept softly over the waters. Suddenly the moon
+      appeared between the branches, and then the waves were strewn as if with
+      countless stars.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But George could see that the lights which irradiated the waters were not
+      all the broken reflections of the moon, for blue flames advanced in
+      circles, swaying and undulating as if in a dance. Soon he saw that the
+      blue flames flickered over the white faces of women, beautiful faces
+      rising on the crests of the waves and crowned with sea-weeds and
+      sea-shells, with sea-green tresses floating over their shoulders and veils
+      flowing from under their breasts that shimmered with pearls. The child
+      recognised the nixies and tried to flee. But already their cold white arms
+      had seized him, and in spite of his struggles and cries he was borne
+      across the waters along the galleries of porphyry and crystal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0011" id="link2H_4_0011">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="098 (115K)" src="images/098.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      IX
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Wherein we shall see how Honey-Bee was taken to the dwarfs
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The moon had risen over the lake and the water now only showed broken
+      reflections of its disc. Honey-Bee still slept. The dwarf who had watched
+      her came back again on his raven followed this time by a crowd of little
+      men. They were very little men. Their white beards hung down to their
+      knees. They looked like old men with the figures of children. By their
+      leathern aprons and the hammers which hung from their belts one could see
+      that they were workers in metals. They had a curious gait, for they leaped
+      to amazing heights and turned the most extraordinary somersaults, and
+      showed the most inconceivable agility that made them seem more like
+      spirits than human beings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Yet while cutting their most foolhardy capers they preserved an
+      unalterable gravity of demeanour, to such a degree that it was quite
+      impossible to make out their real characters.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They placed themselves in a circle about the sleeping child.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now then,&rdquo; said the smallest of the dwarfs from the heights
+      of his plumed charger; &ldquo;now then, did I deceive you when I said that
+      the loveliest of princesses was lying asleep on the borders of the lake,
+      and do you not thank me for bringing you here?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We thank you, Bob,&rdquo; replied one of the dwarfs who looked like
+      an elderly poet, &ldquo;indeed there is nothing lovelier in the world than
+      this young damsel. She is more rosy than the dawn which rises on the
+      mountains, and the gold we forge is not so bright as the gold of her
+      tresses.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Very good, Pic, nothing can be truer,&rdquo; cried the dwarfs,
+      &ldquo;but what shall we do with this lovely little lady?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Pic, who looked like a very elderly poet, did not reply to this question,
+      probably because he knew no better than they what to do with this pretty
+      lady.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Let us build a large cage and put her in,&rdquo; a dwarf by the
+      name of Rug suggested.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Against this another dwarf called Dig vehemently protested. It was Dig&rsquo;s
+      opinion that only wild beasts were ever put into cages, and there was
+      nothing yet to prove that the pretty lady was one of these.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Rug clung to his idea for the reason possibly that he had no other. He
+      defended it with much subtlety. Said he:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If this person is not savage she will certainly become so as a
+      result of the cage, which will be therefore not only useful but
+      indispensable.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This reasoning displeased the dwarfs, and one of them named Tad denounced
+      it with much indignation. He was such a good dwarf. He proposed to take
+      the beautiful child back to her kindred who must be great nobles.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But this advice was rejected as being contrary to the custom of the
+      dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We ought to follow the ways of justice not custom,&rdquo; said Tad.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But no one paid any further attention to him and the assembly broke into a
+      tumult as a dwarf named Pau, a simple soul but just, gave his advice in
+      these terms:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We must begin by awakening this young lady, seeing she declines to
+      awake of herself; if she spends the night here her eyelids will be swollen
+      to-morrow and her beauty will be much impaired, for it is very unhealthy
+      to sleep in a wood on the borders of a lake.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This opinion met with general approval as it did not clash with any other.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Pic, who looked like an elderly poet burdened with care, approached the
+      young girl and looked at her very intently, under the impression that a
+      single one of his glances would be quite sufficient to rouse the dreamer
+      out of the deepest sleep. But Pic was quite mistaken as to the power of
+      his glance, for Honey-Bee continued to sleep with folded hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Seeing this the good Tad pulled her gently by her sleeve. Thereupon she
+      partly opened her eyes and raised herself on her elbow. When she found
+      herself lying on a bed of moss surrounded by dwarfs she thought what she
+      saw was nothing but a dream, and she rubbed her eyes to open them, so that
+      instead of this fantastic vision she should see the pure light of morning
+      as it entered her little blue room in which she thought she was. For her
+      mind, heavy with sleep, did not recall to her the adventure of the lake.
+      But indeed, it was useless to rub her eyes, the dwarfs did not vanish, and
+      so she was obliged to believe that they were real.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then she looked about with frightened eyes and saw the forest and
+      remembered.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;George! my brother George!&rdquo; she cried in anguish. The dwarfs
+      crowded about her, and for fear of seeing them she hid her face in her
+      hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;George! George! Where is my brother George?&rdquo; she sobbed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dwarfs could not tell her, for the good reason that they did not know.
+      And she wept hot tears and cried aloud for her mother and brother.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Pau longed to weep with her, and in his efforts to console, he addressed
+      her with rather vague remarks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not distress yourself so much,&rdquo; he urged, &ldquo;it would
+      be a pity for so lovely a young damsel to spoil her eyes with weeping.
+      Rather tell us your story, which cannot fail to be very amusing. We should
+      be so pleased.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She did not listen. She rose and tried to escape. But her bare and swollen
+      feet caused her such pain that she fell on her knees, sobbing most
+      pitifully. Tad held her in his arms, and Pau tenderly kissed her hand. It
+      was this that gave her the courage to look at them, and she saw that they
+      seemed full of compassion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Pic looked to her like one inspired, and yet very innocent, and perceiving
+      that all these little men were full of compassion for her, she said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little men, it is a pity you are so ugly; but I will love you all
+      the same if you will only give me something to eat, for I am so hungry.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bob,&rdquo; all the dwarfs cried at once, &ldquo;go and fetch some
+      supper.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And Bob flew off on his raven. All the same, the dwarfs resented this
+      small girl&rsquo;s injustice in finding them ugly. Rug was very angry. Pic
+      said to himself, &ldquo;She is only a child, and she does not see the
+      light of genius which shines in my eyes, and which gives them the power
+      which crushes as well as the grace which charms.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As for Pau, he thought to himself: &ldquo;Perhaps it would have been
+      better if I had not awakened this young lady who finds us ugly.&rdquo; But
+      Tad said smiling:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will find us less ugly, dear young lady, when you love us more.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke Bob re-appeared on his raven. He held a dish of gold on which
+      were a roast pheasant, an oatmeal cake, and a bottle of claret. He cut
+      innumerable capers as he laid this supper at the feet of Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little men,&rdquo; Honey-Bee said as she ate, &ldquo;your supper is
+      very good. My name is Honey-Bee; let us go in search of my brother, and
+      then we will all go together to Clarides where mama is waiting for us in
+      great anxiety.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But Dig, who was a kind dwarf, represented to Honey-Bee that she was not
+      able to walk; that her brother was big enough to find his own way; that no
+      misfortune could come to him in a country in which all the wild beasts had
+      been destroyed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will make a litter,&rdquo; he added, &ldquo;and cover it with
+      leaves and moss, and we will put you on it, and in this way we will carry
+      you to the mountain and present you to the King of the Dwarfs, according
+      to the custom of our people.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All the dwarfs applauded. Honey-Bee looked at her aching feet and remained
+      silent. She was glad to learn that there were no wild beasts in the
+      country. And on the whole she was willing to trust herself to the kindness
+      of the dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They were already busy constructing the litter. Those with hatchets were
+      felling two young fir trees with resounding blows. This brought back to
+      Rug his original suggestion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;If instead of a litter we made a cage,&rdquo; he urged.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But he aroused a unanimous protest. Tad looked at him scornfully.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are more like a human being than a dwarf, Rug,&rdquo; he said.
