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diff --git a/old/53899.txt b/old/53899.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d1621ca..0000000 --- a/old/53899.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3704 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Eva's Adventures in Shadow-Land, by Mary D. Nauman - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Eva's Adventures in Shadow-Land - -Author: Mary D. Nauman - -Release Date: January 6, 2017 [EBook #53899] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EVA'S ADVENTURES IN SHADOW-LAND *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Stephen Hutcheson, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net -(This book was produced from scanned images of public -domain material from the Google Books project.) - - - - - - -[Illustration: "The Toad Woman stopped fanning and looked at her." Page -125.] - - - - - ADVENTURES - IN - Shadow-Land. - - - CONTAINING - - Eva's Adventures in Shadow-Land. - By MARY D. NAUMAN. - - AND - - The Merman and The Figure-Head. - By CLARA F. GUERNSEY. - - - TWO VOLUMES IN ONE. - - _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS._ - - - PHILADELPHIA - J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. - 1874. - - - Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1873, by - J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO., - In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - - Lippincott's Press, - Philadelphia. - - - - - EVA'S ADVENTURES - IN - SHADOW-LAND. - - - TO - MY FRIEND - E. W. - - - - - CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - PAGE - What Eva saw in the Pond 9 - - CHAPTER II. - Eva's First Adventure 15 - - CHAPTER III. - The Gift of the Fountain 23 - - CHAPTER IV. - The First Moonrise 30 - - CHAPTER V. - What Aster was 36 - - CHAPTER VI. - The Beginning of the Search 45 - - CHAPTER VII. - Aster's Misfortunes 52 - - CHAPTER VIII. - What Aster did 63 - - CHAPTER IX. - The Door in the Wall 73 - - CHAPTER X. - The Valley of Rest 80 - - CHAPTER XI. - The Magic Boat 92 - - CHAPTER XII. - Down the Brook 104 - - CHAPTER XIII. - The Enchanted River 119 - - CHAPTER XIV. - The Green Frog 130 - - CHAPTER XV. - In the Grotto 145 - - CHAPTER XVI. - Aster's Story 151 - - CHAPTER XVII. - The Last of Shadow-Land 162 - - - - - EVA'S ADVENTURES - IN SHADOW-LAND. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - _WHAT EVA SAW IN THE POND._ - - -She had been reading fairy-tales, after her lessons were done, all the -morning; and now that dinner was over, her father gone to his office, -the baby asleep, and her mother sitting quietly sewing in the cool -parlor, Eva thought that she would go down across the field to the old -mill-pond; and sit in the grass, and make a fairy-tale for herself. - -There was nothing that Eva liked better than to go and sit in the tall -grass; grass so tall that when the child, in her white dress, looped on -her plump white shoulders with blue ribbons, her bright golden curls -brushed back from her fair brow, and her blue eyes sparkling, sat down -in it, you could not see her until you were near her, and then it was -just as if you had found a picture of a little girl in a frame, or -rather a nest of soft, green grass. - -All through this tall, wavy grass, down to the very edge of the pond, -grew many flowers,--violets, and buttercups, and dandelions, like little -golden suns. And as Eva sat there in the grass, she filled her lap with -the purple and yellow flowers; and all around her the bees buzzed as -though they wished to light upon the flowers in her lap; on which, at -last,--so quietly did she sit,--two black-and-golden butterflies -alighted; while a great brown beetle, with long black feelers, climbed -up a tall grass-stalk in front of her, which, bending slightly under his -weight, swung to and fro in the gentle breeze which barely stirred Eva's -golden curls; and the field-crickets chirped, and even a snail put his -horns out of his shell to look at the little girl, sitting so quietly in -the grass among the flowers, for Eva was gentle, and neither bee, nor -butterfly, beetle, cricket, or snail were afraid of her. And this is -what Eva called making a fairy-tale for herself. - -But sitting so quietly and watching the insects, and hearing their low -hum around her, at last made Eva feel drowsy; and she would have gone to -sleep, as she often did, if all of a sudden there had not sounded, just -at her feet, so that it startled her, a loud - -Croak! croak! - -But it frightened the two butterflies; for away they went, floating off -on their black-and-golden wings; and the brown beetle was in so much of -a hurry to run away that he tumbled off the grass-stalk on which he had -been swinging, and as soon as he could regain his legs, crept, as fast -as they could carry him, under a friendly mullein-leaf which grew near, -and hid himself; and the crickets were silent; and the bees all flew -away to their hive; and the snail drew himself and his horns into his -house, so that he looked like nothing in the world but a shell; for when -beetles, and butterflies, and crickets, and bees, and snails hear this -croak! croak! they know that it is time for them to get out of the way. - -And when Eva looked down, there, just at her feet, sat a great green -toad. - -She gave him a little push with her foot to make him go away; but -instead of that he only hopped the nearer, and again came-- - -Croak! croak! - -He was entirely too near now for comfort, so the little girl jumped up, -dropping all the flowers she had gathered; and as she stood still for a -moment she thought that she heard the green toad say: - -"Go to the pond! Go to the pond!" - -It seemed so funny to Eva to hear a toad talk that she stood as still as -a mouse looking at him; and as she looked at him, she heard him say -again, as plain as possible: - -"Go to the pond! Go to the pond!" - -And then Eva did just exactly what either you or I would have done if we -had heard a great green toad talking to us. She went slowly through the -tall grass down to the very edge of the pond. - -But instead of the fishes which used to swim about in the pretty clear -water, and which would come to eat the crumbs of bread she always threw -to them, and the funny, croaking frogs which used to jump and splash in -the water, she saw nothing but the same great green toad, which had -hopped down faster than she had walked, and which was now sitting on a -mossy stone near the bank. And when Eva would have turned away he -croaked again: - -"Stay by the pond! Stay by the pond!" - -And whether Eva wished it or not, she stood by the pond--for she really -could not help it--and looked. And it seemed to her that the sky grew -dark and the water black, as it always does before a rain; and then the -child grew frightened, and would have run away, but that just then, in -the very blackest part of the pond, she saw shining and looking up at -her a little round full moon, with a face in it; and it seemed to her, -strange though you may think it, that the eyes of the face in the moon -winked at her; and then it was gone. - -And again Eva would have left the pond, but the green toad, which she -thought had suddenly grown larger, croaked more loudly: - -"Stay by the pond! Stay by the pond!" - -And Eva obeyed, as indeed she could not help doing; and then again, in -the pond, there came and went the little moon-face, only that this time -it was larger, and the eyes winked longer. - -For the third time the child would have turned away, frightened at all -these strange doings in the pond; but for the third time the green toad, -larger than ever, croaked: - -"Stay by the pond! Stay by the pond!" - -So, for the third time, Eva looked at the pond; and there, for the third -time, was the shining moon-face, as large now as a real full moon, -though, when Eva looked up, there was no moon shining in the sky to be -reflected in the pond; and then the eyes in the moon-face looked harder -at her, and the toad winked at her; and then the toad was the moon and -the moon was the toad, and both seemed to change places with each other; -and at last both of them shone and winked so that Eva could not tell -them apart; and before she knew what she was doing she lay down quietly -in the tall grass, and the moon in the pond and the green toad winked at -her until she fell asleep. - -Then the moon-eyes closed and the shining face faded; and the green toad -slipped quietly off his stone into the water; and still Eva slept -soundly. - -And that was what Eva saw in the pond. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - _EVA'S FIRST ADVENTURE._ - - -How long she lay there asleep the child did not know. It might only have -been for a few minutes; it might have been for hours. Yet, when she did -awake, and think it was time for her to go home, she did not understand -where she could be. The place seemed the same, yet not the same,--as -though some wonderful change had come over it during her sleep. There -was the pond, to be sure, but was it the same pond? Tall trees grew -round it, yet their branches were bare and leafless. A little brook ran -into the pond, which she was sure that she never had seen there before. -Was she still asleep? No. She was wide awake. She sprang to her feet and -looked around. The green toad was gone, so was the moon-face; her -father's house was nowhere to be seen; there was no sun, but it was not -dark, for a light seemed to come from the earth, and yet the earth -itself did not shine; mountains rose in the distance; but, strangest of -all, these mountains sometimes bore one shape, sometimes another; at -times they were like great crouching beasts, then again like castles or -palaces, then, as you looked, they were mountains again. Strange shadows -passed over the pond, stranger shapes flitted among the trees. - -Eva did not know how the change had been made, still less did she guess -that she was now in Shadow-Land. - -Yet it was all so singular that, as she looked upon the changing -mountain forms, and the quaint shadows, a sudden longing came over her, -with a desire to go home, and she turned away from the pond. And as she -did so, a little fragrant purple violet, the last that was left of all -the flowers which she had gathered, and which had been tangled in her -curls, fell to the ground, melting into fragrance as it did so; and as -it fell, there passed from Eva's mind all recollection of father, -mother, home, and the little brother cooing in his cradle: the changing -mountain forms seemed strange no longer; she forgot to wonder at the -singular earth-light, and at the absence of the sun; and noticing for -the first time that she was standing in a little path which ran along -the pond, and then followed the course of the little brook, whose waters -seemed singing the words, "Follow, follow me!" Eva wondered no longer, -but first stooping to pick up a little stick, in shape like a boy's -cane, with a knob at one end, just like a roughly carved head, and which -was lying just at her feet, she walked along the little path, which -seemed made expressly for her to walk in. - -She walked on and on, as she thought, for hours, yet there came neither -sunset nor moonrise, and there were no stars in the sky, which seemed -nearer the earth than she had ever seen it before. There were clouds, to -be sure, of shapes as strange as those of the mountains, which passed -and repassed each other, although there was no wind to move them. -Everything was silent. Even the trees, swaying, as they did, to and fro, -moved noiselessly; the only sound, save Eva's light steps, which broke -the stillness was the silvery ripple of the brook, which kept company -with the path Eva trod, and whose waters murmured, gently, "Follow, -follow me!" - -And Eva followed the murmuring brook, which seemed to her like a -pleasant companion in this silent land, where, even as there was no -sound, there was no sign of life; nothing like the real world which the -child had left, and of which, with the fall of the little violet from -her curls, she had lost all recollection; even as though that world had -never existed for her. Once or twice, as she went on, holding her little -stick in her hand, she imagined that she saw child-figures beckoning to -her; but, upon going up to them, she always found that either a rock, or -a low, leafless shrub, or else a rising wreath of mist, had deceived -her. - -Yet, though she was alone, with no one near her, not even a bird to flit -merrily from tree to tree, nor an insect to buzz across her path, Eva -felt and knew no fear, and not for a moment did she care that she was -alone. The silvery ripple of the little brook, along which her path lay, -sounded like a pleasant voice in her ears; when thirsty, she drank of -its waters, which seemed to serve alike as food and drink; when tired, -she would lie fearlessly down upon its grassy margin, and sleep, as she -would imagine, only for a few minutes, for there would be no change in -the strange sky nor in the earth-light when she would awake from what it -had been when she lay down; and yet in reality she would sleep as long -as she would have done in her little bed at home. - -For two whole days, which yet seemed as only a few hours, the child -followed the brook. During this time she had felt no desire to leave the -path; she had unhesitatingly obeyed the rippling voice of the brook, -which seemed to say, "Follow, follow me!" But now there was a change: -the water, at times, encroached upon the path, and rocks obstructed the -current, around which little waves broke and dashed, while strange -little flames, which yet did not burn, and gave no heat, started from -the waves, dancing on them; and misty shapes, more definite than those -she had first seen, beckoned to her to come to them. Now, Eva felt an -irresistible longing to leave the brook, and wander away; far, far into -the deep forest, away from the dancing flames and the beckoning shapes. - -And once or twice she did leave the path, and turn her back upon the -brook. But every time that she stepped off the beaten track, faint -though it was, her feet grew heavy, and clung to the earth, so that she -could scarcely move; and the waves of the brook leaped higher and -higher; and the dancing flames grew brighter; and the silvery voice, -louder and clearer than ever, would call, "Follow, follow me!" till the -child was always glad to return to the path, and then once again the way -would grow easy to her feet, and the water would resume its former -tranquillity. - -On, on she went, still following the course of the brook. But at last a -new sound mingled, though but faintly, with its musical ripple,--the -distant voice of falling waters. And when first this new tone reached -Eva's ears, a few signs of life began to show themselves,--a sad-colored -moth flitted lazily across the path into the forest,--a slow-crawling -worm or hairy caterpillar hid itself under a stone as Eva passed,--the -bright eyes of a mouse would peep out at her from under the shelter of a -leaf, or else a toad would leap hastily from the path into the waters of -the brook. - -Still Eva walked onward, more eagerly than ever, for though the "Follow, -follow me!" of the brook was now silent, she heard the voice of the -other waters, and at every turn in the path she looked forward eagerly -for the little joyous cascade she expected to see. For it she looked, -yet in vain: though the sound of the waters grew louder, she saw -nothing, till at last a sudden gleam of golden light, from a long -opening in the forest, fell across the now placid waters of the brook; -and Eva looked up to see, far away in this opening, a fountain playing -in clouds of golden spray, amid which danced sparkles of light; and the -path, parting abruptly from the brook which it had followed so long, led -down the opening in the forest directly to this play of waters, whose -voice Eva had heard and followed. - -And as she turned away from the little brook, whose course and her own -had so long been the same, it seemed to her that even the silvery ripple -of its waters died away into silence; and, looking back once more, after -she had taken a few steps, upon the way by which she had come, lo! the -brook and its waters had wholly disappeared, and an impenetrable forest -had already closed up the path behind her. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - _THE GIFT OF THE FOUNTAIN._ - - -I have said that Eva wondered at nothing which came to pass in this land -through which she was wandering; nothing surprised her, but the most -singular occurrences appeared natural; and so it did not seem at all -strange to her that the path and the brook should be swallowed up, as it -were, by the dark, hungry, impenetrable forest; and it was almost with a -feeling of pleasure at the change that after the one hurried glance she -gave to the path by which she had come, and which was now no longer to -be seen, that she went, still holding the little stick in her hand, up -the opening between the trees to the beautiful fountain. - -And as she drew near, the bright waters of the fountain played higher -and higher, and sparkled and glistened in golden beauty; and rainbows of -many colors surrounded it, so that Eva longed to dip her hands in its -joyous flow, while the waters as they fell tinkled merrily like silvery -fairy bells; and she came nearer and nearer, thinking she had never -heard such sweet music as this water made, till she was within a few -feet of the fountain. - -But when there she paused. For, out of the earth,--all round and even -under the dropping spray and the falling waters,--sprang myriads of -little rainbow-colored flames, which danced to and fro among and under -the water-drops,--like a circle of tiny, fiery sentinels, guarding the -fountain. And Eva, afraid to cross this circle of flames, for which she -was unprepared, would not have ventured nearer, but that at this very -moment the little stick which she held turned in her hand, and pointed -downward; and then Eva saw that it pointed to a little path, like that -by which she had come, which ran around the fountain; and the child -followed the path; until she had walked once, twice, thrice, around the -playing waters, and yet, though she looked for it, found no spot where -the little flame-sentinels, like faithful soldiers on duty, would permit -her to pass. And then she would have turned away from the beautiful -water,--her foot, indeed, had left the path,--when she heard a voice, -even sweeter and more silvery than the voice of the brook, coming from -the very midst of the fountain, and saying: - - "Eva! Eva! have no fear, - To the fountain's brink come near." - -And hearing these words, Eva stood still in surprise, yet without -obeying them. But, after a moment's pause, the voice repeated the words. - -Then, for the first time since her wanderings had begun, Eva spoke, and -her voice sounded strange in her own ears, low though it was: - -"How can I cross the fire?" - -A little, low, melodious laugh, like that of a merry child, answered -her; and when Eva looked to see whence it came, she saw that the little -knot upon the end of her cane was a real head, that the lips were -laughing, and that from the queer eyes came two funny little blue -flames; and as Eva looked at it, very much tempted to throw it away, the -head laughed again, and then the lips parted and said: - - "Flames, like these, of shadow birth, - May not harm a child of earth." - -Then the voice was silent. But a thousand rainbow-colored bubbles glowed -at once all over the waters of the fountain; and on each bubble there -stood and danced a tiny elf, clad in bright colors; shapes so light and -airy that their frail supports never failed them; and the tiny flames -grew brighter, and then, as Eva still hesitated, fearing yet to cross -them, the lips of the little head spoke once more: - - "'Neath thy step they will expire-- - Fear not, Eva; cross the fire." - -Hearing this, Eva stepped forward. As she did so, the little stick -dropped or slipped from her hand, and, rolling into the fountain, -disappeared in its waters; and at every step she took she saw that the -little flames died away, as the voice had said, under her feet; till, -when she reached the fountain's brink, they were all gone, and no trace -of them was left. As she looked at the waters, they seemed to become -solid, and shape themselves into an image carved as it were out of pure, -shining gold, yet glowing with many colors; and then, slowly, slowly, -with a sound like distant music, the beautiful, wonderful thing began to -sink into the earth; and Eva, her tiny hands clasped, her fair cheeks -flushed, her soft blue eyes sparkling, stood in silence and looked. And -just as the magic fountain, which, when the child first came up to it, -had been so high that its waters played far above her head, had sunk so -low that Eva, had she wished, might have laid her hand upon its summit, -she saw, cradled as it were, on the very crest of what had been the -golden water, a tiny figure; not like one of the elves which had danced -on the rainbow-bubbles, but like a sleeping child, which Eva thought, at -first, was only a doll lying there, in its green-and-scarlet velvet -dress; and for a moment the slow, descending motion of the fountain -stopped, and Eva heard these words, in the same voice which had spoken -before through the lips of the little head, though this time it came -from the fountain: - - "Take it, Eva, 'tis thy fate, - See, for thee the waters wait." - -Obedient to the voice, the child stretched forth her hand, and as her -slight fingers closed upon the little, motionless form, a bright and -dazzling crimson light seemed to flash everywhere, and the water, losing -its solidity, began once more to gleam and sparkle, and to sink again -into the earth; and in another moment it was gone, and in the place -where the fountain had played there was now a bed of soft, green moss, -through and around which was twined a vine, whose leaves were mingled -with clusters of bright scarlet berries. Then for the first time she -missed her little stick; and she looked for it, but it was nowhere to be -found. - -And then the sky grew dark, as the glorious crimson light slowly faded -away, and one by one stars peeped out from the sky; and Eva, still -clasping the little figure which had come so strangely to her, to her -heart, lay down quietly upon the soft, green moss, which seemed to have -sprung up there expressly as a bed for her, and before many minutes had -passed she was asleep. - -But while she slept, there hovered over her two fair white forms, who -looked at her and smiled, and then one of them whispered to the other, -in the silvery voice of the brook: - -"The worst is over." - -"No," the other replied. "Although the boy is safe, for a time, in the -hands of his protector, his punishment is not yet over. Love must teach -him obedience,--that alone can appease and work out the will of Fate." - -"And we can do no more for him!" - -"We can only wait, and hope." - -A moment later, and the two bright forms were gone. And, watched by the -twinkling stars, lulled by the low murmur of the gentle breeze playing -among the trees of the great forest, the fair child slept, holding -clasped to her innocent breast the helpless figure which had come to her -as the gift of the fountain. