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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A House of Pomegranates, by Oscar Wilde
+(#8 in our series by Oscar Wilde)
+
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+Title: A House of Pomegranates
+
+Author: Oscar Wilde
+
+Release Date: April, 1997  [EBook #873]
+[This file was first posted on April 8, 1997]
+[Most recently updated: September 25, 2002]
+
+Edition: 10
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, A HOUSE OF POMEGRANATES ***
+
+
+
+
+Transcribed from the 1915 Methuen and Co. edition by David Price,
+email ccx074@coventry.ac.uk
+
+
+
+
+A HOUSE OF POMEGRANATES
+
+
+
+
+Contents:
+
+The Young King
+The Birthday of the Infanta
+The Fisherman and his Soul
+The Star-child
+
+
+
+
+THE YOUNG KING
+
+
+
+
+[TO MARGARET LADY BROOKE--THE RANEE OF SARAWAK]
+
+
+It was the night before the day fixed for his coronation, and the
+young King was sitting alone in his beautiful chamber.  His
+courtiers had all taken their leave of him, bowing their heads to
+the ground, according to the ceremonious usage of the day, and had
+retired to the Great Hall of the Palace, to receive a few last
+lessons from the Professor of Etiquette; there being some of them
+who had still quite natural manners, which in a courtier is, I need
+hardly say, a very grave offence.
+
+The lad--for he was only a lad, being but sixteen years of age--was
+not sorry at their departure, and had flung himself back with a
+deep sigh of relief on the soft cushions of his embroidered couch,
+lying there, wild-eyed and open-mouthed, like a brown woodland
+Faun, or some young animal of the forest newly snared by the
+hunters.
+
+And, indeed, it was the hunters who had found him, coming upon him
+almost by chance as, bare-limbed and pipe in hand, he was following
+the flock of the poor goatherd who had brought him up, and whose
+son he had always fancied himself to be.  The child of the old
+King's only daughter by a secret marriage with one much beneath her
+in station--a stranger, some said, who, by the wonderful magic of
+his lute-playing, had made the young Princess love him; while
+others spoke of an artist from Rimini, to whom the Princess had
+shown much, perhaps too much honour, and who had suddenly
+disappeared from the city, leaving his work in the Cathedral
+unfinished--he had been, when but a week old, stolen away from his
+mother's side, as she slept, and given into the charge of a common
+peasant and his wife, who were without children of their own, and
+lived in a remote part of the forest, more than a day's ride from
+the town.  Grief, or the plague, as the court physician stated, or,
+as some suggested, a swift Italian poison administered in a cup of
+spiced wine, slew, within an hour of her wakening, the white girl
+who had given him birth, and as the trusty messenger who bare the
+child across his saddle-bow stooped from his weary horse and
+knocked at the rude door of the goatherd's hut, the body of the
+Princess was being lowered into an open grave that had been dug in
+a deserted churchyard, beyond the city gates, a grave where it was
+said that another body was also lying, that of a young man of
+marvellous and foreign beauty, whose hands were tied behind him
+with a knotted cord, and whose breast was stabbed with many red
+wounds.
+
+Such, at least, was the story that men whispered to each other.
+Certain it was that the old King, when on his deathbed, whether
+moved by remorse for his great sin, or merely desiring that the
+kingdom should not pass away from his line, had had the lad sent
+for, and, in the presence of the Council, had acknowledged him as
+his heir.
+
+And it seems that from the very first moment of his recognition he
+had shown signs of that strange passion for beauty that was
+destined to have so great an influence over his life.  Those who
+accompanied him to the suite of rooms set apart for his service,
+often spoke of the cry of pleasure that broke from his lips when he
+saw the delicate raiment and rich jewels that had been prepared for
+him, and of the almost fierce joy with which he flung aside his
+rough leathern tunic and coarse sheepskin cloak.  He missed,
+indeed, at times the fine freedom of his forest life, and was
+always apt to chafe at the tedious Court ceremonies that occupied
+so much of each day, but the wonderful palace--Joyeuse, as they
+called it--of which he now found himself lord, seemed to him to be
+a new world fresh-fashioned for his delight; and as soon as he
+could escape from the council-board or audience-chamber, he would
+run down the great staircase, with its lions of gilt bronze and its
+steps of bright porphyry, and wander from room to room, and from
+corridor to corridor, like one who was seeking to find in beauty an
+anodyne from pain, a sort of restoration from sickness.
+
+Upon these journeys of discovery, as he would call them--and,
+indeed, they were to him real voyages through a marvellous land, he
+would sometimes be accompanied by the slim, fair-haired Court
+pages, with their floating mantles, and gay fluttering ribands; but
+more often he would be alone, feeling through a certain quick
+instinct, which was almost a divination, that the secrets of art
+are best learned in secret, and that Beauty, like Wisdom, loves the
+lonely worshipper.
+
+
+Many curious stories were related about him at this period.  It was
+said that a stout Burgo-master, who had come to deliver a florid
+oratorical address on behalf of the citizens of the town, had
+caught sight of him kneeling in real adoration before a great
+picture that had just been brought from Venice, and that seemed to
+herald the worship of some new gods.  On another occasion he had
+been missed for several hours, and after a lengthened search had
+been discovered in a little chamber in one of the northern turrets
+of the palace gazing, as one in a trance, at a Greek gem carved
+with the figure of Adonis.  He had been seen, so the tale ran,
+pressing his warm lips to the marble brow of an antique statue that
+had been discovered in the bed of the river on the occasion of the
+building of the stone bridge, and was inscribed with the name of
+the Bithynian slave of Hadrian.  He had passed a whole night in
+noting the effect of the moonlight on a silver image of Endymion.
+
+All rare and costly materials had certainly a great fascination for
+him, and in his eagerness to procure them he had sent away many
+merchants, some to traffic for amber with the rough fisher-folk of
+the north seas, some to Egypt to look for that curious green
+turquoise which is found only in the tombs of kings, and is said to
+possess magical properties, some to Persia for silken carpets and
+painted pottery, and others to India to buy gauze and stained
+ivory, moonstones and bracelets of jade, sandal-wood and blue
+enamel and shawls of fine wool.
+
+But what had occupied him most was the robe he was to wear at his
+coronation, the robe of tissued gold, and the ruby-studded crown,
+and the sceptre with its rows and rings of pearls.  Indeed, it was
+of this that he was thinking to-night, as he lay back on his
+luxurious couch, watching the great pinewood log that was burning
+itself out on the open hearth.  The designs, which were from the
+hands of the most famous artists of the time, had been submitted to
+him many months before, and he had given orders that the artificers
+were to toil night and day to carry them out, and that the whole
+world was to be searched for jewels that would be worthy of their
+work.  He saw himself in fancy standing at the high altar of the
+cathedral in the fair raiment of a King, and a smile played and
+lingered about his boyish lips, and lit up with a bright lustre his
+dark woodland eyes.
+
+After some time he rose from his seat, and leaning against the
+carved penthouse of the chimney, looked round at the dimly-lit
+room.  The walls were hung with rich tapestries representing the
+Triumph of Beauty.  A large press, inlaid with agate and lapis-
+lazuli, filled one corner, and facing the window stood a curiously
+wrought cabinet with lacquer panels of powdered and mosaiced gold,
+on which were placed some delicate goblets of Venetian glass, and a
+cup of dark-veined onyx.  Pale poppies were broidered on the silk
+coverlet of the bed, as though they had fallen from the tired hands
+of sleep, and tall reeds of fluted ivory bare up the velvet canopy,
+from which great tufts of ostrich plumes sprang, like white foam,
+to the pallid silver of the fretted ceiling.  A laughing Narcissus
+in green bronze held a polished mirror above its head.  On the
+table stood a flat bowl of amethyst.
+
+Outside he could see the huge dome of the cathedral, looming like a
+bubble over the shadowy houses, and the weary sentinels pacing up
+and down on the misty terrace by the river.  Far away, in an
+orchard, a nightingale was singing.  A faint perfume of jasmine
+came through the open window.  He brushed his brown curls back from
+his forehead, and taking up a lute, let his fingers stray across
+the cords.  His heavy eyelids drooped, and a strange languor came
+over him.  Never before had he felt so keenly, or with such
+exquisite joy, the magic and the mystery of beautiful things.
+
+When midnight sounded from the clock-tower he touched a bell, and
+his pages entered and disrobed him with much ceremony, pouring
+rose-water over his hands, and strewing flowers on his pillow.  A
+few moments after that they had left the room, he fell asleep.
+
+
+And as he slept he dreamed a dream, and this was his dream.
+
+He thought that he was standing in a long, low attic, amidst the
+whir and clatter of many looms.  The meagre daylight peered in
+through the grated windows, and showed him the gaunt figures of the
+weavers bending over their cases.  Pale, sickly-looking children
+were crouched on the huge crossbeams.  As the shuttles dashed
+through the warp they lifted up the heavy battens, and when the
+shuttles stopped they let the battens fall and pressed the threads
+together.  Their faces were pinched with famine, and their thin
+hands shook and trembled.  Some haggard women were seated at a
+table sewing.  A horrible odour filled the place.  The air was foul
+and heavy, and the walls dripped and streamed with damp.
+
+The young King went over to one of the weavers, and stood by him
+and watched him.
+
+And the weaver looked at him angrily, and said, 'Why art thou
+watching me?  Art thou a spy set on us by our master?'
+
+'Who is thy master?' asked the young King.
+
+'Our master!' cried the weaver, bitterly.  'He is a man like
+myself.  Indeed, there is but this difference between us--that he
+wears fine clothes while I go in rags, and that while I am weak
+from hunger he suffers not a little from overfeeding.'
+
+'The land is free,' said the young King, 'and thou art no man's
+slave.'
+
+'In war,' answered the weaver, 'the strong make slaves of the weak,
+and in peace the rich make slaves of the poor.  We must work to
+live, and they give us such mean wages that we die.  We toil for
+them all day long, and they heap up gold in their coffers, and our
+children fade away before their time, and the faces of those we
+love become hard and evil.  We tread out the grapes, and another
+drinks the wine.  We sow the corn, and our own board is empty.  We
+have chains, though no eye beholds them; and are slaves, though men
+call us free.'
+
+'Is it so with all?' he asked,
+
+'It is so with all,' answered the weaver, 'with the young as well
+as with the old, with the women as well as with the men, with the
+little children as well as with those who are stricken in years.
+The merchants grind us down, and we must needs do their bidding.
+The priest rides by and tells his beads, and no man has care of us.
+Through our sunless lanes creeps Poverty with her hungry eyes, and
+Sin with his sodden face follows close behind her.  Misery wakes us
+in the morning, and Shame sits with us at night.  But what are
+these things to thee?  Thou art not one of us.  Thy face is too
+happy.'  And he turned away scowling, and threw the shuttle across
+the loom, and the young King saw that it was threaded with a thread
+of gold.
+
+And a great terror seized upon him, and he said to the weaver,
+'What robe is this that thou art weaving?'
+
+'It is the robe for the coronation of the young King,' he answered;
+'what is that to thee?'
+
+And the young King gave a loud cry and woke, and lo! he was in his
+own chamber, and through the window he saw the great honey-coloured
+moon hanging in the dusky air.
+
+
+And he fell asleep again and dreamed, and this was his dream.
+
+He thought that he was lying on the deck of a huge galley that was
+being rowed by a hundred slaves.  On a carpet by his side the
+master of the galley was seated.  He was black as ebony, and his
+turban was of crimson silk.  Great earrings of silver dragged down
+the thick lobes of his ears, and in his hands he had a pair of
+ivory scales.
+
+The slaves were naked, but for a ragged loin-cloth, and each man
+was chained to his neighbour.  The hot sun beat brightly upon them,
+and the negroes ran up and down the gangway and lashed them with
+whips of hide.  They stretched out their lean arms and pulled the
+heavy oars through the water.  The salt spray flew from the blades.
+
+At last they reached a little bay, and began to take soundings.  A
+light wind blew from the shore, and covered the deck and the great
+lateen sail with a fine red dust.  Three Arabs mounted on wild
+asses rode out and threw spears at them.  The master of the galley
+took a painted bow in his hand and shot one of them in the throat.
+He fell heavily into the surf, and his companions galloped away.  A
+woman wrapped in a yellow veil followed slowly on a camel, looking
+back now and then at the dead body.
+
+As soon as they had cast anchor and hauled down the sail, the
+negroes went into the hold and brought up a long rope-ladder,
+heavily weighted with lead.  The master of the galley threw it over
+the side, making the ends fast to two iron stanchions.  Then the
+negroes seized the youngest of the slaves and knocked his gyves
+off, and filled his nostrils and his ears with wax, and tied a big
+stone round his waist.  He crept wearily down the ladder, and
+disappeared into the sea.  A few bubbles rose where he sank.  Some
+of the other slaves peered curiously over the side.  At the prow of
+the galley sat a shark-charmer, beating monotonously upon a drum.
+
+After some time the diver rose up out of the water, and clung
+panting to the ladder with a pearl in his right hand.  The negroes
+seized it from him, and thrust him back.  The slaves fell asleep
+over their oars.
+
+Again and again he came up, and each time that he did so he brought
+with him a beautiful pearl.  The master of the galley weighed them,
+and put them into a little bag of green leather.
+
+The young King tried to speak, but his tongue seemed to cleave to
+the roof of his mouth, and his lips refused to move.  The negroes
+chattered to each other, and began to quarrel over a string of
+bright beads.  Two cranes flew round and round the vessel.
+
+Then the diver came up for the last time, and the pearl that he
+brought with him was fairer than all the pearls of Ormuz, for it
+was shaped like the full moon, and whiter than the morning star.
+But his face was strangely pale, and as he fell upon the deck the
+blood gushed from his ears and nostrils.  He quivered for a little,
+and then he was still.  The negroes shrugged their shoulders, and
+threw the body overboard.
+
+And the master of the galley laughed, and, reaching out, he took
+the pearl, and when he saw it he pressed it to his forehead and
+bowed.  'It shall be,' he said, 'for the sceptre of the young
+King,' and he made a sign to the negroes to draw up the anchor.
+
+And when the young King heard this he gave a great cry, and woke,
+and through the window he saw the long grey fingers of the dawn
+clutching at the fading stars.
+
+
+And he fell asleep again, and dreamed, and this was his dream.
+
+He thought that he was wandering through a dim wood, hung with
+strange fruits and with beautiful poisonous flowers.  The adders
+hissed at him as he went by, and the bright parrots flew screaming
+from branch to branch.  Huge tortoises lay asleep upon the hot mud.
+The trees were full of apes and peacocks.
+
+On and on he went, till he reached the outskirts of the wood, and
+there he saw an immense multitude of men toiling in the bed of a
+dried-up river.  They swarmed up the crag like ants.  They dug deep
+pits in the ground and went down into them.  Some of them cleft the
+rocks with great axes; others grabbled in the sand.
+
+They tore up the cactus by its roots, and trampled on the scarlet
+blossoms.  They hurried about, calling to each other, and no man
+was idle.
+
+From the darkness of a cavern Death and Avarice watched them, and
+Death said, 'I am weary; give me a third of them and let me go.'
+But Avarice shook her head.  'They are my servants,' she answered.
+
+And Death said to her, 'What hast thou in thy hand?'
+
+'I have three grains of corn,' she answered; 'what is that to
+thee?'
+
+'Give me one of them,' cried Death, 'to plant in my garden; only
+one of them, and I will go away.'
+
+'I will not give thee anything,' said Avarice, and she hid her hand
+in the fold of her raiment.
+
+And Death laughed, and took a cup, and dipped it into a pool of
+water, and out of the cup rose Ague.  She passed through the great
+multitude, and a third of them lay dead.  A cold mist followed her,
+and the water-snakes ran by her side.
+
+And when Avarice saw that a third of the multitude was dead she
+beat her breast and wept.  She beat her barren bosom, and cried
+aloud.  'Thou hast slain a third of my servants,' she cried, 'get
+thee gone.  There is war in the mountains of Tartary, and the kings
+of each side are calling to thee.  The Afghans have slain the black
+ox, and are marching to battle.  They have beaten upon their
+shields with their spears, and have put on their helmets of iron.
+What is my valley to thee, that thou shouldst tarry in it?  Get
+thee gone, and come here no more.'
+
+'Nay,' answered Death, 'but till thou hast given me a grain of corn
+I will not go.'
+
+But Avarice shut her hand, and clenched her teeth.  'I will not
+give thee anything,' she muttered.
+
+And Death laughed, and took up a black stone, and threw it into the
+forest, and out of a thicket of wild hemlock came Fever in a robe
+of flame.  She passed through the multitude, and touched them, and
+each man that she touched died.  The grass withered beneath her
+feet as she walked.
+
+And Avarice shuddered, and put ashes on her head.  'Thou art
+cruel,' she cried; 'thou art cruel.  There is famine in the walled
+cities of India, and the cisterns of Samarcand have run dry.  There
+is famine in the walled cities of Egypt, and the locusts have come
+up from the desert.  The Nile has not overflowed its banks, and the
+priests have cursed Isis and Osiris.  Get thee gone to those who
+need thee, and leave me my servants.'
+
+'Nay,' answered Death, 'but till thou hast given me a grain of corn
+I will not go.'
+
+'I will not give thee anything,' said Avarice.
+
+And Death laughed again, and he whistled through his fingers, and a
+woman came flying through the air.  Plague was written upon her
+forehead, and a crowd of lean vultures wheeled round her.  She
+covered the valley with her wings, and no man was left alive.
+
+And Avarice fled shrieking through the forest, and Death leaped
+upon his red horse and galloped away, and his galloping was faster
+than the wind.
+
+And out of the slime at the bottom of the valley crept dragons and
+horrible things with scales, and the jackals came trotting along
+the sand, sniffing up the air with their nostrils.
+
+And the young King wept, and said:  'Who were these men, and for
+what were they seeking?'
+
+'For rubies for a king's crown,' answered one who stood behind him.
+
+And the young King started, and, turning round, he saw a man
+habited as a pilgrim and holding in his hand a mirror of silver.
+
+And he grew pale, and said:  'For what king?'
+
+And the pilgrim answered:  'Look in this mirror, and thou shalt see
+him.'
+
+And he looked in the mirror, and, seeing his own face, he gave a
+great cry and woke, and the bright sunlight was streaming into the
+room, and from the trees of the garden and pleasaunce the birds
+were singing.
+
+
+And the Chamberlain and the high officers of State came in and made
+obeisance to him, and the pages brought him the robe of tissued
+gold, and set the crown and the sceptre before him.
+
+And the young King looked at them, and they were beautiful.  More
+beautiful were they than aught that he had ever seen.  But he
+remembered his dreams, and he said to his lords:  'Take these
+things away, for I will not wear them.'
+
+And the courtiers were amazed, and some of them laughed, for they
+thought that he was jesting.
+
+But he spake sternly to them again, and said:  'Take these things
+away, and hide them from me.  Though it be the day of my
+coronation, I will not wear them.  For on the loom of Sorrow, and
+by the white hands of Pain, has this my robe been woven.  There is
+Blood in the heart of the ruby, and Death in the heart of the
+pearl.'  And he told them his three dreams.