+      &ldquo;But at least it is to the honour of our race that the most wicked
+      dwarf is also the most stupid.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the meantime the task had been accomplished. The dwarfs leaped into the
+      air and in a bound seized and cut the branches, out of which they deftly
+      wove a basket chair. Having covered it with moss and leaves, they placed
+      Honey-Bee upon it, then they seized the two poles, placed them on their
+      shoulders and, then! off they went to the mountain.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0012" id="link2H_4_0012">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="108 (112K)" src="images/108.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      X
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which we are faithfully told how King Loc received Honey-
+     Bee of Clarides
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      They climbed a winding path along the wooded slope of the hill. Here and
+      there granite boulders, bare and blasted, broke through the grey verdure
+      of the dwarf oaks, and the sombre purple mountain with its bluish ravines
+      formed an impassable barrier about the desolate landscape.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The procession, preceded by Bob on his feathered steed, passed through a
+      chasm overgrown with brambles. Honey-Bee, with her golden hair flowing
+      over her shoulders, looked like the dawn breaking on the mountains,
+      supposing, of course, that the dawn was ever frightened and called her
+      mother and tried to escape, for all these things she did as she caught a
+      confused glimpse of dwarfs, armed to the teeth, lying in ambush along the
+      windings of the rocks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With bows bent or lance at rest they stood immovable. Their tunics of wild
+      beast skins and their long knives that hung from their belts gave them a
+      most terrible appearance. Game, furred and feathered, lay beside them. And
+      yet these huntsmen, to judge only by their faces, did not seem very grim;
+      on the contrary, they appeared gentle and grave like the dwarfs of the
+      forest, whom they greatly resembled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In their midst stood a dwarf full of majesty. He wore a cock feather over
+      his ear, and on his head a diadem set with enormous gems. His mantle
+      raised at the shoulder disclosed a muscular arm covered with circlets of
+      gold. A horn of ivory and chased silver hung from his belt. His left hand
+      rested on his lance in an attitude of quiet strength, and his right he
+      held over his eyes so as to look towards Honey-Bee and the light.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;King Loc,&rdquo; said the forest dwarfs, &ldquo;we have brought you
+      the beautiful child we have found; her name is Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You have done well,&rdquo; said King Loc. &ldquo;She shall live
+      amongst us according to the custom of the dwarfs.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; he said, approaching her, &ldquo;you are welcome.&rdquo;
+      He spoke very gently, for he already felt very kindly towards her. He
+      lifted himself on the tips of his toes to kiss her hand that hung at her
+      side, and he assured her not only that he would do her no harm, but that
+      he would try to gratify all her wishes, even should she long for
+      necklaces, mirrors, stuffs from Cashmere and silks from China.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish I had some shoes,&rdquo; replied Honey-Bee. Upon which King
+      Loc struck his lance against a bronze disc that hung on the surface of the
+      rock, and instantly something bounded like a ball out of the depths of the
+      cavern. Increasing in size it disclosed the face of a dwarf with features
+      such as painters give to the illustrious Belisarius, but his leather apron
+      proclaimed that he was a shoemaker. He was indeed the chief of the
+      shoemakers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;True,&rdquo; said the king, &ldquo;choose the softest leather out
+      of our store-houses, take cloth-of-gold and silver, ask the guardian of my
+      treasures for a thousand pearls of the finest water, and with this
+      leather, these fabrics, and these pearls create a pair of shoes for the
+      lady Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words True threw himself at the feet of Honey-Bee and measured
+      them with great care.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;I want the pretty
+      shoes you promised at once, because as soon as I have them I must return
+      to Clarides to my mother.&rdquo; &ldquo;You shall have the shoes,&rdquo;
+      King Loc replied; &ldquo;you shall have them to walk about the mountain,
+      but not to return to Clarides, for never again shall you leave this
+      kingdom, where we will teach you wonderful secrets still unknown on earth.
+      The dwarfs are superior to men, and it is your good fortune that you are
+      made welcome amongst them.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is my misfortune,&rdquo; replied Honey-Bee. &ldquo;Little King
+      Loc, give me a pair of wooden shoes, such as the peasants wear, and let me
+      return to Clarides.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But King Loc made a sign with his head to signify that this was
+      impossible. Then Honey-Bee clasped her hands and said, coaxingly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc, let me go and I will love you very much.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You will forget me in your shining world.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc, I will never forget you, and I will love you as
+      much as I love Flying Wind.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who is Flying Wind?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is my milk-white steed, and he has rose-coloured reins and he
+      eats out of my hand. When he was very little Francoeur the squire used to
+      bring him to my room every morning and I kissed him. But now Francceur is
+      in Rome, and Flying Wind is too big to mount the stairs.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc smiled.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Will you love me more than Flying Wind?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed I would,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well said,&rdquo; cried the King.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Indeed I would, but I cannot, I hate you, little King Loc, because
+      you will not let me see my mother and George again.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who is George?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;George is George and I love him.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The friendship of King Loc for Honey-Bee had increased prodigiously in a
+      few minutes, and as he had already made up his mind to marry her as soon
+      as she was of age, and hoped through her to reconcile men and dwarfs, he
+      feared that later on George might become his rival and wreck his plans. It
+      was because of this that he turned away frowning, his head bowed as if
+      with care.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee seeing that she had offended him pulled him gently by his
+      mantle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; she said, in a voice both tender and sad,
+      &ldquo;why should we make each other unhappy, you and I?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is in the nature of things,&rdquo; replied King Loc. &ldquo;I
+      cannot take you back to your mother, but I will send her a dream which
+      will tell her your fate, dear Honey-Bee, and that will comfort her.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; and Honey-Bee smiled through her tears,
+      &ldquo;what a good idea, but I will tell you just what you ought to do.
+      You must send my mother a dream every night in which she will see me, and
+      every night you must send me a dream in which I shall see her.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And King Loc promised, and so said, so done. Every night Honey-Bee saw her
+      mother, and every night the Duchess saw her daughter, and that satisfied
+      their love just a little.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0013" id="link2H_4_0013">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="118 (118K)" src="images/118.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XI
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which the marvels of the kingdom of the dwarfs are
+     accurately described as well as the dolls that were given to
+     Honey-Bee
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The kingdom of the dwarfs was very deep and extended under the greater
+      part of the earth. Though one only caught a glimpse of the sky here and
+      there through the clefts in the rocks, the roads, the avenues, the palaces
+      and the galleries of this subterraneous region were not plunged in
+      absolute darkness. Only a few spaces and caverns were lost in obscurity.
+      The rest was illumined not by lamps or torches but by stars or meteors
+      which diffused a strange and fantastic light, and this light revealed the
+      most astonishing marvels. One saw stupendous edifices hewn out of the
+      solid rocks, and in some places, palaces cut out of granite, of such
+      height that their tracery of stone was lost under the arches of this
+      gigantic cavern in a haze across which fell the orange glimmer of little
+      stars less lustrous than the moon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There were fortresses in this kingdom, of the most crushing and formidable
+      dimensions; an amphitheatre in which the stone seats formed a half-circle
+      whose extent it was impossible to measure at a single glance, and vast
+      wells with sculptured sides, in which one could descend forever and yet
+      never reach the bottom. All these structures, so out of proportion it
+      would seem to the size of the inhabitants, were quite in keeping with
+      their curious and fantastic genius.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Dwarfs in pointed hoods pricked with fern leaves whirled about these
+      edifices in the airiest fashion. It was common to see them leap up to the
+      height of two or three storeys from the lava pavement and rebound like
+      balls, their faces meanwhile preserving that impressive dignity with which
+      sculptors endow the great men of antiquity.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      No one was idle and all worked zealously. Entire districts echoed to the
+      sound of hammers. The shrill discord of machinery broke against the arches
+      of the cavern, and it was a curious sight to see the crowds of miners,
+      blacksmiths, gold-beaters, jewellers, diamond polishers handle pickaxes,
+      hammers, pincers and files with the dexterity of monkeys. However there
+      was a more peaceful region.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Here coarse and powerful figures and shapeless columns loomed in chaotic
+      confusion, hewn out of the virgin rock, and seemed to date back to an
+      immemorial antiquity. Here a palace with low portals extended its
+      ponderous expanse; it was the palace of King Loc.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Directly opposite was the house of Honey-Bee, a house or rather a cottage
+      of one room all hung with white muslin. The furniture of pine-wood
+      perfumed the room. A glimpse of daylight penetrated through a crevice in
+      the rock, and on fine nights one could see the stars.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee had no special attendants, for all the dwarf people were eager
+      to serve her and to anticipate all her wishes except the single one to
+      return to earth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The most erudite dwarfs, familiar with the pro-foundest secrets, were glad
+      to teach her, not from books, for dwarfs do not write, but by showing her
+      all the plants of mountains and plains, all the diverse species of
+      animals, and all the varied gems that are extracted from the bosom of the
+      earth. And it was by means of such sights and marvels that they taught
+      her, with an innocent gaiety, the wonders of nature and the processes of
+      the arts.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      They made her playthings such as the richest children on earth never have;
+      for these dwarfs were always industrious and invented wonderful machinery.
+      In this way they produced for her dolls that could move with exquisite
+      grace, and express themselves according to the strictest rules of poetry.
+      Placed on the stage of a little theatre, the scenery of which represented
+      the shores of the sea, the blue sky, palaces and temples, they would
+      portray the most interesting events. Though no taller than a man&rsquo;s
+      arm some of them represented respectable old men, others men in the prime
+      of life, and, others still, beautiful young girls dressed in white.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Among them also were mothers pressing their innocent children to their
+      hearts. And these eloquent dolls acted as if they were really moved by
+      hate, love and ambition. They passed with the greatest skill from joy to
+      sorrow and they imitated nature so well that they could move one to
+      laughter or to tears. Honey-Bee clapped her hands at the sight. She had a
+      horror of the dolls who tried to be tyrants. On the other hand she felt a
+      boundless compassion for a doll who had once been a princess, and who, now
+      a captive widow, had no other resource alas, by which to save her child,
+      than to marry the barbarian who had made her a widow.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee never tired of this game which the dolls could vary
+      indefinitely. The dwarfs also gave concerts and taught her to play the
+      lute, the viola, the theorbo, the lyre, and various other instruments.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In short she became an excellent musician, and the dramas acted in the
+      theatre by the dolls taught her a knowledge of men and life. King Loc was
+      always present at the plays and the concerts, but he neither saw nor heard
+      anything but Honey-Bee; little by little he had set his whole heart upon
+      her. In the meantime months passed and even years sped by and Honey-Bee
+      was still among the dwarfs, always amused and yet always longing for
+      earth. She grew to be a beautiful girl. Her singular destiny had imparted
+      something strange to her appearance, which gave her, however, only an
+      added charm.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0014" id="link2H_4_0014">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="126 (118K)" src="images/126.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which the treasures of King Loc are described as well as
+     the writer is able
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Six years to a day had passed since Honey-Bee had come to live with the
+      dwarfs. King Loc called her into his palace and commanded his treasurer to
+      displace a huge stone which seemed cemented into the wall, but which in
+      reality was only lightly placed there. All three passed through the
+      opening left by the great stone and found themselves in a fissure of rock
+      too narrow for two persons to stand abreast. King Loc preceded the others
+      along the dim path and Honey-Bee followed him holding to a tip of the
+      royal mantle. They walked on for a long time, and at intervals the sides
+      of the rocks came so close together that the young girl was seized with
+      terror lest she should be unable to advance or recede, and so would die
+      there. Before her, along the dark and narrow road floated the mantle of
+      King Loc. At last King Loc came to a bronze door which he opened and out
+      of which poured a blaze of light.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;I had no idea that
+      light could be so beautiful!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And King Loc taking her by the hand led her into the hall out of which the
+      light shone.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;See!&rdquo; he cried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee, dazzled, could sec nothing, for this immense hall, supported by
+      high marble columns, was a glitter of gold from floor to roof.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At the end on a dais made of glittering gems set in gold and silver, the
+      steps of which were covered by a carpet of marvellous embroidery, stood a
+      throne of ivory and gold under a canopy of translucent enamel, and on each
+      side two palm-trees three thousand years old, in gigantic vases carved in
+      some bygone time by the greatest artists among the dwarfs. King Loc
+      mounted his throne and commanded the young girl to stand at his right
+      hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; said King Loc, &ldquo;these are my treasures.