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - _THE FIRST MOONRISE._ - - -But sleep does not last forever, and after a time Eva awoke. And when -she first sat up, and looked around her, she could not understand, for a -moment, how it could be that everything was so changed; why the brook -should be gone, and its voice silenced; the path no more to be seen; and -how she should be sitting on this soft bed of velvety-green moss, with -the little figure lying in her lap. Then, all at once, she remembered -all that had happened the day before,--and as she thought it over, like -a pleasant, yet indistinct dream, she recalled the two fair forms which -had hovered over her sleep,--faintly conscious of their presence, though -unaware of the words which they had spoken. Whether they were real, or -only a dream, Eva did not know; she only recalled them mistily; for, in -this strange, silent land, through which she was wandering, she never -knew what was real or what unreal,--it was all alike to her. - -And as nothing that happened astonished her, so never for one moment did -her thoughts go back to the father and mother she had left, or to the -little baby-brother cooing in his cradle. It was as though they never -had existed, so completely were they forgotten. The Present, such as it -was, had effaced all memory of that Past. - -Sitting on her soft, mossy bed, still holding in her little hands the -motionless little figure which the fountain had left her, and which, Eva -knew,--though how she knew it she could not tell,--was something to be -cared for and guarded, as being more helpless than herself. Eva thought -over all the adventures of the day before, and while she wondered what -would come next, she wished she could once more hear the pleasant murmur -of the brook which had guided her, for what purpose she knew not, to -this spot. - -Only a few moments had passed since the child awoke, when a low, musical -chime rang through the forest. It died away and then returned; and then -came again and again, in tones so marvellously sweet that Eva, who had -just taken the little figure into her hands, dropped him into her lap, -and pushed her long golden curls away from her face, the better to -listen to the melody. - -Once more it came, and once more died away into silence. And then there -was a low, rushing sound, and, far in the distance, Eva saw arise, as it -were from out of the earth, among the trees, the tiny silver crescent of -a young new moon,--and as she looked at it, it rose higher and higher, -and faster and faster, till it reached, in a few minutes, the very -centre of the sky, the child's blue eyes still following it; and when -once there it paused, and floated among the strange, gleaming clouds, -which surrounded it, like a little shining boat. - -With a sudden impulse Eva bent down and kissed the little figure lying -in her lap; and then she looked up at the crescent of the moon, as upon -the face of an old friend; and she would have sat there longer watching -it, but that all at once a little, weak voice said: - -"I am awake again, and there is my home." - -Then there came a hurried exclamation of surprise, and Eva looked down -from the moon's crescent to see that the little figure which she had -taken from the crest of the fountain had suddenly, as it were, been -gifted by her kiss, with life, motion, and speech, and that he was now -standing in her lap, evidently as much astonished at seeing her as she -was at the change which had come over him. - -But their mutual surprise did not last; for the little mannikin began to -laugh as Eva's blue eyes grew larger and rounder, and when at last she -asked, "Who are you?" he put his head to one side, in the most comical -manner, and, taking off the plumed cap which he wore, he made her a very -low bow. - -[Illustration: "--taking off the plumed hat which he wore, he made her a -very low bow."] - -"I know now who you are," he said. "You are Eva, and you will have to -take care of me,--that is all you were sent here for." - -Eva laughed. "Suppose I should not want to take care of such a little -thing as you are?" - -"You will not have any choice in the matter,--you cannot help yourself." - -"Why?" - -"Because THEY have said it." - -"I may not choose to do it." - -"What is the use of talking," the boy went on, "when you know that you -will?" - -And such were the answers that he persisted in giving to all her -inquiries. - -"You said you knew who I was," Eva went on; "but how did you know it?" - -"They told me." - -"Who are THEY?" - -"They led you here to me, and for me. You must not ask so many -questions." - -"May I not even ask your name?" - -"You ought to know that without my telling you. But, as you don't, I -will answer you. It is Aster." - -"Aster? Aster?" Eva slowly repeated; "it seems to me that I have heard -that name before." - -"You never did," was the somewhat sullen answer; "for no one but myself -has any right to it." - -"Yet I am very sure that I have heard it before, at----" - -"Hush! hush! You must never say that here," said the miniature boy, -climbing up on Eva's shoulder, and laying his hand upon her lips. "You -know as well as I do that you never heard my name before." - -"I thought I had," Eva said, looking lovingly at the little figure -nestling among her golden curls; "but I now know that I never did. -Still, I would like to know who you are. Are you a fairy?" - -"I am not a fairy, but you are all mine," Aster said, gayly. "But you -must be careful with me, and never lose me, or else----" - -"What?" - -"I do not know. They are watching us." - -Who "THEY" were, Eva could not induce him to say. For even when he did -try to explain, his words were all so confused that Eva could not -understand at all what he meant, although he seemed to speak plainly; -and the only thing that she could really learn from him was this,--that -she must not ask questions, and that THEY were THEY. - -Which is all very strange to us; but it appears that Eva was at last -satisfied, because Aster seemed to think that she should understand it -just as he did, and that nothing further need, consequently, be said on -the subject. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - _WHAT ASTER WAS._ - - -For several days the two, Eva and Aster, wandered through the forest -with no object in view, and returned every evening to rest upon the -soft, mossy bed which now covered the place where the golden fountain -had once played. The scarlet berries of the vine surrounding it gave -them food. The young moon, floating in the sky, gave them light; for -while she shone, it was their day; when, suddenly as she arose, she -would drop from the centre of the sky, then came their night; and the -hours of her absence were spent in sleep. - -So, at stated intervals, the moon sprang suddenly from the earth, shone -there, replacing the faint earth-light which, during her absence, had -guided Eva, and which still shone when she was not to be seen; then, -after her hours were over, she as suddenly descended; and her rising and -her setting were alike accompanied by the same weird music which had -heralded her first coming, though its notes were fainter than those -which had hailed the rising of the young new moon. - -But every time that the moon returned it seemed to Eva that she grew -brighter and larger, and that she shed more light upon the earth. And as -the light grew brighter, pale white flowers began here and there to -bloom, flowers which drooped and closed their petals as soon as the moon -fell from the sky; flowers which, as Eva thought, murmured a low song as -she passed them, yet a song whose words she never could distinguish. And -at last she noticed that, as the silver crescent of the moon broadened, -the slight form of Aster seemed to grow and to expand; so that he was no -longer the tiny doll-like figure which she had taken from the fountain's -crest, but more like a boy of four years old. - -Yet this change, although it was singular, was only a source of pleasure -to the child. It gave her a companion, not merely a plaything, for until -now she had looked upon Aster in that light,--something which, though it -could talk, walk, sleep, and eat, was only a new toy, to be taken care -of and prized as such. She never had looked upon Aster otherwise. - -At last, when the moon had reached her first quarter, and the two, -enjoying her pure light, sat on their mossy bed, Eva asked the boy the -same question she had asked him the day her first kiss had awakened him: - -"Tell me who you are." - -"I am Aster." - -"I know that," Eva said, laying her hand on the boy's shoulder; "but -that is only your name." - -"I shall be as large as you are, soon," Aster said, raising his -star-like eyes to the moon as he spoke. "When she is round, I shall be -as tall as you are, Eva." - -Eva laughed. "How do you know?" - -"It will be; because it must be." - -"You are Aster," Eva said, slowly, "and I know how you came to me; but -why did you come?" - -"You will know then." - -"When?" - -"When the moon is round." - -"Why not now?" - -"They will not let you." - -And with this answer Eva was forced to be content. But every day they -would stand side by side, and every day Aster grew taller and taller; -and every day the moon grew broader and brighter. - -At last she rose, a round, perfect orb, to her station in the sky; and -as Eva, awakened by the loud music which told of her coming, sat up to -see and wonder at the bright light she cast, Aster came quietly behind -her, and, laying his hands on her shoulders, said: - -"Look at me, Eva. The day has come, and I am as tall as you are." - -Eva sprang to her feet. As she did so, Aster put his arm around her, and -she saw that there was now no difference in their height,--they were -exactly the same size. And, strange to say, his clothes had grown with -him, and their rich, soft velvet fitted him now as perfectly as it had -done when Eva first took him, small and helpless, from the crest of the -golden fountain. - -"I can tell you now who I am," the beautiful boy said, "for to-day THEY -cannot silence me; this one day when I can be my own self again. You -ought to know, Eva, without my telling you, and you would know, if you -were like me; but you are not as I am." - -"Why not?" Eva asked, in surprise. - -"Because you are only a little earth-maiden." - -Eva laughed, "What is that?" She had wholly, as we know, forgotten the -past. - -"I cannot tell you," Aster said, slowly. "I only know what THEY have -told me about you." - -"And that?" - -"I do not know. But you are not like me, Eva. We are very different. -Look at your dress, and then at mine." - -In truth, every here and there upon the rich velvet of Aster's dress -were soils and stains, while not a spot discolored the pure white Eva -wore. - -"Now do you see?" Aster asked. "You know that we are in Shadow-Land, and -it can only affect things which are like itself; it cannot harm you or -deceive you." - -"Do you belong here?" - -"No," Aster said, "I came from there," pointing to the round full moon -above their heads. "I wish I was there again." - -"Why don't you go back, then?" - -"I can't, unless you help me. They who sent me here say so." - -"Why did they send you here?" - -"Because up there," pointing to the moon, "I lost my flower, and -everything which is lost there falls into Shadow-Land, as everything -which is lost in Fairy-Land falls into the Enchanted River; and so they -sent me here to find it again, because a prince cannot live there -without his flower; and I cannot find it unless you help me. Now you -know who I am, Eva,--the moon-prince, Aster." - -"Then must I say Prince Aster?" - -"No; to you I am only Aster. And I know that it will be hard for you to -find the flower, for I cannot help you, or tell you what it is like. I -know that the Green Frog has hidden it, and you are the only person who -can help me to find it, and then you must give it to me. They say we -shall have trouble." - -"But we will find it at last?" - -"When my punishment for losing it is over. To-morrow we must leave this -place, for after this moon the moss will be gone." - -"You know where to go, then?" - -"No; I can only follow you. I have no power here; you will have to take -care of me." - -And then Aster began to sing, and this was the song which he sung: - - Till my flower bloom again, - We may seek, yet seek in vain. - Till 'tis plucked by Eva's hand, - We must roam through Shadow-Land. - - Only this does Aster know, - Through hard trials he must go; - Eva's hand must guide him on - Till his flower again be won. - - She must wander far and near, - Led by songs he may not hear; - Should she lose me from her hand, - Worse my fate in Shadow-Land. - -Then Aster threw himself down on the soft moss at Eva's feet. But when -she asked him where he had learned the words of his song, he could not -tell her. Just then a cloud came over the face of the moon, hiding her -from their sight; and as the darkness came over everything, only leaving -for a moment the pale earth-light, it seemed to Eva that there were -faces looking at her, peeping from behind every tree; and then a light -breeze sprang up, just moving the flowers, and from the bell of one of -them seemed to come these words, all in verse, for in Fairy-Land and in -Shadow-Land people seldom speak in plain prose as we do: - - O'er this spot do THEY have power, - Not here groweth Aster's flower. - Wander, Eva, wander on - Till thy hand the prize hath won. - -Then the breeze died away, and the voice was silent; and Eva saw that -Aster was asleep, and, frightened at the faces which made grimaces and -mocked at her, more angrily, she thought, on account of the warning the -flower had sung, she touched him to awaken him; and as she did so the -cloud passed from the face of the moon, and as once more her pure, clear -light returned, the ugly, threatening faces vanished, and Aster awoke. -But when Eva tried to tell him of what she had seen and heard during his -short sleep, she could only say these words: - - Moss shall harden into stone, - Faces mock you o'er the sand; - Leading Aster by the hand, - From this spot ye must be gone. - -Then Aster laughed, because Eva declared that these were not the words -which the flower had spoken; yet every time that she tried to recollect -and repeat them, she could only say the same thing over. Then she began -to try and tell him about the faces, and when she began to speak of -them, suddenly the full moon sank from the sky, and all was dark; and -then a strange drowsiness came over the children, and Eva and Aster, -nestled in each other's arms, lay down to sleep upon the soft, green -moss, knowing that with the next moonrise they must go forth in search, -of Aster's lost flower. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - _THE BEGINNING OF THE SEARCH._ - - -When the two children, after their sleep, awoke to see the moon rise to -her station in the sky, they were not surprised to find that her fair, -round proportions were already changed. But when Eva turned to Aster, -she saw that he, too, was smaller than when they had lain down to rest; -and she knew at once, almost as if she had been told, that the -Moon-Prince would in future wax and wane as did the orb from which he -had been banished; that this was part of his punishment; and now she -understood why it was that Aster had said she would have to take care of -him. But as she stood, thinking of this, Aster suddenly touched her -hand, and directly over the mossy bed on which they had slept, and which -had never been crushed by their weight, but was always fresh, Eva saw -again the mocking faces which had disturbed her the night before; but -only for a moment, and then they were gone. And even as she looked, she -saw that the soft green moss began to shrivel, dry up, and crumble away, -as though in a fire; and a moment later it was all gone, and in its -place was a heap of rough sand and stone, instead of the velvety moss -and the vine with its scarlet berries. - -"The faces have done it," Eva said, clasping Aster's hand tightly, as -she watched the rapid change. - -"The faces!" Aster said, scornfully. "Eva, you are dreaming; there were -no faces there." - -"I saw them," Eva began; but Aster interrupted her. - -"I tell you, Eva, you saw no faces, there was nothing there. I told you -that the moss would be gone the next time that the moon rose; and you -see I told you the truth. We must leave this place." - -"Where shall we go?" - -"I don't know. We cannot stay here. What did the flower say to you, Eva? - - When soft moss shall change to stone, - From this spot ye must be gone." - -Even as Aster spoke, Eva saw a faint little path at her feet, like that -which she had first followed. Looking back, wishing it might lead her -again to the pleasant little brook, and that she might return to it, -instead of going on into the forest, she saw that the sand and stone had -grown into a huge wall, or rather a mound, over which she never could -have climbed, and which would prevent her return. As if Aster had read -her thoughts, he said to her,-- - -"There is no going back, Eva; we can only go forward." - -Aster's words were true. The wall of stone, which a few moments had been -enough to build up behind them, seemed to come closer and closer, as -though to shut them out from the place where they had been; and, -clasping Aster's hand tightly, Eva and the boy walked slowly on, in the -little path which lay before them. - -For days the two went on, walking while the moon shone, and sleeping -when her light was hid. At each moonrise they were awakened by the -strains of music, which, as the moon waned, grew sadder and more -mournful; while that accompanying her setting became at last a low, sad -moaning, and each day she grew smaller, and, in sympathy with her, Aster -seemed to dwindle and wane, and he became more and more helpless, till -at last, when the moon was reduced to a thin crescent, the little prince -was once more as small as he was when Eva first received him. - -Yet, through all these changes, the two went slowly on through the dark -forest, which opened on either side of the path to let them pass, and -closed again behind them. Were they thirsty, they were sure to find some -tiny spring, issuing as at a wish from the earth; were they hungry, some -wild fruit or berry was always to be found. But not once did Eva leave -the path. What it was that kept her in it, she could not tell,--except -that every time she felt the slightest desire to go into the forest; she -saw the same hateful faces which had peeped at her for the first time -when the cloud had passed over the face of the full moon, and which had -mocked at her from above the soft mossy bed when it had been turned into -the stony wall which had forced them to go forward, and she thought they -forbade her to go near them. But Aster, in spite of all her efforts to -detain him in the path, would sometimes run away from her, saying he saw -some beautiful flower which he must gather, or else some sweet -child-face which smiled upon him; but each time that he did this, he was -sure to hasten back to Eva, saying that either thorns had pierced or -else nettles stung him; and then he would hide his face in the folds of -Eva's white dress, trembling, and saying that THEY were there, and had -frightened him. - -Still, Eva could never find out from the boy who THEY were. For Aster, -though he sometimes tried, could not tell her; it seemed as if he was -not allowed to speak, and the child began to think that the faces which -haunted her, and THEY of whom Aster so often spoke, were only different -manifestations of the same power, which seemed to follow them wherever -they went, seeking an opportunity to hurt them, although as yet no harm -had been done. - -Once, before Aster grew so small, Eva asked him why it was that they -were thus followed. - -"It is not you that THEY are following; THEY would do me harm if I were -to fall into their hands; but I am safe while you keep me. You are -beyond their reach." - -But, though Aster knew this, it seemed to Eva that he dared, and tried, -to put himself in the power of THEY, whom he seemed to dread,--for it -was only when the faces looked at her from behind tree or shrub that -Aster desired to leave her, and only then that he spoke of THEY who -always frightened him back to her side. He never alluded to the flower -they sought; only once, when Eva asked him what it was like, he said to -her: - -"I cannot describe it to you; you will know it when you see it." - -"How shall I know it?" Eva asked. - -"You will know it when the time comes." - -But, though Eva looked carefully for the flower, she never saw it. There -were flowers enough along the path, but the right one was not to be -seen. She did not know--how could she?