+
+And when the courtiers heard them they looked at each other and
+whispered, saying:  'Surely he is mad; for what is a dream but a
+dream, and a vision but a vision?  They are not real things that
+one should heed them.  And what have we to do with the lives of
+those who toil for us?  Shall a man not eat bread till he has seen
+the sower, nor drink wine till he has talked with the vinedresser?'
+
+And the Chamberlain spake to the young King, and said, 'My lord, I
+pray thee set aside these black thoughts of thine, and put on this
+fair robe, and set this crown upon thy head.  For how shall the
+people know that thou art a king, if thou hast not a king's
+raiment?'
+
+And the young King looked at him.  'Is it so, indeed?' he
+questioned.  'Will they not know me for a king if I have not a
+king's raiment?'
+
+'They will not know thee, my lord,' cried the Chamberlain.
+
+'I had thought that there had been men who were kinglike,' he
+answered, 'but it may be as thou sayest.  And yet I will not wear
+this robe, nor will I be crowned with this crown, but even as I
+came to the palace so will I go forth from it.'
+
+And he bade them all leave him, save one page whom he kept as his
+companion, a lad a year younger than himself.  Him he kept for his
+service, and when he had bathed himself in clear water, he opened a
+great painted chest, and from it he took the leathern tunic and
+rough sheepskin cloak that he had worn when he had watched on the
+hillside the shaggy goats of the goatherd.  These he put on, and in
+his hand he took his rude shepherd's staff.
+
+And the little page opened his big blue eyes in wonder, and said
+smiling to him, 'My lord, I see thy robe and thy sceptre, but where
+is thy crown?'
+
+And the young King plucked a spray of wild briar that was climbing
+over the balcony, and bent it, and made a circlet of it, and set it
+on his own head.
+
+'This shall he my crown,' he answered.
+
+And thus attired he passed out of his chamber into the Great Hall,
+where the nobles were waiting for him.
+
+And the nobles made merry, and some of them cried out to him, 'My
+lord, the people wait for their king, and thou showest them a
+beggar,' and others were wroth and said, 'He brings shame upon our
+state, and is unworthy to be our master.'  But he answered them not
+a word, but passed on, and went down the bright porphyry staircase,
+and out through the gates of bronze, and mounted upon his horse,
+and rode towards the cathedral, the little page running beside him.
+
+And the people laughed and said, 'It is the King's fool who is
+riding by,' and they mocked him.
+
+And he drew rein and said, 'Nay, but I am the King.'  And he told
+them his three dreams.
+
+And a man came out of the crowd and spake bitterly to him, and
+said, 'Sir, knowest thou not that out of the luxury of the rich
+cometh the life of the poor?  By your pomp we are nurtured, and
+your vices give us bread.  To toil for a hard master is bitter, but
+to have no master to toil for is more bitter still.  Thinkest thou
+that the ravens will feed us?  And what cure hast thou for these
+things?  Wilt thou say to the buyer, "Thou shalt buy for so much,"
+and to the seller, "Thou shalt sell at this price"?  I trow not.
+Therefore go back to thy Palace and put on thy purple and fine
+linen.  What hast thou to do with us, and what we suffer?'
+
+'Are not the rich and the poor brothers?' asked the young King.
+
+'Ay,' answered the man, 'and the name of the rich brother is Cain.'
+
+And the young King's eyes filled with tears, and he rode on through
+the murmurs of the people, and the little page grew afraid and left
+him.
+
+And when he reached the great portal of the cathedral, the soldiers
+thrust their halberts out and said, 'What dost thou seek here?
+None enters by this door but the King.'
+
+And his face flushed with anger, and he said to them, 'I am the
+King,' and waved their halberts aside and passed in.
+
+And when the old Bishop saw him coming in his goatherd's dress, he
+rose up in wonder from his throne, and went to meet him, and said
+to him, 'My son, is this a king's apparel?  And with what crown
+shall I crown thee, and what sceptre shall I place in thy hand?
+Surely this should be to thee a day of joy, and not a day of
+abasement.'
+
+'Shall Joy wear what Grief has fashioned?' said the young King.
+And he told him his three dreams.
+
+And when the Bishop had heard them he knit his brows, and said, 'My
+son, I am an old man, and in the winter of my days, and I know that
+many evil things are done in the wide world.  The fierce robbers
+come down from the mountains, and carry off the little children,
+and sell them to the Moors.  The lions lie in wait for the
+caravans, and leap upon the camels.  The wild boar roots up the
+corn in the valley, and the foxes gnaw the vines upon the hill.
+The pirates lay waste the sea-coast and burn the ships of the
+fishermen, and take their nets from them.  In the salt-marshes live
+the lepers; they have houses of wattled reeds, and none may come
+nigh them.  The beggars wander through the cities, and eat their
+food with the dogs.  Canst thou make these things not to be?  Wilt
+thou take the leper for thy bedfellow, and set the beggar at thy
+board?  Shall the lion do thy bidding, and the wild boar obey thee?
+Is not He who made misery wiser than thou art?  Wherefore I praise
+thee not for this that thou hast done, but I bid thee ride back to
+the Palace and make thy face glad, and put on the raiment that
+beseemeth a king, and with the crown of gold I will crown thee, and
+the sceptre of pearl will I place in thy hand.  And as for thy
+dreams, think no more of them.  The burden of this world is too
+great for one man to bear, and the world's sorrow too heavy for one
+heart to suffer.'
+
+'Sayest thou that in this house?' said the young King, and he
+strode past the Bishop, and climbed up the steps of the altar, and
+stood before the image of Christ.
+
+He stood before the image of Christ, and on his right hand and on
+his left were the marvellous vessels of gold, the chalice with the
+yellow wine, and the vial with the holy oil.  He knelt before the
+image of Christ, and the great candles burned brightly by the
+jewelled shrine, and the smoke of the incense curled in thin blue
+wreaths through the dome.  He bowed his head in prayer, and the
+priests in their stiff copes crept away from the altar.
+
+And suddenly a wild tumult came from the street outside, and in
+entered the nobles with drawn swords and nodding plumes, and
+shields of polished steel.  'Where is this dreamer of dreams?' they
+cried.  'Where is this King who is apparelled like a beggar--this
+boy who brings shame upon our state?  Surely we will slay him, for
+he is unworthy to rule over us.'
+
+And the young King bowed his head again, and prayed, and when he
+had finished his prayer he rose up, and turning round he looked at
+them sadly.
+
+And lo! through the painted windows came the sunlight streaming
+upon him, and the sun-beams wove round him a tissued robe that was
+fairer than the robe that had been fashioned for his pleasure.  The
+dead staff blossomed, and bare lilies that were whiter than pearls.
+The dry thorn blossomed, and bare roses that were redder than
+rubies.  Whiter than fine pearls were the lilies, and their stems
+were of bright silver.  Redder than male rubies were the roses, and
+their leaves were of beaten gold.
+
+He stood there in the raiment of a king, and the gates of the
+jewelled shrine flew open, and from the crystal of the many-rayed
+monstrance shone a marvellous and mystical light.  He stood there
+in a king's raiment, and the Glory of God filled the place, and the
+saints in their carven niches seemed to move.  In the fair raiment
+of a king he stood before them, and the organ pealed out its music,
+and the trumpeters blew upon their trumpets, and the singing boys
+sang.
+
+And the people fell upon their knees in awe, and the nobles
+sheathed their swords and did homage, and the Bishop's face grew
+pale, and his hands trembled.  'A greater than I hath crowned
+thee,' he cried, and he knelt before him.
+
+And the young King came down from the high altar, and passed home
+through the midst of the people.  But no man dared look upon his
+face, for it was like the face of an angel.
+
+
+
+
+THE BIRTHDAY OF THE INFANTA
+
+
+
+
+[TO MRS. WILLIAM H. GRENFELL OF TAPLOW COURT--LADY DESBOROUGH]
+
+
+It was the birthday of the Infanta.  She was just twelve years of
+age, and the sun was shining brightly in the gardens of the palace.
+
+Although she was a real Princess and the Infanta of Spain, she had
+only one birthday every year, just like the children of quite poor
+people, so it was naturally a matter of great importance to the
+whole country that she should have a really fine day for the
+occasion.  And a really fine day it certainly was.  The tall
+striped tulips stood straight up upon their stalks, like long rows
+of soldiers, and looked defiantly across the grass at the roses,
+and said:  'We are quite as splendid as you are now.'  The purple
+butterflies fluttered about with gold dust on their wings, visiting
+each flower in turn; the little lizards crept out of the crevices
+of the wall, and lay basking in the white glare; and the
+pomegranates split and cracked with the heat, and showed their
+bleeding red hearts.  Even the pale yellow lemons, that hung in
+such profusion from the mouldering trellis and along the dim
+arcades, seemed to have caught a richer colour from the wonderful
+sunlight, and the magnolia trees opened their great globe-like
+blossoms of folded ivory, and filled the air with a sweet heavy
+perfume.
+
+The little Princess herself walked up and down the terrace with her
+companions, and played at hide and seek round the stone vases and
+the old moss-grown statues.  On ordinary days she was only allowed
+to play with children of her own rank, so she had always to play
+alone, but her birthday was an exception, and the King had given
+orders that she was to invite any of her young friends whom she
+liked to come and amuse themselves with her.  There was a stately
+grace about these slim Spanish children as they glided about, the
+boys with their large-plumed hats and short fluttering cloaks, the
+girls holding up the trains of their long brocaded gowns, and
+shielding the sun from their eyes with huge fans of black and
+silver.  But the Infanta was the most graceful of all, and the most
+tastefully attired, after the somewhat cumbrous fashion of the day.
+Her robe was of grey satin, the skirt and the wide puffed sleeves
+heavily embroidered with silver, and the stiff corset studded with
+rows of fine pearls.  Two tiny slippers with big pink rosettes
+peeped out beneath her dress as she walked.  Pink and pearl was her
+great gauze fan, and in her hair, which like an aureole of faded
+gold stood out stiffly round her pale little face, she had a
+beautiful white rose.
+
+From a window in the palace the sad melancholy King watched them.
+Behind him stood his brother, Don Pedro of Aragon, whom he hated,
+and his confessor, the Grand Inquisitor of Granada, sat by his
+side.  Sadder even than usual was the King, for as he looked at the
+Infanta bowing with childish gravity to the assembling counters, or
+laughing behind her fan at the grim Duchess of Albuquerque who
+always accompanied her, he thought of the young Queen, her mother,
+who but a short time before--so it seemed to him--had come from the
+gay country of France, and had withered away in the sombre
+splendour of the Spanish court, dying just six months after the
+birth of her child, and before she had seen the almonds blossom
+twice in the orchard, or plucked the second year's fruit from the
+old gnarled fig-tree that stood in the centre of the now grass-
+grown courtyard.  So great had been his love for her that he had
+not suffered even the grave to hide her from him.  She had been
+embalmed by a Moorish physician, who in return for this service had
+been granted his life, which for heresy and suspicion of magical
+practices had been already forfeited, men said, to the Holy Office,
+and her body was still lying on its tapestried bier in the black
+marble chapel of the Palace, just as the monks had borne her in on
+that windy March day nearly twelve years before.  Once every month
+the King, wrapped in a dark cloak and with a muffled lantern in his
+hand, went in and knelt by her side calling out, 'Mi reina!  Mi
+reina!' and sometimes breaking through the formal etiquette that in
+Spain governs every separate action of life, and sets limits even
+to the sorrow of a King, he would clutch at the pale jewelled hands
+in a wild agony of grief, and try to wake by his mad kisses the
+cold painted face.
+
+To-day he seemed to see her again, as he had seen her first at the
+Castle of Fontainebleau, when he was but fifteen years of age, and
+she still younger.  They had been formally betrothed on that
+occasion by the Papal Nuncio in the presence of the French King and
+all the Court, and he had returned to the Escurial bearing with him
+a little ringlet of yellow hair, and the memory of two childish
+lips bending down to kiss his hand as he stepped into his carriage.
+Later on had followed the marriage, hastily performed at Burgos, a
+small town on the frontier between the two countries, and the grand
+public entry into Madrid with the customary celebration of high
+mass at the Church of La Atocha, and a more than usually solemn
+auto-da-fe, in which nearly three hundred heretics, amongst whom
+were many Englishmen, had been delivered over to the secular arm to
+be burned.
+
+Certainly he had loved her madly, and to the ruin, many thought, of
+his country, then at war with England for the possession of the
+empire of the New World.  He had hardly ever permitted her to be
+out of his sight; for her, he had forgotten, or seemed to have
+forgotten, all grave affairs of State; and, with that terrible
+blindness that passion brings upon its servants, he had failed to
+notice that the elaborate ceremonies by which he sought to please
+her did but aggravate the strange malady from which she suffered.
+When she died he was, for a time, like one bereft of reason.
+Indeed, there is no doubt but that he would have formally abdicated
+and retired to the great Trappist monastery at Granada, of which he
+was already titular Prior, had he not been afraid to leave the
+little Infanta at the mercy of his brother, whose cruelty, even in
+Spain, was notorious, and who was suspected by many of having
+caused the Queen's death by means of a pair of poisoned gloves that
+he had presented to her on the occasion of her visiting his castle
+in Aragon.  Even after the expiration of the three years of public
+mourning that he had ordained throughout his whole dominions by
+royal edict, he would never suffer his ministers to speak about any
+new alliance, and when the Emperor himself sent to him, and offered
+him the hand of the lovely Archduchess of Bohemia, his niece, in
+marriage, he bade the ambassadors tell their master that the King
+of Spain was already wedded to Sorrow, and that though she was but
+a barren bride he loved her better than Beauty; an answer that cost
+his crown the rich provinces of the Netherlands, which soon after,
+at the Emperor's instigation, revolted against him under the
+leadership of some fanatics of the Reformed Church.
+
+His whole married life, with its fierce, fiery-coloured joys and
+the terrible agony of its sudden ending, seemed to come back to him
+to-day as he watched the Infanta playing on the terrace.  She had
+all the Queen's pretty petulance of manner, the same wilful way of
+tossing her head, the same proud curved beautiful mouth, the same
+wonderful smile--vrai sourire de France indeed--as she glanced up
+now and then at the window, or stretched out her little hand for
+the stately Spanish gentlemen to kiss.  But the shrill laughter of
+the children grated on his ears, and the bright pitiless sunlight
+mocked his sorrow, and a dull odour of strange spices, spices such
+as embalmers use, seemed to taint--or was it fancy?--the clear
+morning air.  He buried his face in his hands, and when the Infanta
+looked up again the curtains had been drawn, and the King had
+retired.
+
+She made a little moue of disappointment, and shrugged her
+shoulders.  Surely he might have stayed with her on her birthday.
+What did the stupid State-affairs matter?  Or had he gone to that
+gloomy chapel, where the candles were always burning, and where she
+was never allowed to enter?  How silly of him, when the sun was
+shining so brightly, and everybody was so happy!  Besides, he would
+miss the sham bull-fight for which the trumpet was already
+sounding, to say nothing of the puppet-show and the other wonderful
+things.  Her uncle and the Grand Inquisitor were much more
+sensible.  They had come out on the terrace, and paid her nice
+compliments.  So she tossed her pretty head, and taking Don Pedro
+by the hand, she walked slowly down the steps towards a long
+pavilion of purple silk that had been erected at the end of the
+garden, the other children following in strict order of precedence,
+those who had the longest names going first.
+
+
+A procession of noble boys, fantastically dressed as toreadors,
+came out to meet her, and the young Count of Tierra-Nueva, a
+wonderfully handsome lad of about fourteen years of age, uncovering
+his head with all the grace of a born hidalgo and grandee of Spain,
+led her solemnly in to a little gilt and ivory chair that was
+placed on a raised dais above the arena.  The children grouped
+themselves all round, fluttering their big fans and whispering to
+each other, and Don Pedro and the Grand Inquisitor stood laughing
+at the entrance.  Even the Duchess--the Camerera-Mayor as she was
+called--a thin, hard-featured woman with a yellow ruff, did not
+look quite so bad-tempered as usual, and something like a chill
+smile flitted across her wrinkled face and twitched her thin
+bloodless lips.
+
+It certainly was a marvellous bull-fight, and much nicer, the
+Infanta thought, than the real bull-fight that she had been brought
+to see at Seville, on the occasion of the visit of the Duke of
+Parma to her father.  Some of the boys pranced about on richly-
+caparisoned hobby-horses brandishing long javelins with gay
+streamers of bright ribands attached to them; others went on foot
+waving their scarlet cloaks before the bull, and vaulting lightly
+over the barrier when he charged them; and as for the bull himself,
+he was just like a live bull, though he was only made of wicker-
+work and stretched hide, and sometimes insisted on running round
+the arena on his hind legs, which no live bull ever dreams of
+doing.  He made a splendid fight of it too, and the children got so
+excited that they stood up upon the benches, and waved their lace
+handkerchiefs and cried out:  Bravo toro!  Bravo toro! just as
+sensibly as if they had been grown-up people.  At last, however,
+after a prolonged combat, during which several of the hobby-horses
+were gored through and through, and, their riders dismounted, the
+young Count of Tierra-Nueva brought the bull to his knees, and
+having obtained permission from the Infanta to give the coup de
+grace, he plunged his wooden sword into the neck of the animal with
+such violence that the head came right off, and disclosed the
+laughing face of little Monsieur de Lorraine, the son of the French
+Ambassador at Madrid.
+
+The arena was then cleared amidst much applause, and the dead
+hobbyhorses dragged solemnly away by two Moorish pages in yellow
+and black liveries, and after a short interlude, during which a
+French posture-master performed upon the tightrope, some Italian
+puppets appeared in the semi-classical tragedy of Sophonisba on the
+stage of a small theatre that had been built up for the purpose.
+They acted so well, and their gestures were so extremely natural,
+that at the close of the play the eyes of the Infanta were quite
+dim with tears.  Indeed some of the children really cried, and had
+to be comforted with sweetmeats, and the Grand Inquisitor himself
+was so affected that he could not help saying to Don Pedro that it
+seemed to him intolerable that things made simply out of wood and
+coloured wax, and worked mechanically by wires, should be so
+unhappy and meet with such terrible misfortunes.