+      Choose all that will give you pleasure.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Immense gold shields hung from the columns and reflected the sunlight, and
+      sent it back in glittering rays; swords and lances crossed had each a
+      flame at their point.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Tables along the walls were laden with tankards, flagons, ewers, chalices,
+      pyxes, patens, goblets, gold cups, drinking horns of ivory with silver
+      rings, enormous bottles of rock crystal, chased gold and silver dishes,
+      coffers, reliquaries in the form of churches, scent-boxes, mirrors,
+      candelabra and torch-holders equally beautiful in material and
+      workmanship, and incense-burners in the shape of monsters. And on one
+      table stood a chessboard with chessmen carved out of moonstones.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Choose,&rdquo; King Loc repeated.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But lifting her eyes above these treasures, Honey-Bee saw the blue sky
+      through an opening in the roof, and as if she had comprehended that the
+      light of day could alone give all these things their splendour, she said
+      simply:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc, I want to return to earth.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whereupon King Loc made a sign to his treasurer who, raising heavy
+      tapestries, disclosed an enormous iron-bound coffer covered with plates of
+      open ironwork. This coffer being opened out poured thousands of rays of
+      different and lovely tints, and each ray seemed to leap out of a precious
+      stone most artistically cut. King Loc dipped in his hands and there flowed
+      in glittering confusion violet amethysts and virgins&rsquo; stones,
+      emeralds of three kinds, one dark green, another called the honey emerald
+      because of its colour, and the third a bluish green, also called beryl,
+      which gives happy dreams; oriental topazes, rubies beautiful as the blood
+      of heroes, dark blue sapphires, called the male sapphire, and the pale
+      blue ones, called the female sapphire, the cymophanes, hyacinths,
+      euclases, turquoises, opals whose light is softer than the dawn, the
+      aquamarine and the Syrian garnet. All these gems were of the purest and
+      most luminous water. And in the midst of these coloured fires great
+      diamonds flashed their rays of dazzling white.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Choose, Honey-Bee,&rdquo; said King Loc. But Honey-Bee shook her
+      head.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I would rather have a
+      single beam of sunlight that falls on the roof of Clarides than all these
+      gems.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then King Loc ordered another coffer to be opened, in which were only
+      pearls. But these pearls were round and pure; their changing light
+      reflected all the colours of sea and sky, and their radiance was so tender
+      that they seemed to express a thought of love.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Accept these,&rdquo; said King Loc
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; Honey-Bee replied, &ldquo;these pearls are
+      like the glance of George of Blanchelande; I love these pearls, but I love
+      his eyes even more.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hearing these words King Loc turned his head away. However he opened a
+      third coffer and showed the young girl a crystal in which a drop of water
+      had been imprisoned since the beginning of time; and when the crystal was
+      moved the drop of water could be seen to stir. He also showed her pieces
+      of yellow amber in which insects more brilliant than jewels had been
+      imprisoned for thousands of years. One could distinguish their delicate
+      feet and their fine antennae, and they would have resumed their flight had
+      some power but shattered like glass their perfumed prison.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;These are the great marvels of nature; I give them to you,
+      Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; Honey-Bee replied, &ldquo;keep your amber
+      and your crystal, for I should not know how to give their freedom either
+      to the fly or the drop of water.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc watched her in silence for some time. Then he said, &ldquo;Honey-Bee,
+      the most beautiful treasures will be safe in your keeping. You will
+      possess them and they will not possess you. The miser is the prey of his
+      gold, only those who despise wealth can be rich without danger; their
+      souls will always be greater than their riches.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having uttered these words he made a sign to his treasurer who presented
+      on a cushion a crown of gold to the young girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Accept this jewel as a sign of our regard for you,&rdquo; said King
+      Loc. &ldquo;Henceforth you shall be called the Princess of the Dwarfs.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And he himself placed the crown on the head of Honcy-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0015" id="link2H_4_0015">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="134 (119K)" src="images/134.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XIII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which King Loc declares himself
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The dwarfs celebrated the crowning of their first princess by joyous
+      revels. Harmless and innocent games succeeded each other in the huge
+      amphitheatre; and the little men, with cockades of fern or two oak leaves
+      fastened coquettishly to their hoods, bounded gaily across the
+      subterranean streets. The rejoicings lasted thirty days. During the
+      universal excitement Pic looked like a mortal inspired; Tad the
+      kind-hearted was intoxicated by the universal joy; Dig the tender gave
+      expression to his delight in tears; Rug, in his ecstasy, again demanded
+      that Honey-Bee should be put in a cage, but this time so that the dwarfs
+      need not be afraid to lose so charming a princess; Bob, mounted on his
+      raven, filled the air with such cries of rapture that the sable bird,
+      infected by the gaiety, gave vent to innumerable playful little croaks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Only King Loc was sad.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      On the thirtieth day, having given the princess and the dwarf people a
+      festival of unparalleled magnificence, he mounted his throne, and so stood
+      that his kind face just reached her car.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My Princess Honcy-Bee,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I am about to make a
+      request which you are at liberty either to accept or to refuse. Honey-Bee
+      of Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs, will you be my wife?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he spoke, King Loc, grave and tender, had something of the gentle
+      beauty of a majestic poodle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; Honey-Bee replied, as she pulled his beard,
+      &ldquo;I am willing to become your wife for fun, but never your wife for
+      good. The moment you asked me to marry you I was reminded of Francoeur,
+      who when I was on earth used to amuse me by telling me the most ridiculous
+      stories.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words King Loc turned his head away, but not so soon but that
+      Honey-Bee saw the tears in his eyes. Then Honey-Bee was grieved because
+      she had pained him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; she said to him, &ldquo;I love you for the
+      little King Loc you are; and if you make me laugh as Francoeur did, there
+      is nothing in that to vex you, for Francoeur sang well and he would have
+      been very handsome if it had not been for his grey hair and his red nose.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee of Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs,&rdquo; the king
+      replied, &ldquo;I love you in the hope that some day you will love me. And
+      yet without that hope I should love you just the same. The only return I
+      ask for my friendship is that you will always be honest with me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc, I promise.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well then, tell me truly, Honey-Bee, do you love some one else
+      enough to marry him?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc, I love no one enough for that.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Whereupon King Loc smiled, and seizing his golden cup he proposed, with a
+      resounding voice, the health of the Princess of the Dwarfs. An immense
+      uproar rose from the depths of the earth, for the banquet table reached
+      from one end to the other of the Empire of the Dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0016" id="link2H_4_0016">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="140 (115K)" src="images/140.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XIV
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which we are told how Honey-Bee saw her mother again, but
+     could not embrace her
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee, a crown on her head, was now more often sad and lost in thought
+      than when her hair flowed loose over her shoulders, and when she went
+      laughing to the forge and pulled the beards of her good friends Pic, Tad
+      and Dig, whose faces, red from the reflected flames, gave her a gay
+      welcome. But now these good dwarfs, who had once danced her on their knees
+      and called her Honey-Bee, bowed as she passed and maintained a respectful
+      silence. She grieved because she was no longer a child, and she suffered
+      because she was the Princess of the Dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      It was no longer a pleasure for her to see King Loc, since she had seen
+      him weep because of her. But she loved him, for he was good and unhappy.