--that the search was only begun, -and that not till after long wanderings and many troubles to Aster would -she be able to find for him the flower which he had lost, and without -which he could never regain his home. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - _ASTER'S MISFORTUNES._ - - -At last, even the thin crescent of the moon disappeared, and once more -Aster lay motionless, and, as it were, without life, the same tiny, -helpless thing which Eva had taken from the crest of the fountain. Once -more she wandered, alone,--for what companionship could she find in the -senseless little figure which she carried about with her?--through the -strange, dream-like country in which she now found herself. But, -wherever she went, a feeling she could not explain nor understand made -her hold the helpless little prince close, never for a moment letting -him pass from her loving clasp. - -Once more, too, the faint earth-light shone, instead of the vanished -moon. And Eva thought that while Aster lay helpless, there were fewer -difficulties in her path; the faces no longer appeared to torment and -harass her; the way seemed easier to her feet; more and brighter flowers -bloomed along the path; and the misty, shadowy shapes which were to be -seen at intervals passing among the close-set trunks of the trees were -fair and lovely to look upon. - -But this quiet was not to last. Again, after a time, the music rang -triumphantly through the forest; and again, as the young moon sprang to -her station overhead, Aster awoke, to all appearance unconscious of the -time he had slept, and of the distance which Eva had carried him. As he -grew, with the moon, it seemed to her that he was changed; that he was -no longer the gentle, loving boy who had wandered with her when the -first moon shone: something elfish, imp-like, and changeable had come -over him. - -Then, too, as day by day the path led them on into the forest, which -seemed endless, the trees altered their shape. Sometimes they were -circled with huge, twining snakes, which Eva thought seemed coiled -there, ready to seize her as she passed, though when near them they -proved to be nothing but huge vines climbing up the trees. Here and -there in the path lay huge stones, which you might think at first sight -were insurmountable, obstructing their further progress; yet, if either -Eva's foot touched them, or the hem of her white dress brushed ever so -lightly against them, they would always fade away, like a shadow, into -utter nothingness, or else would roll slowly away to one side, leaving -the path clear. But when Aster saw the stones he would cry, and say that -they would crush him if he passed them, and the only way in which Eva -could soothe him was by taking him up in her arms and carrying him past -the stones, while he hid his face, so as not to see them, in her long, -golden curls. - -[Illustration: "As day by day the path led them on into the forest, the -trees altered their shape."] - -Every now and then, in spite of what he had often told Eva,--that she, -and she only, could find and give him the flower which he had -lost,--Aster would declare to her that he saw it blooming in places -where she saw nothing but nettles or ugly weeds, but which he would -always insist were beds of the most beautiful flowers. These flowers, he -said, called to him to come and gather them; while Eva thought that -warning voices bade her pass them by, and that she saw over or else -among them shadows of the same hateful faces which she dreaded. But it -was useless to try and convince Aster of this; she soon learned that -nothing ever presented the same appearance to him that it did to her. - -In consequence, whenever Aster insisted upon leaving the path, as he -often did, Eva watched him with a kind of terror, and never felt he was -safe unless she led him by the hand. Placed, as he was, under her care, -she felt sure that when with her no danger could come near him, nothing -harm him. Still, if he had enemies in this great forest, he had friends, -too; for once, when he stooped to gather a flower which bloomed near the -path, she heard it say: - - "Guard thou well thy charge to-day, - There is danger in the way." - -But Aster laughed joyfully, as he looked up without gathering the -flower, and said: - -"Did you hear what the flower told me, Eva? That was the reason why I -did not pick it, for it said that I should have much pleasure to-day." - -Eva only smiled; she said nothing; she had learned that Aster would not -bear being contradicted. But she quietly resolved to be more watchful -than ever; for, from what she had heard the flower say, she thought that -efforts would be made to take the little prince from her. - -She was wrong, however, for the day passed, the moon disappeared, and, -as nothing had happened to disturb them, she began to think that perhaps -she had been mistaken, and that Aster had been right regarding the words -which the flower had spoken; for he had, all that day, been cheerful and -gentle. But, that night, she was awakened from her sleep by Aster's -talking, as though to himself, in a rambling, disconnected manner, of -THEY whom he seemed to fear; and this being the first time for days--not -since he had awakened from the stupor into which the disappearance of -the moon had thrown him--that he had mentioned or even appeared to think -of these nameless yet formidable beings, she guessed, seeing that -Aster's words were spoken, as it were, in a dream, and unconsciously to -himself, that the coming day contained more danger to him than any of -the preceding ones. - -It was, notwithstanding, with a feeling of relief that Eva at last saw -the moon arise, and once more she and Aster set out on their journey. He -never referred to the words which had awakened her. No strange sights or -sounds came to disturb them. There was utter stillness all around; and -as hour after hour passed, and Aster walked quietly by her side, Eva -began to think that her anxiety had all been for nothing, and she -relaxed a little of her watchfulness. - -At last they came to a place where every plant along the path was hung -with filmy, gossamer, delicate webs, and in each web sat a spider. And -every spider was different,--no two of them being alike. And, as they -passed these patient spinners, Aster clung closely to Eva's hand, saying -that he was afraid of being entangled among their webs, or else stung by -them; although to her it appeared as though the spiders did not even -notice them as they passed. Then all of a sudden the webs and the -insects were gone; and the children saw crawling slowly in the path, as -if it was afraid of them and wanted to get out of their way, a spider -larger than any of those they had seen; a spider whose body was ringed -with scarlet and gold, whose long, slender black legs shone like -polished jet, and whose eyes were like bright-green emeralds; a spider -handsome enough to be the king of all the spiders. - -And while Eva was admiring the beautiful colors of the insect, Aster let -go her hand, and, stooping down, passed his finger gently over its gold -and scarlet back. Then the spider raised its head, and looked at Eva -with its bright-green eyes, which, as Eva gazed at them, appeared to -grow larger and brighter, and dazzled her own; and then a mist seemed to -come over them, and everything began to fade slowly away; and she never -noticed how Aster went, slowly, nearer and nearer to the insect, -crouching down into the path as he did so, nor how the spider, by -degrees, began to grow larger, and moved towards the side of the path, -till a sudden cry from Aster, "Eva! Eva! help me!" roused her from the -trance in which she stood, in which she saw nothing but the emerald -eyes, like two gleaming lights; and then she saw that the beautiful -spider had enveloped Aster in a large web which it had spun around him, -and was dragging him off the path, to carry him away with it. - -But Eva was not going to lose her charge. Springing forward, she threw -her arms around him. And as her dress touched the web, it fell off, -releasing him; and the spider, unfolding a pair of blue wings, flew into -the forest with a loud cry of disappointment; and as it flew away, its -shape changed, and Eva, looking after it, with her arms still around -Aster, saw that it had one of the terrible faces which she had seen so -often before. Then it disappeared, and the two went on, or rather tried -to go on, for Aster complained that his feet were fastened to the -ground; and then Eva saw that they were still tangled in some of the -spider's web; and both Eva and Aster tried in vain to break it. But Eva -was nearly in despair, when, as she stooped, one of her long golden -curls brushed against the web, and then it melted away and vanished like -smoke. - -Then, and not till then, were they able to go on. But Aster walked -forward unwillingly, and complained that he was tired, and began to -insist upon Eva's stopping to rest. But she felt that they would not be -safe until after the moon was gone, and so they went on. At every mossy -stone, every fair cluster of flowers, Aster would insist upon stopping, -but Eva would not listen to him, for she always heard, at these places, -a friendly voice which said, "Go on, go on;" and so they went on. - -But at last Aster, who did nothing but complain of weariness, told Eva -that he could and would go no farther. Seeing a great, velvety, green -mushroom growing in the path, he ran and sat down upon it, saying that -it was a seat which had been made and put there for him, and that Eva -should not share it. - -He had scarcely said this, had scarcely seated himself, when the -mushroom changed into a great green frog, which, with Aster seated -astride upon its back, began to hop nimbly away in the direction of the -forest. But Eva, whose eyes had never for a moment left the boy, sprang -forward, and before Aster--pleased at the motion of the frog--could say -a word, she had dragged him off his strange steed, which turned and -snapped at her, but, instead of touching her, caught the skirt of -Aster's coat in his mouth and held on to it till Eva's efforts tore it -from him, leaving, however, a small piece of the velvet in the frog's -mouth. Even then he tried to seize Aster again, and it was not till -Eva's dress touched him that he turned to leave them, still holding in -his mouth the scrap torn from Aster's coat, and as he hopped off the -path he faded away just like a shadow. - -Then, too, the moon sank from the sky, and the two children, completely -worn out, lay down and slept, and Eva knew that for a little while, at -least, Aster was safe, because as she lay down she heard a little song -which said; - - Tranquil be your sleep, - Peaceful be your rest, - We a watch will keep, - Naught shall you molest; - Sleep, Eva, sleep. - - Where our light may shine, - Where we weave our charm, - In our magic line, - Naught may cause you harm; - Sleep, Aster, sleep. - -Then all was still. But though Eva, trusting to this song, was not -afraid to lie down and sleep, she never knew that while they did sleep a -circle of tiny shining lamps, like fairy-lamps, gleamed all around -them,--a magic circle which nothing could pass. And although both the -spider and the green frog returned, bringing with them the piece of -Aster's coat, by means of which they hoped to steal him away from Eva -while he was asleep, they could not pass the circle which the Light -Elves had drawn around the sleeping pair, and, after many vain efforts -to cross it, they vanished. - -And the grateful elves had watched and saved Aster because Eva, that -morning, seeing a shapeless, helpless worm lying near a stone, which was -about to fall and crush it, had tenderly picked up the worm, and laid it -carefully on a cool, green leaf, out of danger. The grateful Light -Elf,--for such she was,--being compelled to wear the form of a worm -while the moonlight lasted, had come with her companions to return what -service she could and give Eva a peaceful rest. - -So, as ever, Good overcomes Evil, and no service, no matter how small or -how trifling it may seem, is ever wasted or thrown away. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - _WHAT ASTER DID._ - - -The farther the progress which the children made into the forest, the -wilder and more singular became the country through which they passed. -Shadows cast by no visible forms went before them in the path,--shadows -which shook, moved, and trembled; which seemed as if they might all at -once become real forms; shadows which had something dreadful about them, -so that Eva was glad they were always in advance of her, and that her -foot never had to touch the ground on which they lay. The color of the -moon's light was changed. She shone with a pale greenish lustre. No -green plants, no beautiful flowers, grew in the stony, rocky soil -through which their path now lay. It produced things like sticks full of -thorns. Under the stones lay hidden long, slender lizards, or coiled-up -serpents with forked and fiery-red tongues; things like dry twigs, which -would suddenly display many legs and run away. Slow-crawling, hairy -caterpillars, and round, fat, slimy worms, lay everywhere. Things like -insects, which yet had no life, grew, instead of flowers, on the thorny -sticks which stood among the stones. One of these things, in shape like -a dragon-fly, Aster picked; but he immediately dropped it, and said that -it had stung him; and from that time Eva thought that he became more and -more perverse, and that he was every day less like the gentle, -affectionate boy she had been so glad to receive as a companion. She -saw, too, that, while her own dress retained its spotless whiteness -which nothing seemed to affect, his became every day more and more -soiled and stained. - -She missed, too, the low, sweet songs which had been sung by the -flowers. To be sure, she had not always been able to distinguish their -words; but they had been friendly, and had warned her of every danger -before it came; but this was all over. Every night, as soon as the moon -was gone, creatures like bats, with shining heads, came in great -numbers, flying around, and moaning in a sad, mournful way which was -most pitiful to hear. - -As the moon neared the full, stranger shadows and shapes came near. Yet -the two went on, following the path, though Eva sometimes imagined that -the inhabitants of this strange country were opposed to their passing -through it. The music which had been always heard at the rising and -setting of the moon grew fainter and fainter, till at last her ascent -and fall came in perfect silence. Then the strange shadows disappeared, -but the path led through a stonier and more rocky country, where all was -wild and barren, and where, after the moon was gone, little, dancing -flames played on the stones. Sometimes it was hard, indeed almost -impossible, for the two children to climb over the rough places in their -path; and Aster was very often discouraged; but Eva persevered, for she -felt that the flower they sought could never be found in this barren and -dreary land. - -I have said that Aster became every day more obstinate and perverse. -Sometimes Eva thought that the strange flower, like a dragon-fly, which -he had picked, and which he said stung him, had changed him, and that -was the reason why he tried to annoy her in every possible way. He knew -how uneasy she was when he was not with her; yet, knowing this, it was -his greatest delight to hide himself behind some large stone, and after -she had looked for him for a long time without finding him, afraid that -his enemies had carried him off, he would jump out upon her with a loud -mocking cry; he would pull her hair, he would try to soil her white -dress, by throwing mud and dirt upon it, to make it, as he said, like -his own, which was all stained and soiled, and then, when he found that -he could not discolor its whiteness, he would throw himself down on the -ground, and kick and scream, and tell Eva that he hated her, and that he -wished THEY would come and carry her away. - -One day, when Aster had been worse than ever, and the way had been -stonier and harder than it had ever been before, Eva began to think that -it was of no use to go on, or to look for the flower lost so long ago by -the imp-like boy, whose powers of annoying her seemed to increase as he -grew smaller with the moon. She sat down upon one of the rough stones, -and great tears gathered in her eyes. And as, one by one, they rolled -down her cheeks and fell to the ground, everything around her seemed to -grow vague and dim; and at her feet, just where the tear-drops fell, -there came a bed of round green leaves, under whose shelter bloomed and -nodded a multitude of tiny purple flowers; violets, whose sweet -fragrance, rising, made a misty cloud, through which Eva caught faint -glimpses of a pond, and a house near it, and then the house seemed to -change into a cosy parlor. And by the window of this parlor a lady was -sitting sewing, and rocking a cradle with her foot, and singing to a -baby boy who was kicking and crowing in the cradle; and then the child -heard her mother's voice calling, softly, "Eva, Eva!" But before these -memories came fully back, Aster came up, and angrily crushed and -trampled the sweet violets under his feet; and as he did so the cloud -and its pictures disappeared, and Eva forgot them; only she was very -sorry for the dear little flowers that Aster had killed. - -Poor little flowers, which tried to do her good! For it seemed to her -that with their last breath of perfume