+
+An African juggler followed, who brought in a large flat basket
+covered with a red cloth, and having placed it in the centre of the
+arena, he took from his turban a curious reed pipe, and blew
+through it.  In a few moments the cloth began to move, and as the
+pipe grew shriller and shriller two green and gold snakes put out
+their strange wedge-shaped heads and rose slowly up, swaying to and
+fro with the music as a plant sways in the water.  The children,
+however, were rather frightened at their spotted hoods and quick
+darting tongues, and were much more pleased when the juggler made a
+tiny orange-tree grow out of the sand and bear pretty white
+blossoms and clusters of real fruit; and when he took the fan of
+the little daughter of the Marquess de Las-Torres, and changed it
+into a blue bird that flew all round the pavilion and sang, their
+delight and amazement knew no bounds.  The solemn minuet, too,
+performed by the dancing boys from the church of Nuestra Senora Del
+Pilar, was charming.  The Infanta had never before seen this
+wonderful ceremony which takes place every year at Maytime in front
+of the high altar of the Virgin, and in her honour; and indeed none
+of the royal family of Spain had entered the great cathedral of
+Saragossa since a mad priest, supposed by many to have been in the
+pay of Elizabeth of England, had tried to administer a poisoned
+wafer to the Prince of the Asturias.  So she had known only by
+hearsay of 'Our Lady's Dance,' as it was called, and it certainly
+was a beautiful sight.  The boys wore old-fashioned court dresses
+of white velvet, and their curious three-cornered hats were fringed
+with silver and surmounted with huge plumes of ostrich feathers,
+the dazzling whiteness of their costumes, as they moved about in
+the sunlight, being still more accentuated by their swarthy faces
+and long black hair.  Everybody was fascinated by the grave dignity
+with which they moved through the intricate figures of the dance,
+and by the elaborate grace of their slow gestures, and stately
+bows, and when they had finished their performance and doffed their
+great plumed hats to the Infanta, she acknowledged their reverence
+with much courtesy, and made a vow that she would send a large wax
+candle to the shrine of Our Lady of Pilar in return for the
+pleasure that she had given her.
+
+A troop of handsome Egyptians--as the gipsies were termed in those
+days--then advanced into the arena, and sitting down cross-legs, in
+a circle, began to play softly upon their zithers, moving their
+bodies to the tune, and humming, almost below their breath, a low
+dreamy air.  When they caught sight of Don Pedro they scowled at
+him, and some of them looked terrified, for only a few weeks before
+he had had two of their tribe hanged for sorcery in the market-
+place at Seville, but the pretty Infanta charmed them as she leaned
+back peeping over her fan with her great blue eyes, and they felt
+sure that one so lovely as she was could never be cruel to anybody.
+So they played on very gently and just touching the cords of the
+zithers with their long pointed nails, and their heads began to nod
+as though they were falling asleep.  Suddenly, with a cry so shrill
+that all the children were startled and Don Pedro's hand clutched
+at the agate pommel of his dagger, they leapt to their feet and
+whirled madly round the enclosure beating their tambourines, and
+chaunting some wild love-song in their strange guttural language.
+Then at another signal they all flung themselves again to the
+ground and lay there quite still, the dull strumming of the zithers
+being the only sound that broke the silence.  After that they had
+done this several times, they disappeared for a moment and came
+back leading a brown shaggy bear by a chain, and carrying on their
+shoulders some little Barbary apes.  The bear stood upon his head
+with the utmost gravity, and the wizened apes played all kinds of
+amusing tricks with two gipsy boys who seemed to be their masters,
+and fought with tiny swords, and fired off guns, and went through a
+regular soldier's drill just like the King's own bodyguard.  In
+fact the gipsies were a great success.
+
+But the funniest part of the whole morning's entertainment, was
+undoubtedly the dancing of the little Dwarf.  When he stumbled into
+the arena, waddling on his crooked legs and wagging his huge
+misshapen head from side to side, the children went off into a loud
+shout of delight, and the Infanta herself laughed so much that the
+Camerera was obliged to remind her that although there were many
+precedents in Spain for a King's daughter weeping before her
+equals, there were none for a Princess of the blood royal making so
+merry before those who were her inferiors in birth.  The Dwarf,
+however, was really quite irresistible, and even at the Spanish
+Court, always noted for its cultivated passion for the horrible, so
+fantastic a little monster had never been seen.  It was his first
+appearance, too.  He had been discovered only the day before,
+running wild through the forest, by two of the nobles who happened
+to have been hunting in a remote part of the great cork-wood that
+surrounded the town, and had been carried off by them to the Palace
+as a surprise for the Infanta; his father, who was a poor charcoal-
+burner, being but too well pleased to get rid of so ugly and
+useless a child.  Perhaps the most amusing thing about him was his
+complete unconsciousness of his own grotesque appearance.  Indeed
+he seemed quite happy and full of the highest spirits.  When the
+children laughed, he laughed as freely and as joyously as any of
+them, and at the close of each dance he made them each the funniest
+of bows, smiling and nodding at them just as if he was really one
+of themselves, and not a little misshapen thing that Nature, in
+some humourous mood, had fashioned for others to mock at.  As for
+the Infanta, she absolutely fascinated him.  He could not keep his
+eyes off her, and seemed to dance for her alone, and when at the
+close of the performance, remembering how she had seen the great
+ladies of the Court throw bouquets to Caffarelli, the famous
+Italian treble, whom the Pope had sent from his own chapel to
+Madrid that he might cure the King's melancholy by the sweetness of
+his voice, she took out of her hair the beautiful white rose, and
+partly for a jest and partly to tease the Camerera, threw it to him
+across the arena with her sweetest smile, he took the whole matter
+quite seriously, and pressing the flower to his rough coarse lips
+he put his hand upon his heart, and sank on one knee before her,
+grinning from ear to ear, and with his little bright eyes sparkling
+with pleasure.
+
+This so upset the gravity of the Infanta that she kept on laughing
+long after the little Dwarf had ran out of the arena, and expressed
+a desire to her uncle that the dance should be immediately
+repeated.  The Camerera, however, on the plea that the sun was too
+hot, decided that it would be better that her Highness should
+return without delay to the Palace, where a wonderful feast had
+been already prepared for her, including a real birthday cake with
+her own initials worked all over it in painted sugar and a lovely
+silver flag waving from the top.  The Infanta accordingly rose up
+with much dignity, and having given orders that the little dwarf
+was to dance again for her after the hour of siesta, and conveyed
+her thanks to the young Count of Tierra-Nueva for his charming
+reception, she went back to her apartments, the children following
+in the same order in which they had entered.
+
+
+Now when the little Dwarf heard that he was to dance a second time
+before the Infanta, and by her own express command, he was so proud
+that he ran out into the garden, kissing the white rose in an
+absurd ecstasy of pleasure, and making the most uncouth and clumsy
+gestures of delight.
+
+The Flowers were quite indignant at his daring to intrude into
+their beautiful home, and when they saw him capering up and down
+the walks, and waving his arms above his head in such a ridiculous
+manner, they could not restrain their feelings any longer.
+
+'He is really far too ugly to be allowed to play in any place where
+we are,' cried the Tulips.
+
+'He should drink poppy-juice, and go to sleep for a thousand
+years,' said the great scarlet Lilies, and they grew quite hot and
+angry.
+
+'He is a perfect horror!' screamed the Cactus.  'Why, he is twisted
+and stumpy, and his head is completely out of proportion with his
+legs.  Really he makes me feel prickly all over, and if he comes
+near me I will sting him with my thorns.'
+
+'And he has actually got one of my best blooms,' exclaimed the
+White Rose-Tree.  'I gave it to the Infanta this morning myself, as
+a birthday present, and he has stolen it from her.'  And she called
+out:  'Thief, thief, thief!' at the top of her voice.
+
+Even the red Geraniums, who did not usually give themselves airs,
+and were known to have a great many poor relations themselves,
+curled up in disgust when they saw him, and when the Violets meekly
+remarked that though he was certainly extremely plain, still he
+could not help it, they retorted with a good deal of justice that
+that was his chief defect, and that there was no reason why one
+should admire a person because he was incurable; and, indeed, some
+of the Violets themselves felt that the ugliness of the little
+Dwarf was almost ostentatious, and that he would have shown much
+better taste if he had looked sad, or at least pensive, instead of
+jumping about merrily, and throwing himself into such grotesque and
+silly attitudes.
+
+As for the old Sundial, who was an extremely remarkable individual,
+and had once told the time of day to no less a person than the
+Emperor Charles V. himself, he was so taken aback by the little
+Dwarf's appearance, that he almost forgot to mark two whole minutes
+with his long shadowy finger, and could not help saying to the
+great milk-white Peacock, who was sunning herself on the
+balustrade, that every one knew that the children of Kings were
+Kings, and that the children of charcoal-burners were charcoal-
+burners, and that it was absurd to pretend that it wasn't so; a
+statement with which the Peacock entirely agreed, and indeed
+screamed out, 'Certainly, certainly,' in such a loud, harsh voice,
+that the gold-fish who lived in the basin of the cool splashing
+fountain put their heads out of the water, and asked the huge stone
+Tritons what on earth was the matter.
+
+But somehow the Birds liked him.  They had seen him often in the
+forest, dancing about like an elf after the eddying leaves, or
+crouched up in the hollow of some old oak-tree, sharing his nuts
+with the squirrels.  They did not mind his being ugly, a bit.  Why,
+even the nightingale herself, who sang so sweetly in the orange
+groves at night that sometimes the Moon leaned down to listen, was
+not much to look at after all; and, besides, he had been kind to
+them, and during that terribly bitter winter, when there were no
+berries on the trees, and the ground was as hard as iron, and the
+wolves had come down to the very gates of the city to look for
+food, he had never once forgotten them, but had always given them
+crumbs out of his little hunch of black bread, and divided with
+them whatever poor breakfast he had.
+
+So they flew round and round him, just touching his cheek with
+their wings as they passed, and chattered to each other, and the
+little Dwarf was so pleased that he could not help showing them the
+beautiful white rose, and telling them that the Infanta herself had
+given it to him because she loved him.
+
+They did not understand a single word of what he was saying, but
+that made no matter, for they put their heads on one side, and
+looked wise, which is quite as good as understanding a thing, and
+very much easier.
+
+The Lizards also took an immense fancy to him, and when he grew
+tired of running about and flung himself down on the grass to rest,
+they played and romped all over him, and tried to amuse him in the
+best way they could.  'Every one cannot be as beautiful as a
+lizard,' they cried; 'that would be too much to expect.  And,
+though it sounds absurd to say so, he is really not so ugly after
+all, provided, of course, that one shuts one's eyes, and does not
+look at him.'  The Lizards were extremely philosophical by nature,
+and often sat thinking for hours and hours together, when there was
+nothing else to do, or when the weather was too rainy for them to
+go out.
+
+The Flowers, however, were excessively annoyed at their behaviour,
+and at the behaviour of the birds.  'It only shows,' they said,
+'what a vulgarising effect this incessant rushing and flying about
+has.  Well-bred people always stay exactly in the same place, as we
+do.  No one ever saw us hopping up and down the walks, or galloping
+madly through the grass after dragon-flies.  When we do want change
+of air, we send for the gardener, and he carries us to another bed.
+This is dignified, and as it should be.  But birds and lizards have
+no sense of repose, and indeed birds have not even a permanent
+address.  They are mere vagrants like the gipsies, and should be
+treated in exactly the same manner.'  So they put their noses in
+the air, and looked very haughty, and were quite delighted when
+after some time they saw the little Dwarf scramble up from the
+grass, and make his way across the terrace to the palace.
+
+'He should certainly be kept indoors for the rest of his natural
+life,' they said.  'Look at his hunched back, and his crooked
+legs,' and they began to titter.
+
+But the little Dwarf knew nothing of all this.  He liked the birds
+and the lizards immensely, and thought that the flowers were the
+most marvellous things in the whole world, except of course the
+Infanta, but then she had given him the beautiful white rose, and
+she loved him, and that made a great difference.  How he wished
+that he had gone back with her!  She would have put him on her
+right hand, and smiled at him, and he would have never left her
+side, but would have made her his playmate, and taught her all
+kinds of delightful tricks.  For though he had never been in a
+palace before, he knew a great many wonderful things.  He could
+make little cages out of rushes for the grasshoppers to sing in,
+and fashion the long jointed bamboo into the pipe that Pan loves to
+hear.  He knew the cry of every bird, and could call the starlings
+from the tree-top, or the heron from the mere.  He knew the trail
+of every animal, and could track the hare by its delicate
+footprints, and the boar by the trampled leaves.  All the wild-
+dances he knew, the mad dance in red raiment with the autumn, the
+light dance in blue sandals over the corn, the dance with white
+snow-wreaths in winter, and the blossom-dance through the orchards
+in spring.  He knew where the wood-pigeons built their nests, and
+once when a fowler had snared the parent birds, he had brought up
+the young ones himself, and had built a little dovecot for them in
+the cleft of a pollard elm.  They were quite tame, and used to feed
+out of his hands every morning.  She would like them, and the
+rabbits that scurried about in the long fern, and the jays with
+their steely feathers and black bills, and the hedgehogs that could
+curl themselves up into prickly balls, and the great wise tortoises
+that crawled slowly about, shaking their heads and nibbling at the
+young leaves.  Yes, she must certainly come to the forest and play
+with him.  He would give her his own little bed, and would watch
+outside the window till dawn, to see that the wild horned cattle
+did not harm her, nor the gaunt wolves creep too near the hut.  And
+at dawn he would tap at the shutters and wake her, and they would
+go out and dance together all the day long.  It was really not a
+bit lonely in the forest.  Sometimes a Bishop rode through on his
+white mule, reading out of a painted book.  Sometimes in their
+green velvet caps, and their jerkins of tanned deerskin, the
+falconers passed by, with hooded hawks on their wrists.  At
+vintage-time came the grape-treaders, with purple hands and feet,
+wreathed with glossy ivy and carrying dripping skins of wine; and
+the charcoal-burners sat round their huge braziers at night,
+watching the dry logs charring slowly in the fire, and roasting
+chestnuts in the ashes, and the robbers came out of their caves and
+made merry with them.  Once, too, he had seen a beautiful
+procession winding up the long dusty road to Toledo.  The monks
+went in front singing sweetly, and carrying bright banners and
+crosses of gold, and then, in silver armour, with matchlocks and
+pikes, came the soldiers, and in their midst walked three
+barefooted men, in strange yellow dresses painted all over with
+wonderful figures, and carrying lighted candles in their hands.
+Certainly there was a great deal to look at in the forest, and when
+she was tired he would find a soft bank of moss for her, or carry
+her in his arms, for he was very strong, though he knew that he was
+not tall.  He would make her a necklace of red bryony berries, that
+would be quite as pretty as the white berries that she wore on her
+dress, and when she was tired of them, she could throw them away,
+and he would find her others.  He would bring her acorn-cups and
+dew-drenched anemones, and tiny glow-worms to be stars in the pale
+gold of her hair.
+
+But where was she?  He asked the white rose, and it made him no
+answer.  The whole palace seemed asleep, and even where the
+shutters had not been closed, heavy curtains had been drawn across
+the windows to keep out the glare.  He wandered all round looking
+for some place through which he might gain an entrance, and at last
+he caught sight of a little private door that was lying open.  He
+slipped through, and found himself in a splendid hall, far more
+splendid, he feared, than the forest, there was so much more
+gilding everywhere, and even the floor was made of great coloured
+stones, fitted together into a sort of geometrical pattern.  But
+the little Infanta was not there, only some wonderful white statues
+that looked down on him from their jasper pedestals, with sad blank
+eyes and strangely smiling lips.
+
+At the end of the hall hung a richly embroidered curtain of black
+velvet, powdered with suns and stars, the King's favourite devices,
+and broidered on the colour he loved best.  Perhaps she was hiding
+behind that?  He would try at any rate.
+
+So he stole quietly across, and drew it aside.  No; there was only
+another room, though a prettier room, he thought, than the one he
+had just left.  The walls were hung with a many-figured green arras
+of needle-wrought tapestry representing a hunt, the work of some
+Flemish artists who had spent more than seven years in its
+composition.  It had once been the chamber of Jean le Fou, as he
+was called, that mad King who was so enamoured of the chase, that
+he had often tried in his delirium to mount the huge rearing
+horses, and to drag down the stag on which the great hounds were
+leaping, sounding his hunting horn, and stabbing with his dagger at
+the pale flying deer.  It was now used as the council-room, and on
+the centre table were lying the red portfolios of the ministers,
+stamped with the gold tulips of Spain, and with the arms and
+emblems of the house of Hapsburg.
+
+The little Dwarf looked in wonder all round him, and was half-
+afraid to go on.  The strange silent horsemen that galloped so
+swiftly through the long glades without making any noise, seemed to
+him like those terrible phantoms of whom he had heard the charcoal-
+burners speaking--the Comprachos, who hunt only at night, and if
+they meet a man, turn him into a hind, and chase him.  But he
+thought of the pretty Infanta, and took courage.  He wanted to find
+her alone, and to tell her that he too loved her.  Perhaps she was
+in the room beyond.
+
+He ran across the soft Moorish carpets, and opened the door.  No!
+She was not here either.  The room was quite empty.
+
+It was a throne-room, used for the reception of foreign
+ambassadors, when the King, which of late had not been often,
+consented to give them a personal audience; the same room in which,
+many years before, envoys had appeared from England to make
+arrangements for the marriage of their Queen, then one of the
+Catholic sovereigns of Europe, with the Emperor's eldest son.  The
+hangings were of gilt Cordovan leather, and a heavy gilt chandelier
+with branches for three hundred wax lights hung down from the black
+and white ceiling.  Underneath a great canopy of gold cloth, on
+which the lions and towers of Castile were broidered in seed
+pearls, stood the throne itself, covered with a rich pall of black
+velvet studded with silver tulips and elaborately fringed with
+silver and pearls.  On the second step of the throne was placed the
+kneeling-stool of the Infanta, with its cushion of cloth of silver
+tissue, and below that again, and beyond the limit of the canopy,
+stood the chair for the Papal Nuncio, who alone had the right to be
+seated in the King's presence on the occasion of any public
+ceremonial, and whose Cardinal's hat, with its tangled scarlet
+tassels, lay on a purple tabouret in front.  On the wall, facing
+the throne, hung a life-sized portrait of Charles V. in hunting
+dress, with a great mastiff by his side, and a picture of Philip
+II. receiving the homage of the Netherlands occupied the centre of
+the other wall.  Between the windows stood a black ebony cabinet,
+inlaid with plates of ivory, on which the figures from Holbein's
+Dance of Death had been graved--by the hand, some said, of that
+famous master himself.
+
+But the little Dwarf cared nothing for all this magnificence.  He
+would not have given his rose for all the pearls on the canopy, nor
+one white petal of his rose for the throne itself.  What he wanted
+was to see the Infanta before she went down to the pavilion, and to
+ask her to come away with him when he had finished his dance.
+Here, in the Palace, the air was close and heavy, but in the forest
+the wind blew free, and the sunlight with wandering hands of gold
+moved the tremulous leaves aside.  There were flowers, too, in the
+forest, not so splendid, perhaps, as the flowers in the garden, but
+more sweetly scented for all that; hyacinths in early spring that
+flooded with waving purple the cool glens, and grassy knolls;
+yellow primroses that nestled in little clumps round the gnarled
+roots of the oak-trees; bright celandine, and blue speedwell, and
+irises lilac and gold.  There were grey catkins on the hazels, and
+the foxgloves drooped with the weight of their dappled bee-haunted
+cells.  The chestnut had its spires of white stars, and the
+hawthorn its pallid moons of beauty.  Yes:  surely she would come
+if he could only find her!  She would come with him to the fair
+forest, and all day long he would dance for her delight.  A smile
+lit up his eyes at the thought, and he passed into the next room.