+      One day, if one may say that there are days in the empire of the dwarfs,
+      she took King Loc by the hand and drew him under the cleft in the rock,
+      through which a sunbeam shone, along whose rays there danced a haze of
+      golden dust.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I suffer. You are a king
+      and you love me and I suffer.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hearing these words from the pretty damsel, King Loc replied:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I love you, Honey-Bee of Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs; and that
+      is why I have held you captive in our world, in order to teach you our
+      secrets, which are greater and more wonderful than all those you could
+      learn on earth amongst men, for men are less skilful and less learned than
+      the dwarfs.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Yes,&rdquo; said Honey-Bee, &ldquo;but they are more like me than
+      the dwarfs, and for that reason I love them better. Little King Loc, let
+      me see my mother again if you do not wish me to die.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Without replying King Loc went away. Honey-Bee, desolate and alone,
+      watched the ray of light which bathes the whole face of nature and which
+      enfolds all the living, even to the beggars by the wayside, in its
+      resplendent waves. Slowly this ray paled, and its golden radiance faded to
+      a pale blue light. Night had come upon earth. A star twinkled over the
+      cleft in the rock.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then some one gently touched her on the shoulder, and she saw King Loc
+      wrapped in a black cloak. He had another cloak on his arm with which he
+      covered the young girl.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Come,&rdquo; said he.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And he led her out of the under-world. When she saw again the trees
+      stirred by the wind, the clouds that floated across the moon, the
+      splendour of the night so fresh and blue, when she breathed again the
+      fragrance of the herbage, and when the air she had breathed in childhood
+      again entered her breast in floods, she gave a great sigh and thought to
+      die of joy.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc had taken her in his arms; small though he was, he carried her as
+      lightly as a feather, and they glided over the ground like the shadows of
+      two birds.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You shall see your mother again, Honey-Bee. But listen! You know
+      that every night I send her your image. Every night she sees your dear
+      phantom; she smiles upon it, she talks to it and she caresses it. To-night
+      she shall, instead, see you yourself. You will see her, but you must not
+      touch her, you must not speak to her, or the charm will be broken and she
+      will never again see you nor your image, which she does not distinguish
+      from you.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then I will be prudent, alas! little King Loc!... See! See!...&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sure enough the watch-tower of Clarides rose black on the hill. Honey-Bee
+      had hardly time to throw a kiss to the beloved old stone walls when the
+      ramparts of the town of Clarides, overgrown with gillyflowers already flew
+      past; already she was ascending the terrace, where the glow-worms glimmer
+      in the grass, to the postern, which King Loc easily opened, for the dwarfs
+      are masters of metals, nor can locks, padlocks, bolts, chains or bars ever
+      stop them.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She climbed the winding stairs that led to her mother&rsquo;s room, and
+      she paused to clasp her beating heart with both her hands. Softly the door
+      opened, and by the light of a night lamp that hung from the ceiling she
+      saw her mother in the holy silence that reigned, her mother frailer and
+      paler, with hair grey at the temples, but in the eyes of her daughter more
+      beautiful even than in past days as she remembered her riding fearlessly
+      in magnificent attire. As usual the mother beheld her daughter as in a
+      dream, and she opened her arms as if to caress her. And the child,
+      laughing and sobbing, was about to throw herself into those open arms; but
+      King Loc tore her away, and like a wisp of straw he bore her through the
+      blue landscape to the Kingdom of the Dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0017" id="link2H_4_0017">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="148 (116K)" src="images/148.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XV
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which we shall see how King Loc suffered
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Seated on the granite step of the underground palace, Honey-Bee watched
+      the blue sky through the cleft in the rock, I and saw the elder-trees turn
+      their spreading white parasols to the light. She began to weep.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; said King Loc as he took her hand in his, &ldquo;why
+      do you weep, and what is it you desire?&rdquo; And as she had been
+      grieving these many days, the dwarfs at her feet tried to cheer her with
+      simple airs on the flute, the flageolet, the rebeck, and the cymbals. And
+      other dwarfs, to amuse her, turned such somersaults one after the other
+      that they pricked the grass with the points of their hoods with their
+      cockades of leaves, and nothing could be more charming than to watch the
+      capers of these tiny men with their venerable beards. Tad so kind and Dig
+      so wise, who had loved her since the day they had found her asleep on the
+      shore of the lake, and Pic, the elderly poet, gently took her arm and
+      implored her to tell them the cause of her grief. Pau, a simple just soul,
+      offered her a basket of grapes, and all of them gently pulled the edge of
+      her skirt and said with King Loc:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee, Princess of the Dwarfs, why do you weep?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; Honey-Bee replied, &ldquo;and you, little
+      men, my grief only increases your love, because you are good; you weep
+      with me. Know that I weep when I think of George of Blanchelande, who
+      should now be a cavalier, but whom I shall never see again. I love him and
+      I wish to be his wife.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc took his hand away from the hand he had pressed.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;why did you deceive me when you
+      told me at the banquet that you loved no one else?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc,&rdquo; Honey-Bee replied, &ldquo;I did not deceive
+      you at the banquet. At that time I had no desire to marry George of
+      Blanchelande, but to-day it is my dearest wish that he should ask to marry
+      me. But he will never ask me, as I do not know where he now is, nor does
+      he know where I am. And this is the reason I weep.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words the musicians ceased playing; the acrobats interrupted
+      their tumbling and stood immovable, some on their heads and some on their
+      haunches; Tad and Dig shed silent tears on the sleeve of Honey-Bee; Pau,
+      simple soul, dropped his basket of grapes, and all the little men gave
+      vent to the most fearful groans.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But King Loc, more unhappy than all under his splendid jewelled crown,
+      silently withdrew, his mantle trailing behind him like a purple torrent.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0018" id="link2H_4_0018">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="156 (114K)" src="images/156.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XVI
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which an account is given of the learned Nur who was the
+     cause of such extraordinary joy to King Loc
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      King Loc did not permit the young girl to observe his weakness; but when
+      he was alone he sat on the ground and with his feet in his hands gave way
+      to grief. He was jealous. &ldquo;She loves him,&rdquo; he said to himself,
+      &ldquo;and she does not love me! And yet I am a king and very wise; great
+      treasures are mine and I know the most marvellous secrets. I am superior
+      to all other dwarfs, who are in turn superior to all men. She does not
+      love me but she loves a young man who not only has not the learning of the
+      dwarfs, but no other learning either.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It must be acknowledged that she does not appreciate merit&mdash;nor
+      has she much sense. I ought to laugh at her want of judgment; but I love
+      her and I care for nothing in the world because she does not love me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      For many long days King Loc roamed alone through the most desolate
+      mountain passes, turning over in his mind thoughts both sad and,
+      sometimes, wicked. He even thought of trying by imprisonment and
+      starvation to force Honey-Bee to become his wife. But rejecting this plan
+      as soon as formed he decided to go in search of her and throw himself at
+      her feet. But he could come to no decision, and at last he was quite at a
+      loss what to do. The truth being that whether Honey-Bee would love him did
+      not depend on him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Suddenly his anger turned against George of Blanchelande; and he hoped
+      that the young man had been carried far away by some enchanter, and that
+      at any rate, should he ever hear of Honey-Bee&rsquo;s love, he would
+      disdain it.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Without being old,&rdquo; the king meditated, &ldquo;I have already
+      lived too long not to have suffered sometimes. And yet my sufferings,
+      intense though they were, were less painful than those of which I am
+      conscious to-day. With the tenderness and pity which caused them was
+      mingled something of their own divine sweetness. Now, on the contrary, my
+      grief has the baseness and bitterness of an evil desire. My soul is
+      desolate and the tears in my eyes are like an acid that burns them.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So thought King Loc. And fearing that jealousy might make him unjust and
+      wicked he avoided meeting the young girl, for fear that in spite of
+      himself, he might use towards her the language of a man either weak or
+      brutal.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      One day when he was more than ever tormented by the thought that Honey-Bec
+      loved George, he decided to consult Nur, the most learned of all the
+      dwarfs, who lived at the bottom of a well deep down in the bowels of the
+      earth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This well had the advantage of an even and soft temperature. It was not
+      dark, for two little stars, a pale sun and a red moon, alternately
+      illumined all parts. King Loc descended into the well and found Nur in his
+      laboratory. Nur looked like a kind little old man, and he wore a sprig of
+      wild thyme in his hood. In spite of his learning he had the innocence and
+      candour characteristic of his race.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Nur,&rdquo; said the king as he embraced him, &ldquo;I have come to
+      consult you because you know many things.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;King Loc,&rdquo; replied Nur, &ldquo;I might know a good deal and
+      yet be an idiot. But I possess the knowledge of how to learn some of the
+      innumerable things I do not know, and that is the reason I am so justly
+      famous for my learning.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Well, then,&rdquo; said King Loc, &ldquo;can you tell me the
+      whereabouts at present of a young man by the name of George of
+      Blanchelande?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know and I never cared to know,&rdquo; replied Nur.
+      &ldquo;Knowing as I do the ignorance, stupidity and wickedness of mankind,
+      I don&rsquo;t trouble myself as to what they say or do. Humanity, King
+      Loc, would be entirely deplorable and ridiculous if it were not that
+      something of value is given to this proud and miserable race, inasmuch as
+      the men are endowed with courage, the women with beauty, and the little
+      children with innocence. Obliged by necessity, as are also the dwarfs, to
+      toil, mankind has rebelled against this divine law, and instead of being,
+      like ourselves, willing and cheerful toilers, they prefer war to work, and
+      they would rather kill each other than help each other. But to be just one
+      must admit that their shortness of life is the principal cause of their
+      ignorance and cruelty. Their life is too short for them to learn how to
+      live. The race of the dwarfs who dwell under the earth is happier and
+      better. If we are not immortal we shall at least last as long as the earth
+      which bears us in her bosom, and which permeates us with her intimate and
+      fruitful warmth, while for the races born on her rugged surface she has
+      only the turbulent winds which sometimes scorch and sometimes freeze, and
+      whose breath is at once the bearer of death and of life. And yet men owe
+      to their overwhelming miseries and wickedness a virtue which makes the
+      souls of some amongst them more beautiful than the souls of dwarfs. And
+      this virtue, O King Loc, which for the mind is what the soft radiance of
+      pearls is for the eyes, is pity. It is taught by suffering, and the dwarfs
+      know it but little, because being wiser than men they escape much anguish.
+      Yet sometimes the dwarfs leave their deep grottoes and seek the pitiless
+      surface of the earth to mingle with men so as to love them, to suffer with
+      them and through them, and thus to feel this pity which refreshes the soul
+      like a heavenly dew. This is the truth concerning men, King Loc. But did
+      you not ask me as to the exact fate of some one amongst them?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc having repeated his question, Nur looked into one of the many
+      telescopes which filled the room. For the dwarfs have no books, those
+      which are found amongst them have come from men, and are only used as
+      playthings. They do not learn as we do by consulting marks on paper, but
+      they look through telescopes and see the subject itself of their inquiry.
+      The only difficulty is to choose the right telescope and get the right
+      focus.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      There are telescopes of crystal, of topaz and of opal; but those whose
+      lens is a great polished diamond are more powerful, and permit them to see
+      the most distant objects.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dwarfs also have lenses of a translucent substance unknown to men.