there came a low voice, which -whispered. "Beware of the stones,"--and that was all. And then she asked -Aster why he had destroyed the harmless flowers, which had only come to -warn them. - -"They only came to do me harm," Aster said, angrily. "They would have -taken you away from me, and I should never have seen you again. You -shall not go away from me yet, for I can never get home without you; -after I have done with you, why, then you may go." - -"Where?" Eva asked, pained at this selfish speech. - -"Into what is to be,--out of Shadow-Land into what is to come, but is -not yet." - -"I do not understand you." - -"You will know when the time comes. I crushed the flowers because they -were part of what is to come; they had no right here." - -Nothing more was said; but Aster seemed restless and uneasy until they -left the place where the violets had bloomed. Yet nothing disturbed -them, and on they went, till Eva began to wonder where the stones could -be of which the voice had said, "Beware!" - -At last, when there was only a tiny crescent of the moon, like a faint -silver line, floating in the sky, and Aster's figure, like it, was once -more reduced to its smallest dimensions, the forest through which they -had wandered for so long ended; and as they passed from it, a low cry of -surprise from Aster made Eva look down, as she saw that his eyes were -fixed upon the earth; and then she saw with equal surprise that, while -she walked along the rough, stony path without leaving any impression, -every step that Aster took left a deep, plain track, and that in each of -these tracks there was either a frog or a spider, which would disappear -while she looked at them. - -Then a sudden turn in the path brought them to a place where a huge pile -of rocks, like an immense stone wall built by giants, rose up before -them. A faint breath of violets seemed to come, and then pass away, and -as it did, Eva knew that these were the stones of which she had been -warned. - -At that very moment there was a flash of light, and a star fell from the -sky, near the moon. - -"A falling star, how pretty it is!" Eva said, as she watched the bright -thing, which seemed to fall behind the stone wall. "Did you see it, -Aster?" - -"You don't know anything, Eva," was his reply, "I told you once before -that everything which was lost in the moon fell into Shadow-Land, and -that was something bright which fell just now." - -But this had nothing to do with the wall, which must be climbed. How, -Eva did not know. She was almost afraid to try it; and so she stood, -looking at it, when Aster, who, ever since he had crushed the violets, -had followed her in silence, except when he had spoken of the shooting -star, with his eyes bent on the ground, suddenly ran forward to the -wall, and began to look eagerly into every crevice between the stones. - -"What are you looking for?" Eva asked him. "Come back to me, Aster; it -is not safe for you there without me." - -"I will look," Aster said. "The bright thing you called a star was my -flower. It is here, and I am going to find it." - -"Don't!" Eva said, imploringly, as the boy tried to creep into one of -the crevices between the stones. "Remember Aster, that the moon is -nearly gone, and if she should disappear, you will go to sleep, and then -you will have to stay in there until she returns." - -"I don't care!" Aster said, crossly, "If, as I know I shall, I find my -flower in here, the moon will have no more power over me, for I shall -then be myself; and you may go on alone into what will come. Besides, -the piece which was torn off my coat is in there, and I am going to get -it. If I do go to sleep, I can lie down in here, and rest; you can mark -the place and wait for me, if you choose. I don't intend to obey you any -longer; you are nothing but a little girl, and I am a prince." - -Eva's hand was on Aster's shoulders and when he found she would not -remove it, he raised his own, and struck her. Not till then did the -child unwillingly release him, seeing that all her efforts to detain him -would be in vain. Then, without saying another word, Aster crept slowly -into the crevice. And Eva, picking up a white stone which lay at her -feet; made a mark over the place with it. As she did this, the faint -silver light of the moon faded from the sky; there was a loud croaking -as of frogs, and then she heard the shrill cry of the spider which had -spun the web around Aster; and then it grew very dark, and a sudden -drowsiness came over her, which she could not resist; and, lying down -upon a stone under the crevice into which Aster had crept, Eva fell -asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - _THE DOOR IN THE WALL._ - - -It was with a start that, after the darkness had gone, Eva awoke from -the dull, heavy sleep into which she had fallen; and for a moment she -could not recollect how it was that she should be lying upon a stone at -the foot of this huge rocky wall, or why she should be alone, without -Aster near her. She looked for him, thinking that perhaps he might have -hidden himself, only to tease her; but he was nowhere to be found. She -called him, hoping that he might hear and answer her; but there was no -reply,--only the rocks echoed back the sound of her own voice, which -said, "Aster, Aster! where are you?" and then another echo seemed to -answer, mockingly, "Where?" - -But all this only lasted for a few moments. Then all at once Eva -remembered the falling star; the warning which the violets had given -her; the blow, which, coming as it did from Aster's hand, had so deeply -grieved her; her efforts to detain him at her side, which had all proved -useless; and how, after the boy had crept into one of the crevices of -the wall, declaring he went there in search of his flower, she had -picked up a stone, which she now found she still held in her hand, and -marked the place. Then she felt relieved, for she knew that this was the -time when Aster would be asleep, as he always was when the moon was -absent, and consequently he could not move from the place into which he -had crept. She thought, therefore, that, whenever she chose, she would -find him, and, taking him again under her care, carry him away from this -barren and stony waste. - -Encouraged and relieved by this thought, she did not look for Aster any -longer, but went to a little spring bubbling up between two rough -stones, and which was the only pleasant thing she could see in this -rocky place. She knelt down by it, for she was thirsty, to drink from -its cool and sparkling waters, and then to wash her face and hands in -them; and as she dipped her hands in the spring, the little ripples they -made whispered, softly, "Over yonder! over yonder!" but Eva was not sure -if she really had heard these words; or only imagined them. - -Refreshed by the cool waters she went back to the great, rough, stone -wall, intending to secure her charge, and then try to go on. But what -was her surprise, on returning, as she thought, to the same stone on -which she had slept, to see that there were so many stones just exactly -like it, that she could not find the one she wanted! and, what was still -stranger, she saw that over every little hole, every tiny cavity in the -stone, there was a white mark exactly like the one which she had made -over the crevice into which Aster had crept, and she could not say which -of them all was hers. - -She was in despair for a moment. How was she to find, among all these -holes, each with the same white mark over it, the one in which Aster was -asleep? Then she remembered that standing still and looking at the wall -would do no good; that if she wanted to find Aster she must look for -him; and Eva determined to examine every hole she saw, in hopes that -with patience and perseverance she might at last succeed in finding her -lost charge, of whom, in spite of all the trouble he had given her, she -had grown very fond. - -But if she had been surprised at seeing a white mark over every hole, -instead of the one she had made, she was still more astonished when she -saw that in every cranny which she examined there sat either a large -black-legged spider, with a gold and scarlet back, and eyes which shone -in the dark like little bright stars, or else there squatted snugly in -it a huge green frog, with a wide mouth and projecting black eyes; while -just beyond her reach there would flutter every now and then a little -green flag, like the scrap of velvet, as Eva thought, which the teeth of -the frog had torn from Aster's coat. - -Yet the child climbed slowly up the wall, fearless of the spiders and -the frogs, which she knew had no power to harm her, even if they had -wished it. But seeing them, and knowing, as she did, that these two -creatures, in the forest through which they held passed, had tried to -get possession of Aster, Eva began to fear that by creeping into the -hole he had put himself in their power, and that she would never be able -to find him again. - -She went on, however, looking carefully into every tiny cavity; but -always with the same result. No Aster was to be seen: only huge spiders -and squatting frogs stared at her from every cranny. And, as she climbed -up higher and higher, she found that the rocky wall was like a giant -staircase; and when she looked back, noticing that the stones she -displaced, as she climbed up, only rolled a short time and then made no -noise as they fell, and thinking that after her search was over she -would return to the little spring and wait there patiently until the -moon rose again, when, as she hoped, Aster, if she did not find him now, -would wake up and come back to her, she saw that she could never return -to the spring. For the steps by which she had come were gone, melting -one by one into the face of the rock, changing into a steep precipice -behind her; and at its foot were curling mists and vapors, among which -she saw dimly the hateful, mocking faces she had seen before. Go back -she could not, for every step, as she passed it, melted into the -precipice; to look back made her dizzy. She must go upward. - -For the first time since she had begun to climb the wall, which had -changed, as she climbed, into steps, and then into a precipice, Eva was -afraid. But there was no choice left for her; go on she must; and, -accordingly, on she went, till she came to a place where the rock rose, -so high that she could not see its top, in a smooth, unbroken wall, over -which she could not possibly climb, and a narrow path ran along its -base; and as yet she had not seen nor heard anything of the truant -Aster. - -She walked slowly along the foot of the great blank wall, tired and -discouraged. What to do now, she did not know. She could not go back, -for there was the frightful precipice; in front was the wall, along -which she was walking. Poor Eva was almost ready to cry, when all of a -sudden she saw a door, cut in the stone, and the door was shut. But she -heard, behind this door, the silvery voices and ringing laughter of -children, and then a great longing came over her to go in and join them, -and she thought that perhaps Aster might be with them. - -Yet, although she tried, she could not open the door. She heard the -merry voices of the children, and, hearing them as plainly as she did, -she thought it was strange that they did not hear her and open the door -to her; for, try as she would, she could not open it. And then she grew -tired of trying, and would have gone on, when, looking once more at the -door to see if there was any way of opening it which she could possibly -have neglected, she saw cut across the door, in deep, old-fashioned, -moss-grown letters, the word - - _Knock._ - -Then, gathering courage, Eva raised her tiny hand, and knocked. Once, -and no answer came. Again, and with the same result. A third time, and -then the merry voices of the children, and their gay laughter, ceased, -and Eva hoped that her appeal was heard. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - _THE VALLEY OF REST._ - - -Eva waited for a moment, with as much patience as she could, in hopes -that the door might now be opened for her. Vain hopes, for the ringing -laughter and the merry voices began again; and once more Eva would have -been discouraged, if the thought had not come that perhaps her gentle -knocking had not been heard, and once more she tapped, louder this time, -at the door. - -A voice within immediately asked, "Who knocks?" - -"I--Eva," was the child's reply. - -"Eva may enter." - -Poor child! She thought the permission was useless, for the door -remained as tightly shut as ever. - -"Why do you not come in?" the same voice asked, after a pause, "You are -permitted." - -"I cannot come in, because the door is shut," Eva said. - -"Take the key and unlock it." - -But Eva, after looking around carefully, could see no key, and so she -said, "I do not know where the key can be." - -"Look under your right foot," said the voice within; and Eva, stepping -to one side, saw lying, just where her foot had been, a queer little -key, which she picked up; and seeing a key-hole among the quaint letters -of the inscription, she found the little key just fitted it; and on -turning it, the door flew open, and, as it did, a band of beautiful -children came forward to meet her, though not one of them crossed the -threshold of the door, and they bade her welcome. But when Eva would -have gone in, it seemed to her that invisible hands prevented her -entrance; and then one of the children, seeing that she still held in -her hand the white stone she had picked up near the spring, and with -which she had made the mark over Aster's hiding-place, told her to throw -it away, for that nothing from Shadow-Land could be brought into their -valley; and then to be careful and not touch the threshold of the door, -but to step over it. And Eva did as they told her; but when she threw -the white stone over the precipice, it changed into a large white moth -as it left her hand; and Eva, watching it, saw one of the faces rise -from out of the curling mists to meet it, and then the moth changed into -a face like the one she had first seen, and then both disappeared among -the mists and vapors. And the moment she passed through the door, it -closed suddenly behind her, and could not be told from the solid rock; -and Eva saw that she was in a place totally different from anything she -had ever seen before in her wanderings. - -She found that she was now in a large, grassy valley, in the midst of -which was built a beautiful rose-colored palace, shining like a star. -Flowers of the gayest hues bloomed all through the grass; fountains of -musical water, surrounded with rainbows, played here and there; birds -and butterflies of brilliant colors flew among the flowers, and were so -tame that they would alight on the children's hands, and the birds were -so wise that they could talk, and tell the most interesting stories, -which you never grew tired of hearing. A little brook ran sparkling -through the valley, and groups of beautiful children were playing on its -banks, among whom Eva looked--but looked in vain--for Aster. - -The children gathered around her, asking where she came from, if she was -the Queen who was to reign over them, and if she was not going to live -always with them. And when Eva tried to explain how she had come, and -asked them if they knew where Aster was, they joined hands and danced in -a circle around her to their own singing, and then one of them gave her -the leaves of a flower to eat. Now the leaves of this flower were -delicious, and as sweet as honey to the taste, and one never wearied of -eating them; and as Eva ate them, all memory of Shadow-Land and of Aster -faded from her mind, and she was content to remain in the valley with -the children. - -It was a pleasant life that she led in this peaceful valley, surrounded, -as it was, and shut in by high, insurmountable, and steep rocks, over -which nothing without wings could go; in which the children dwelt, and -where there was neither sun nor moon, but only a soft, rosy light, which -never hurt or dazzled the eyes, and where nothing ever happened which -could disturb the peace of the place. To chase the brilliant -butterflies, to listen to the songs and stories of the birds, to dance -on the soft green grass, and gather flowers to make fragrant wreaths and -garlands with which to decorate the beautiful palace in which, when -darkness came over the valley, they all assembled, and where tables, -spread with the most delicious fruits, always stood ready for -them,--such was the life that Eva and the children led in the Valley of -Rest. - -But at last a day came when the children told Eva that, as their custom -was, they must leave the valley and carry baskets of flowers and fruit -to the Queen for whom they had at first taken her. She could not go with -them now, they said, but the next time that they went they would take -her with them. They would be gone the next morning before she was awake, -and she would be alone for that day in the valley; but then they would -return; and the only favor they asked of her was this,--that she would -not go near the brook, nor play upon its banks, while they were absent. - -Eva willingly promised this. Such a little thing as it was to promise, -when she would have the whole fair valley to herself, to go where she -pleased, and to do what she pleased! It would be very easy to keep away -from the brook. - -But when once more the soft, rosy light came, and the darkness was gone, -and Eva awoke to find herself lying, all alone, on her little bed in the -palace, and to know that all the children were indeed gone, though only -for a time, a strange restlessness came over her, and she felt that she -could not stay all alone in the palace. She would go out of it into the -valley. But she was no better off there. She gathered flowers and made -beautiful wreaths and bouquets, but there was no one to admire them when -they were made. The rainbows around the fountains were less brilliant; -the birds were all gone with the children, so that she could not listen -to their songs or the stories they might have told her. She might play -and dance, but what fun was there in that, when she had no companions to -dance and play with her? Eva thought she never had spent such a stupid, -long, dull day in all her life; and she wished it was over. The only -thing which seemed as merry as ever was the little brook, which she had -promised to avoid, yet which rippled along so joyously that it was as -much as Eva could do to keep away from it. - -But she remembered her promise to the children, and turning her back -upon the brook, she went and sat down near one of the fountains. She had -only been there for a few moments, when she felt something pull her -dress; and looking round to see what it was,--wondering if the children -could possibly have returned,--she saw, to her great surprise, a huge -green toad, which had hold of her dress, and which, when she looked at -it, said: - -"Croak! croak!" - -Then Eva knew that she had seen the toad before, and she began to wonder -how it had gotten into the Valley of Rest, where she never had seen -anything like it. But she did not have much time for wonder; for the -toad, giving her dress another pull, said to her, "Come to the brook! -Come to the brook!" And then it began to hop towards the brook just as -fast as it could go. - -She forgot her promise to the children, and, just exactly as she had -done once before, she obeyed the toad, and went down to the brook. And -when she got there, she could not imagine why the toad wanted her to go -there, for he was nowhere to be seen, and the brook looked just as it -always did. But she sat down by it, and watched the merry water as it -rippled along over its pebbly bed. Then, soothed by the low murmur it -made, she lay down on the grass and fell asleep. And while she was -asleep she had a dream; and this is what she dreamed: - -She saw Aster, his dress torn, dirty, and ragged, his long curls -tangled; tired and sad, and compelled to carry burdens of stone too -heavy for him to lift. And when he wanted to rest, two figures, with the -faces which Eva had seen in the forest and among the curling mists and -vapors at the foot of the precipice, beat him with rods full of thorns. -And then a huge red-and-black spider would sting him in the foot, or a -great green frog, with prominent black eyes, would threaten to swallow -him; and then the boy would cry, and call for Eva to come and help him. - -Then the frog would say: - -"Why did you let me tear your