+
+Of all the rooms this was the brightest and the most beautiful.
+The walls were covered with a pink-flowered Lucca damask, patterned
+with birds and dotted with dainty blossoms of silver; the furniture
+was of massive silver, festooned with florid wreaths, and swinging
+Cupids; in front of the two large fire-places stood great screens
+broidered with parrots and peacocks, and the floor, which was of
+sea-green onyx, seemed to stretch far away into the distance.  Nor
+was he alone.  Standing under the shadow of the doorway, at the
+extreme end of the room, he saw a little figure watching him.  His
+heart trembled, a cry of joy broke from his lips, and he moved out
+into the sunlight.  As he did so, the figure moved out also, and he
+saw it plainly.
+
+The Infanta!  It was a monster, the most grotesque monster he had
+ever beheld.  Not properly shaped, as all other people were, but
+hunchbacked, and crooked-limbed, with huge lolling head and mane of
+black hair.  The little Dwarf frowned, and the monster frowned
+also.  He laughed, and it laughed with him, and held its hands to
+its sides, just as he himself was doing.  He made it a mocking bow,
+and it returned him a low reverence.  He went towards it, and it
+came to meet him, copying each step that he made, and stopping when
+he stopped himself.  He shouted with amusement, and ran forward,
+and reached out his hand, and the hand of the monster touched his,
+and it was as cold as ice.  He grew afraid, and moved his hand
+across, and the monster's hand followed it quickly.  He tried to
+press on, but something smooth and hard stopped him.  The face of
+the monster was now close to his own, and seemed full of terror.
+He brushed his hair off his eyes.  It imitated him.  He struck at
+it, and it returned blow for blow.  He loathed it, and it made
+hideous faces at him.  He drew back, and it retreated.
+
+What is it?  He thought for a moment, and looked round at the rest
+of the room.  It was strange, but everything seemed to have its
+double in this invisible wall of clear water.  Yes, picture for
+picture was repeated, and couch for couch.  The sleeping Faun that
+lay in the alcove by the doorway had its twin brother that
+slumbered, and the silver Venus that stood in the sunlight held out
+her arms to a Venus as lovely as herself.
+
+Was it Echo?  He had called to her once in the valley, and she had
+answered him word for word.  Could she mock the eye, as she mocked
+the voice?  Could she make a mimic world just like the real world?
+Could the shadows of things have colour and life and movement?
+Could it be that--?
+
+He started, and taking from his breast the beautiful white rose, he
+turned round, and kissed it.  The monster had a rose of its own,
+petal for petal the same!  It kissed it with like kisses, and
+pressed it to its heart with horrible gestures.
+
+When the truth dawned upon him, he gave a wild cry of despair, and
+fell sobbing to the ground.  So it was he who was misshapen and
+hunchbacked, foul to look at and grotesque.  He himself was the
+monster, and it was at him that all the children had been laughing,
+and the little Princess who he had thought loved him--she too had
+been merely mocking at his ugliness, and making merry over his
+twisted limbs.  Why had they not left him in the forest, where
+there was no mirror to tell him how loathsome he was?  Why had his
+father not killed him, rather than sell him to his shame?  The hot
+tears poured down his cheeks, and he tore the white rose to pieces.
+The sprawling monster did the same, and scattered the faint petals
+in the air.  It grovelled on the ground, and, when he looked at it,
+it watched him with a face drawn with pain.  He crept away, lest he
+should see it, and covered his eyes with his hands.  He crawled,
+like some wounded thing, into the shadow, and lay there moaning.
+
+And at that moment the Infanta herself came in with her companions
+through the open window, and when they saw the ugly little dwarf
+lying on the ground and beating the floor with his clenched hands,
+in the most fantastic and exaggerated manner, they went off into
+shouts of happy laughter, and stood all round him and watched him.
+
+'His dancing was funny,' said the Infanta; 'but his acting is
+funnier still.  Indeed he is almost as good as the puppets, only of
+course not quite so natural.'  And she fluttered her big fan, and
+applauded.
+
+But the little Dwarf never looked up, and his sobs grew fainter and
+fainter, and suddenly he gave a curious gasp, and clutched his
+side.  And then he fell back again, and lay quite still.
+
+'That is capital,' said the Infanta, after a pause; 'but now you
+must dance for me.'
+
+'Yes,' cried all the children, 'you must get up and dance, for you
+are as clever as the Barbary apes, and much more ridiculous.'  But
+the little Dwarf made no answer.
+
+And the Infanta stamped her foot, and called out to her uncle, who
+was walking on the terrace with the Chamberlain, reading some
+despatches that had just arrived from Mexico, where the Holy Office
+had recently been established.  'My funny little dwarf is sulking,'
+she cried, 'you must wake him up, and tell him to dance for me.'
+
+They smiled at each other, and sauntered in, and Don Pedro stooped
+down, and slapped the Dwarf on the cheek with his embroidered
+glove.  'You must dance,' he said, 'petit monsire.  You must dance.
+The Infanta of Spain and the Indies wishes to be amused.'
+
+But the little Dwarf never moved.
+
+'A whipping master should be sent for,' said Don Pedro wearily, and
+he went back to the terrace.  But the Chamberlain looked grave, and
+he knelt beside the little dwarf, and put his hand upon his heart.
+And after a few moments he shrugged his shoulders, and rose up, and
+having made a low bow to the Infanta, he said -
+
+'Mi bella Princesa, your funny little dwarf will never dance again.
+It is a pity, for he is so ugly that he might have made the King
+smile.'
+
+'But why will he not dance again?' asked the Infanta, laughing.
+
+'Because his heart is broken,' answered the Chamberlain.
+
+And the Infanta frowned, and her dainty rose-leaf lips curled in
+pretty disdain.  'For the future let those who come to play with me
+have no hearts,' she cried, and she ran out into the garden.
+
+
+
+
+THE FISHERMAN AND HIS SOUL
+
+
+
+
+[TO H.S.H. ALICE, PRINCESS OF MONACO]
+
+
+Every evening the young Fisherman went out upon the sea, and threw
+his nets into the water.
+
+When the wind blew from the land he caught nothing, or but little
+at best, for it was a bitter and black-winged wind, and rough waves
+rose up to meet it.  But when the wind blew to the shore, the fish
+came in from the deep, and swam into the meshes of his nets, and he
+took them to the market-place and sold them.
+
+Every evening he went out upon the sea, and one evening the net was
+so heavy that hardly could he draw it into the boat.  And he
+laughed, and said to himself, 'Surely I have caught all the fish
+that swim, or snared some dull monster that will be a marvel to
+men, or some thing of horror that the great Queen will desire,' and
+putting forth all his strength, he tugged at the coarse ropes till,
+like lines of blue enamel round a vase of bronze, the long veins
+rose up on his arms.  He tugged at the thin ropes, and nearer and
+nearer came the circle of flat corks, and the net rose at last to
+the top of the water.
+
+But no fish at all was in it, nor any monster or thing of horror,
+but only a little Mermaid lying fast asleep.
+
+Her hair was as a wet fleece of gold, and each separate hair as a
+thread of fine gold in a cup of glass.  Her body was as white
+ivory, and her tail was of silver and pearl.  Silver and pearl was
+her tail, and the green weeds of the sea coiled round it; and like
+sea-shells were her ears, and her lips were like sea-coral.  The
+cold waves dashed over her cold breasts, and the salt glistened
+upon her eyelids.
+
+So beautiful was she that when the young Fisherman saw her he was
+filled with wonder, and he put out his hand and drew the net close
+to him, and leaning over the side he clasped her in his arms.  And
+when he touched her, she gave a cry like a startled sea-gull, and
+woke, and looked at him in terror with her mauve-amethyst eyes, and
+struggled that she might escape.  But he held her tightly to him,
+and would not suffer her to depart.
+
+And when she saw that she could in no way escape from him, she
+began to weep, and said, 'I pray thee let me go, for I am the only
+daughter of a King, and my father is aged and alone.'
+
+But the young Fisherman answered, 'I will not let thee go save thou
+makest me a promise that whenever I call thee, thou wilt come and
+sing to me, for the fish delight to listen to the song of the Sea-
+folk, and so shall my nets be full.'
+
+'Wilt thou in very truth let me go, if I promise thee this?' cried
+the Mermaid.
+
+'In very truth I will let thee go,' said the young Fisherman.
+
+So she made him the promise he desired, and sware it by the oath of
+the Sea-folk.  And he loosened his arms from about her, and she
+sank down into the water, trembling with a strange fear.
+
+
+Every evening the young Fisherman went out upon the sea, and called
+to the Mermaid, and she rose out of the water and sang to him.
+Round and round her swam the dolphins, and the wild gulls wheeled
+above her head.
+
+And she sang a marvellous song.  For she sang of the Sea-folk who
+drive their flocks from cave to cave, and carry the little calves
+on their shoulders; of the Tritons who have long green beards, and
+hairy breasts, and blow through twisted conchs when the King passes
+by; of the palace of the King which is all of amber, with a roof of
+clear emerald, and a pavement of bright pearl; and of the gardens
+of the sea where the great filigrane fans of coral wave all day
+long, and the fish dart about like silver birds, and the anemones
+cling to the rocks, and the pinks bourgeon in the ribbed yellow
+sand.  She sang of the big whales that come down from the north
+seas and have sharp icicles hanging to their fins; of the Sirens
+who tell of such wonderful things that the merchants have to stop
+their ears with wax lest they should hear them, and leap into the
+water and be drowned; of the sunken galleys with their tall masts,
+and the frozen sailors clinging to the rigging, and the mackerel
+swimming in and out of the open portholes; of the little barnacles
+who are great travellers, and cling to the keels of the ships and
+go round and round the world; and of the cuttlefish who live in the
+sides of the cliffs and stretch out their long black arms, and can
+make night come when they will it.  She sang of the nautilus who
+has a boat of her own that is carved out of an opal and steered
+with a silken sail; of the happy Mermen who play upon harps and can
+charm the great Kraken to sleep; of the little children who catch
+hold of the slippery porpoises and ride laughing upon their backs;
+of the Mermaids who lie in the white foam and hold out their arms
+to the mariners; and of the sea-lions with their curved tusks, and
+the sea-horses with their floating manes.
+
+And as she sang, all the tunny-fish came in from the deep to listen
+to her, and the young Fisherman threw his nets round them and
+caught them, and others he took with a spear.  And when his boat
+was well-laden, the Mermaid would sink down into the sea, smiling
+at him.
+
+Yet would she never come near him that he might touch her.
+Oftentimes he called to her and prayed of her, but she would not;
+and when he sought to seize her she dived into the water as a seal
+might dive, nor did he see her again that day.  And each day the
+sound of her voice became sweeter to his ears.  So sweet was her
+voice that he forgot his nets and his cunning, and had no care of
+his craft.  Vermilion-finned and with eyes of bossy gold, the
+tunnies went by in shoals, but he heeded them not.  His spear lay
+by his side unused, and his baskets of plaited osier were empty.
+With lips parted, and eyes dim with wonder, he sat idle in his boat
+and listened, listening till the sea-mists crept round him, and the
+wandering moon stained his brown limbs with silver.
+
+And one evening he called to her, and said:  'Little Mermaid,
+little Mermaid, I love thee.  Take me for thy bridegroom, for I
+love thee.'
+
+But the Mermaid shook her head.  'Thou hast a human soul,' she
+answered.  'If only thou wouldst send away thy soul, then could I
+love thee.'
+
+And the young Fisherman said to himself, 'Of what use is my soul to
+me?  I cannot see it.  I may not touch it.  I do not know it.
+Surely I will send it away from me, and much gladness shall be
+mine.'  And a cry of joy broke from his lips, and standing up in
+the painted boat, he held out his arms to the Mermaid.  'I will
+send my soul away,' he cried, 'and you shall be my bride, and I
+will be thy bridegroom, and in the depth of the sea we will dwell
+together, and all that thou hast sung of thou shalt show me, and
+all that thou desirest I will do, nor shall our lives be divided.'
+
+And the little Mermaid laughed for pleasure and hid her face in her
+hands.
+
+'But how shall I send my soul from me?' cried the young Fisherman.
+'Tell me how I may do it, and lo! it shall be done.'
+
+'Alas!  I know not,' said the little Mermaid:  'the Sea-folk have
+no souls.'  And she sank down into the deep, looking wistfully at
+him.
+
+
+Now early on the next morning, before the sun was the span of a
+man's hand above the hill, the young Fisherman went to the house of
+the Priest and knocked three times at the door.
+
+The novice looked out through the wicket, and when he saw who it
+was, he drew back the latch and said to him, 'Enter.'
+
+And the young Fisherman passed in, and knelt down on the sweet-
+smelling rushes of the floor, and cried to the Priest who was
+reading out of the Holy Book and said to him, 'Father, I am in love
+with one of the Sea-folk, and my soul hindereth me from having my
+desire.  Tell me how I can send my soul away from me, for in truth
+I have no need of it.  Of what value is my soul to me?  I cannot
+see it.  I may not touch it.  I do not know it.'
+
+And the Priest beat his breast, and answered, 'Alack, alack, thou
+art mad, or hast eaten of some poisonous herb, for the soul is the
+noblest part of man, and was given to us by God that we should
+nobly use it.  There is no thing more precious than a human soul,
+nor any earthly thing that can be weighed with it.  It is worth all
+the gold that is in the world, and is more precious than the rubies
+of the kings.  Therefore, my son, think not any more of this
+matter, for it is a sin that may not be forgiven.  And as for the
+Sea-folk, they are lost, and they who would traffic with them are
+lost also.  They are as the beasts of the field that know not good
+from evil, and for them the Lord has not died.'
+
+The young Fisherman's eyes filled with tears when he heard the
+bitter words of the Priest, and he rose up from his knees and said
+to him, 'Father, the Fauns live in the forest and are glad, and on
+the rocks sit the Mermen with their harps of red gold.  Let me be
+as they are, I beseech thee, for their days are as the days of
+flowers.  And as for my soul, what doth my soul profit me, if it
+stand between me and the thing that I love?'
+
+'The love of the body is vile,' cried the Priest, knitting his
+brows, 'and vile and evil are the pagan things God suffers to
+wander through His world.  Accursed be the Fauns of the woodland,
+and accursed be the singers of the sea!  I have heard them at
+night-time, and they have sought to lure me from my beads.  They
+tap at the window, and laugh.  They whisper into my ears the tale
+of their perilous joys.  They tempt me with temptations, and when I
+would pray they make mouths at me.  They are lost, I tell thee,
+they are lost.  For them there is no heaven nor hell, and in
+neither shall they praise God's name.'
+
+'Father,' cried the young Fisherman, 'thou knowest not what thou
+sayest.  Once in my net I snared the daughter of a King.  She is
+fairer than the morning star, and whiter than the moon.  For her
+body I would give my soul, and for her love I would surrender
+heaven.  Tell me what I ask of thee, and let me go in peace.'
+
+'Away!  Away!' cried the Priest:  'thy leman is lost, and thou
+shalt be lost with her.'
+
+And he gave him no blessing, but drove him from his door.
+
+And the young Fisherman went down into the market-place, and he
+walked slowly, and with bowed head, as one who is in sorrow.
+
+And when the merchants saw him coming, they began to whisper to
+each other, and one of them came forth to meet him, and called him
+by name, and said to him, 'What hast thou to sell?'
+
+'I will sell thee my soul,' he answered.  'I pray thee buy it of
+me, for I am weary of it.  Of what use is my soul to me?  I cannot
+see it.  I may not touch it.  I do not know it.'
+
+But the merchants mocked at him, and said, 'Of what use is a man's
+soul to us?  It is not worth a clipped piece of silver.  Sell us
+thy body for a slave, and we will clothe thee in sea-purple, and
+put a ring upon thy finger, and make thee the minion of the great
+Queen.  But talk not of the soul, for to us it is nought, nor has
+it any value for our service.'
+
+And the young Fisherman said to himself:  'How strange a thing this
+is!  The Priest telleth me that the soul is worth all the gold in
+the world, and the merchants say that it is not worth a clipped
+piece of silver.'  And he passed out of the market-place, and went
+down to the shore of the sea, and began to ponder on what he should
+do.
+
+
+And at noon he remembered how one of his companions, who was a
+gatherer of samphire, had told him of a certain young Witch who
+dwelt in a cave at the head of the bay and was very cunning in her
+witcheries.  And he set to and ran, so eager was he to get rid of
+his soul, and a cloud of dust followed him as he sped round the
+sand of the shore.  By the itching of her palm the young Witch knew
+his coming, and she laughed and let down her red hair.  With her
+red hair falling around her, she stood at the opening of the cave,
+and in her hand she had a spray of wild hemlock that was
+blossoming.
+
+'What d'ye lack?  What d'ye lack?' she cried, as he came panting up
+the steep, and bent down before her.  'Fish for thy net, when the
+wind is foul?  I have a little reed-pipe, and when I blow on it the
+mullet come sailing into the bay.  But it has a price, pretty boy,
+it has a price.  What d'ye lack?  What d'ye lack?  A storm to wreck
+the ships, and wash the chests of rich treasure ashore?  I have
+more storms than the wind has, for I serve one who is stronger than
+the wind, and with a sieve and a pail of water I can send the great
+galleys to the bottom of the sea.  But I have a price, pretty boy,
+I have a price.  What d'ye lack?  What d'ye lack?  I know a flower
+that grows in the valley, none knows it but I.  It has purple
+leaves, and a star in its heart, and its juice is as white as milk.
+Shouldst thou touch with this flower the hard lips of the Queen,
+she would follow thee all over the world.  Out of the bed of the
+King she would rise, and over the whole world she would follow
+thee.  And it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price.  What d'ye
+lack?  What d'ye lack?  I can pound a toad in a mortar, and make
+broth of it, and stir the broth with a dead man's hand.  Sprinkle
+it on thine enemy while he sleeps, and he will turn into a black
+viper, and his own mother will slay him.  With a wheel I can draw
+the Moon from heaven, and in a crystal I can show thee Death.  What
+d'ye lack?  What d'ye lack?  Tell me thy desire, and I will give it
+thee, and thou shalt pay me a price, pretty boy, thou shalt pay me
+a price.'
+
+'My desire is but for a little thing,' said the young Fisherman,
+'yet hath the Priest been wroth with me, and driven me forth.  It
+is but for a little thing, and the merchants have mocked at me, and
+denied me.  Therefore am I come to thee, though men call thee evil,
+and whatever be thy price I shall pay it.'
+
+'What wouldst thou?' asked the Witch, coming near to him.
+
+'I would send my soul away from me,' answered the young Fisherman.
+
+The Witch grew pale, and shuddered, and hid her face in her blue
+mantle.  'Pretty boy, pretty boy,' she muttered, 'that is a
+terrible thing to do.'
+
+He tossed his brown curls and laughed.  'My soul is nought to me,'
+he answered.  'I cannot see it.  I may not touch it.  I do not know
+it.'
+
+'What wilt thou give me if I tell thee?' asked the Witch, looking
+down at him with her beautiful eyes.