+      These enable the sight to pass through rocks and walls as if they were
+      glass. Others, more remarkable still, reconstruct as accurately as a
+      mirror all that has vanished with the flight of time. For the dwarfs, in
+      the depths of their caverns, have the power to recall from the infinite
+      surface of the ether the light of immemorial days and the forms and
+      colours of vanished times. They can create for themselves a phantasm of
+      the past by re-arranging the splinters of light which were once shattered
+      against the forms of men, animals, plants and rocks, so that they again
+      flash across the centuries through the unfathomable ether.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The venerable Nur excelled in discovering figures of antiquity and even
+      such, inconceivable though it may seem, as lived before the earth had
+      assumed the shape with which we are familiar. So it was really no trouble
+      at all for him to find George of Blanchelande.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having looked for a moment through a very ordinary telescope indeed, he
+      said to King Loc:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;King Loc, he for whom you search is with the nixies in their palace
+      of crystal, from which none ever return, and whose iridescent walls adjoin
+      your kingdom.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is he there?&rdquo; cried the king, &ldquo;Let him stay!&rdquo; and
+      he rubbed his hands. &ldquo;I wish him joy.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And having embraced the venerable dwarf, he emerged out of the well
+      roaring with laughter.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The whole length of the road he held his sides so as to laugh at his ease;
+      his head shook, and his beard swung backwards and forwards on his stomach.
+      How he laughed! The little men who met him laughed out of sheer sympathy.
+      Seeing them laugh made others laugh. A contagion of laughter spread from
+      place to place until the whole interior of the earth was shaken as if with
+      a mighty and jovial hiccough. Ha! ha! ha!
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0019" id="link2H_4_0019">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="166 (103K)" src="images/166.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XVII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which tells of the wonderful adventure of George of
+     Blanchelande
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      King Loc did not laugh long; indeed he hid the face of a very unhappy
+      little man under the bed-clothes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He lay awake all night long thinking of George of Blanchelande, the
+      prisoner of the nixies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So about the hour when such of the dwarfs as have a dairymaid for
+      sweetheart go in her stead to milk the cows while she sleeps in her white
+      bed with folded hands, little King Loc again sought the astute Nur in the
+      depths of his well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You did not tell me, Nur, what he is doing down there with the
+      nixies?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The venerable Nur was quite convinced that the king was mad, though that
+      did not alarm him because he knew if King Loc should lose his reason he
+      would be a most gracious, charming, amiable and kindly lunatic. The
+      madness of the dwarfs is gentle like their reason, and full of the most
+      delicious fancies. But King Loc was not mad; at least not more so than
+      lovers usually are.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish to speak of George of Blanchelande,&rdquo; he said to the
+      venerable Nur, who had forgotten all about this young man as soon as
+      possible.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thereupon Nur the wise placed a series of lenses and mirrors before the
+      king in an order so exact that it looked like disorder, but which enabled
+      him to show the king in a mirror the form of George of Blanchelande as he
+      was when the nixies carried him away. By a lucky choice and a skilful
+      adjustment of instruments the dwarf was able to reproduce for the
+      love-sick king all the adventures of the son of that Countess to whom a
+      white rose announced her end. And the following, expressed in words, is
+      what the little man saw in all the reality of form and colour.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      When George was borne away in the icy arms of the daughters of the lake
+      the water pressed upon his eyes and his breast and he felt that he was
+      about to die. And yet he heard songs that sounded like a caress and his
+      whole being was permeated by a sense of delicious freshness. When he
+      opened his eyes he found himself in a grotto whose crystal columns
+      reflected the delicate tints of the rainbow. At the end of the grotto was
+      a great sea shell of mother-of-pearl iridescent with the tenderest
+      colours, and this served as a dais to the throne of coral and seaweed of
+      the Queen of the Nixies. But the face of the Sovereign of the waters shone
+      with a light more tender than either the mother-of-pearl or the crystal.
+      She smiled at the child which her women brought her, and her green eyes
+      lingered long upon him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Friend,&rdquo; she said at last, &ldquo;be welcome into our world,
+      in which you shall be spared all sorrow. For you neither dry lessons nor
+      rough sports; nothing coarse shall remind you of earth and its toil, for
+      you only the songs and the dances and the love of the nixies.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And indeed the women of the green hair taught the child music and dancing
+      and a thousand graces. They loved to bind his forehead with the cockle
+      shells that decked their own tresses. But he, remembering his country,
+      gnawed his clenched hands with impatience.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Years passed and George longed with a passion unceasing to see the earth
+      again, the rude earth where the sun burns and where the snow hardens, the
+      mother earth where one suffers, where one loves, the earth where he had
+      seen Honey-Bee, and where he longed to see her again. He had in the
+      meantime grown to be a tall lad with a fine golden down on his upper lip.
+      Courage came with the beard, and so one day he presented himself before
+      the Queen of the Nixies and bowing low, said:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madam, I have come, with your gracious permission, to take leave of
+      you; I am about to return to Clarides.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Fair youth,&rdquo; the queen replied smiling, &ldquo;I cannot grant
+      you the leave you ask, for I guard you in my crystal palace, to make of
+      you my lover.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madam,&rdquo; he replied, &ldquo;I am not worthy of so great an
+      honour.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That is but your courtesy. What gallant cavalier ever believes that
+      he has sufficiently deserved his lady&rsquo;s favour. Besides you are
+      still too young to know your own worth. Let me tell you, fair youth, that
+      we do but desire your welfare; obey your lady and her alone.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Madam, I love Honey-Bee of Clarides. I will have no other lady but
+      her.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A mortal maid!&rdquo; the queen cried, turning pale, but more
+      beautiful still, &ldquo;a coarse daughter of men, this Honey-Bee! How can
+      you love such a thing?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I do not know, but I know that I love her.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Never mind. It will pass.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And she still held the young man captive by means of the allurements of
+      her crystal abode.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He did not comprehend the devious thing called a woman; he was more like
+      Achilles among the daughters of Lycomedes than Tannhauser in the enchanted
+      castle. And that is why he wandered sadly along the walls of the mighty
+      palace searching for an outlet through which to escape; but he only saw
+      the splendid and silent empire of the waves sealing his shining prison.
+      Through the transparent walls he watched the blooming sea anemones and the
+      spreading coral, while over the delicate streams of the madrepores and the
+      sparkling shells, purple, blue, and gold fishes made a glitter of stars
+      with a stroke of their tails. These marvels he left unheeded, for, lulled
+      by the delicious songs of the nixies, he felt little by little his will
+      broken and his soul grow weak. He was all indolence and indifference when
+      one day he found by chance in a gallery of the palace, an ancient
+      well-worn book bound in pigskin and studded with great copper nail-heads.
+      The book, saved from some wreck in mid-ocean, treated of chivalry and fair
+      ladies, and related at great length the adventures of heroes who went
+      about the world redressing wrongs, protecting widows and succouring
+      orphans for the love of justice and in honour of beauty. George flushed
+      and paled with wonder, shame, and anger as he read these tales of splendid
+      adventures. He could not contain himself.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I also,&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;will be a gallant knight. I also
+      will go about the world punishing the wicked and succouring the
+      unfortunate for the good of mankind and in the name of my lady Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With sword drawn and his heart big with valour he dashed across the
+      crystal dwellings. The white ladies fled and swooned before him like the
+      silver ripples of a lake. Their queen alone beheld his approach without a
+      tremor; she turned on him the icy glance of her green eyes.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Break the enchantment which binds me,&rdquo; he cried, running
+      towards her. &ldquo;Open to me the road to earth. I wish to fight in the
+      light of the sun like a cavalier. I wish to return to where one loves, to
+      where one suffers, to where one struggles! Give back to me the life that
+      is real and the light that is real. Give mc back my prowess! If not, I
+      will kill you, you wicked woman!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With a smile she shook her head as if to refuse. Beautiful she was and
+      serene. With all the strength that was in him George struck her; but his
+      sword broke against her glittering breast.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Child!&rdquo; she said, and she commanded that he be cast into a
+      dungeon which formed a kind of crystal tunnel under her palace, and about
+      which sharks roamed with wide-stretched monstrous jaws armed with triple
+      rows of pointed teeth. At every touch it seemed as if they must crush the
+      frail glass wall, which made it impossible to sleep in this strange
+      prison.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The extremity of this under-sea tunnel rested on a bed of rock which
+      formed the vaulting of the most distant and unexplored cavern in the
+      empire of the dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And this is what the two little men saw in a single hour and quite as
+      accurately as if they had followed George all the days of his life. The
+      venerable Nur, having described the dungeon scene in all its tragic gloom,
+      addressed the King in much the same way as the Savoyards speak to the
+      little children when they show their magic lanterns.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;King Loc,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;I have shown you all you wished to
+      see, and now that you know all I can add nothing more. It&rsquo;s nothing
+      to me whether you liked what you saw; it is enough to know that what you
+      saw was the truth. Science neither cares to please nor to displease. She
+      is inhuman. It is not science but poetry that charms and consoles. And
+      that is why poetry is more necessary than science. Go, King Loc, and get
+      them to sing you a song.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And without uttering a word King Loc left the well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0020" id="link2H_4_0020">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="178 (118K)" src="images/178.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XVIII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which King Loc undertakes a terrible journey
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Having left the well of wisdom, King Loc went to his treasure house and
+      out of a casket, of which he alone had the key, he took a ring which he
+      placed on his finger. The stone set in the ring emitted a brilliant light,
+      for it was a magic stone of whose power we shall learn more further on.