coat?" - -And the faces would ask: - -"Why did you lose your flower?" - -And then the spider would say: - -"Why did you creep into the rock?" - -And to all this Aster would only answer with the cry, "Eva! Eva! help -me!" - -Then one of the faces said, angrily: - -"We shall punish you here until three things are done, because through -three things you fell into our power. First. Eva must find your coat. -Second. She must get the piece to mend it with. Third. She must find -you. But you need not call her, because she cannot hear you; for she is -in the Valley of Rest with the Happy Children, who are the Dawn Fairies, -and she has forgotten you. And there are many dangers to pass in -Shadow-Land before, she can come to you; and she will not come, unless -she hears you call." - -Then they would beat him again; and Aster would cry, louder than ever, -"Eva! Eva! help me!" - -And then the dream passed away, and Eva awoke. And it seemed to her that -Aster's voice mingled with the rippling of the water, and it cried, -piteously, "Eva! Eva! help me!" - -And then Eva knew why it was that the children had begged her not to go -near the brook while they were gone; because its voice would bring back -to her all that she had forgotten. For now, as she sat by it, she -remembered everything that the leaves of the flower which she had eaten -had made her forget; and she sprang to her feet, determined to follow -the course of the brook, and let it lead her to where Aster was. - -She went all through the fair valley, along the margin of the brook with -whose waters Aster's voice still seemed to mingle. It led her at last to -the high rocks, which, like a steep wall, surrounded the valley, and -where a low cavern, the roof of which was only a few inches above the -surface of the water, received the brook. Eva could not enter it, -neither could she climb the steep precipice-like wall; and, with Aster's -voice still sounding piteously in her ears, with a heavy heart, after -several fruitless efforts to climb the rocks, she went back to the -palace, determined to wait for the return of the children; for, although -she had been very happy while with them, and was unwilling to leave -them, she intended to ask them how she could leave the peaceful Valley -of Rest, and if they would provide her with the means of continuing her -search for Aster. - -Had Eva consulted her own wishes, and been able to carry them out, she -would not have waited one moment, but would have gone at once out into -Shadow-Land, which she now knew lay all around the valley. She knew, -too, that the little brook running through the valley, and which had -brought her Aster's cry for help, was the same whose "Follow, follow -me!" had led her to the golden fountain from whose crest she had -received her little charge. But how to leave the valley she did not -know. She could do nothing by herself,--she must wait till the return of -the children,--so that she could scarcely be patient till the hours of -darkness came, knowing that during them, and before the soft, rosy light -could dawn again, that they would be with her. - -There was nothing for it, however, but patience, and at last, after a -day which had seemed at least a year long, darkness covered the valley; -and although Eva had fully intended to keep awake until the children's -return, her eyes, try and resolve as she might, would not stay open, and -she slept. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - _THE MAGIC BOAT._ - - -Morning came, and Eva awoke, to find that she was all alone in the -palace, and to wonder at the utter stillness around her. There was no -song of birds to be heard,--no fall of musical waters,--no merry -children's ringing laughter and sweet voices. To all intents and -purposes the palace seemed as deserted as it had been the day before. -And wondering at all this, Eva rose, and went out of the palace to look -for her companions. - -They had returned; but when she saw them she understood why everything -was so still. For, instead of the merry songs and joyous games and -dances with which they had been accustomed to begin the day, they were -gathered in little groups, and every face wore a sad and mournful -expression. They seemed troubled, and every now and then one of them -would point to the brook, and then shake her head; and Eva was going to -ask them what could possibly have happened, and what the matter was, -when they saw her; and then the whole crowd came around her, and before -she could say a word, they exclaimed, with one voice: - -"Oh, Eva! Eva! what have you done? You forgot your promise; you went to -the brook, and you heard its story?" - -Then it came into Eva's mind that she must leave the children, who -seemed so sorry for what she had done, and she hung her head and said, -timidly: - -"I could not help it." - -"It is true, and only what we feared," one of them said,--the same one -who had spoken to Eva through the door. "We knew how it would be before -we left you. You could not help it, for it was Fate, and no promise can -bar the power, no wishes change the will, of Fate." - -Then Eva began to tell them her story. And they all listened, and when -she told them how the green toad had pulled her dress, another of the -children spoke and told Eva that the green toad was Aster's friend, and -would do all it could to help him. That, just before she came to the -valley, it had been there and told them she was coming. And then Eva -finished her story, and begged them to let her go. - -"We cannot keep you," they said to her, "even if we wished it. We would -like to keep you with us; but the green toad has commanded us to help -you, so far as lies in our power. But we cannot save you from the -dangers of the way. They, who are more powerful than our Queen, have -forbidden it, and will not allow us to tell you what these dangers are, -or how you can avoid them or escape them. That you will learn on the -Enchanted River, down which you will have to go, and we must, if you ask -us, furnish you with the means of reaching it. You cannot go there -unless we help you, and we cannot keep you here if we would." - -"Will I find Aster?" Eva asked. - -"That will depend upon yourself," one of the children said, exactly as -if she was telling a story she had heard. "If Aster had obeyed you, as -he should have done, and as he was expected to do, your journey would -have ended here, in this Valley of Rest, and we, who are the Dawn -Fairies, would have been able to take his flower from the Night and -Shadow Elves; but the loss of part of his coat gave them power over him, -because Darkness always swallows up Light whenever it can; and so, just -at the entrance of this place, on the verge between Shadow and Dawn, -they succeeded in luring him away from you." - -Then they told Eva that for a certain time, which had now expired, -Aster's enemies had been able to prevent her seeking for him. "During -that time," they went on, "we were permitted to receive you; but then -since Aster's friends have been able to speak to you by means of the -brook, though they can do nothing to rescue or to help him, for you are -the only person who can release him from the power of the Elves of -Shadow-Land; and since you have heard the voice, and are willing to -follow it, we can only, much as we would like to keep you with us, help -you, and let you go." - -"Has she no choice?" another asked. "Could she not, if she chose, remain -with us, instead of exposing herself to the dangers through which she -must pass?" - -"I would rather go," Eva began, "if I may choose." - -"You are right," the first one who had spoken went on. "It is your fate, -and," using, as Eva remembered, words that Aster had spoken long before, -and which seemed to be a proverb among the elves and fairies, "it will -be, because it must be." - -And then Eva heard, above the voices of the children and mingling with -them, the words which had come to her along the waters of the brook, but -spoken this time more plaintively than ever: - -"Eva! Eva! help me!" - -And the children heard, for they said: - -"You will not hear those words after you leave our valley. For, in the -region through which you must pass, Aster's friends have no power; you -will have to depend wholly upon yourself. And"--as the waters of the -little brook, by whose margin they were standing, began to ripple along -faster, and murmur louder, while the musical fountains began to play, -and the birds to sing--"and now you must leave us: everything is in -readiness, and the time has come." - -Then, with Eva in their midst, the children began to walk slowly along -the brook, which no longer brought Aster's voice with it. On they went, -through the calm valley; not, however, as Eva had expected, to the door -in the rock through which she had entered, and which she had never been -able to find again,--though she had looked for it the day before, but in -the opposite direction,--towards the cavern in which the waters of the -brook disappeared. She asked why she was not to be allowed to seek for -Aster among the rocky, stony wastes in which he had disappeared. - -"Because that is all over, and you cannot go back into the Past," was -the reply. "Nothing, which has once happened there, or been seen there, -remains in Shadow-Land." - -They had come, by this time, to the cavern, and Eva saw that its roof -was higher above the brook than it had been the day before; and that, -floating on the water, which was here as smooth and still as glass, -there were a great many pure white lilies, and that every now and then a -speckled trout would jump from the water, and send a shower of crystal -drops to sparkle on the green leaves around the white lilies. - -"There lies your way," the children said, pointing to the cavern and the -brook. "But we must give you the means of going down the brook to the -place where it meets the Enchanted River. Beyond that we cannot help -you. We can only send you, in our boat, down the brook." - -At these words Eva looked up in great surprise, for no boat was to be -seen, and she could not imagine where one was to come from. But then one -of the children clapped her hands, and, as she did so, a lily-bud slowly -rose from the water, and then opened, till it was larger and whiter than -any of the other lilies. And then, while all looked on in silence, the -pure white leaves of the lily fell into the water and melted away in it -like snow; and then another waved her hands in the air, and immediately, -on the stalk from which the lily-petals had fallen, there grew a pod. -And when the pod had stopped growing, a third, stooping by the brook, -dipped her hands into the water, and the lily-pod detached itself from -its stem, and came floating to the bank. - -Then the one who had clapped her hands took the pod out of the water and -laid it on the bank. The second opened it and taking from out of it six -round speckled seeds, laid them in the hands of the third. Then the -third threw these six seeds, one by one, into the water, and as each -seed touched the water it changed into a beautiful, large speckled -trout; and one by one the six trout, gently moving their fins, ranged -themselves in a line, their heads to the bank, and remained there, -waiting. - -Then the three children, lifting up the empty lily-pod, placed it gently -upon the brook, and Eva saw that, as it lay on the smooth waters, it had -become a little boat. And then the six trout, one by one, swam from the -line which they had formed, and ranged themselves around it, one at the -bow and one at the stern, and two on each side; and while she looked at -the tiny boat it grew longer and broader, and at either end it rose in a -graceful curve, finished at bow and stern with an open lily-cup; and -then the calm surface of the water broke into a thousand little ripples, -rocking the lilies to and fro, which bent as though they were saluting -the little vessel, along whose sides the tiny waves flowed caressingly. - -The children then told Eva that everything was ready, and that it was -time for her to enter the boat which they had prepared for her, and -which the six Fish Fairies would guide down the brook. But Eva -hesitated, for the boat, she thought, was too small for her. One of the -children, seeing that Eva hesitated, told her not to be afraid, for the -boat was built in such a way, being a magic boat, that it would hold any -one for whom it was made. So Eva did as she was told, and, stepping -lightly into the boat, she found that it was just the right size for -her; though she did not exactly know if it was she that had grown -smaller or the boat which had grown larger. - -As she sat down, the children told her to be careful and eat nothing -except what the trout, who were to guide the boat, would bring her; and -in return she was to take care of them, and let no one molest them, for -the Fish Fairies are the weakest of all the fairies, though they can go -where the others dare not even be seen. When the boat had taken her as -far as it could, it would leave her, and return to the Valley of Rest. - -Then, all joining hands, the children began to sing; and this is what -they sung: - - Little boat, - Gently float, - With your sweet freight laden; - Evil charm - May not harm - Eva, the earth-maiden. - - On her way, - Night and day, - Bear her onward ever; - Till she land - On the strand - Of th' Enchanted River. - - On this spot - Linger not! - 'Tis the appointed hour! - Little boat, - Onward float, - Led by magic power. - -As the last words were sung, the boat, apparently of its own accord, -moved into the centre of the brook, its bow pointing to the cavern. Then -it paused for a moment, till the six speckled trout could come and take -their places around it. And then, with a smooth, gliding motion, it went -towards the entrance of the cavern, which suddenly raised its arch so as -to admit the magic boat. When it was just under the arch, the boat -stopped for a moment, and as Eva looked back, she saw that the children -were already going back to the palace, singing as they went,--the -bright, rosy light, and the rainbow-surrounded fountains, and the -beautiful birds, seemed more charming than ever in contrast with the -Dark Unknown into which she was going. - -Then the boat shot forward again, and the arch of the cavern, which had -been raised to allow the boat to enter, dropped behind her like a -curtain, shutting out the Valley of Rest from Eva's sight. - -The rest she had enjoyed there was over,--her wanderings had again -begun. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - _DOWN THE BROOK._ - - -It was not without a moment's fear that Eva saw the arch of the cavern -close behind her, shutting her into silence; and surrounding her with a -darkness which could not only be seen, but which was almost to be felt. -At least so it seemed in contrast with the bright valley which she had -left; but before many minutes had passed, or the boat had gone very far, -her eyes became accustomed to the change, the intense blackness which -surrounded her softened into a pale, dim gray; and then Eva saw that she -was in a low arched place, like a long tunnel cut in the solid rock. -Every now and then a drop of water would fall splashing into the brook -from the roof, or else a little wave would break, rippling against the -wall; but those were the only sounds to be heard. - -Even the boat glided along noiselessly, with a smooth, uniform -motion,--and the tiny waves, which occasionally ruffled the surface of -the dark, still water, passed under her without Eva's noticing them. -Leaning over the side, Eva could just see in the water the dim outlines -of the trout, which swam along noiselessly in their respective places. -Then all at once it grew lighter, and in the two cups of the lilies in -which the curved prow and stern of the boat ended, she saw that a pale, -blue flame was burning, and she knew then that from these blue flames -came all the dim gray light which illumined the cavern. And presently, -without thinking, she dipped her hand into the brook, and right away the -water all around it was full of bright sparkles, and yet these little -sparkles did not burn her; and then one of the six speckled trout came -and rubbed his head softly against Eva's hand, and asked her what she -wanted. - -Eva stroked the trout's back, and said,-- - -"Nothing." - -"Well, when you do want anything," the trout said to her, "just dip your -hand into the water, and one of us will come to you. Then you must ask -for what you want, and if we can get it for you we will; and when you -are hungry we will bring you something to eat." - -Eva thanked the trout, and said she would be sure to ask when she wanted -anything. And then she took her hand out of the water, and the trout -went back to his place, and Eva lay down quietly in the bottom of the -boat, for she was tired of sitting up, and looked at the roof of the -cavern. It was all rough and uneven, high above the water in some places -and near it in others, with bright stones set here and there in it, -which shone and sparkled like diamonds or little stars whenever the boat -passed under them, or the light from the flames burning in the -lily-cups, which Eva called her lamps, fell upon them. But there was no -sign of life in the cavern, except that every now and then things like -bats, frightened by the light, would fly out of holes in the wall away -back into the darkness. - -The boat went on and on, though there seemed no current in the water -over which it glided, till, as Eva thought, they must have travelled for -days. Sometimes she would sleep, and the boat went on just the same; -when she was hungry, she would dip her hand into the water, and the -trout would bring her a basket filled with the fruit which grew in the -Valley of Rest. But Eva began to be very tired of the long journey -through the cavern; and she was wondering to herself how much farther -they would have to go, when all of a sudden the little blue flames -burning in the lily-cups flickered for a moment, and then, seemingly -gathering themselves together, shot up to the roof of the cavern and -disappeared, leaving everything again in total darkness; and Eva was -just going to ask the trout what this meant, when she saw, far away in -the distance before her, what looked to her like a tiny, yet beautiful -blue star shining. - -This little star, which was yet far away, seemed so fair and lovely that -Eva said, without intending to speak, "O little boat, if only you would -sail faster, and go near the pretty star!" And, just as if the boat had -heard and understood the words, it began to move faster,--or was it the -star which grew larger and larger, and came to meet them? No! it surely -was no star, for the blue spot became larger and still larger, and then -the cavern grew lighter and lighter, till, when she was near enough, Eva -saw that what she had taken for a star was the arched entrance into the -rock, and the light it shed was the pure light of day pouring into the -darkness of the cavern. - -But it did not look so very inviting when the boat came nearer. Beyond -the arch the air was full of curling mists and vapors, like those which -Eva had seen at the foot of the precipice, and through these mists and -vapors she caught dim glimpses of the same old hateful faces she had -seen so often before. Just before the boat reached the arch, one of the -six trout, putting his head above the water, said to her: - -"Stop the boat." - -"How can I?" Eva asked, in surprise. - -"Speak to her; she will obey you." - -And, to Eva's great astonishment, as soon as the words, spoken very -doubtingly, "Little boat, wait," passed her lips, the little vessel -stopped, and lay without moving on the water. - -Then the same trout which had spoken to her previously put his head -again out of the water and said: - -"Before we go on, among the mists and vapors which lie beyond the -cavern, it is well to tell you to be prepared. You must be on your -guard, for THEY who dwell on the margin of the Brook of Mists will do -everything in their power to prevent your reaching the Enchanted River. -You will have to be careful, not only for yourself but for us, and no -matter what they whom we meet may ask you to do, you must refuse, -however trifling it may seem. Beyond the cavern we have no power to warn -you; you must judge for yourself." - -More than this, the trout went on, they were not permitted to say to -her. So Eva thanked them, and promised to remember what they had told -her; and then she told the little boat to go on, and once more the -little vessel glided forward