+
+'Five pieces of gold,' he said, 'and my nets, and the wattled house
+where I live, and the painted boat in which I sail.  Only tell me
+how to get rid of my soul, and I will give thee all that I
+possess.'
+
+She laughed mockingly at him, and struck him with the spray of
+hemlock.  'I can turn the autumn leaves into gold,' she answered,
+'and I can weave the pale moonbeams into silver if I will it.  He
+whom I serve is richer than all the kings of this world, and has
+their dominions.'
+
+'What then shall I give thee,' he cried, 'if thy price be neither
+gold nor silver?'
+
+The Witch stroked his hair with her thin white hand.  'Thou must
+dance with me, pretty boy,' she murmured, and she smiled at him as
+she spoke.
+
+'Nought but that?' cried the young Fisherman in wonder and he rose
+to his feet.
+
+'Nought but that,' she answered, and she smiled at him again.
+
+'Then at sunset in some secret place we shall dance together,' he
+said, 'and after that we have danced thou shalt tell me the thing
+which I desire to know.'
+
+She shook her head.  'When the moon is full, when the moon is
+full,' she muttered.  Then she peered all round, and listened.  A
+blue bird rose screaming from its nest and circled over the dunes,
+and three spotted birds rustled through the coarse grey grass and
+whistled to each other.  There was no other sound save the sound of
+a wave fretting the smooth pebbles below.  So she reached out her
+hand, and drew him near to her and put her dry lips close to his
+ear.
+
+'To-night thou must come to the top of the mountain,' she
+whispered.  'It is a Sabbath, and He will be there.'
+
+The young Fisherman started and looked at her, and she showed her
+white teeth and laughed.  'Who is He of whom thou speakest?' he
+asked.
+
+'It matters not,' she answered.  'Go thou to-night, and stand under
+the branches of the hornbeam, and wait for my coming.  If a black
+dog run towards thee, strike it with a rod of willow, and it will
+go away.  If an owl speak to thee, make it no answer.  When the
+moon is full I shall be with thee, and we will dance together on
+the grass.'
+
+'But wilt thou swear to me to tell me how I may send my soul from
+me?' he made question.
+
+She moved out into the sunlight, and through her red hair rippled
+the wind.  'By the hoofs of the goat I swear it,' she made answer.
+
+'Thou art the best of the witches,' cried the young Fisherman, 'and
+I will surely dance with thee to-night on the top of the mountain.
+I would indeed that thou hadst asked of me either gold or silver.
+But such as thy price is thou shalt have it, for it is but a little
+thing.'  And he doffed his cap to her, and bent his head low, and
+ran back to the town filled with a great joy.
+
+And the Witch watched him as he went, and when he had passed from
+her sight she entered her cave, and having taken a mirror from a
+box of carved cedarwood, she set it up on a frame, and burned
+vervain on lighted charcoal before it, and peered through the coils
+of the smoke.  And after a time she clenched her hands in anger.
+'He should have been mine,' she muttered, 'I am as fair as she is.'
+
+
+And that evening, when the moon had risen, the young Fisherman
+climbed up to the top of the mountain, and stood under the branches
+of the hornbeam.  Like a targe of polished metal the round sea lay
+at his feet, and the shadows of the fishing-boats moved in the
+little bay.  A great owl, with yellow sulphurous eyes, called to
+him by his name, but he made it no answer.  A black dog ran towards
+him and snarled.  He struck it with a rod of willow, and it went
+away whining.
+
+At midnight the witches came flying through the air like bats.
+'Phew!' they cried, as they lit upon the ground, 'there is some one
+here we know not!' and they sniffed about, and chattered to each
+other, and made signs.  Last of all came the young Witch, with her
+red hair streaming in the wind.  She wore a dress of gold tissue
+embroidered with peacocks' eyes, and a little cap of green velvet
+was on her head.
+
+'Where is he, where is he?' shrieked the witches when they saw her,
+but she only laughed, and ran to the hornbeam, and taking the
+Fisherman by the hand she led him out into the moonlight and began
+to dance.
+
+Round and round they whirled, and the young Witch jumped so high
+that he could see the scarlet heels of her shoes.  Then right
+across the dancers came the sound of the galloping of a horse, but
+no horse was to be seen, and he felt afraid.
+
+'Faster,' cried the Witch, and she threw her arms about his neck,
+and her breath was hot upon his face.  'Faster, faster!' she cried,
+and the earth seemed to spin beneath his feet, and his brain grew
+troubled, and a great terror fell on him, as of some evil thing
+that was watching him, and at last he became aware that under the
+shadow of a rock there was a figure that had not been there before.
+
+It was a man dressed in a suit of black velvet, cut in the Spanish
+fashion.  His face was strangely pale, but his lips were like a
+proud red flower.  He seemed weary, and was leaning back toying in
+a listless manner with the pommel of his dagger.  On the grass
+beside him lay a plumed hat, and a pair of riding-gloves gauntleted
+with gilt lace, and sewn with seed-pearls wrought into a curious
+device.  A short cloak lined with sables hang from his shoulder,
+and his delicate white hands were gemmed with rings.  Heavy eyelids
+drooped over his eyes.
+
+The young Fisherman watched him, as one snared in a spell.  At last
+their eyes met, and wherever he danced it seemed to him that the
+eyes of the man were upon him.  He heard the Witch laugh, and
+caught her by the waist, and whirled her madly round and round.
+
+Suddenly a dog bayed in the wood, and the dancers stopped, and
+going up two by two, knelt down, and kissed the man's hands.  As
+they did so, a little smile touched his proud lips, as a bird's
+wing touches the water and makes it laugh.  But there was disdain
+in it.  He kept looking at the young Fisherman.
+
+'Come! let us worship,' whispered the Witch, and she led him up,
+and a great desire to do as she besought him seized on him, and he
+followed her.  But when he came close, and without knowing why he
+did it, he made on his breast the sign of the Cross, and called
+upon the holy name.
+
+No sooner had he done so than the witches screamed like hawks and
+flew away, and the pallid face that had been watching him twitched
+with a spasm of pain.  The man went over to a little wood, and
+whistled.  A jennet with silver trappings came running to meet him.
+As he leapt upon the saddle he turned round, and looked at the
+young Fisherman sadly.
+
+And the Witch with the red hair tried to fly away also, but the
+Fisherman caught her by her wrists, and held her fast.
+
+'Loose me,' she cried, 'and let me go.  For thou hast named what
+should not be named, and shown the sign that may not be looked at.'
+
+'Nay,' he answered, 'but I will not let thee go till thou hast told
+me the secret.'
+
+'What secret?' said the Witch, wrestling with him like a wild cat,
+and biting her foam-flecked lips.
+
+'Thou knowest,' he made answer.
+
+Her grass-green eyes grew dim with tears, and she said to the
+Fisherman, 'Ask me anything but that!'
+
+He laughed, and held her all the more tightly.
+
+And when she saw that she could not free herself, she whispered to
+him, 'Surely I am as fair as the daughters of the sea, and as
+comely as those that dwell in the blue waters,' and she fawned on
+him and put her face close to his.
+
+But he thrust her back frowning, and said to her, 'If thou keepest
+not the promise that thou madest to me I will slay thee for a false
+witch.'
+
+ She grew grey as a blossom of the Judas tree, and shuddered.  'Be
+it so,' she muttered.  'It is thy soul and not mine.  Do with it as
+thou wilt.'  And she took from her girdle a little knife that had a
+handle of green viper's skin, and gave it to him.
+
+'What shall this serve me?' he asked of her, wondering.
+
+She was silent for a few moments, and a look of terror came over
+her face.  Then she brushed her hair back from her forehead, and
+smiling strangely she said to him, 'What men call the shadow of the
+body is not the shadow of the body, but is the body of the soul.
+Stand on the sea-shore with thy back to the moon, and cut away from
+around thy feet thy shadow, which is thy soul's body, and bid thy
+soul leave thee, and it will do so.'
+
+The young Fisherman trembled.  'Is this true?' he murmured.
+
+'It is true, and I would that I had not told thee of it,' she
+cried, and she clung to his knees weeping.
+
+He put her from him and left her in the rank grass, and going to
+the edge of the mountain he placed the knife in his belt and began
+to climb down.
+
+And his Soul that was within him called out to him and said, 'Lo!
+I have dwelt with thee for all these years, and have been thy
+servant.  Send me not away from thee now, for what evil have I done
+thee?'
+
+And the young Fisherman laughed.  'Thou hast done me no evil, but I
+have no need of thee,' he answered.  'The world is wide, and there
+is Heaven also, and Hell, and that dim twilight house that lies
+between.  Go wherever thou wilt, but trouble me not, for my love is
+calling to me.'
+
+And his Soul besought him piteously, but he heeded it not, but
+leapt from crag to crag, being sure-footed as a wild goat, and at
+last he reached the level ground and the yellow shore of the sea.
+
+Bronze-limbed and well-knit, like a statue wrought by a Grecian, he
+stood on the sand with his back to the moon, and out of the foam
+came white arms that beckoned to him, and out of the waves rose dim
+forms that did him homage.  Before him lay his shadow, which was
+the body of his soul, and behind him hung the moon in the honey-
+coloured air.
+
+And his Soul said to him, 'If indeed thou must drive me from thee,
+send me not forth without a heart.  The world is cruel, give me thy
+heart to take with me.'
+
+He tossed his head and smiled.  'With what should I love my love if
+I gave thee my heart?' he cried.
+
+'Nay, but be merciful,' said his Soul:  'give me thy heart, for the
+world is very cruel, and I am afraid.'
+
+'My heart is my love's,' he answered, 'therefore tarry not, but get
+thee gone.'
+
+'Should I not love also?' asked his Soul.
+
+'Get thee gone, for I have no need of thee,' cried the young
+Fisherman, and he took the little knife with its handle of green
+viper's skin, and cut away his shadow from around his feet, and it
+rose up and stood before him, and looked at him, and it was even as
+himself.
+
+He crept back, and thrust the knife into his belt, and a feeling of
+awe came over him.  'Get thee gone,' he murmured, 'and let me see
+thy face no more.'
+
+'Nay, but we must meet again,' said the Soul.  Its voice was low
+and flute-like, and its lips hardly moved while it spake.
+
+'How shall we meet?' cried the young Fisherman.  'Thou wilt not
+follow me into the depths of the sea?'
+
+'Once every year I will come to this place, and call to thee,' said
+the Soul.  'It may be that thou wilt have need of me.'
+
+'What need should I have of thee?' cried the young Fisherman, 'but
+be it as thou wilt,' and he plunged into the waters and the Tritons
+blew their horns and the little Mermaid rose up to meet him, and
+put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the mouth.
+
+And the Soul stood on the lonely beach and watched them.  And when
+they had sunk down into the sea, it went weeping away over the
+marshes.
+
+
+And after a year was over the Soul came down to the shore of the
+sea and called to the young Fisherman, and he rose out of the deep,
+and said, 'Why dost thou call to me?'
+
+And the Soul answered, 'Come nearer, that I may speak with thee,
+for I have seen marvellous things.'
+
+So he came nearer, and couched in the shallow water, and leaned his
+head upon his hand and listened.
+
+
+And the Soul said to him, 'When I left thee I turned my face to the
+East and journeyed.  From the East cometh everything that is wise.
+Six days I journeyed, and on the morning of the seventh day I came
+to a hill that is in the country of the Tartars.  I sat down under
+the shade of a tamarisk tree to shelter myself from the sun.  The
+land was dry and burnt up with the heat.  The people went to and
+fro over the plain like flies crawling upon a disk of polished
+copper.
+
+'When it was noon a cloud of red dust rose up from the flat rim of
+the land.  When the Tartars saw it, they strung their painted bows,
+and having leapt upon their little horses they galloped to meet it.
+The women fled screaming to the waggons, and hid themselves behind
+the felt curtains.
+
+'At twilight the Tartars returned, but five of them were missing,
+and of those that came back not a few had been wounded.  They
+harnessed their horses to the waggons and drove hastily away.
+Three jackals came out of a cave and peered after them.  Then they
+sniffed up the air with their nostrils, and trotted off in the
+opposite direction.
+
+'When the moon rose I saw a camp-fire burning on the plain, and
+went towards it.  A company of merchants were seated round it on
+carpets.  Their camels were picketed behind them, and the negroes
+who were their servants were pitching tents of tanned skin upon the
+sand, and making a high wall of the prickly pear.
+
+'As I came near them, the chief of the merchants rose up and drew
+his sword, and asked me my business.
+
+'I answered that I was a Prince in my own land, and that I had
+escaped from the Tartars, who had sought to make me their slave.
+The chief smiled, and showed me five heads fixed upon long reeds of
+bamboo.
+
+'Then he asked me who was the prophet of God, and I answered him
+Mohammed.
+
+'When he heard the name of the false prophet, he bowed and took me
+by the hand, and placed me by his side.  A negro brought me some
+mare's milk in a wooden dish, and a piece of lamb's flesh roasted.
+
+'At daybreak we started on our journey.  I rode on a red-haired
+camel by the side of the chief, and a runner ran before us carrying
+a spear.  The men of war were on either hand, and the mules
+followed with the merchandise.  There were forty camels in the
+caravan, and the mules were twice forty in number.
+
+'We went from the country of the Tartars into the country of those
+who curse the Moon.  We saw the Gryphons guarding their gold on the
+white rocks, and the scaled Dragons sleeping in their caves.  As we
+passed over the mountains we held our breath lest the snows might
+fall on us, and each man tied a veil of gauze before his eyes.  As
+we passed through the valleys the Pygmies shot arrows at us from
+the hollows of the trees, and at night-time we heard the wild men
+beating on their drums.  When we came to the Tower of Apes we set
+fruits before them, and they did not harm us.  When we came to the
+Tower of Serpents we gave them warm milk in howls of brass, and
+they let us go by.  Three times in our journey we came to the banks
+of the Oxus.  We crossed it on rafts of wood with great bladders of
+blown hide.  The river-horses raged against us and sought to slay
+us.  When the camels saw them they trembled.
+
+'The kings of each city levied tolls on us, but would not suffer us
+to enter their gates.  They threw us bread over the walls, little
+maize-cakes baked in honey and cakes of fine flour filled with
+dates.  For every hundred baskets we gave them a bead of amber.
+
+'When the dwellers in the villages saw us coming, they poisoned the
+wells and fled to the hill-summits.  We fought with the Magadae who
+are born old, and grow younger and younger every year, and die when
+they are little children; and with the Laktroi who say that they
+are the sons of tigers, and paint themselves yellow and black; and
+with the Aurantes who bury their dead on the tops of trees, and
+themselves live in dark caverns lest the Sun, who is their god,
+should slay them; and with the Krimnians who worship a crocodile,
+and give it earrings of green glass, and feed it with butter and
+fresh fowls; and with the Agazonbae, who are dog-faced; and with
+the Sibans, who have horses' feet, and run more swiftly than
+horses.  A third of our company died in battle, and a third died of
+want.  The rest murmured against me, and said that I had brought
+them an evil fortune.  I took a horned adder from beneath a stone
+and let it sting me.  When they saw that I did not sicken they grew
+afraid.
+
+'In the fourth month we reached the city of Illel.  It was night-
+time when we came to the grove that is outside the walls, and the
+air was sultry, for the Moon was travelling in Scorpion.  We took
+the ripe pomegranates from the trees, and brake them, and drank
+their sweet juices.  Then we lay down on our carpets, and waited
+for the dawn.
+
+'And at dawn we rose and knocked at the gate of the city.  It was
+wrought out of red bronze, and carved with sea-dragons and dragons
+that have wings.  The guards looked down from the battlements and
+asked us our business.  The interpreter of the caravan answered
+that we had come from the island of Syria with much merchandise.
+They took hostages, and told us that they would open the gate to us
+at noon, and bade us tarry till then.
+
+'When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in the
+people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier
+went round the city crying through a shell.  We stood in the
+market-place, and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths
+and opened the carved chests of sycamore.  And when they had ended
+their task, the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed
+linen from Egypt and the painted linen from the country of the
+Ethiops, the purple sponges from Tyre and the blue hangings from
+Sidon, the cups of cold amber and the fine vessels of glass and the
+curious vessels of burnt clay.  From the roof of a house a company
+of women watched us.  One of them wore a mask of gilded leather.
+
+'And on the first day the priests came and bartered with us, and on
+the second day came the nobles, and on the third day came the
+craftsmen and the slaves.  And this is their custom with all
+merchants as long as they tarry in the city.
+
+'And we tarried for a moon, and when the moon was waning, I wearied
+and wandered away through the streets of the city and came to the
+garden of its god.  The priests in their yellow robes moved
+silently through the green trees, and on a pavement of black marble
+stood the rose-red house in which the god had his dwelling.  Its
+doors were of powdered lacquer, and bulls and peacocks were wrought
+on them in raised and polished gold.  The tilted roof was of sea-
+green porcelain, and the jutting eaves were festooned with little
+bells.  When the white doves flew past, they struck the bells with
+their wings and made them tinkle.
+
+'In front of the temple was a pool of clear water paved with veined
+onyx.  I lay down beside it, and with my pale fingers I touched the
+broad leaves.  One of the priests came towards me and stood behind
+me.  He had sandals on his feet, one of soft serpent-skin and the
+other of birds' plumage.  On his head was a mitre of black felt
+decorated with silver crescents.  Seven yellows were woven into his
+robe, and his frizzed hair was stained with antimony.
+
+'After a little while he spake to me, and asked me my desire.
+
+'I told him that my desire was to see the god.
+
+'"The god is hunting," said the priest, looking strangely at me
+with his small slanting eyes.
+
+'"Tell me in what forest, and I will ride with him," I answered.
+
+'He combed out the soft fringes of his tunic with his long pointed
+nails.  "The god is asleep," he murmured.
+
+'"Tell me on what couch, and I will watch by him," I answered.
+
+'"The god is at the feast," he cried.
+
+'"If the wine be sweet I will drink it with him, and if it be
+bitter I will drink it with him also," was my answer.
+
+'He bowed his head in wonder, and, taking me by the hand, he raised
+me up, and led me into the temple.
+
+'And in the first chamber I saw an idol seated on a throne of
+jasper bordered with great orient pearls.  It was carved out of
+ebony, and in stature was of the stature of a man.  On its forehead
+was a ruby, and thick oil dripped from its hair on to its thighs.
+Its feet were red with the blood of a newly-slain kid, and its
+loins girt with a copper belt that was studded with seven beryls.
+
+'And I said to the priest, "Is this the god?"  And he answered me,
+"This is the god."
+
+'"Show me the god," I cried, "or I will surely slay thee."  And I
+touched his hand, and it became withered.
+
+'And the priest besought me, saying, "Let my lord heal his servant,
+and I will show him the god."
+
+'So I breathed with my breath upon his hand, and it became whole
+again, and he trembled and led me into the second chamber, and I
+saw an idol standing on a lotus of jade hung with great emeralds.
+It was carved out of ivory, and in stature was twice the stature of
+a man.  On its forehead was a chrysolite, and its breasts were
+smeared with myrrh and cinnamon.  In one hand it held a crooked
+sceptre of jade, and in the other a round crystal.  It ware buskins
+of brass, and its thick neck was circled with a circle of
+selenites.