+      Thereupon King Loc went to his palace, put on a travelling cloak and thick
+      boots and took a stick; then he started on a journey across crowded
+      streets, great highways, villages, galleries of porphyry, torrents of
+      rock-oil, and crystal grottoes, all of which communicated with each other
+      through narrow openings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He seemed lost in deep meditation and he uttered words that had no
+      meaning. But he trudged on doggedly. Mountains obstructed his path and he
+      climbed the mountains. Precipices opened under his feet and he descended
+      into the precipices; he forded streams, he crossed horrible regions black
+      with the fumes of sulphur. He trudged across burning lava on which his
+      feet left their imprint; he had the appearance of a desperately dogged
+      traveller. He penetrated into gloomy caverns into which the water of the
+      ocean oozed drop by drop, and flowed like tears along the sea wrack,
+      forming pools on the uneven ground where countless crustaceans increased
+      and multiplied into hideous shapes. Enormous crabs, crayfish, giant
+      lobsters and sea spiders crackled under the dwarfs feet, then crawled away
+      leaving some of their claws behind, and in their flight rousing horrible
+      molluscs and octopuses centuries old that suddenly writhed their hundred
+      arms and spat fetid poison out of their bird-beaks. And yet King Loc went
+      on undaunted. He made his way to the ends of these caverns, through the
+      midst of a heaped up chaos of shelled monsters armed with spikes, with
+      double saw-edged nippers, with claws that crept stealthily up to his neck
+      and bleared eyes on swaying tentacles. He crept up the sides of the cavern
+      by clinging to the rough surface of the rocks and the mailed monsters
+      crept with him, but he never faltered until he recognised by touch a stone
+      that projected from the centre of the natural arch. He touched the stone
+      with his magic ring and suddenly it rolled away with a horrible crash, and
+      at once a glory of light flooded the cavern with its beautiful waves and
+      put to flight the swarming monsters bred in its gloom.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As King Loc thrust his head into the opening through which daylight
+      poured, he saw George of Blanchelande in his glass dungeon where he was
+      lamenting grievously as he thought of Honey-Bee and of earth. For King Loc
+      had undertaken this subterranean journey only to deliver the captive of
+      the nixies.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But seeing this huge dishevelled head, frowning and bearded, watching him
+      from under his tunnel, George believed himself to be menaced by a mighty
+      danger and he felt for the sword at his side forgetting that he had broken
+      it against the breast of the woman with the green eyes. In the meantime
+      King Loc examined him curiously.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bah,&rdquo; said he to himself, &ldquo;it is only a child!&rdquo;
+      And indeed he was only an ignorant child, and it was because of his great
+      ignorance that he had escaped from the deadly and delicious kisses of the
+      Queen of the Nixies. Aristotle with all his wisdom might not have done so
+      well.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What do you want, fathead?&rdquo; George cried, seeing himself
+      defenceless, &ldquo;why harm me if I have never harmed you?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little one,&rdquo; King Loc replied in a voice at once jovial and
+      testy, &ldquo;you do not know whether or not you have harmed me, for you
+      are ignorant of effects and causes and reflections, and all philosophy in
+      general. But we&rsquo;ll not talk of that. If you don&rsquo;t mind leaving
+      your tunnel, come this way.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George at once crept into the cavern, slipped down the length of the wall,
+      and as soon as he had reached the bottom he said to his deliverer:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You are a good little man; I shall love you for ever; but do you
+      know where Honey-Bee of Clarides is?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I know a great many things,&rdquo; retorted the dwarf, &ldquo;and
+      especially that I don&rsquo;t like people who ask questions.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Hearing this George paused in great confusion and followed his guide in
+      silence through the dense black air where the octopuses and crustaceans
+      writhed. King Loc said mockingly:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is not a carriage road, young prince.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sir,&rdquo; George replied, &ldquo;the road to liberty is always
+      beautiful, and I fear not to be led astray when I follow my benefactor.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Little King Loc bit his lips. On reaching the gallery of porphyry he
+      pointed out to the youth a flight of steps cut in the rock by the dwarfs,
+      by which they ascend to earth.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This is your way,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;farewell.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Do not bid me farewell,&rdquo; George replied, &ldquo;say I shall
+      see you again. After what you have done my life is yours.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What I have done,&rdquo; King Loc replied, &ldquo;I have not done
+      for your sake, but for another&rsquo;s. It will be better for us never to
+      meet again, for we can never be friends.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I would not have believed that my deliverance could have caused me
+      such pain,&rdquo; George said simply and gravely, &ldquo;and yet it does.
+      Farewell.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;A pleasant journey,&rdquo; cried King Loc, in a gruff voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Now it happened that these steps of the dwarfs adjoined a deserted stone
+      quarry less than a mile from the castle of Clarides.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This young lad,&rdquo; King Loc murmured as he went on his way,
+      &ldquo;has neither the wisdom nor the wealth. Truly I cannot imagine why
+      Honey-Bee loves him, unless it is because he is young, handsome, faithful
+      and brave.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As he went back to the town he laughed to himself as a man does who has
+      done some one a good turn. As he passed Honey-Bee&rsquo;s cottage he
+      thrust his big head into the open window just as he had thrust it into the
+      crystal tunnel, and he saw the young girl, who was embroidering a veil
+      with silver flowers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I wish you joy, Honey-Bee,&rdquo; he cried.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And you also, little King Loc, seeing you have nothing to wish for
+      and nothing to regret.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He had much to wish for, but, indeed, he had nothing to regret. And it was
+      probably this which gave him such a good appetite for supper. Having eaten
+      a huge number of truffled pheasants he called Bob.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Bob,&rdquo; said he, &ldquo;mount your raven; go to the Princess of
+      the Dwarfs and tell her that George or Blanchelande, long a captive of the
+      nixies, has this day returned to Clarides.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thus he spoke and Bob flew off on his raven.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0021" id="link2H_4_0021">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="188 (107K)" src="images/188.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XIX
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which tells of the extraordinary encounter of Jean the
+     master tailor, and of the blessed song the birds in the
+     grove sang to the duchess
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      When George again found himself on the earth on which he was born, the
+      very first person he met was Jean, the master tailor, with a red suit of
+      clothes on his arm for the steward of the castle. The good man shrieked at
+      sight of his young master.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Holy St. James,&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;if you are not his lordship
+      George of Blanchelande who was drowned in the lake seven years ago, you
+      are either his ghost or the devil in person.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am neither ghost nor devil, good Jean, but I am truly that same
+      George of Blanchelande who used to creep to your shop and beg bits of
+      stuff out of which to make dresses for the dolls of my sister Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Then you were not drowned, your lordship,&rdquo; the good man
+      exclaimed. &ldquo;I am so glad! And how well you look. My little Peter who
+      climbed into my arms to see you pass on horseback by the side of the
+      Duchess that Sunday morning has become a good workman and a fine fellow.
+      He is all of that, God be praised, your lordship. He will be glad to hear
+      that you are not at the bottom of the sea, and that the fish have not
+      eaten you as he always declared. He was in the habit of saying many
+      pleasant things about it, your lordship, for he is very amusing. And it is
+      a fact that you are much mourned in Clarides. You were such a promising
+      child. I shall remember to my dying day how you once asked me for a needle
+      to sew with, and as I refused, for you were not of an age to use it
+      without danger, you replied you would go to the woods and pick beautiful
+      green pine needles. That is what you said, and it still makes me laugh.
+      Upon my soul you said that. Our little Peter, also, used to say clever
+      things. Now he is a cooper and at your service, your lordship.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I shall employ no one else. But give me news of Honey-Bee and the
+      Duchess, Master Jean.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alack, where do you come from, your lordship, seeing that you do
+      not know that it is now seven years since the Princess Honey-Bee was
+      stolen by the dwarfs of the mountain? She disappeared the very day you
+      were drowned; and one can truly say that on that day Clarides lost its
+      sweetest flowers. The Duchess is in deep mourning. And it&rsquo;s that
+      which makes me say that the great of the earth have their sorrows just as
+      well as the humblest artisans, if only to prove that we are all the sons
+      of Adam. And because of this a cat may well look at a king, as the saying
+      is. And by the same token the good Duchess has seen her hair grow white
+      and her gaiety vanish. And when in the springtime she walks in her black
+      robes along the hedgerow where the birds sing, the smallest of these is
+      more to be envied than the sovereign lady of Clarides. And yet her grief
+      is not quite without hope, your lordship; for though she had no tidings of
+      you, she at least knows by dreams that her daughter Honey-Bee is alive.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      This and much else said good man Jean, but George listened no longer after
+      he heard that Honey-Bee was a captive among the dwarfs.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;The dwarfs hold Honey-Bee captive under the earth,&rdquo; he
+      pondered; &ldquo;a dwarf rescued me from my crystal dungeon; these little
+      men have not all the same customs; my deliverer cannot be of the same race
+      as those who stole my sister.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He knew not what to think except that he must rescue Honey-Bee.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      In the meantime they crossed the town, and on their way the gossips
+      standing on the thresholds of their houses asked each other who was this
+      young stranger, but they all agreed that he was very handsome. The better
+      informed amongst them, having recognised the young lord of Blanchelande,
+      decided that it must be his ghost, wherefore they fled, making great signs
+      of the cross.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;He must be sprinkled with holy water,&rdquo; said one old crone,
+      &ldquo;and he will vanish leaving a disgusting smell of sulphur. He will
+      carry away Master Jean, and he will of course plunge him alive into the
+      fire of hell.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Softly! old woman,&rdquo; a citizen replied, &ldquo;his lordship is
+      alive and much more alive than you or I. He is as fresh as a rose, and he
+      looks as if he had come from some noble court rather than from the other
+      world. One does return from afar, good dame. As witness Francoeur the
+      squire who came back from Rome last midsummer day.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And Margaret the helmet-maker, having greatly admired George, mounted to
+      her maiden chamber and kneeling before the image of the Holy Virgin
+      prayed, &ldquo;Holy Virgin, grant me a husband who shall look precisely
+      like this young lord.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      So each in his way talked of George&rsquo;s return until the news spread
+      from mouth to mouth and finally reached the ears of the Duchess who was
+      walking-in the orchard. Her heart beat violently and she heard all the
+      birds in the hedge-row sing:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+           &ldquo;Cui, cui, cui,
+          Oui, oui, oui,
+     Georges de Blanchelande,
+          Cui, cui, cui.