with each trout in its own place. - -They proceeded slowly; the curling mists and vapors always before -them,--and, as Eva noticed, always behind them, although they were never -close to the boat,--just as if she carried a free space along with her, -and that the mists were not allowed to come within a certain distance of -her. - -So, for a time, they went quietly down the brook. And Eva, seeing that -nothing happened, began to wonder why the trout had told her to be -careful; and she was looking over the side of the boat at her own face -reflected in the clear water, in which not a fish was to be seen, except -those with her, when suddenly the boat began to rock to and fro, as she -never had done before; and when Eva turned round to ascertain the cause -of this rocking, there, perched on the side of the boat, was a great -black jackdaw. - -But, oh! what a very queer-looking jackdaw he was, to be sure! Every -here and there he had peacock feathers stuck in among his plumage, and -it was easy to see that they were only put in for show. It was as much -as Eva could do to keep from laughing when she looked at him. - -"Caw! caw!" cried the jackdaw, with his head to one side, just as if he -thought himself the finest bird in the world. "I am hungry, little girl, -for I have flown a long way to-day, and I want to know if you won't give -me something to eat." - -"I would, with pleasure," Eva said, "if I had any corn with me, for that -is what jackdaws eat." - -The jackdaw tossed his head at this. - -"Pooh! you are silly; can't you see I'm a peacock? Just look at my fine -feathers, and tell me what you suppose I want with corn? If you really -are willing to give me something to eat, why, I'll take one of those -fine, fat fish swimming near the boat." - -"That I cannot let you do," Eva said. "I know who you are, now: you are -the bird who stole the peacock's feathers; I saw a picture of you in a -little book I once read." - -"Found out! Found out!" cawed the jackdaw; and, with that, off he flew; -and he was in such a hurry to be gone that he dropped two of the long -feathers which had been in his tail, and Eva picked them up and stuck -them into the side of the boat. - -Then one of the trout, after the jackdaw was gone, put his head up out -of the water and said: - -"It is a good thing for all of us that you said 'no' to the bird. For, -if you had said he might take one of us, he would not have touched us, -but would have pecked a hole in the boat, and she would have sunk to the -bottom of the brook. We should have had to leave you, and then you never -could have reached the Enchanted River." - -"Where is the Enchanted River?" Eva asked the trout. - -He answered, "It runs through Shadow-Land." - -"And where are we?" - -"We are on the Brook of Mists, which empties into the Enchanted River, -You came out of Shadow-Land when you entered the Valley of Rest." - -Then the boat went on quietly again. Only for a time, however, and -presently Eva heard a voice, in a squeaky tone, calling to her: - -"Stop, little girl, and take me in." - -[Illustration: "Stop, little girl, and take me in."] - -And there, apparently crawling along the surface of the water, was a -queer little dwarf. He had a large head, with round, green eyes; a fat, -round body; and he was dressed in a yellow coat with scarlet facings, -and his legs were so long and thin that they bent under him as he -walked. And when he came up to the boat and laid his hand upon it, Eva -saw that it was not a hand, but only a sharp black claw. - -"Take me in!" he repeated. - -Eva peeped at the trout over the side of the boat before she answered -him, but they were taking no notice of the dwarf, and were swimming -along as quietly as ever. - -"Take me in!" he squeaked again. - -"No," Eva said; "the boat is too small to hold us both." - -"Then give me one of those peacock feathers to fan myself with." - -"I must refuse you," Eva went on; "but perhaps the jackdaw, who was here -not long since, might supply you, as he did me." - -"You are very unkind," the dwarf said. "Come, now, I will give you such -a pretty flower if you will only let me go a little way with you; a -star-flower. Aster means--a star." - -Eva shook her head. "I cannot." - -"Why?" - -"Because I think I saw you in the forest." - -And just as Eva said these words, a change came over the dwarf; he was -the same, yet not the same, and she saw that he was nothing but a huge -spider, and that instead of walking on the water, as she had supposed, -he had come to the boat on a web stretched across the brook, on which he -was now running away just as fast as he could. - -Then another of the trout put up his head, and said: - -"You did well to refuse him, for if he had gotten into the boat, or if -you had given him the feather, he would have put a bandage over your -eyes, so that you could not see, and then would have spun a web around -you and the boat, and nobody knows how you ever would have got out of -it." - -"He could not do it in the forest," Eva said; "how could he do it here?" - -"Because first you were only brought into Shadow-Land; this time you -came into it. Such as he can only control those who allow him. He could -only have power over you by your own act and deed." - -And once more the boat went on. But after awhile she was hailed -again,--and Eva bade her stop. - -This time Eva was surprised to see that the call came from a little old -woman crouched upon a stone which rose above the water. A very ugly old -woman she was, too; for she had a very wide mouth and a pair of -prominent, staring black eyes, and she was wrapped in a green shawl, and -talked in an odd little croaking voice. - -"Where are you going?" she asked Eva. Eva only smiled, for she could not -tell the old woman what she did not know herself. - -"I know," the old woman said, nodding her head, and without waiting for -a reply, "you are looking for Aster and his coat." - -"How do you know?" Eva began; but the old woman interrupted her: - -"Never you mind how I know it; it is enough for you that I do know it. -And if you really want to find Aster, I can tell you where he is, and -put you in the way of finding him." - -"If you only would," Eva said, eagerly. - -"You must first take me into the boat, and then give me one of your -curls." - -"No," Eva said, remembering what the trout had told her; "that I cannot -do." - -Then the old woman grew angry, and she jumped off the stone, as if she -wanted to get into the boat. But as she jumped, Eva spoke to the boat, -and she moved on; and then the old woman fell into the water. And Eva -saw that the old woman, changing her shape as soon as she touched the -water, was nothing but the same great green frog she had seen before; -and that her shawl was the piece torn from Aster's coat which it was -part of her business to find. - -The third trout popped his head up out of the water: - -"If you only could have known, and had given us the curl that the Green -Frog asked you for, we would have made a net of it, in which we could -have caught the frog, and then the hardest part of your task would have -been over; for then you could have taken the piece of Aster's coat away -from her." - -"If you only had told me," Eva said. "But it seems that you can only -speak when it is too late." - -"Because when higher powers are present we must be silent. We are never -allowed to speak till after they have spoken, and are gone." - -"Then, how could you have caught the frog?" - -"Through the power you would have given us. But nothing can stop us or -molest us now." - -Then the boat went on, down the brook, and nothing more happened to stop -her progress. On she went, till at last, all of a sudden, the mists and -vapors before her vanished, and Eva saw, just in front of her, what -seemed the open mouth of a huge serpent ready to devour them. But the -boat went on until it came near the terrible jaws, and then Eva saw that -they were only two great rocks, one on each side of the brook,--and the -boat passed unhurt between them. And just beyond them the water stopped -short; and then the boat came to a pause, and nothing that Eva could say -or do would move her one inch. - -And then another of the trout put up his head, and told Eva she should -bid the boat go to the shore; which she did; and the boat obeyed, and -then stopped again, her bow resting on the shore. - -"We can do no more for you," the trout then told her. "We must now go -home, for there, where the brook stops, the Enchanted River runs. On it -our boat cannot go, and in it we cannot live; so, though we would like -to help you, we cannot." - -Then Eva thanked them for what they had done, and taking one of her long -bright curls, she tied part of it round each trout's neck, where it -shone like a collar of gold. And they told her that she should keep the -rest of the curl, and if at any time she was in trouble from which she -could not escape, and was near water, and thought that they could help -her, she should throw the rest of the curl into the water, and they -would come to her. - -Then, holding in her hand the two feathers the jackdaw had dropped, -which the trout told her might be useful, Eva bade the trout farewell, -and stepped on shore. And as her foot touched the ground, the boat moved -off into the stream, and waited there. - -And presently Eva said, "Go home, little boat," and the boat -immediately, with the trout, began to go up the brook. She watched it -till it was out of sight, and then the child stood alone on the banks of -the Enchanted River. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - _THE ENCHANTED RIVER._ - - -Eva had heard so much about this wonderful stream that, as she stood -upon its banks, she could scarcely realize that she had at last reached -it. And it looked quiet enough, now that she had come to it. It had -seemed to her that the waters of the Brook of Mists had ended in -nothing; but now, as she stood upon the river-bank, and looked back, she -could see no water. The curling mists and vapors had spread over and -covered all the way by which she had come, and the only things left to -show the place of the brook were the two black rocks, half hid, half -revealed, by the mists playing around them. But to remain there, looking -back, would, as Eva well knew, never do. Her way lay down the river, and -she might as well go boldly forward. So, slowly and carefully, she began -to walk along the bank. - -Quiet as the river had at first seemed, it was not very long before Eva -found that it deserved its name. What she thought was land would very -often prove to be water; and then again places which seemed to be a -broad expanse of river would afford her a firm foothold. Here and there -were sheets of what Eva thought at first was ice, so smooth and glassy -did it look, yet it would not be cold to the touch. The river had no -perceptible banks,--it was almost impossible to tell where earth ended -and water began. Yet, walking along, sometimes with the water splashing -above her ankles, Eva's feet were never wet. The trees along the river -seemed to walk on, and little green flames, tipped with orange, danced -among them. Once one of these little flames fell on Eva's dress, and -when, fearing it might burn her, she brushed it off, she found that it -was nothing but a harmless green leaf, with a golden tip, which had -dropped from a tree hanging over the river. - -Many wonderful things, too, lay on the bottom of the river. Eva saw -them, and remembered dimly what they were as she caught sight of them -through the clear water, though she could not tell where she ever had -heard of them. An old lamp, rusty and cracked, she knew was Aladdin's -wonderful lamp; near it lay Cinderella's little glass slippers; not far -off was Blue Beard's key; and the next thing that she saw was Jack's -famous bean-stalk. Seeing these things, and many more, she began to -wonder if the flower which Aster had lost could possibly be among them, -or if the piece of his coat was there; when she suddenly remembered that -she had seen the latter in the possession of the Green Frog. - -On she went, meeting no one and with no hindrance in her way. Then she -saw a tiny worm, writhing, as if in pain, and trying to crawl away from -a twig which lay on it and seemed to hold it. And pitying the feeble -creature, even more helpless than she was, Eva stooped and took it from -under the twig, and laid it gently down again. The twig immediately put -forth many legs and ran away, and the worm crept into a hole near by. -And a few minutes later Eva saw an old woman sitting in the water and -warming her hands over a fire built upon a stone, and the child went up -to her, and asked her if she would tell her where Aster was. But the old -woman would not even look at her; she only shook her head and mumbled -something which sounded like "Ask my sister," and then she seemed, as -Eva stood by her, to fall apart and melt away, and then there was -nothing left of her except a little vapor, and the child saw that the -fire was only a little heap of the same green leaves which she had seen -among the trees. - -And Eva went on, eager to leave a place where such strange things as -this happened. Then the river seemed to disappear, and only a number of -little pools of water were left. Picking her way carefully among them, -in one she saw a poor, half-drowned mouse struggling, unable to get out; -and when Eva saw it she took the little animal in her hand and laid it -on dry land. It never even looked at her, but crept shyly away, as if it -was afraid of her, and hiding itself under a leaf, Eva saw it no more. - -Weary and tired, the child went slowly onward. At last the pools of -water were all gone, and the river flowed on as before, but its waters -were now white like milk. Tall, shadowy forms every now and then rose -from it, and made threatening gestures; yet they always vanished before -she came up to them. The banks of the river became high and steep, and -Eva was compelled to walk in its bed; at times these rocky sides were so -close together that it looked as if it would be almost impossible to -pass between them; then again it would spread out into a vast expanse, -with no visible limit, or else the water would run, not _down_, but _up_ -a rocky slope; it would smoke, and yet the water would be freezingly -cold; masses of something as clear as ice would float in this smoking -water, which were so warm that Eva could scarcely bear her hand upon -them; on one of these masses lay a bird, like a robin, worn and -exhausted, its feathers all wet and ruffled. Eva took it up tenderly, -smoothed and dried its plumage, and held it till it was warm. And then -the bird, seemingly impatient of her gentle hold, struggled to get free, -and Eva released it, and in another moment it was gone too. - -And then she came to where another old woman sat on a rock, around which -the milky waters were foaming, and mists and vapors rose above and -behind her. To this old woman she also spoke, and asked her the same -question which she had asked before,--where Aster was. And in reply she -was told that still farther down the river, at the Cascade of Rocks, was -where the Toad-Woman lived, and that perhaps she might tell Eva what it -was that she wished to know. "But," the Mist-Woman added, "my sister -will not always answer those who speak to her, and I cannot tell you how -to make her." And, as she spoke, the vapors thickened and gathered -around her for a moment, and then melted away, and the Mist-Woman had -vanished with them, and nothing was left except the bare rock. - -The child began to think that the wonders of the river would never -cease, and that her journey down it would be endless. Yet, tired as she -was, she persevered, and went on until all the water was gone, and only -stones and rocks lay in its former bed. But, strange to say, as Eva -walked among the stones and rocks, she found they were only shadows. -Then, all at once, a loud noise, as of falling stones, met her ear, and -on coming to a sudden turn in the river, she saw that the noise was -caused by what she at once knew was the Cascade of Rocks; for from a -high precipice crossing the river's bed fell an endless stream of huge -stones, and seated in a sort of cavern, just behind the fall, there was -a third old woman, with a head like that of a toad, fanning herself with -a fan made of peacock's feathers. - -Eva was at first afraid to go near the woman, lest the stones should -fall and crush her. But at last she ventured to go near, and she saw -that at her approach the stones parted, as though to make room for her; -and summoning all her courage, she went close to the cascade, and -finding that none of the stones touched her, but rather got out of her -way, she walked into the grotto. - -The Toad-Woman stopped fanning and looked at her. Then she took a pair -of spectacles out of her pocket and put them on, and Eva thought she -looked funnier than ever. And then she asked: - -"What do you want?" - -And Eva answered, "I am looking for Aster." - -"I've not got him," the old woman said. - -"I know," Eva replied; "but I was told that you might be able to tell me -where he was." - -"Hum!" the Toad-Woman said. "You have, then, come down the Enchanted -River, and seen my sister, the Mist-Woman. But even that won't help you, -though she did let you pass her, and though the stones did not trouble -you. I do know where Aster is, but I promised my cousin that I would -only tell it to the person who would bring me back the two feathers that -her servant the jackdaw stole out of my fan." - -She held up her fan as she said this, and Eva saw that two feathers out -of it were gone. And then the child remembered the two feathers which -the jackdaw had dropped in the boat, and which, as the trout had advised -her, she had brought with her from the brook. So she showed them to the -woman, and asked her if these were not the same ones which she had lost. -And the Toad-Woman was very much astonished, for they were the very -feathers she had been talking about. - -"Take a seat," she said to Eva, "and tell me how you got them." - -And then a great big brown toad hopped out of his hole when he heard his -mistress say this, bringing a three-legged stool on his back. He put it -down before Eva, and then went back to his hole, and Eva sat down on the -stool and looked at the Toad-Woman. - -"Now, tell me about it," said the Toad-Woman, - -So Eva had to begin at the beginning and tell the whole story. And every -time that she said anything about the green toad the old woman would nod -her head, as much as to say, "I know all about that." But she never -interrupted Eva; only when she was done she said to her: - -"I am the only person who can help you now, and as you brought me back -my feathers, I will do what I can for you. The Green Frog, who has done -all this harm, is a distant cousin of mine, but she delights in doing -mischief, and we have not been friends since her servant the jackdaw -stole the feathers out of my fan. She it is who has got Aster, and you -cannot find him until you get his coat, and the piece of it. You will -have to work for them, for I cannot help you there; all I can do for you -will be to send you where she lives." - -Then Eva thanked the Toad-Woman very earnestly, who told her that she -must be content to remain with her for that night, and the next morning -that she would tell her where the Green Frog lived, and what she should -do when she got there. - -So that night Eva slept in the grotto behind the Cascade of Rocks. The -Toad-Woman waked her up very early in the morning. She had a dress in -her hand, just the color of mud, which she told Eva to put on. - -"Leave your white dress here with me," she said. "Because you will have -to deal with the things and the inhabitants of Shadow-Land, and it -would, if it touched them, change them all into mists and shadows. Then, -too, you must not be recognized." - -Then the Toad-Woman tied Eva's head up in a cap, so as to hide all her -golden curls, and made her wash her face and hands in some water which -she gave her. Then she told her to go and look at herself in a little -pool of water which was just outside of the grotto, and Eva could not -help laughing when she saw herself, for face, hands, cap, and dress were -all the same color. - -"My cousin lives on the other side of the Cascade of Rocks," the -Toad-Woman went on. "Go to her--one of my servants will show you the -way--and ask her to hire you. She will not recognize you, but will take -you, and will tell you that if you do your work well you may name your -own wages at the end of each week. You will be able to do any work she -may give you, and at the end of every week she will ask you what wages -you want. Tell her you cannot say without asking your mother. Then she -will tell you to go and ask her, and you must then come to me, and I -will tell you what to say. In the mean time I will take care of your -dress till you need it again." - -Eva listened attentively to all that the Toad-Woman said to her, and -thanked her for her advice. And then the woman called her servant, and -the same big brown toad who had brought the stool, and who, by the way, -was just the color of Eva's dress, hopped out of his hole, and his -mistress bade him take Eva to where the Green Frog lived. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - _THE GREEN FROG._ - - -Following the toad, and saying good-bye to his mistress, Eva passed -unhurt through the falling stones, and picked her way carefully among -those which lay in the bed of the river, till they came to the turn at -which she had first caught sight of the Cascade of Rocks. There the toad -hopped quickly on shore, and then he hopped across a large plain of mud, -in which grew a multitude of toad-stools, and on every toad-stool, or -mushroom, there sat either a frog or a toad, and in the mud at their -feet were countless numbers of snakes and lizards, their long, shining -bodies and tails coiled around the stalks of the toad-stools. - -It was almost impossible for Eva to make any progress through the mud, -over which the toad, big as he was, hopped so lightly. Still, she -succeeded in crossing the field after him, though when they reached a -firmer soil, Eva was fairly ashamed of her dress, on which there was so -much mud; and when they came to a little pool of clear water, in which -she saw herself reflected, she wondered for a moment who that dirty -little girl could be; and then she laughed to think how very different -this little mud-stained figure was from the white-robed maiden who had -passed without a soil or a spot on her dress through the forests of -Shadow-Land. - -At last they came in sight of a little hut, built of rough stones, with -a huge toad-stool for a roof, directly in the middle of a field, which -was full of little pools of water. The field was surrounded by a strange -fence, in which the posts were all toad-stools, and the rails all -spider-webs. On each toad-stool a green frog was sitting, and in every -web there hung either a red or a black spider. When they came to this -fence, the toad, after going up to one of the green frogs and croaking -something to him, turned round without so much as saying "good-bye" to -Eva, and hopped away just as fast as he could go; and then one of the -toad-stools; with the web attached to it, swung open as if it had been -on a hinge, so that Eva could enter the inclosure. - -She went up to the door of the hut and knocked. And the third time that -she knocked the door was opened by a large jackdaw, which Eva -immediately recognized as the same bird which she had seen on the brook, -dressed in the peacock feathers which he had stolen from the -Toad-Woman's fan; but although she knew him in a moment, he evidently -did not know her, she was so very muddy, and so unlike her own self. In -the hut, on a toad-stool, which served as a chair, sat the same Green -Frog, with a little shawl over her shoulders, she had seen before, which -had tried to carry Aster off, and had torn his coat; and it was with -some little hesitation that Eva went up to her, and curtsied to her. And -then, as she had been told, she asked the Frog if she needed a servant. - -The Green Frog inspected her from head to foot. - -"You are pretty dirty," she said to Eva, "and I don't think that I ever -saw you before. But that don't matter. You will have to work -out-of-doors, and if you do your work properly, at the end of the week -you may ask for your own wages. But if you don't work well, I will give -you nothing, but I will turn you into a frog, and put you on a -toad-stool, as I have done with a great many before you." - -Eva thought to herself that perhaps the Frog never before had a servant -like herself, so she told her that she was still willing to hire -herself. Then the Frog told the jackdaw to take the new servant out and -tell her what she was to do. - -So the jackdaw hopped out, and Eva followed him. And when he told her -what her work for that week was to be, she thought it was very funny -work. And then he told her she might do as she pleased for the rest of -that day, but the next morning she must go to work. And Eva amused -herself by looking everywhere for Aster, But he was not to be seen. -Only, just over the back-door of the hut, there hung a little wire cage, -and in it there sat a little green bird, which screamed whenever the -jackdaw or the Frog even looked at it. And when it began to grow dark, -these two took the little bird out of his cage and picked out his tail -and wing-feathers, the bird screaming and struggling all the time, and -then they put him back into the cage. And it was just as much afraid of -Eva as it was of the jackdaw and the Frog. - -There was neither sun nor moon in this place,--as in the forest, when -the moon was gone, all the light seemed to come from the earth. And -every morning Eva noticed that the tail and wing-feathers of the little -green bird had grown again, though every evening either the Frog or the -jackdaw pulled them out. - -I said that when Eva was told of the work she would have to do she -thought it was very queer work. Every morning, when the light drove away -the darkness, she was to wipe off and dust the tops of the toad-stools -on which the frogs sat, and she thought it would be very easy to do. So -she tried to do it, and the jackdaw stood on one foot and cawed at her -all the time,--and the more she rubbed and wiped the top of the -toad-stool post the dirtier it became,--and she was nearly in despair, -when she heard one of the frogs whisper to the other,-- - -"If she would only catch the jackdaw and sweep one off with his tail, -she would have no more trouble." - -And Eva did as the frog had said, and though the jackdaw screamed and -struggled, and tried to get away, it did him no good. But she found that -when she had swept one toad-stool off that all the rest were as clean -and nice as possible, and there was nothing more to be done to any of -them. And every evening before the Green Frog went to sleep--she slept -every night in a little pond or pool in the corner of the hut--Eva had -to walk around the inclosure and count the spiders and see that their -webs were whole. But she never had any trouble,--the webs were always -whole; and one of the spiders was sure to tell her how many of them -there were. - -So a whole week went by, and every morning Eva caught the jackdaw and -swept one toad-stool off with his tail. Now, Mr. Jackdaw did not at all -approve of this, and in the morning, when he saw Eva coming, he would -run away and hide himself. Then Eva would stoop down and pretend to -whisper to one of the frogs; and the jackdaw, who was very inquisitive, -would be so terribly afraid that something might be said that he would -like to hear, that he would come running up in a great hurry, only to be -caught and used as a living duster. - -And when the week was over Eva presented herself to the Green Frog, and -asked for her wages. And then the old Frog asked her what she wanted. -And Eva did as the Toad-Woman had told her, and said she would like to -go and consult her mother. This she was allowed to do, and Eva returned, -by the same road by which the brown toad had led her, to the grotto -behind the Cascade of Rocks. - -There sat the Toad-Woman, fanning herself, just as if she had never -moved since Eva first saw her. And she knew all about the work Eva had -to do without Eva's telling her. She told Eva to ask for the little -green coat which hung at the head of her mistress's bed (if you can call -a pool of water a bed). "She will refuse you," the woman went on, "but -you must insist. You have earned it, and will get it in the end." - -Eva thanked her, and then returned to the hut. And sitting in the door -was the Frog; and she said to her that she was ready for her wages. - -"What am I to give you?" croaked the Frog. - -"Nothing but the little green coat which hangs at the head of your bed." - -Then the Frog told her that she could not give her that, and offered her -all sorts of beautiful things instead. But Eva insisted upon having the -little green coat; and as fairies--even when they are bad fairies--are -compelled to keep their promises or else lose their power, the Frog had -to keep her word; and she told Eva that if she could find the little -coat she might have it. - -So Eva went into the hut and looked over the pool in which the Frog -slept; and hanging against the wall were little green coats innumerable, -which surprised Eva, for she never had seen anything hanging there -before; and they all looked so much alike that she did not know which to -choose. Then it seemed to her that a mist gathered in her eyes, and she -raised her hand to rub it away, and then she saw, sitting on one of the -little green coats, a beautiful, pure white moth; and then Eva saw that -the other coats were only shadows, and the one on which the white moth -sat was Aster's coat. So she took it down, and the moth never -moved,--and then it spoke: - -"Do you remember the tiny worm that you saved from the crawling twig? I -was that worm; and this is the first opportunity I have had to thank you -for saving my life, and the best service I could render you was this." - -And without waiting to be thanked, the white moth spread her wings and -was gone. - -The Green Frog was angry enough when she saw that Eva had chosen -rightly. But there was nothing to be done, only she grumbled to herself -and said,--she did not know that Eva heard her: - -"The coat is useless without the piece." - -However, she hired Eva on the same terms for another week. For she -thought that if the new servant failed this time she would not only -change her into a frog, but get the little coat back. And the work Eva -had to do this week was to empty, and then refill with fresh water every -morning, the pool in which the Frog slept, and they gave her a pail with -no bottom to do it with. - -And Eva would have been in a sad way if she had not heard the jackdaw -say, as he stood by the pool: - -"Our new servant is caught at last; for, if she did take me for a broom -last week, she will never have sense enough to know that if she shakes -her pail over the pool and says 'Water, go,' it will empty itself, and -then 'Water, come,' and she will have no more trouble." - -And then out hopped the jackdaw, and never knew that Eva heard him. And -she found he was right; and she noticed, too, that this week they only -pulled out the little green bird's wing-feathers, and never touched his -tail. - -She did her work this time without any trouble. At the end of the week -it was the same thing over again about the wages, and again Eva went to -the Toad-Woman, and was told what she should do. - -So she said to the Green Frog, "My coat is useless as long as it has a -hole in it. You can give me the jackdaw's best cravat to mend it with." - -The Frog laughed at this, and told Eva to go and get it. She did not -know that the jackdaw, being fond of dress, and a thief, had stolen the -piece of Aster's coat for that purpose. However, she found it out soon -enough, and when Eva went to look for it,--behold! a great spider had -spun a web around it,--a web so strong that she could not break it. And -after trying a long time, she was nearly in despair, when she saw a -little gray mouse come out of a hole, and, climbing up to the web, gnaw -and bite at it with its sharp teeth till it cut it all through; and then -it brought and laid in her hand the same piece of velvet which had been -torn out of Aster's coat. Then the little mouse said to her: - -"You saved me from being drowned, and I am not ungrateful." And then it -crept back into its hole. - -But when the Green Frog saw what Eva had, she was very angry, and -determined to give her something which was harder to do than anything -she had yet tried. So for the third week Eva's work was to wash and keep -the shawl clean which the Frog wore when she went out. And the first -time that Eva tried to wash it she found that the harder she rubbed it, -and the more she tried to clean it, the dirtier it became. But late in -the day she heard the Green Frog say to the jackdaw: - -"I'll get my coat back, and you shall have your cravat again, for the -servant is such a dunce that she will never learn that the only way to -clean my shawl is to lay it on a toad-stool, and to walk around it three -times, and say every time, 'Shawl, be clean.'" - -But Eva's ears were given to her for use, and, consequently, every night -the shawl was like new. And this week she saw that they only plucked one -of the little bird's wings. The end of the week came, and Eva, -instructed by the Toad-Woman, asked for her wages. - -"What is it this time?" - -"I want the little green bird that hangs in the cage over the -back-door." - -"No," said the Frog, "I cannot give him to you." - -"You cannot help it," Eva said, quietly; "you promised to pay me, and I -have earned my wages." - -"Who told you anything about the little green bird," the Frog went on. -"He won't sing for you, and you had better let me give you a purse full -of gold." - -But no, Eva would take nothing but the bird, and at last the Frog told -her to go and take him, if she could find him. And then she went into -the hut, grumbling and talking to herself. - -Eva went to the back of the house to look for the little green bird. -When she got there she did not know what to do, for there were at least -fifty cages there, and in each cage was a little green bird, and cages -and birds were all exactly alike,--there was no telling them apart,--and -which the one she wanted could be Eva did not know. And if she chose the -wrong one, all her work would be lost. - -Yet, look as she might, she could not tell which was the right one. Then -there was a flutter of wings in the air, and then she felt something -pull her dress, and there at her feet was a beautiful bird, holding her -dress in its beak, and it led her round and round the cages, and every -cage that her dress touched melted away and disappeared, till there was -only one cage and one bird left, and then the new bird never hesitated, -but lit on the top of this cage, and then he said to Eva: - -"This is Aster, who was changed by the Green Frog into this form. He -cannot regain his own shape without you, and the Toad-Woman will tell -you what you are to do. As soon as the Frog misses him she will know who -you are, which she does not yet know, and she will do her best to get -him away from you. Go at once, and without any delay, to the Cascade of -Rocks. Your friend there will help you. And remember that a kind action -never goes unrewarded." - -And then the bird was gone, and Eva was alone. She tried to open the -cage and take the little green bird out, but there was no such thing as -opening it. So she took the cage, and the coat, which she had mended, -and the piece had grown into the velvet, so that you never could tell -that it had been torn, and without going again into the hut or telling -the Frog she had found the bird, she went, for the last time, by the -same road by which she had come, to the grotto of the Toad-Woman. - -But she had not been gone many minutes before the Green Frog, wondering -that her servant did not return to hire herself again, went in search of -her. And the moment she saw that the bird was gone she knew who Eva was, -and that she had discovered Aster; and, angry at herself for her own -stupidity, she immediately set off in pursuit, hoping it was not yet too -late to regain the prizes she had lost. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - _IN THE GROTTO._ - - -It was with a light heart that Eva passed over the muddy way which lay -between the hut and the cascade. As rapidly as she could, she went -along. The little bird screamed and cried incessantly, and Eva feared, -that hearing him, the frogs inhabiting this region might, by their -croakings, give the alarm, and bring their powerful mistress on her -track before she reached the grotto. But the frogs were all, or else -seemed to be, asleep, and she passed them unnoticed. - -In a very short time, which yet seemed to Eva like hours, she reached -the grotto. Here she felt comparatively safe, and she would gladly have -rested, but the Toad-Woman, telling her she had no time to lose, for the -Green Frog knew of her escape, and that she herself was well aware of -all that had happened at the hut, bade her change her dress. - -Now, what Eva most wanted was to see Aster restored to his original -shape. But, without a word, she obeyed the woman, and put on her own -white dress again. It was so nice to get rid of that horrid, mud-colored -thing she had been wearing, to shake down her long curls, instead of -having them tied up in a little plain cap, and to have the ugly brown -dye come off her face and hands. Eva was more than glad,--she enjoyed -the change. - -"Now we will help Aster," said the Toad-Woman. But the question was, how -to open the cage and to get the bird out. For the cage had no door, and -the bird flew round and round it, screaming and pecking at Eva's hands, -till the child was nearly ready to cry. "The Frog has still power, -through her enchantments, over him," the woman said. "Give me the cage, -and let me see what I can do." - -So she took up the cage and said some words which Eva did not -understand, and then drew a circle in the air over it with her hand; and -then, to Eva's great amazement, a door in the cage opened and the woman -put her hand in it and took out the bird, which screamed louder and -pecked harder than ever. - -"Now," said the Toad-Woman, "we must make all the haste we can. We must -find Aster before the Frog gets here. I'll hold the bird's head, and you -take his tail, and then pull,--pull as hard as you can." - -All this was so queer to Eva, who thought they had found Aster, that she -could not understand it. But the old woman saw her trouble, and, without -getting angry or impatient, as some fairies would have done, she said to -Eva: - -"Aster is sewed up in the bird's skin. And we can only get him out by -tearing it apart. Make haste, there is no time to be lost." - -So the old woman at the head, and Eva at the tail, pulled, and pulled, -and pulled. And the harder they pulled, the more the bird screamed and -cried, till Eva pitied him so that she could scarcely bear to hurt him. -But whenever she would want to stop the Toad-Woman would tell her to -pull harder. - -[Illustration: "So the old woman at the head, and Eva at the tail, -pulled, and pulled."] - -Such a tough skin as it was, to be sure! There seemed to be no such -thing as tearing it, and the Toad-Woman said that Aster must have been -very naughty before he fell into the Green Frog's hands. And Eva, much -as she loved Aster, could not contradict this. - -But at last the bird left off screaming, and hung between them as if it -was dead. And then, as the two pulled, it got larger and longer, and the -feathers were farther apart, and then all of a sudden the skin gave way -and vanished, where, Eva did not know, and from it there dropped, just -in time for Eva to save it from falling to the floor of the grotto, -Aster's tiny figure, motionless, and as it were, asleep, and just like -what he had been when Eva first received him, except that his coat was -in her hands; and the Toad-Woman had only time enough to tell her to put -it on him, and Eva had just obeyed, and was stooping to kiss the little -prince as he lay in her lap, when they heard a loud croak, and with a -long leap the Green Frog was in the grotto. - -But as soon as she saw Eva, standing there in her spotless white robe, -holding the unconscious little prince, she knew how it was that he had -been taken from her, and that her power over him was nearly gone. Yet -she knew that if she could once again obtain possession of him that no -one could rescue him; and as Eva had once submitted to her, she had no -power of herself, as she before possessed, to protect him. And without -even looking at the Toad-Woman, she was going to leap upon Aster, and -try and snatch him from Eva's arms, when the Toad-Woman, taking from her -pocket a curl, which even in that moment Eva recognized as part of the -one which she had cut to give to the trout, and which had lain, -forgotten ever since, in the pocket of her own white dress, dropped it -on the ground. And as the hair touched the ground a spring of clear -water came bubbling up, and in it Eva saw her friends, the six trout, -whom she recognized by the golden collars they wore; and the Green Frog -was so surprised that she stopped to look, and then the water covered -her, and before she could move, the trout, as they had once said they -could do, swam up to her and enveloped her in a net made of these golden -hairs, which the Frog could not break, and then, in spite of all her -efforts to escape, and her loud croakings, the floor of the grotto -opened, and spring, trout, and Frog were gone in a moment. - -It all passed in less time than can be told, and once more Eva and the -Toad-Woman were alone. - -"Your hardest work is over," the woman said to her. "The three tasks are -done; you have found Aster, his coat, and its piece. Here you cannot -stay any longer. When the moon is full again Aster's long-lost flower -will bloom, and you will find it." - -And then a sudden darkness came over everything, and when, a moment -later, the light returned, nothing was as it had been. The Toad-Woman, -her grotto, and the Cascade of Rocks were gone, and when Eva heard the -music which heralded the coming of the moon, and saw the silver crescent -rise to its place, and Aster once more woke from his sleep, she could -scarcely realize that she was again in the old, familiar forest, and the -past seemed like a dream. - -For in that moment of darkness, the Enchanted River had disappeared, and -Eva knew that the search in truth was nearly over. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - _ASTER'S STORY._ - - -Once more Eva and Aster, hand in hand, wandered, as they both had feared -they would never again be allowed to do, through the forest, by the -light of the fair young moon, which looked down upon them from the sky. -And nothing came now to disturb them; no hideous faces mocked at them -from behind shrub or tree; no hostile beings, in shape of spider or of -frog, strove to take Aster from his young guardian. Nor were they -limited, as before, to the narrow path which had previously confined -their steps; but they might wander, unmolested, as their fancy led them, -through the forest. Shadows still surrounded them, yet these shadows -were fair and lovely to look upon: groups of sweet child-figures at -play, or fair faces which smiled on the two as they passed. - -Flowers, too, more brilliant and beautiful in hue than any they had yet -found, bloomed wherever they looked. Not the pale, scentless blossoms -they had seen before, but flowers which greeted them with rich perfume, -and whose bells and chalice-like cups, touched lightly by the dress of -the children as they passed, rang forth in bright and joyous melody. In -the bells of the flowers sat and swung tiny and beautiful shapes, which -Aster told Eva were the Flower Fairies, the gentlest of the race, whose -sole duty was to carry perfume to, and color the flowers. Some bathed in -the dewdrops on the leaves, others rode, seated on beautiful -butterflies, but all seemed gay and happy. - -The light shed by the growing crescent of the moon seemed brighter; the -soft music which hailed her coming more joyous and triumphant; the -clouds, reflecting the moon's light, wore a rich, rosy tint, reminding -Eva of the light in the Valley of Rest; the grass was green, and soft as -velvet,--the little sparkling brooks which they occasionally crossed all -sung the same song: - - When will Eva's task be done? - When will Aster's flow'r be won? - When his robes from stains are free,-- - When the moon's orb round shall be,-- - Then the trial will be done, - Then shall Aster's flow'r be won. - -For a few days, however, Eva noticed that Aster seemed dull and -spiritless. He scarcely ever spoke, but walked quietly by her side. -Nothing seemed to attract his attention, nothing made him smile; but -every now and then, when they would cross one of the little brooks, and -it would sing its song, he would look down upon his dress, and say, -sadly: - -"It will never be bright again!" - -Yet Eva noticed that he was careful never to trample on the flowers, or -to hurt anything in their path. And as, day after day, the moon -brightened and broadened, and Aster grew with her increase, Eva saw that -the sad, mournful expression in his eyes vanished, and they regained -their former starlike brilliancy. By slow degrees the spots and the -stains upon his dress disappeared; and, as they faded away, Aster became -once more his own playful and happy self. Never before had he been as -gentle or as docile and affectionate as he now was, though he was very -silent; and Eva thought, could he only be always as he was now she would -be content never to leave him; and she began to think, almost with -dread, of their approaching separation. - -On and on they went, till they came to a place where a tiny spring, -bright as a living diamond, gushed up joyously, singing to itself for -very gladness. Soft green mosses and pure white flowers grew around it; -and when Aster saw it, he sprang forward with a joyous cry, and seating -himself near it, he beckoned to Eva to follow his example. - -Then, for the first time since the two had been together, for he had -never before mentioned the past, so that Eva almost thought he had -forgotten it, Aster asked her to tell him how she ever had found him -again. - -And once more Eva told the story,--this time to an interested -listener,--how, after she missed him, she had sought him, but in vain, -among the marked holes, and, seeking him, had climbed the rock to the -door of the Valley of Rest; how she had been admitted, and had dwelt -among the Happy Children till, the day of their absence, the little -brook had brought her the piteous cry, "Eva! Eva! help me!" How this cry -had recalled all she had forgotten, how the Dawn Fairies had given her -the magic boat, in which she had gone through the cavern and down the -Brook of Mists,--and then, leaving the boat, had gone, all alone, up the -Enchanted River to the grotto of the Toad-Woman behind the Cascade of -Rocks; how the woman had advised her, and how she had served the Green -Frog; what the moth, the mouse, and the bird had done for her; how the -skin covering the little green bird had been torn; and how, after the -Frog was carried away by the friendly Fish Fairies, she had known that -the worst was over, and the search nearly done. - -Aster listened, and when Eva paused, he began; and it seemed to her -that, as he told his story, he spoke as he had never before spoken,--as -if he was older, and more matured. - -"I can tell you now," he said, "now that it is all nearly over, who THEY -were of whom you used to wonder that I spoke. The Green Frog and her -servants were the visible forms of THEY to whom my punishment was -committed. Yet, had I obeyed you,--which was part of my trial,--you, -under whose care my friends, who advised you in the shape of the toad -and the Toad-Woman, were allowed to place me, but little of this trouble -would have come upon me. If I failed in obedience to you,--such was the -condition,--if THEY gained the slightest hold upon me,--I must fall -wholly into their power, and then only, if you really wished it, could -your Love have power to overcome their Hate. And you know, Eva, how I -fell into their hands." - -"Yes, I know," Eva said; "but I do not yet see why you crept into the -crevice in the rock." - -"How could I help it?" Aster asked. "After all I had done, and all that -had happened before! Because what must be, will be, and THEY made me." - -"And then, after you went into the rock?" Eva asked, eagerly. "Remember, -I know nothing of that." - -Then Aster told her how, in the crevice of the rock, he had found that -the Green Frog lay in wait for him. How she and her servants had taken -him, bound and tied with the same spider's web from which Eva had, once -before, in the forest, released him, to her hut in the field of mud. And -how, when there, he had to lie in the mud, as a footstool for the -Frog,--and that every night she made him stand before her, and would -laugh at him, and ask him why Eva and his friends did not come to help -him. - -"I was too proud," Aster said, "and too angry, to call for you. I -thought I should, by myself, be able to escape. I tried, but the power -of THEY who kept me was too great for me, and I never once succeeded -even in passing the strange fence around the hut. - -"But all the time, Eva, I knew--and it was part of my punishment--that -an appeal to you could be heard, and that you would come to help me. But -that I--I, a prince,--powerful at home, and only weak now because I had -lost such a trifling thing as a flower, should be compelled to ask help -of one who was able to help me only because she was gentler and kinder -than I was,--I could not do it. Meantime, the Green Frog laughed at my -efforts to escape. Yet, do what she would to me, I never called for you. -She might hang me up in the spider's web,--she might threaten to crush -me,--I was silent. - -"At last I could stand it no longer, I must help to carry heavy stones, -and when their weight nearly crushed me,--for though only shadows to -you, they were realities to me,--I would have rested, the spider would -sting me and scorch me with his poisonous breath,--the jackdaw peck -me,--and the Green Frog would threaten to swallow me, and tell me that -now you never would come to me, for the Dawn Fairies had made you forget -me. And not till then, when they told me you had forgotten me, did I -speak; and the only words that I said were these, 'Eva! Eva! help me!'" - -"Yes," Eva said, "those are the same words that the brook brought me." -And then she told Aster about her dream: how the faces had asked why he -lost his flower; and the frog had spoken of his coat; and the spider -asked why he crept into the rock; and how, between it all, had come the -wailing cry of "Eva! Eva! help me!" - -Then, too, Aster told her how they had spoken of what she must do, and -that they thought she never would do it, or know what was to be done. -And then he went on: - -"But at last the Green Frog grew angry, when she found that, no matter -what she said or did, I only answered, 'Eva! Eva! help me!' For then, -making her servants strip off my coat, she touched me with a stick, and -said to me: - -"'You shall never let Eva hear you. I will silence you.' - -"And, as she spoke, I was changed all at once into the little green bird -in whose shape you found me. And then the Frog, putting me in a cage, -said: - -"'You can never get out till your friend gets the piece of your coat, -the coat itself, and then finds you. If she does these things, you may -be free; but these things she cannot do unless others help her; and not -till after all these things are done can she hope to find your flower -again.' - -"The rest, Eva, you know." - -As Aster spoke, Eva looked at him. And she saw that, on the rich, green -velvet of his dress, only a few tiny spots and stains were left; and -then she began to wonder what would happen when the moon would again be -full, and the flower they had sought so long should bloom and be found. -Would Aster then return to his home? and, as for herself, what would -become of her? - -But she did not wonder long, for the soft music which attended the -disappearance of the moon thrilled through the forest, and Eva and -Aster, by the side of the spring, lay down and slept. And, once more, as -on the first night that Eva, holding the tiny form of Aster to her -heart, had slept on the mossy bed where once the golden fountain had -played, the two fair white forms bent over the sleeping children, and -one said: - -"The punishment is over." - -"Yes," was the other's reply, "Love has overcome Hate, and Aster has -been led back, through its gentle influences, to his true self once -more." - -Yet, even as they spoke, two figures, with the hateful faces Eva had -seen, crept slowly up through the darkness to where the children lay. -But the white forms, hovering over their sleep, spoke: - -"Go back, oh, evil fairies! to the dark shadows among which ye dwell! -Here your power is over, and our Prince is a prince once more." - -And, with a low cry of disappointment and rage, the two, turning away -from the bright forms, shrank into the darkness, and were seen no more. -Then, with a smile on their beautiful faces, the two bright forms bent -caressingly over the sleepers; and a moment later they, too, were gone, -and Eva and Aster were alone. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - _THE LAST OF SHADOW-LAND._ - - -Once again there rang through the forest a strain of rich and gleeful -music. Once more the moon rose, a bright, unbroken circle, to her -station in the sky. A soft, rosy light lingered everywhere; flowers of -rarer beauty than ever, bloomed in profusion; the murmur of the spring -was sweeter than ever, and as Eva awoke, and looked at Aster, she saw -that neither spot nor stain defaced his rich dress, but that it was as -unsullied as her own. And as she looked upon her young companion, now as -tall as herself, and with something in his bearing Eva had never been -conscious of before,--something noble and princelike,--she heard a voice -from the spring murmuring, in soft, melodious tones: - - "'Tis the hour! - Aster's flower - Here shall bloom!" - -And oh! what a sweet smile curved Aster's lips as he heard these words! -Yet, when Eva would have spoken, he laid his hand gently upon her mouth, -as though to command silence; and the child, feeling that their -positions, somehow, were strangely reversed,--that it was now Aster's -turn to command and hers to obey,--was silent. - -The two stood, looking into the dear water of the spring. Then Aster -seated himself on the moss, in silence, and beckoned to Eva to do the -same, and without hesitating she followed his example. - -They sat, not a word passing between them, and on each fair face was a -different expression. On Aster's was all joyous expectation, all smiles -and happiness; on Eva's there was a serious look, almost amounting to -mournfulness. It pained her, more than she was willing to confess, to -think that, after all she had borne and done for Aster, he should -welcome their separation so gladly; for, however much they might wish to -remain together, the finding of the flower would be the signal for their -parting; and the toil and trouble through, which Eva had passed for -Aster's sake had only the more endeared him to her. He seemed already -far, far away from her, and Eva knew she was no longer necessary to him. - -And as Eva, sitting by Aster's side, thought of all this, somehow the -place where they sat seemed to grow more familiar; another and a -well-known sound mingled with the other sounds of the forest,--the voice -of falling waters. And then, as Aster's face grew brighter and more -expectant, and his starlike eyes sparkled, Eva felt a sudden dimness -gather in her own, and first one large tear and then another rolled down -her cheeks, and dropped, as she bent over it, into the waters of the -little spring. - -But she was wholly unprepared for what followed. Aster sprang to his -feet, and the words, "Look, Eva, look!" passed his lips. And as Eva, her -hand now clasped in his, looked, the spring bubbled and foamed, and -then, its waters parting, up rose from its bosom the Golden Fountain, -with its clouds of glistening, golden spray; its rainbow sparkles of -colored light; its musical falls and its dancing elves, as she had long -since seen it. - -Nor was this all. For, even as the children gazed, there appeared in the -calm water at the foot of the fountain a bud, folded in soft, green -leaves; and, by slow degrees, as Eva looked, the bud rose from the -encircling foliage, and its stem grew higher and higher, and then, -slowly and gracefully, its pure white petals opened, like a fair and -stainless ivory cup enfolding a golden torch, and it breathed forth the -fragrance of many violets: and, as Eva looked, she knew that the search -was over, and the pure white lily before them was Aster's flower, won at -last. - -Then Eva's blue eyes shone with joy, and her fair cheeks flushed, and -she turned to Aster: - -"Aster, be glad; for your flower is won, and all that remains is for you -to pluck it." - -"No," he said, slowly; "that is not for me to do. I can only receive it -as your gift, Eva; I am not worthy to gather it,--that can only be done -by your hand." - -And Eva, bending over the water, plucked the beautiful lily, with its -long stem, and laid it in Aster's hand. And, as his fingers clasped the -gift, a swell of music thrilled through the air, and Eva saw, hovering -over them, the two fair, white forms which had come before, and which -she at once knew had, under the shapes of the toad and the Toad-Woman, -led and advised her, and she pointed them out to Aster. And, as Aster -raised his eyes to them, they beckoned to him, and smiled upon Eva; and -she knew that all was over, and the moment had come for them to part. - -Still, not a word passed between them. Eva's eyes were fixed upon -Aster,--his were raised to the bright hovering forms. Then, holding the -lily in his hand, he turned to Eva and pressed his lips to her brow. - -"That was the kiss with which you woke me, Eva, given back to you,--this -is because I love you." - -He kissed her lips, and as he did so a bright crimson light flashed -suddenly around them, dazzling Eva's blue eyes, so that she -involuntarily closed them, and then the sweet breath of violets floated -around them, and all was still. - - -Eva sat up, and rubbed her eyes. Tall, wavy grass grew all around her, -violets, dandelions, and buttercups bloomed through it, and her lap was -full of the pretty field-flowers. Bees were buzzing and collecting -honey,--butterflies floated lazily about on their black-and-golden -wings,--the brown beetle, with his long black feelers, swung on the tall -grass-stalk,--the crickets chirped,--the snail had put out his -horns,--the old mill-pond glistened and shone in the long, slanting rays -of the setting sun,--there was her father's house,--everything was just -as it used to be, except the green toad, and that was a very important -exception. - -And while Eva was rubbing her eyes, and trying to think where she could -be, and what all this meant, she heard the tea-bell ring, and as that -was very easy to understand, she got up and went to the house. She -peeped through the window before she went in, and everything seemed -right in there. For her mother was just folding up her work,--the baby -was crowing and playing with his rattle in the cradle,--strawberries and -cream and sponge-cake were on the table; and when Eva came quietly in, -and slipped into her seat by her father, he put his hand on her curls, -and asked her if she had had a nice time down by the pond the whole -afternoon. - -"Yes, papa," was all Eva could say, and then she paid very strict -attention to her saucer of ripe strawberries covered with cream. - -Presently her mother said: - -"My little girl had a nice long nap this afternoon. I called her once, -and she only raised her head for a minute, and then down it went again." - -Papa laughed. - -"Strawberries and cream waked her up at last." - -And Eva never said a word. - - -But to this day she never sees a shooting-star without wondering what -has been lost in the moon,--she never sees a toad without thinking it -may be a fairy in disguise, and every lily recalls Aster and his flower. - -For Eva believes in fairies. Why should she not? She knows all about -them. She has never told any one,--not even papa, though he never laughs -at her; but if Eva should live to be an old woman--and I hope she -may!--she will never forget her - - Adventures in Shadow-Land. - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - ---Copyright notice provided as in the original--this e-text is public - domain in the country of publication. - ---Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and - dialect unchanged. - ---In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the - HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.) - ---Released the other part of this printed volume, The Merman and The - Figure-Head, as a separate Gutenberg edition, but retained the - original combined title-page as a bibliographic record. - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Eva's Adventures in Shadow-Land, by Mary D. 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