+
+'And I said to the priest, "Is this the god?"
+
+'And he answered me, "This is the god."
+
+'"Show me the god," I cried, "or I will surely slay thee."  And I
+touched his eyes, and they became blind.
+
+'And the priest besought me, saying, "Let my lord heal his servant,
+and I will show him the god."
+
+'So I breathed with my breath upon his eyes, and the sight came
+back to them, and he trembled again, and led me into the third
+chamber, and lo! there was no idol in it, nor image of any kind,
+but only a mirror of round metal set on an altar of stone.
+
+'And I said to the priest, "Where is the god?"
+
+'And he answered me:  "There is no god but this mirror that thou
+seest, for this is the Mirror of Wisdom.  And it reflecteth all
+things that are in heaven and on earth, save only the face of him
+who looketh into it.  This it reflecteth not, so that he who
+looketh into it may be wise.  Many other mirrors are there, but
+they are mirrors of Opinion.  This only is the Mirror of Wisdom.
+And they who possess this mirror know everything, nor is there
+anything hidden from them.  And they who possess it not have not
+Wisdom.  Therefore is it the god, and we worship it."  And I looked
+into the mirror, and it was even as he had said to me.
+
+'And I did a strange thing, but what I did matters not, for in a
+valley that is but a day's journey from this place have I hidden
+the Mirror of Wisdom.  Do but suffer me to enter into thee again
+and be thy servant, and thou shalt be wiser than all the wise men,
+and Wisdom shall be thine.  Suffer me to enter into thee, and none
+will be as wise as thou.'
+
+But the young Fisherman laughed.  'Love is better than Wisdom,' he
+cried, 'and the little Mermaid loves me.'
+
+'Nay, but there is nothing better than Wisdom,' said the Soul.
+
+'Love is better,' answered the young Fisherman, and he plunged into
+the deep, and the Soul went weeping away over the marshes.
+
+
+And after the second year was over, the Soul came down to the shore
+of the sea, and called to the young Fisherman, and he rose out of
+the deep and said, 'Why dost thou call to me?'
+
+And the Soul answered, 'Come nearer, that I may speak with thee,
+for I have seen marvellous things.'
+
+So he came nearer, and couched in the shallow water, and leaned his
+head upon his hand and listened.
+
+And the Soul said to him, 'When I left thee, I turned my face to
+the South and journeyed.  From the South cometh everything that is
+precious.  Six days I journeyed along the highways that lead to the
+city of Ashter, along the dusty red-dyed highways by which the
+pilgrims are wont to go did I journey, and on the morning of the
+seventh day I lifted up my eyes, and lo! the city lay at my feet,
+for it is in a valley.
+
+'There are nine gates to this city, and in front of each gate
+stands a bronze horse that neighs when the Bedouins come down from
+the mountains.  The walls are cased with copper, and the watch-
+towers on the walls are roofed with brass.  In every tower stands
+an archer with a bow in his hand.  At sunrise he strikes with an
+arrow on a gong, and at sunset he blows through a horn of horn.
+
+'When I sought to enter, the guards stopped me and asked of me who
+I was.  I made answer that I was a Dervish and on my way to the
+city of Mecca, where there was a green veil on which the Koran was
+embroidered in silver letters by the hands of the angels.  They
+were filled with wonder, and entreated me to pass in.
+
+'Inside it is even as a bazaar.  Surely thou shouldst have been
+with me.  Across the narrow streets the gay lanterns of paper
+flutter like large butterflies.  When the wind blows over the roofs
+they rise and fall as painted bubbles do.  In front of their booths
+sit the merchants on silken carpets.  They have straight black
+beards, and their turbans are covered with golden sequins, and long
+strings of amber and carved peach-stones glide through their cool
+fingers.  Some of them sell galbanum and nard, and curious perfumes
+from the islands of the Indian Sea, and the thick oil of red roses,
+and myrrh and little nail-shaped cloves.  When one stops to speak
+to them, they throw pinches of frankincense upon a charcoal brazier
+and make the air sweet.  I saw a Syrian who held in his hands a
+thin rod like a reed.  Grey threads of smoke came from it, and its
+odour as it burned was as the odour of the pink almond in spring.
+Others sell silver bracelets embossed all over with creamy blue
+turquoise stones, and anklets of brass wire fringed with little
+pearls, and tigers' claws set in gold, and the claws of that gilt
+cat, the leopard, set in gold also, and earrings of pierced
+emerald, and finger-rings of hollowed jade.  From the tea-houses
+comes the sound of the guitar, and the opium-smokers with their
+white smiling faces look out at the passers-by.
+
+'Of a truth thou shouldst have been with me.  The wine-sellers
+elbow their way through the crowd with great black skins on their
+shoulders.  Most of them sell the wine of Schiraz, which is as
+sweet as honey.  They serve it in little metal cups and strew rose
+leaves upon it.  In the market-place stand the fruitsellers, who
+sell all kinds of fruit:  ripe figs, with their bruised purple
+flesh, melons, smelling of musk and yellow as topazes, citrons and
+rose-apples and clusters of white grapes, round red-gold oranges,
+and oval lemons of green gold.  Once I saw an elephant go by.  Its
+trunk was painted with vermilion and turmeric, and over its ears it
+had a net of crimson silk cord.  It stopped opposite one of the
+booths and began eating the oranges, and the man only laughed.
+Thou canst not think how strange a people they are.  When they are
+glad they go to the bird-sellers and buy of them a caged bird, and
+set it free that their joy may be greater, and when they are sad
+they scourge themselves with thorns that their sorrow may not grow
+less.
+
+'One evening I met some negroes carrying a heavy palanquin through
+the bazaar.  It was made of gilded bamboo, and the poles were of
+vermilion lacquer studded with brass peacocks.  Across the windows
+hung thin curtains of muslin embroidered with beetles' wings and
+with tiny seed-pearls, and as it passed by a pale-faced Circassian
+looked out and smiled at me.  I followed behind, and the negroes
+hurried their steps and scowled.  But I did not care.  I felt a
+great curiosity come over me.
+
+'At last they stopped at a square white house.  There were no
+windows to it, only a little door like the door of a tomb.  They
+set down the palanquin and knocked three times with a copper
+hammer.  An Armenian in a caftan of green leather peered through
+the wicket, and when he saw them he opened, and spread a carpet on
+the ground, and the woman stepped out.  As she went in, she turned
+round and smiled at me again.  I had never seen any one so pale.
+
+'When the moon rose I returned to the same place and sought for the
+house, but it was no longer there.  When I saw that, I knew who the
+woman was, and wherefore she had smiled at me.
+
+'Certainly thou shouldst have been with me.  On the feast of the
+New Moon the young Emperor came forth from his palace and went into
+the mosque to pray.  His hair and beard were dyed with rose-leaves,
+and his cheeks were powdered with a fine gold dust.  The palms of
+his feet and hands were yellow with saffron.
+
+'At sunrise he went forth from his palace in a robe of silver, and
+at sunset he returned to it again in a robe of gold.  The people
+flung themselves on the ground and hid their faces, but I would not
+do so.  I stood by the stall of a seller of dates and waited.  When
+the Emperor saw me, he raised his painted eyebrows and stopped.  I
+stood quite still, and made him no obeisance.  The people marvelled
+at my boldness, and counselled me to flee from the city.  I paid no
+heed to them, but went and sat with the sellers of strange gods,
+who by reason of their craft are abominated.  When I told them what
+I had done, each of them gave me a god and prayed me to leave them.
+
+'That night, as I lay on a cushion in the tea-house that is in the
+Street of Pomegranates, the guards of the Emperor entered and led
+me to the palace.  As I went in they closed each door behind me,
+and put a chain across it.  Inside was a great court with an arcade
+running all round.  The walls were of white alabaster, set here and
+there with blue and green tiles.  The pillars were of green marble,
+and the pavement of a kind of peach-blossom marble.  I had never
+seen anything like it before.
+
+'As I passed across the court two veiled women looked down from a
+balcony and cursed me.  The guards hastened on, and the butts of
+the lances rang upon the polished floor.  They opened a gate of
+wrought ivory, and I found myself in a watered garden of seven
+terraces.  It was planted with tulip-cups and moonflowers, and
+silver-studded aloes.  Like a slim reed of crystal a fountain hung
+in the dusky air.  The cypress-trees were like burnt-out torches.
+From one of them a nightingale was singing.
+
+'At the end of the garden stood a little pavilion.  As we
+approached it two eunuchs came out to meet us.  Their fat bodies
+swayed as they walked, and they glanced curiously at me with their
+yellow-lidded eyes.  One of them drew aside the captain of the
+guard, and in a low voice whispered to him.  The other kept
+munching scented pastilles, which he took with an affected gesture
+out of an oval box of lilac enamel.
+
+'After a few moments the captain of the guard dismissed the
+soldiers.  They went back to the palace, the eunuchs following
+slowly behind and plucking the sweet mulberries from the trees as
+they passed.  Once the elder of the two turned round, and smiled at
+me with an evil smile.
+
+'Then the captain of the guard motioned me towards the entrance of
+the pavilion.  I walked on without trembling, and drawing the heavy
+curtain aside I entered in.
+
+'The young Emperor was stretched on a couch of dyed lion skins, and
+a gerfalcon perched upon his wrist.  Behind him stood a brass-
+turbaned Nubian, naked down to the waist, and with heavy earrings
+in his split ears.  On a table by the side of the couch lay a
+mighty scimitar of steel.
+
+'When the Emperor saw me he frowned, and said to me, "What is thy
+name?  Knowest thou not that I am Emperor of this city?"  But I
+made him no answer.
+
+'He pointed with his finger at the scimitar, and the Nubian seized
+it, and rushing forward struck at me with great violence.  The
+blade whizzed through me, and did me no hurt.  The man fell
+sprawling on the floor, and when he rose up his teeth chattered
+with terror and he hid himself behind the couch.
+
+'The Emperor leapt to his feet, and taking a lance from a stand of
+arms, he threw it at me.  I caught it in its flight, and brake the
+shaft into two pieces.  He shot at me with an arrow, but I held up
+my hands and it stopped in mid-air.  Then he drew a dagger from a
+belt of white leather, and stabbed the Nubian in the throat lest
+the slave should tell of his dishonour.  The man writhed like a
+trampled snake, and a red foam bubbled from his lips.
+
+'As soon as he was dead the Emperor turned to me, and when he had
+wiped away the bright sweat from his brow with a little napkin of
+purfled and purple silk, he said to me, "Art thou a prophet, that I
+may not harm thee, or the son of a prophet, that I can do thee no
+hurt?  I pray thee leave my city to-night, for while thou art in it
+I am no longer its lord."
+
+'And I answered him, "I will go for half of thy treasure.  Give me
+half of thy treasure, and I will go away."
+
+'He took me by the hand, and led me out into the garden.  When the
+captain of the guard saw me, he wondered.  When the eunuchs saw me,
+their knees shook and they fell upon the ground in fear.
+
+'There is a chamber in the palace that has eight walls of red
+porphyry, and a brass-sealed ceiling hung with lamps.  The Emperor
+touched one of the walls and it opened, and we passed down a
+corridor that was lit with many torches.  In niches upon each side
+stood great wine-jars filled to the brim with silver pieces.  When
+we reached the centre of the corridor the Emperor spake the word
+that may not be spoken, and a granite door swung back on a secret
+spring, and he put his hands before his face lest his eyes should
+be dazzled.
+
+'Thou couldst not believe how marvellous a place it was.  There
+were huge tortoise-shells full of pearls, and hollowed moonstones
+of great size piled up with red rubies.  The gold was stored in
+coffers of elephant-hide, and the gold-dust in leather bottles.
+There were opals and sapphires, the former in cups of crystal, and
+the latter in cups of jade.  Round green emeralds were ranged in
+order upon thin plates of ivory, and in one corner were silk bags
+filled, some with turquoise-stones, and others with beryls.  The
+ivory horns were heaped with purple amethysts, and the horns of
+brass with chalcedonies and sards.  The pillars, which were of
+cedar, were hung with strings of yellow lynx-stones.  In the flat
+oval shields there were carbuncles, both wine-coloured and coloured
+like grass.  And yet I have told thee but a tithe of what was
+there.
+
+'And when the Emperor had taken away his hands from before his face
+he said to me:  "This is my house of treasure, and half that is in
+it is thine, even as I promised to thee.  And I will give thee
+camels and camel drivers, and they shall do thy bidding and take
+thy share of the treasure to whatever part of the world thou
+desirest to go.  And the thing shall be done to-night, for I would
+not that the Sun, who is my father, should see that there is in my
+city a man whom I cannot slay."
+
+'But I answered him, "The gold that is here is thine, and the
+silver also is thine, and thine are the precious jewels and the
+things of price.  As for me, I have no need of these.  Nor shall I
+take aught from thee but that little ring that thou wearest on the
+finger of thy hand."
+
+'And the Emperor frowned.  "It is but a ring of lead," he cried,
+"nor has it any value.  Therefore take thy half of the treasure and
+go from my city."
+
+'"Nay," I answered, "but I will take nought but that leaden ring,
+for I know what is written within it, and for what purpose."
+
+'And the Emperor trembled, and besought me and said, "Take all the
+treasure and go from my city.  The half that is mine shall be thine
+also."
+
+'And I did a strange thing, but what I did matters not, for in a
+cave that is but a day's journey from this place have, I hidden the
+Ring of Riches.  It is but a day's journey from this place, and it
+waits for thy coming.  He who has this Ring is richer than all the
+kings of the world.  Come therefore and take it, and the world's
+riches shall be thine.'
+
+But the young Fisherman laughed.  'Love is better than Riches,' he
+cried, 'and the little Mermaid loves me.'
+
+'Nay, but there is nothing better than Riches,' said the Soul.
+
+'Love is better,' answered the young Fisherman, and he plunged into
+the deep, and the Soul went weeping away over the marshes.
+
+
+And after the third year was over, the Soul came down to the shore
+of the sea, and called to the young Fisherman, and he rose out of
+the deep and said, 'Why dost thou call to me?'
+
+And the Soul answered, 'Come nearer, that I may speak with thee,
+for I have seen marvellous things.'
+
+So he came nearer, and couched in the shallow water, and leaned his
+head upon his hand and listened.
+
+And the Soul said to him, 'In a city that I know of there is an inn
+that standeth by a river.  I sat there with sailors who drank of
+two different-coloured wines, and ate bread made of barley, and
+little salt fish served in bay leaves with vinegar.  And as we sat
+and made merry, there entered to us an old man bearing a leathern
+carpet and a lute that had two horns of amber.  And when he had
+laid out the carpet on the floor, he struck with a quill on the
+wire strings of his lute, and a girl whose face was veiled ran in
+and began to dance before us.  Her face was veiled with a veil of
+gauze, but her feet were naked.  Naked were her feet, and they
+moved over the carpet like little white pigeons.  Never have I seen
+anything so marvellous; and the city in which she dances is but a
+day's journey from this place.'
+
+Now when the young Fisherman heard the words of his Soul, he
+remembered that the little Mermaid had no feet and could not dance.
+And a great desire came over him, and he said to himself, 'It is
+but a day's journey, and I can return to my love,' and he laughed,
+and stood up in the shallow water, and strode towards the shore.
+
+And when he had reached the dry shore he laughed again, and held
+out his arms to his Soul.  And his Soul gave a great cry of joy and
+ran to meet him, and entered into him, and the young Fisherman saw
+stretched before him upon the sand that shadow of the body that is
+the body of the Soul.
+
+And his Soul said to him, 'Let us not tarry, but get hence at once,
+for the Sea-gods are jealous, and have monsters that do their
+bidding.'
+
+
+So they made haste, and all that night they journeyed beneath the
+moon, and all the next day they journeyed beneath the sun, and on
+the evening of the day they came to a city.
+
+And the young Fisherman said to his Soul, 'Is this the city in
+which she dances of whom thou didst speak to me?'
+
+And his Soul answered him, 'It is not this city, but another.
+Nevertheless let us enter in.'  So they entered in and passed
+through the streets, and as they passed through the Street of the
+Jewellers the young Fisherman saw a fair silver cup set forth in a
+booth.  And his Soul said to him, 'Take that silver cup and hide
+it.'
+
+So he took the cup and hid it in the fold of his tunic, and they
+went hurriedly out of the city.
+
+And after that they had gone a league from the city, the young
+Fisherman frowned, and flung the cup away, and said to his Soul,
+'Why didst thou tell me to take this cup and hide it, for it was an
+evil thing to do?'
+
+But his Soul answered him, 'Be at peace, be at peace.'
+
+And on the evening of the second day they came to a city, and the
+young Fisherman said to his Soul, 'Is this the city in which she
+dances of whom thou didst speak to me?'
+
+And his Soul answered him, 'It is not this city, but another.
+Nevertheless let us enter in.'  So they entered in and passed
+through the streets, and as they passed through the Street of the
+Sellers of Sandals, the young Fisherman saw a child standing by a
+jar of water.  And his Soul said to him, 'Smite that child.'  So he
+smote the child till it wept, and when he had done this they went
+hurriedly out of the city.
+
+And after that they had gone a league from the city the young
+Fisherman grew wroth, and said to his Soul, 'Why didst thou tell me
+to smite the child, for it was an evil thing to do?'
+
+But his Soul answered him, 'Be at peace, be at peace.'
+
+And on the evening of the third day they came to a city, and the
+young Fisherman said to his Soul, 'Is this the city in which she
+dances of whom thou didst speak to me?'
+
+And his Soul answered him, 'It may be that it is in this city,
+therefore let us enter in.'
+
+So they entered in and passed through the streets, but nowhere
+could the young Fisherman find the river or the inn that stood by
+its side.  And the people of the city looked curiously at him, and
+he grew afraid and said to his Soul, 'Let us go hence, for she who
+dances with white feet is not here.'
+
+But his Soul answered, 'Nay, but let us tarry, for the night is
+dark and there will be robbers on the way.'
+
+So he sat him down in the market-place and rested, and after a time
+there went by a hooded merchant who had a cloak of cloth of
+Tartary, and bare a lantern of pierced horn at the end of a jointed
+reed.  And the merchant said to him, 'Why dost thou sit in the
+market-place, seeing that the booths are closed and the bales
+corded?'
+
+And the young Fisherman answered him, 'I can find no inn in this
+city, nor have I any kinsman who might give me shelter.'
+
+'Are we not all kinsmen?' said the merchant.  'And did not one God
+make us?  Therefore come with me, for I have a guest-chamber.'
+
+So the young Fisherman rose up and followed the merchant to his
+house.  And when he had passed through a garden of pomegranates and
+entered into the house, the merchant brought him rose-water in a
+copper dish that he might wash his hands, and ripe melons that he
+might quench his thirst, and set a bowl of rice and a piece of
+roasted kid before him.
+
+And after that he had finished, the merchant led him to the guest-
+chamber, and bade him sleep and be at rest.  And the young
+Fisherman gave him thanks, and kissed the ring that was on his
+hand, and flung himself down on the carpets of dyed goat's-hair.