+     Dont vous avez nourri l&rsquo;enfance
+          Cui, cui, cui,
+          Est ici, est ici, est ici!
+          Oui, oui, oui.&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      Francoeur approached her respectfully and said: &ldquo;Your Grace, George
+      de Blanchelande whom you thought dead has returned. I shall make it into a
+      song.&rdquo; In the meantime the birds sang:
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     &ldquo;Cucui, cui, cui, cui, cui,
+     Oui, oui, oui, oui, oui, oui,
+     Il est ici, ici, ici, ici, ici, ici.&rdquo;
+ </pre>
+    <p>
+      And when she saw the child who had been to her as a son, she opened her
+      arms and fell senseless at his feet.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0022" id="link2H_4_0022">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="196 (101K)" src="images/196.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XX
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     Which treats of a little satin shoe
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      Everybody in Clarides was quite convinced that Honey-Bee had been stolen
+      by the dwarfs. Even the Duchess believed it, though her dreams did not
+      tell her precisely. &ldquo;We will find her again,&rdquo; said George.
+      &ldquo;We will find her again,&rdquo; replied Francoeur. &ldquo;And we
+      will bring her back to her mother,&rdquo; said George.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And we will bring her back,&rdquo; replied Francoeur. &ldquo;And we
+      will marry her,&rdquo; said George.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And we will marry her,&rdquo; replied Francoeur. And they inquired
+      among the inhabitants as to the habits of the dwarfs and the mysterious
+      circumstances of Honey-Bee&rsquo;s disappearance.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And so it happened that they questioned Nurse Maurille who had once been
+      the nurse of the Duchess of Clarides; but now as she had no more milk for
+      babies Maurille instead nursed the chickens in the poultry yard. It was
+      there that the master and squire found her. She cried: &ldquo;Psit! Psit!
+      psit! psit! lil&mdash;lil&mdash;lil&mdash;lil&mdash;psit, psit, psit,
+      psit!&rdquo; as she threw grain to the chicks.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Psit, psit, psit, psit! Is it you, your lordship? Psit, psit, psit!
+      Is it possible that you have grown so tall&mdash;psit! and so handsome?
+      Psit, psit! Shoo! shoo, shoo! Just look at that fat one there eating the
+      little one&rsquo;s portion! Shoo, shoo, shoo! The way of the world, your
+      lordship. Riches go the rich, lean ones grow leaner, while the fat ones
+      grow fatter. There&rsquo;s no justice on earth! What can I do for you, my
+      lord? May I offer you each a glass of beer?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;We will accept it gladly, Maurille, and I must embrace you because
+      you nursed the mother of her whom I love best on earth.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s true, my lord, my foster child cut her first tooth at
+      the age of six months and fourteen days. On which occasion the deceased
+      duchess made me a present. She did indeed.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Now, Maurille, tell us all you know about the dwarfs who carried
+      away Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Alas, my lord, I know nothing of the dwarfs who carried her away.
+      And how can you expect an old woman like me to know anything? It&rsquo;s
+      ages ago since I forgot the little I ever knew, and I haven&rsquo;t even
+      enough memory left to remember where I put my spectacles. Sometimes I look
+      for them when they&rsquo;re on my nose. Try this drink; it&rsquo;s fresh.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here&rsquo;s to your health, Maurille; but I was told that your
+      husband knew something about the disappearance of Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;That&rsquo;s true, your lordship. Though he never was taught
+      anything he learnt a great deal in the pothouses and the taverns. And he
+      never forgot anything. Why if he were alive now and sitting at this table
+      he could tell you stories until to-morrow. He used to tell me so many that
+      they quite muddled my head and even now I can&rsquo;t tell the tail of one
+      from the head of the other. That&rsquo;s true, your lordship.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Indeed, it was true, for the head of the old nurse could only be compared
+      to a cracked soup-pot. It was with the greatest difficulty that George and
+      Francoeur got anything good out of it. Finally, however, by means of much
+      repetition they did extract a tale which began somewhat as follows:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It&rsquo;s seven years ago, your lordship, the very day you and
+      Honey-Bee went on that frolic from which neither of you ever returned. My
+      deceased husband went up the mountain to sell a horse. That&rsquo;s the
+      truth. He fed the beast with a good peck of oats soaked in cider to give
+      him a firm leg and a brilliant eye; he took him to market near the
+      mountain. He had no cause to regret his oats or his cider, for he sold his
+      horse for a much better price. Beasts are like human beings; one judges
+      them by their appearance. My deceased husband was so rejoiced at his good
+      stroke of business that he invited his friends to drink with him, and
+      glass in hand he drank to their health.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;You must know, your lordship, that there wasn&rsquo;t a man in all
+      Clarides could equal my husband when glass in hand he drank to the health
+      of his friends. So much so that on that day, after a number of such
+      compliments, when he returned alone at twilight he took the wrong road for
+      the reason that he could not recognise the right one. Finding himself near
+      a cavern he saw as distinctly as possible, considering his condition and
+      the hour, a crowd of little men carrying a girl or a boy on a litter. He
+      ran away for fear of ill-luck; for the wine had not robbed him of
+      prudence. But at some distance from the cavern he dropped his pipe, and on
+      stooping to pick it up he picked up instead a little satin shoe. When he
+      was in a good humour he used to amuse himself by saying, &lsquo;It&rsquo;s
+      the first time a pipe has changed into a shoe.&rsquo; And as it was the
+      shoe of a little girl he decided that she who had lost it in the forest
+      was the one who had been carried away by the dwarfs and that it was this
+      he had seen. He was about to put the shoe into his pocket when a crowd of
+      little men in hoods pounced down on him and gave him such a thrashing that
+      he lay there quite stunned.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Maurille! Maurille!&rdquo; cried George, &ldquo;it&rsquo;s
+      Honey-Bee&rsquo;s shoe. Give it to me and I will kiss it a thousand times.
+      It shall rest for ever on my heart, and when I die it shall be buried with
+      me.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;As you please, your lordship; but where will you find it? The
+      dwarfs took it away from my poor husband and he always thought that they
+      only gave him such a sound thrashing because he wanted to put it in his
+      pocket to show to the magistrates. He used to say when he was in a good
+      humour&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Enough&mdash;enough! Only tell me the name of the cavern!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is called the cavern of the dwarfs, your lordship, and very well
+      named too. My deceased husband&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Not another word, Maurille! But you. Francoeur, do you know where
+      this cavern is?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your lordship,&rdquo; replied Francoeur as he emptied the pot of
+      beer, &ldquo;you would certainly know it if you knew my songs better. I
+      have written at least a dozen about this cavern, and I&rsquo;ve described
+      it without even forgetting a single sprig of moss. I venture to say, your
+      lordship, that of these dozen songs, six are of great merit. And even the
+      other six are not to be despised. I will sing you one or two....&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Francoeur,&rdquo; cried George, &ldquo;we will take possession of
+      this cavern of the dwarfs and rescue Honey-Bee.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Of course we will!&rdquo; replied Francoeur.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0023" id="link2H_4_0023">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="204 (118K)" src="images/204.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XXI
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which a perilous adventure is described
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      That night when all were asleep George and Francoeur crept into the lower
+      hall in search of weapons. Lances, swords, dirks, broadswords,
+      hunting-knives and daggers glittered under the time-stained rafters&mdash;everything
+      necessary to kill both man and brute. A complete suit of armour stood
+      upright under each beam in an attitude as resolute and proud as if it were
+      still filled with the soul of the brave man it had once decked for mighty
+      adventures. The gauntlet grasped the lance in its ten iron fingers, while
+      the shield rested against the plates of the greaves as if to prove that
+      prudence is necessary to courage, and that the best fighter is armed as
+      well for defence as for attack.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      From among all these suits of armour George chose the one that Honey-Bee&rsquo;s
+      father had worn as far away as the isles of Avalon and Thule. He donned it
+      with the aid of Francoeur, nor did he forget the shield on which was
+      emblazoned the golden sun of Clarides. As for Francoeur, he put on a good
+      old steel coat of mail of his grandfather&rsquo;s and on his head a casque
+      of a bygone time, to which he attached a ragged and moth-eaten tuft or
+      plume. This he chose merely as a matter of fancy and to give himself an
+      air of rejoicing, for, as he justly reasoned, gaiety, which is good under
+      every circumstance, is especially so in the face of great dangers.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Having thus armed themselves they passed under the light of the moon into
+      the dark open country. Francoeur had fastened the horses on the edge of a
+      little grove near the postern, and there he found them nibbling at the
+      bark of the bushes; they were swift steeds, and it took them less than an
+      hour to reach the mountain of the dwarfs, through a crowd of goblins and
+      phantoms.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Here is the cave,&rdquo; said Francoeur.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Master and man dismounted and, sword in hand, penetrated into the cavern.