+And when he had covered himself with a covering of black lamb's-
+wool he fell asleep.
+
+And three hours before dawn, and while it was still night, his Soul
+waked him and said to him, 'Rise up and go to the room of the
+merchant, even to the room in which he sleepeth, and slay him, and
+take from him his gold, for we have need of it.'
+
+And the young Fisherman rose up and crept towards the room of the
+merchant, and over the feet of the merchant there was lying a
+curved sword, and the tray by the side of the merchant held nine
+purses of gold.  And he reached out his hand and touched the sword,
+and when he touched it the merchant started and awoke, and leaping
+up seized himself the sword and cried to the young Fisherman, 'Dost
+thou return evil for good, and pay with the shedding of blood for
+the kindness that I have shown thee?'
+
+And his Soul said to the young Fisherman, 'Strike him,' and he
+struck him so that he swooned and he seized then the nine purses of
+gold, and fled hastily through the garden of pomegranates, and set
+his face to the star that is the star of morning.
+
+And when they had gone a league from the city, the young Fisherman
+beat his breast, and said to his Soul, 'Why didst thou bid me slay
+the merchant and take his gold?  Surely thou art evil.'
+
+But his Soul answered him, 'Be at peace, be at peace.'
+
+'Nay,' cried the young Fisherman, 'I may not be at peace, for all
+that thou hast made me to do I hate.  Thee also I hate, and I bid
+thee tell me wherefore thou hast wrought with me in this wise.'
+
+And his Soul answered him, 'When thou didst send me forth into the
+world thou gavest me no heart, so I learned to do all these things
+and love them.'
+
+'What sayest thou?' murmured the young Fisherman.
+
+'Thou knowest,' answered his Soul, 'thou knowest it well.  Hast
+thou forgotten that thou gavest me no heart?  I trow not.  And so
+trouble not thyself nor me, but be at peace, for there is no pain
+that thou shalt not give away, nor any pleasure that thou shalt not
+receive.'
+
+And when the young Fisherman heard these words he trembled and said
+to his Soul, 'Nay, but thou art evil, and hast made me forget my
+love, and hast tempted me with temptations, and hast set my feet in
+the ways of sin.'
+
+And his Soul answered him, 'Thou hast not forgotten that when thou
+didst send me forth into the world thou gavest me no heart.  Come,
+let us go to another city, and make merry, for we have nine purses
+of gold.'
+
+But the young Fisherman took the nine purses of gold, and flung
+them down, and trampled on them.
+
+'Nay,' he cried, 'but I will have nought to do with thee, nor will
+I journey with thee anywhere, but even as I sent thee away before,
+so will I send thee away now, for thou hast wrought me no good.'
+And he turned his back to the moon, and with the little knife that
+had the handle of green viper's skin he strove to cut from his feet
+that shadow of the body which is the body of the Soul.
+
+Yet his Soul stirred not from him, nor paid heed to his command,
+but said to him, 'The spell that the Witch told thee avails thee no
+more, for I may not leave thee, nor mayest thou drive me forth.
+Once in his life may a man send his Soul away, but he who receiveth
+back his Soul must keep it with him for ever, and this is his
+punishment and his reward.'
+
+And the young Fisherman grew pale and clenched his hands and cried,
+'She was a false Witch in that she told me not that.'
+
+'Nay,' answered his Soul, 'but she was true to Him she worships,
+and whose servant she will be ever.'
+
+And when the young Fisherman knew that he could no longer get rid
+of his Soul, and that it was an evil Soul and would abide with him
+always, he fell upon the ground weeping bitterly.
+
+
+And when it was day the young Fisherman rose up and said to his
+Soul, 'I will bind my hands that I may not do thy bidding, and
+close my lips that I may not speak thy words, and I will return to
+the place where she whom I love has her dwelling.  Even to the sea
+will I return, and to the little bay where she is wont to sing, and
+I will call to her and tell her the evil I have done and the evil
+thou hast wrought on me.'
+
+And his Soul tempted him and said, 'Who is thy love, that thou
+shouldst return to her?  The world has many fairer than she is.
+There are the dancing-girls of Samaris who dance in the manner of
+all kinds of birds and beasts.  Their feet are painted with henna,
+and in their hands they have little copper bells.  They laugh while
+they dance, and their laughter is as clear as the laughter of
+water.  Come with me and I will show them to thee.  For what is
+this trouble of thine about the things of sin?  Is that which is
+pleasant to eat not made for the eater?  Is there poison in that
+which is sweet to drink?  Trouble not thyself, but come with me to
+another city.  There is a little city hard by in which there is a
+garden of tulip-trees.  And there dwell in this comely garden white
+peacocks and peacocks that have blue breasts.  Their tails when
+they spread them to the sun are like disks of ivory and like gilt
+disks.  And she who feeds them dances for their pleasure, and
+sometimes she dances on her hands and at other times she dances
+with her feet.  Her eyes are coloured with stibium, and her
+nostrils are shaped like the wings of a swallow.  From a hook in
+one of her nostrils hangs a flower that is carved out of a pearl.
+She laughs while she dances, and the silver rings that are about
+her ankles tinkle like bells of silver.  And so trouble not thyself
+any more, but come with me to this city.'
+
+But the young Fisherman answered not his Soul, but closed his lips
+with the seal of silence and with a tight cord bound his hands, and
+journeyed back to the place from which he had come, even to the
+little bay where his love had been wont to sing.  And ever did his
+Soul tempt him by the way, but he made it no answer, nor would he
+do any of the wickedness that it sought to make him to do, so great
+was the power of the love that was within him.
+
+And when he had reached the shore of the sea, he loosed the cord
+from his hands, and took the seal of silence from his lips, and
+called to the little Mermaid.  But she came not to his call, though
+he called to her all day long and besought her.
+
+And his Soul mocked him and said, 'Surely thou hast but little joy
+out of thy love.  Thou art as one who in time of death pours water
+into a broken vessel.  Thou givest away what thou hast, and nought
+is given to thee in return.  It were better for thee to come with
+me, for I know where the Valley of Pleasure lies, and what things
+are wrought there.'
+
+But the young Fisherman answered not his Soul, but in a cleft of
+the rock he built himself a house of wattles, and abode there for
+the space of a year.  And every morning he called to the Mermaid,
+and every noon he called to her again, and at night-time he spake
+her name.  Yet never did she rise out of the sea to meet him, nor
+in any place of the sea could he find her though he sought for her
+in the caves and in the green water, in the pools of the tide and
+in the wells that are at the bottom of the deep.
+
+And ever did his Soul tempt him with evil, and whisper of terrible
+things.  Yet did it not prevail against him, so great was the power
+of his love.
+
+And after the year was over, the Soul thought within himself, 'I
+have tempted my master with evil, and his love is stronger than I
+am.  I will tempt him now with good, and it may be that he will
+come with me.'
+
+So he spake to the young Fisherman and said, 'I have told thee of
+the joy of the world, and thou hast turned a deaf ear to me.
+Suffer me now to tell thee of the world's pain, and it may be that
+thou wilt hearken.  For of a truth pain is the Lord of this world,
+nor is there any one who escapes from its net.  There be some who
+lack raiment, and others who lack bread.  There be widows who sit
+in purple, and widows who sit in rags.  To and fro over the fens go
+the lepers, and they are cruel to each other.  The beggars go up
+and down on the highways, and their wallets are empty.  Through the
+streets of the cities walks Famine, and the Plague sits at their
+gates.  Come, let us go forth and mend these things, and make them
+not to be.  Wherefore shouldst thou tarry here calling to thy love,
+seeing she comes not to thy call?  And what is love, that thou
+shouldst set this high store upon it?'
+
+But the young Fisherman answered it nought, so great was the power
+of his love.  And every morning he called to the Mermaid, and every
+noon he called to her again, and at night-time he spake her name.
+Yet never did she rise out of the sea to meet him, nor in any place
+of the sea could he find her, though he sought for her in the
+rivers of the sea, and in the valleys that are under the waves, in
+the sea that the night makes purple, and in the sea that the dawn
+leaves grey.
+
+And after the second year was over, the Soul said to the young
+Fisherman at night-time, and as he sat in the wattled house alone,
+'Lo! now I have tempted thee with evil, and I have tempted thee
+with good, and thy love is stronger than I am.  Wherefore will I
+tempt thee no longer, but I pray thee to suffer me to enter thy
+heart, that I may be one with thee even as before.'
+
+'Surely thou mayest enter,' said the young Fisherman, 'for in the
+days when with no heart thou didst go through the world thou must
+have much suffered.'
+
+'Alas!' cried his Soul, 'I can find no place of entrance, so
+compassed about with love is this heart of thine.'
+
+'Yet I would that I could help thee,' said the young Fisherman.
+
+And as he spake there came a great cry of mourning from the sea,
+even the cry that men hear when one of the Sea-folk is dead.  And
+the young Fisherman leapt up, and left his wattled house, and ran
+down to the shore.  And the black waves came hurrying to the shore,
+bearing with them a burden that was whiter than silver.  White as
+the surf it was, and like a flower it tossed on the waves.  And the
+surf took it from the waves, and the foam took it from the surf,
+and the shore received it, and lying at his feet the young
+Fisherman saw the body of the little Mermaid.  Dead at his feet it
+was lying.
+
+Weeping as one smitten with pain he flung himself down beside it,
+and he kissed the cold red of the mouth, and toyed with the wet
+amber of the hair.  He flung himself down beside it on the sand,
+weeping as one trembling with joy, and in his brown arms he held it
+to his breast.  Cold were the lips, yet he kissed them.  Salt was
+the honey of the hair, yet he tasted it with a bitter joy.  He
+kissed the closed eyelids, and the wild spray that lay upon their
+cups was less salt than his tears.
+
+And to the dead thing he made confession.  Into the shells of its
+ears he poured the harsh wine of his tale.  He put the little hands
+round his neck, and with his fingers he touched the thin reed of
+the throat.  Bitter, bitter was his joy, and full of strange
+gladness was his pain.
+
+The black sea came nearer, and the white foam moaned like a leper.
+With white claws of foam the sea grabbled at the shore.  From the
+palace of the Sea-King came the cry of mourning again, and far out
+upon the sea the great Tritons blew hoarsely upon their horns.
+
+'Flee away,' said his Soul, 'for ever doth the sea come nigher, and
+if thou tarriest it will slay thee.  Flee away, for I am afraid,
+seeing that thy heart is closed against me by reason of the
+greatness of thy love.  Flee away to a place of safety.  Surely
+thou wilt not send me without a heart into another world?'
+
+But the young Fisherman listened not to his Soul, but called on the
+little Mermaid and said, 'Love is better than wisdom, and more
+precious than riches, and fairer than the feet of the daughters of
+men.  The fires cannot destroy it, nor can the waters quench it.  I
+called on thee at dawn, and thou didst not come to my call.  The
+moon heard thy name, yet hadst thou no heed of me.  For evilly had
+I left thee, and to my own hurt had I wandered away.  Yet ever did
+thy love abide with me, and ever was it strong, nor did aught
+prevail against it, though I have looked upon evil and looked upon
+good.  And now that thou art dead, surely I will die with thee
+also.'
+
+And his Soul besought him to depart, but he would not, so great was
+his love.  And the sea came nearer, and sought to cover him with
+its waves, and when he knew that the end was at hand he kissed with
+mad lips the cold lips of the Mermaid, and the heart that was
+within him brake.  And as through the fulness of his love his heart
+did break, the Soul found an entrance and entered in, and was one
+with him even as before.  And the sea covered the young Fisherman
+with its waves.
+
+
+And in the morning the Priest went forth to bless the sea, for it
+had been troubled.  And with him went the monks and the musicians,
+and the candle-bearers, and the swingers of censers, and a great
+company.
+
+And when the Priest reached the shore he saw the young Fisherman
+lying drowned in the surf, and clasped in his arms was the body of
+the little Mermaid.  And he drew back frowning, and having made the
+sign of the cross, he cried aloud and said, 'I will not bless the
+sea nor anything that is in it.  Accursed be the Sea-folk, and
+accursed be all they who traffic with them.  And as for him who for
+love's sake forsook God, and so lieth here with his leman slain by
+God's judgment, take up his body and the body of his leman, and
+bury them in the corner of the Field of the Fullers, and set no
+mark above them, nor sign of any kind, that none may know the place
+of their resting.  For accursed were they in their lives, and
+accursed shall they be in their deaths also.'
+
+And the people did as he commanded them, and in the corner of the
+Field of the Fullers, where no sweet herbs grew, they dug a deep
+pit, and laid the dead things within it.
+
+And when the third year was over, and on a day that was a holy day,
+the Priest went up to the chapel, that he might show to the people
+the wounds of the Lord, and speak to them about the wrath of God.
+
+And when he had robed himself with his robes, and entered in and
+bowed himself before the altar, he saw that the altar was covered
+with strange flowers that never had been seen before.  Strange were
+they to look at, and of curious beauty, and their beauty troubled
+him, and their odour was sweet in his nostrils.  And he felt glad,
+and understood not why he was glad.
+
+And after that he had opened the tabernacle, and incensed the
+monstrance that was in it, and shown the fair wafer to the people,
+and hid it again behind the veil of veils, he began to speak to the
+people, desiring to speak to them of the wrath of God.  But the
+beauty of the white flowers troubled him, and their odour was sweet
+in his nostrils, and there came another word into his lips, and he
+spake not of the wrath of God, but of the God whose name is Love.
+And why he so spake, he knew not.
+
+And when he had finished his word the people wept, and the Priest
+went back to the sacristy, and his eyes were full of tears.  And
+the deacons came in and began to unrobe him, and took from him the
+alb and the girdle, the maniple and the stole.  And he stood as one
+in a dream.
+
+And after that they had unrobed him, he looked at them and said,
+'What are the flowers that stand on the altar, and whence do they
+come?'
+
+And they answered him, 'What flowers they are we cannot tell, but
+they come from the corner of the Fullers' Field.'  And the Priest
+trembled, and returned to his own house and prayed.
+
+And in the morning, while it was still dawn, he went forth with the
+monks and the musicians, and the candle-bearers and the swingers of
+censers, and a great company, and came to the shore of the sea, and
+blessed the sea, and all the wild things that are in it.  The Fauns
+also he blessed, and the little things that dance in the woodland,
+and the bright-eyed things that peer through the leaves.  All the
+things in God's world he blessed, and the people were filled with
+joy and wonder.  Yet never again in the corner of the Fullers'
+Field grew flowers of any kind, but the field remained barren even
+as before.  Nor came the Sea-folk into the bay as they had been
+wont to do, for they went to another part of the sea.
+
+
+
+
+THE STAR-CHILD
+
+
+
+
+[TO MISS MARGOT TENNANT--MRS. ASQUITH]
+
+
+Once upon a time two poor Woodcutters were making their way home
+through a great pine-forest.  It was winter, and a night of bitter
+cold.  The snow lay thick upon the ground, and upon the branches of
+the trees:  the frost kept snapping the little twigs on either side
+of them, as they passed:  and when they came to the Mountain-
+Torrent she was hanging motionless in air, for the Ice-King had
+kissed her.
+
+So cold was it that even the animals and the birds did not know
+what to make of it.
+
+'Ugh!' snarled the Wolf, as he limped through the brushwood with
+his tail between his legs, 'this is perfectly monstrous weather.
+Why doesn't the Government look to it?'
+
+'Weet! weet! weet!' twittered the green Linnets, 'the old Earth is
+dead and they have laid her out in her white shroud.'
+
+'The Earth is going to be married, and this is her bridal dress,'
+whispered the Turtle-doves to each other.  Their little pink feet
+were quite frost-bitten, but they felt that it was their duty to
+take a romantic view of the situation.
+
+'Nonsense!' growled the Wolf.  'I tell you that it is all the fault
+of the Government, and if you don't believe me I shall eat you.'
+The Wolf had a thoroughly practical mind, and was never at a loss
+for a good argument.
+
+'Well, for my own part,' said the Woodpecker, who was a born
+philosopher, 'I don't care an atomic theory for explanations.  If a
+thing is so, it is so, and at present it is terribly cold.'
+
+Terribly cold it certainly was.  The little Squirrels, who lived
+inside the tall fir-tree, kept rubbing each other's noses to keep
+themselves warm, and the Rabbits curled themselves up in their
+holes, and did not venture even to look out of doors.  The only
+people who seemed to enjoy it were the great horned Owls.  Their
+feathers were quite stiff with rime, but they did not mind, and
+they rolled their large yellow eyes, and called out to each other
+across the forest, 'Tu-whit!  Tu-whoo!  Tu-whit!  Tu-whoo! what
+delightful weather we are having!'
+
+On and on went the two Woodcutters, blowing lustily upon their
+fingers, and stamping with their huge iron-shod boots upon the
+caked snow.  Once they sank into a deep drift, and came out as
+white as millers are, when the stones are grinding; and once they
+slipped on the hard smooth ice where the marsh-water was frozen,
+and their faggots fell out of their bundles, and they had to pick
+them up and bind them together again; and once they thought that
+they had lost their way, and a great terror seized on them, for
+they knew that the Snow is cruel to those who sleep in her arms.
+But they put their trust in the good Saint Martin, who watches over
+all travellers, and retraced their steps, and went warily, and at
+last they reached the outskirts of the forest, and saw, far down in
+the valley beneath them, the lights of the village in which they
+dwelt.
+
+So overjoyed were they at their deliverance that they laughed
+aloud, and the Earth seemed to them like a flower of silver, and
+the Moon like a flower of gold.
+
+Yet, after that they had laughed they became sad, for they
+remembered their poverty, and one of them said to the other, 'Why
+did we make merry, seeing that life is for the rich, and not for
+such as we are?  Better that we had died of cold in the forest, or
+that some wild beast had fallen upon us and slain us.'
+
+'Truly,' answered his companion, 'much is given to some, and little
+is given to others.  Injustice has parcelled out the world, nor is
+there equal division of aught save of sorrow.'
+
+But as they were bewailing their misery to each other this strange
+thing happened.  There fell from heaven a very bright and beautiful
+star.  It slipped down the side of the sky, passing by the other
+stars in its course, and, as they watched it wondering, it seemed
+to them to sink behind a clump of willow-trees that stood hard by a
+little sheepfold no more than a stone's-throw away.
+
+'Why! there is a crook of gold for whoever finds it,' they cried,
+and they set to and ran, so eager were they for the gold.
+
+And one of them ran faster than his mate, and outstripped him, and
+forced his way through the willows, and came out on the other side,
+and lo! there was indeed a thing of gold lying on the white snow.
+So he hastened towards it, and stooping down placed his hands upon
+it, and it was a cloak of golden tissue, curiously wrought with
+stars, and wrapped in many folds.  And he cried out to his comrade
+that he had found the treasure that had fallen from the sky, and
+when his comrade had come up, they sat them down in the snow, and
+loosened the folds of the cloak that they might divide the pieces
+of gold.  But, alas! no gold was in it, nor silver, nor, indeed,
+treasure of any kind, but only a little child who was asleep.