+      It required great courage to attempt such an adventure; but George was in
+      love and Francoeur was faithful, and this was a case in which one could
+      say with the most delightful of poets:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;What may not friendship do with Love for guide!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Master and man had trudged through the gloom for nearly an hour when they
+      were astonished to see a brilliant light. It was one of the meteors which
+      we know illumines the kingdom of the dwarfs. By the light of this
+      subterranean luminary they discovered that they were standing at the foot
+      of an ancient castle.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;This,&rdquo; said George, &ldquo;is the castle we must capture.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;To be sure,&rdquo; said Francceur; &ldquo;but first permit me to
+      drink a few drops of this wine which I brought with me as a precaution,
+      because the better the wine the better the man, and the better the man the
+      better the lance, the better the lance the less dangerous the enemy.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George, seeing no living soul, struck the hilt of his sword sharply
+      against the door of the castle. He looked up at the sound of a little
+      tremulous voice, and he saw at one of the windows a little old man with a
+      long beard, who asked:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Who are you!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;George of Blanchelande.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;And who do you want?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I have come to deliver Honey-Bee of Clarides whom you unjustly hold
+      captive in your mole-hill, hideous little moles that you are!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      The dwarf disappeared and again George was left alone with Francoeur who
+      said to him:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Your lordship, possibly I may exaggerate if I remark that in your
+      answer to the dwarf you have not quite exhausted all the persuasive powers
+      of eloquence.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Francoeur was afraid of nothing, but he was old; his heart like his head
+      was polished by age, and he disliked to offend people.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      As for George he stormed and clamoured at the top of his voice.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Vile dwellers in the earth, moles, badgers, dormice, ferrets, and
+      water-rats, open the door and I&rsquo;ll cut off all your ears.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But hardly had he uttered these words when the bronze door of the castle
+      slowly opened of itself, for no one could be seen pushing back its
+      enormous wings.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      George was seized with terror and yet he sprang through the mysterious
+      door because his courage was even greater than his terror. Entering the
+      courtyard he saw that all the windows, the galleries, the roofs, the
+      gables, the skylights, and even the chimney-pots, were crowded with dwarfs
+      armed with bows and cross-bows.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      He heard the bronze door close behind him and suddenly a shower of arrows
+      fell thick and fast on his head and shoulders, and for the second time he
+      was filled with a great fear, and for the second time he conquered his
+      fear.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Sword in hand and his shield on his arm he mounted the steps until
+      suddenly he perceived on the very highest, a majestic dwarf who stood
+      there in serene dignity, gold sceptre in hand and wearing the royal crown
+      and the purple mantle. And in this dwarf he recognised the little man who
+      had delivered him out of his crystal dungeon.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Thereupon he threw himself at his feet and cried weeping:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;O my benefactor, who are you? Are you one of those who have robbed
+      me of Honey-Bee, whom I love?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;I am King Loc,&rdquo; replied the dwarf. &ldquo;I have kept
+      Honey-Bee with me to teach her the wisdom of the dwarfs. Child, you have
+      fallen into my kingdom like a hail-storm in a garden of flowers. But the
+      dwarfs, less weak than men, are never angered as are they. My intelligence
+      raises me too high above you for me to resent your actions whatever they
+      are. And of all the attributes that render me superior to you that which I
+      guard most jealously is justice. Honey-Bee shall be brought before me and
+      I will ask her if she wishes to follow you. This I do, not because you
+      desire it, but because I must.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A great silence ensued and Honey-Bee appeared attired all in white and
+      with flowing golden hair. No sooner did she see George than she ran and
+      threw herself in his arms and clasped his iron breast with all her
+      strength.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then King Loc said to her:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee, is it true that this is the man you wish to marry?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;It is true, very true that this is he, little King Loc,&rdquo;
+      replied Honey-Bee. &ldquo;See, all you little men, how I laugh and how
+      happy I am.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And she began to weep. Her tears fell on her lover&rsquo;s face, but they
+      were tears of joy; and with them were mingled tiny bursts of laughter and
+      a thousand endearing words without sense, like the lisp of a little child.
+      She quite forgot that the sight of her joy might sadden the heart of King
+      Loc.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My beloved,&rdquo; said George, &ldquo;I find you again such as I
+      had longed for: the fairest and dearest of beings. You love me! Thank
+      heaven, you love me! But, Honey-Bee, do you not also love King Loc a
+      little, who delivered me out of the glass dungeon in which the nixies held
+      me captive far away from you?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Honey-Bee turned to King Loc.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little King Loc, and did you do this?&rdquo; she cried. &ldquo;You
+      loved me, and yet you rescued the one I love and who loves me&mdash;&mdash;&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Words failed her and she fell on her knees, her head in her hands.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      All the little men who witnessed this scene deluged their cross-bows with
+      tears. Only King Loc remained serene. And Honcy-Bee, overcome by his
+      magnanimity and his goodness, felt for him the love of a daughter for a
+      father.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      She took her lover&rsquo;s hand.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;George,&rdquo; she said, &ldquo;I love you. God knows how much I
+      love you. But how can I leave little King Loc?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Hallo, there?&rdquo; King Loc cried in a terrible voice, &ldquo;now
+      you are my prisoners!&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      But this terrible voice he only used for fun and just as a joke, for he
+      really was not at all angry. Here Francoeur approached and knelt before
+      him.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Sire,&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;may it please your Majesty to let me
+      share the captivity of the masters I serve?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Said Honey-Bee, recognising him:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Is it you, my good Francoeur? How glad I am to see you again. What
+      a horrid cap you&rsquo;ve got on! Tell me, have you composed any new
+      songs?&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      And King Loc took them all three to dinner.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <a name="link2H_4_0024" id="link2H_4_0024">
+       <!--  H2 anchor --> </a>
+    </p>
+    <div style="height: 4em;">
+      <br /><br /><br /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <div class="fig" style="width:80%">
+      <img alt="214 (116K)" src="images/214.jpg" width="100%" /><br />
+    </div>
+    <p>
+      <br />
+    </p>
+    <h2>
+      XXII
+    </h2>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+     In which all ends well
+</pre>
+    <p>
+      The next morning Honey-Bee, George and Francoeur again arrayed themselves
+      in the splendid garments prepared for them by the dwarfs, and proceeded to
+      the banquet-hall where, as he had promised, King Loc, in the robes of an
+      Emperor, soon joined them. He was followed by his officers fully armed,
+      and covered with furs of barbarous magnificence, and in their helmets the
+      wings of swans. Crowds of hurrying dwarfs came in through the windows, the
+      air-holes and the chimneys, and rolled under the benches.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc mounted a stone table one end of which was laden with flagons,
+      candelabra, tankards, and cups of gold of marvellous workmanship. He
+      signed to Honey-Bee and to George to approach.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;by a law of the nation of the
+      dwarfs it is decreed that a stranger received in our midst shall be free
+      after seven years. You have been with us seven years, Honey-Bee, and I
+      should be a disloyal citizen and a blameworthy king should I keep you
+      longer. But before permitting you to go I wish, not having been able to
+      wed you myself, to betroth you to the one you have chosen. I do so with
+      joy for I love you more than I love myself, and my pain, if such remains,
+      is like a little cloud which your happiness will dispel. Honey-Bee of
+      Clarides, Princess of the Dwarfs, give me your hand, and you, George of
+      Blanchelande, give me yours.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Placing the hand of George in the hand of Honey-Bee he turned to his
+      people and said with a ringing voice:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Little men, my children, you bear witness that these two pledge
+      themselves to marry one another on earth. They shall go back together and
+      together help courage, modesty, and fidelity to blossom, as roses, pinks,
+      and peonies bloom for good gardeners.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      At these words the dwarfs burst into a mighty shout, but not knowing if
+      they ought to grieve or to rejoice, they were torn by conflicting
+      emotions.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc, again turning to the lovers, said as he pointed to the flagons,
+      the tankards, all the beautiful art of the goldsmith:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Behold the gifts of the dwarfs. Take them, Honey-Bee, they will
+      remind you of your little friends. It is their gift to you, not mine. What
+      I am about to give you, you shall know before long.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      A lengthy silence ensued.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      With an expression sublime in its tenderness, King Loc gazed at Honey-Bee,
+      whose beautiful and radiant head, crowned by roses, rested on her lover&rsquo;s
+      shoulder.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      Then he continued:
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My children, it is not enough to love passionately; you must also
+      love well. A passionate love is good doubtless, but a beautiful love is
+      better. May you have as much strength as gentleness; may it lack nothing,
+      not even forbearance, and let even a little compassion be mingled with it.
+      You are young, fair and good; but you are human, and because of this
+      capable of much suffering. If then something of compassion does not enter
+      into the feelings you have one for the other, these feelings will not
+      always befit all the circumstances of your life together; they will be
+      like festive robes that will not shield you from wind and rain. We love
+      truly only those we love even in their weakness and their poverty. To
+      forbear, to forgive, to console, that alone is the science of love.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      King Loc paused, seized by a gentle but strong emotion.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;My children,&rdquo; he then continued; &ldquo;may you be happy;
+      guard your happiness well, guard it well.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      While he addressed them Pic, Tad, Dig, Bob, True, and Pau clung to
+      Honey-Bee&rsquo;s white mantle and covered her hands and arms with kisses
+      and they implored her not to leave them. Thereupon King Loc took from his
+      girdle a ring set with a glittering gem. It was the magic ring which had
+      unclosed the dungeon of the nixies. He placed it on Honey-Bee&rsquo;s
+      finger.
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      &ldquo;Honey-Bee,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;receive from my hand this ring
+      which will permit you, you and your husband, to enter at any hour the
+      kingdom of the dwarfs. You will be welcomed with joy and succoured at
+      need. In return teach the children that will be yours not to despise the
+      little men, so innocent and industrious, who dwell under the earth.&rdquo;
+    </p>
+    <p>
+      <br /><br />
+    </p>
+<pre xml:space="preserve">
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Honey-Bee, by Anatole France
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+</pre>
+  </body>
+</html>