+
+And one of them said to the other:  'This is a bitter ending to our
+hope, nor have we any good fortune, for what doth a child profit to
+a man?  Let us leave it here, and go our way, seeing that we are
+poor men, and have children of our own whose bread we may not give
+to another.'
+
+But his companion answered him:  'Nay, but it were an evil thing to
+leave the child to perish here in the snow, and though I am as poor
+as thou art, and have many mouths to feed, and but little in the
+pot, yet will I bring it home with me, and my wife shall have care
+of it.'
+
+So very tenderly he took up the child, and wrapped the cloak around
+it to shield it from the harsh cold, and made his way down the hill
+to the village, his comrade marvelling much at his foolishness and
+softness of heart.
+
+And when they came to the village, his comrade said to him, 'Thou
+hast the child, therefore give me the cloak, for it is meet that we
+should share.'
+
+But he answered him:  'Nay, for the cloak is neither mine nor
+thine, but the child's only,' and he bade him Godspeed, and went to
+his own house and knocked.
+
+And when his wife opened the door and saw that her husband had
+returned safe to her, she put her arms round his neck and kissed
+him, and took from his back the bundle of faggots, and brushed the
+snow off his boots, and bade him come in.
+
+But he said to her, 'I have found something in the forest, and I
+have brought it to thee to have care of it,' and he stirred not
+from the threshold.
+
+'What is it?' she cried.  'Show it to me, for the house is bare,
+and we have need of many things.'  And he drew the cloak back, and
+showed her the sleeping child.
+
+'Alack, goodman!' she murmured, 'have we not children of our own,
+that thou must needs bring a changeling to sit by the hearth?  And
+who knows if it will not bring us bad fortune?  And how shall we
+tend it?'  And she was wroth against him.
+
+'Nay, but it is a Star-Child,' he answered; and he told her the
+strange manner of the finding of it.
+
+But she would not be appeased, but mocked at him, and spoke
+angrily, and cried:  'Our children lack bread, and shall we feed
+the child of another?  Who is there who careth for us?  And who
+giveth us food?'
+
+'Nay, but God careth for the sparrows even, and feedeth them,' he
+answered.
+
+'Do not the sparrows die of hunger in the winter?' she asked.  'And
+is it not winter now?'
+
+And the man answered nothing, but stirred not from the threshold.
+
+And a bitter wind from the forest came in through the open door,
+and made her tremble, and she shivered, and said to him:  'Wilt
+thou not close the door?  There cometh a bitter wind into the
+house, and I am cold.'
+
+'Into a house where a heart is hard cometh there not always a
+bitter wind?' he asked.  And the woman answered him nothing, but
+crept closer to the fire.
+
+And after a time she turned round and looked at him, and her eyes
+were full of tears.  And he came in swiftly, and placed the child
+in her arms, and she kissed it, and laid it in a little bed where
+the youngest of their own children was lying.  And on the morrow
+the Woodcutter took the curious cloak of gold and placed it in a
+great chest, and a chain of amber that was round the child's neck
+his wife took and set it in the chest also.
+
+
+So the Star-Child was brought up with the children of the
+Woodcutter, and sat at the same board with them, and was their
+playmate.  And every year he became more beautiful to look at, so
+that all those who dwelt in the village were filled with wonder,
+for, while they were swarthy and black-haired, he was white and
+delicate as sawn ivory, and his curls were like the rings of the
+daffodil.  His lips, also, were like the petals of a red flower,
+and his eyes were like violets by a river of pure water, and his
+body like the narcissus of a field where the mower comes not.
+
+Yet did his beauty work him evil.  For he grew proud, and cruel,
+and selfish.  The children of the Woodcutter, and the other
+children of the village, he despised, saying that they were of mean
+parentage, while he was noble, being sprang from a Star, and he
+made himself master over them, and called them his servants.  No
+pity had he for the poor, or for those who were blind or maimed or
+in any way afflicted, but would cast stones at them and drive them
+forth on to the highway, and bid them beg their bread elsewhere, so
+that none save the outlaws came twice to that village to ask for
+alms.  Indeed, he was as one enamoured of beauty, and would mock at
+the weakly and ill-favoured, and make jest of them; and himself he
+loved, and in summer, when the winds were still, he would lie by
+the well in the priest's orchard and look down at the marvel of his
+own face, and laugh for the pleasure he had in his fairness.
+
+Often did the Woodcutter and his wife chide him, and say:  'We did
+not deal with thee as thou dealest with those who are left
+desolate, and have none to succour them.  Wherefore art thou so
+cruel to all who need pity?'
+
+Often did the old priest send for him, and seek to teach him the
+love of living things, saying to him:  'The fly is thy brother.  Do
+it no harm.  The wild birds that roam through the forest have their
+freedom.  Snare them not for thy pleasure.  God made the blind-worm
+and the mole, and each has its place.  Who art thou to bring pain
+into God's world?  Even the cattle of the field praise Him.'
+
+But the Star-Child heeded not their words, but would frown and
+flout, and go back to his companions, and lead them.  And his
+companions followed him, for he was fair, and fleet of foot, and
+could dance, and pipe, and make music.  And wherever the Star-Child
+led them they followed, and whatever the Star-Child bade them do,
+that did they.  And when he pierced with a sharp reed the dim eyes
+of the mole, they laughed, and when he cast stones at the leper
+they laughed also.  And in all things he ruled them, and they
+became hard of heart even as he was.
+
+
+Now there passed one day through the village a poor beggar-woman.
+Her garments were torn and ragged, and her feet were bleeding from
+the rough road on which she had travelled, and she was in very evil
+plight.  And being weary she sat her down under a chestnut-tree to
+rest.
+
+But when the Star-Child saw her, he said to his companions, 'See!
+There sitteth a foul beggar-woman under that fair and green-leaved
+tree.  Come, let us drive her hence, for she is ugly and ill-
+favoured.'
+
+So he came near and threw stones at her, and mocked her, and she
+looked at him with terror in her eyes, nor did she move her gaze
+from him.  And when the Woodcutter, who was cleaving logs in a
+haggard hard by, saw what the Star-Child was doing, he ran up and
+rebuked him, and said to him:  'Surely thou art hard of heart and
+knowest not mercy, for what evil has this poor woman done to thee
+that thou shouldst treat her in this wise?'
+
+And the Star-Child grew red with anger, and stamped his foot upon
+the ground, and said, 'Who art thou to question me what I do?  I am
+no son of thine to do thy bidding.'
+
+'Thou speakest truly,' answered the Woodcutter, 'yet did I show
+thee pity when I found thee in the forest.'
+
+And when the woman heard these words she gave a loud cry, and fell
+into a swoon.  And the Woodcutter carried her to his own house, and
+his wife had care of her, and when she rose up from the swoon into
+which she had fallen, they set meat and drink before her, and bade
+her have comfort.
+
+But she would neither eat nor drink, but said to the Woodcutter,
+'Didst thou not say that the child was found in the forest?  And
+was it not ten years from this day?'
+
+And the Woodcutter answered, 'Yea, it was in the forest that I
+found him, and it is ten years from this day.'
+
+'And what signs didst thou find with him?' she cried.  'Bare he not
+upon his neck a chain of amber?  Was not round him a cloak of gold
+tissue broidered with stars?'
+
+'Truly,' answered the Woodcutter, 'it was even as thou sayest.'
+And he took the cloak and the amber chain from the chest where they
+lay, and showed them to her.
+
+And when she saw them she wept for joy, and said, 'He is my little
+son whom I lost in the forest.  I pray thee send for him quickly,
+for in search of him have I wandered over the whole world.'
+
+So the Woodcutter and his wife went out and called to the Star-
+Child, and said to him, 'Go into the house, and there shalt thou
+find thy mother, who is waiting for thee.'
+
+So he ran in, filled with wonder and great gladness.  But when he
+saw her who was waiting there, he laughed scornfully and said,
+'Why, where is my mother?  For I see none here but this vile
+beggar-woman.'
+
+And the woman answered him, 'I am thy mother.'
+
+'Thou art mad to say so,' cried the Star-Child angrily.  'I am no
+son of thine, for thou art a beggar, and ugly, and in rags.
+Therefore get thee hence, and let me see thy foul face no more.'
+
+'Nay, but thou art indeed my little son, whom I bare in the
+forest,' she cried, and she fell on her knees, and held out her
+arms to him.  'The robbers stole thee from me, and left thee to
+die,' she murmured, 'but I recognised thee when I saw thee, and the
+signs also have I recognised, the cloak of golden tissue and the
+amber chain.  Therefore I pray thee come with me, for over the
+whole world have I wandered in search of thee.  Come with me, my
+son, for I have need of thy love.'
+
+But the Star-Child stirred not from his place, but shut the doors
+of his heart against her, nor was there any sound heard save the
+sound of the woman weeping for pain.
+
+And at last he spoke to her, and his voice was hard and bitter.
+'If in very truth thou art my mother,' he said, 'it had been better
+hadst thou stayed away, and not come here to bring me to shame,
+seeing that I thought I was the child of some Star, and not a
+beggar's child, as thou tellest me that I am.  Therefore get thee
+hence, and let me see thee no more.'
+
+'Alas! my son,' she cried, 'wilt thou not kiss me before I go?  For
+I have suffered much to find thee.'
+
+'Nay,' said the Star-Child, 'but thou art too foul to look at, and
+rather would I kiss the adder or the toad than thee.'
+
+So the woman rose up, and went away into the forest weeping
+bitterly, and when the Star-Child saw that she had gone, he was
+glad, and ran back to his playmates that he might play with them.
+
+But when they beheld him coming, they mocked him and said, 'Why,
+thou art as foul as the toad, and as loathsome as the adder.  Get
+thee hence, for we will not suffer thee to play with us,' and they
+drave him out of the garden.
+
+And the Star-Child frowned and said to himself, 'What is this that
+they say to me?  I will go to the well of water and look into it,
+and it shall tell me of my beauty.'
+
+So he went to the well of water and looked into it, and lo! his
+face was as the face of a toad, and his body was sealed like an
+adder.  And he flung himself down on the grass and wept, and said
+to himself, 'Surely this has come upon me by reason of my sin.  For
+I have denied my mother, and driven her away, and been proud, and
+cruel to her.  Wherefore I will go and seek her through the whole
+world, nor will I rest till I have found her.'
+
+And there came to him the little daughter of the Woodcutter, and
+she put her hand upon his shoulder and said, 'What doth it matter
+if thou hast lost thy comeliness?  Stay with us, and I will not
+mock at thee.'
+
+And he said to her, 'Nay, but I have been cruel to my mother, and
+as a punishment has this evil been sent to me.  Wherefore I must go
+hence, and wander through the world till I find her, and she give
+me her forgiveness.'
+
+So he ran away into the forest and called out to his mother to come
+to him, but there was no answer.  All day long he called to her,
+and, when the sun set he lay down to sleep on a bed of leaves, and
+the birds and the animals fled from him, for they remembered his
+cruelty, and he was alone save for the toad that watched him, and
+the slow adder that crawled past.
+
+And in the morning he rose up, and plucked some bitter berries from
+the trees and ate them, and took his way through the great wood,
+weeping sorely.  And of everything that he met he made inquiry if
+perchance they had seen his mother.
+
+He said to the Mole, 'Thou canst go beneath the earth.  Tell me, is
+my mother there?'
+
+And the Mole answered, 'Thou hast blinded mine eyes.  How should I
+know?'
+
+He said to the Linnet, 'Thou canst fly over the tops of the tall
+trees, and canst see the whole world.  Tell me, canst thou see my
+mother?'
+
+And the Linnet answered, 'Thou hast clipt my wings for thy
+pleasure.  How should I fly?'
+
+And to the little Squirrel who lived in the fir-tree, and was
+lonely, he said, 'Where is my mother?'
+
+And the Squirrel answered, 'Thou hast slain mine.  Dost thou seek
+to slay thine also?'
+
+And the Star-Child wept and bowed his head, and prayed forgiveness
+of God's things, and went on through the forest, seeking for the
+beggar-woman.  And on the third day he came to the other side of
+the forest and went down into the plain.
+
+And when he passed through the villages the children mocked him,
+and threw stones at him, and the carlots would not suffer him even
+to sleep in the byres lest he might bring mildew on the stored
+corn, so foul was he to look at, and their hired men drave him
+away, and there was none who had pity on him.  Nor could he hear
+anywhere of the beggar-woman who was his mother, though for the
+space of three years he wandered over the world, and often seemed
+to see her on the road in front of him, and would call to her, and
+run after her till the sharp flints made his feet to bleed.  But
+overtake her he could not, and those who dwelt by the way did ever
+deny that they had seen her, or any like to her, and they made
+sport of his sorrow.
+
+For the space of three years he wandered over the world, and in the
+world there was neither love nor loving-kindness nor charity for
+him, but it was even such a world as he had made for himself in the
+days of his great pride.
+
+
+And one evening he came to the gate of a strong-walled city that
+stood by a river, and, weary and footsore though he was, he made to
+enter in.  But the soldiers who stood on guard dropped their
+halberts across the entrance, and said roughly to him, 'What is thy
+business in the city?'
+
+'I am seeking for my mother,' he answered, 'and I pray ye to suffer
+me to pass, for it may be that she is in this city.'
+
+But they mocked at him, and one of them wagged a black beard, and
+set down his shield and cried, 'Of a truth, thy mother will not be
+merry when she sees thee, for thou art more ill-favoured than the
+toad of the marsh, or the adder that crawls in the fen.  Get thee
+gone.  Get thee gone.  Thy mother dwells not in this city.'
+
+And another, who held a yellow banner in his hand, said to him,
+'Who is thy mother, and wherefore art thou seeking for her?'
+
+And he answered, 'My mother is a beggar even as I am, and I have
+treated her evilly, and I pray ye to suffer me to pass that she may
+give me her forgiveness, if it be that she tarrieth in this city.'
+But they would not, and pricked him with their spears.
+
+And, as he turned away weeping, one whose armour was inlaid with
+gilt flowers, and on whose helmet couched a lion that had wings,
+came up and made inquiry of the soldiers who it was who had sought
+entrance.  And they said to him, 'It is a beggar and the child of a
+beggar, and we have driven him away.'
+
+'Nay,' he cried, laughing, 'but we will sell the foul thing for a
+slave, and his price shall be the price of a bowl of sweet wine.'
+
+And an old and evil-visaged man who was passing by called out, and
+said, 'I will buy him for that price,' and, when he had paid the
+price, he took the Star-Child by the hand and led him into the
+city.
+
+And after that they had gone through many streets they came to a
+little door that was set in a wall that was covered with a
+pomegranate tree.  And the old man touched the door with a ring of
+graved jasper and it opened, and they went down five steps of brass
+into a garden filled with black poppies and green jars of burnt
+clay.  And the old man took then from his turban a scarf of figured
+silk, and bound with it the eyes of the Star-Child, and drave him
+in front of him.  And when the scarf was taken off his eyes, the
+Star-Child found himself in a dungeon, that was lit by a lantern of
+horn.
+
+And the old man set before him some mouldy bread on a trencher and
+said, 'Eat,' and some brackish water in a cup and said, 'Drink,'
+and when he had eaten and drunk, the old man went out, locking the
+door behind him and fastening it with an iron chain.
+
+
+And on the morrow the old man, who was indeed the subtlest of the
+magicians of Libya and had learned his art from one who dwelt in
+the tombs of the Nile, came in to him and frowned at him, and said,
+'In a wood that is nigh to the gate of this city of Giaours there
+are three pieces of gold.  One is of white gold, and another is of
+yellow gold, and the gold of the third one is red.  To-day thou
+shalt bring me the piece of white gold, and if thou bringest it not
+back, I will beat thee with a hundred stripes.  Get thee away
+quickly, and at sunset I will be waiting for thee at the door of
+the garden.  See that thou bringest the white gold, or it shall go
+ill with thee, for thou art my slave, and I have bought thee for
+the price of a bowl of sweet wine.'  And he bound the eyes of the
+Star-Child with the scarf of figured silk, and led him through the
+house, and through the garden of poppies, and up the five steps of
+brass.  And having opened the little door with his ring he set him
+in the street.
+
+
+And the Star-Child went out of the gate of the city, and came to
+the wood of which the Magician had spoken to him.
+
+Now this wood was very fair to look at from without, and seemed
+full of singing birds and of sweet-scented flowers, and the Star-
+Child entered it gladly.  Yet did its beauty profit him little, for
+wherever he went harsh briars and thorns shot up from the ground
+and encompassed him, and evil nettles stung him, and the thistle
+pierced him with her daggers, so that he was in sore distress.  Nor
+could he anywhere find the piece of white gold of which the
+Magician had spoken, though he sought for it from morn to noon, and
+from noon to sunset.  And at sunset he set his face towards home,
+weeping bitterly, for he knew what fate was in store for him.
+
+But when he had reached the outskirts of the wood, he heard from a
+thicket a cry as of some one in pain.  And forgetting his own
+sorrow he ran back to the place, and saw there a little Hare caught
+in a trap that some hunter had set for it.
+
+And the Star-Child had pity on it, and released it, and said to it,
+'I am myself but a slave, yet may I give thee thy freedom.'
+
+And the Hare answered him, and said:  'Surely thou hast given me
+freedom, and what shall I give thee in return?'
+
+And the Star-Child said to it, 'I am seeking for a piece of white
+gold, nor can I anywhere find it, and if I bring it not to my
+master he will beat me.'
+
+'Come thou with me,' said the Hare, 'and I will lead thee to it,
+for I know where it is hidden, and for what purpose.'
+
+So the Star-Child went with the Hare, and lo! in the cleft of a
+great oak-tree he saw the piece of white gold that he was seeking.
+And he was filled with joy, and seized it, and said to the Hare,
+'The service that I did to thee thou hast rendered back again many
+times over, and the kindness that I showed thee thou hast repaid a
+hundred-fold.'
+
+'Nay,' answered the Hare, 'but as thou dealt with me, so I did deal
+with thee,' and it ran away swiftly, and the Star-Child went
+towards the city.
+
+Now at the gate of the city there was seated one who was a leper.
+Over his face hung a cowl of grey linen, and through the eyelets
+his eyes gleamed like red coals.  And when he saw the Star-Child
+coming, he struck upon a wooden bowl, and clattered his bell, and
+called out to him, and said, 'Give me a piece of money, or I must
+die of hunger.  For they have thrust me out of the city, and there
+is no one who has pity on me.'
+
+'Alas!' cried the Star-Child, 'I have but one piece of money in my
+wallet, and if I bring it not to my master he will beat me, for I
+am his slave.'
+
+But the leper entreated him, and prayed of him, till the Star-Child
+had pity, and gave him the piece of white gold.
+
+
+And when he came to the Magician's house, the Magician opened to
+him, and brought him in, and said to him, 'Hast thou the piece of
+white gold?'  And the Star-Child answered, 'I have it not.'  So the
+Magician fell upon him, and beat him, and set before him an empty
+trencher, and said, 'Eat,' and an empty cup, and said, 'Drink,' and
+flung him again into the dungeon.
+
+And on the morrow the Magician came to him, and said, 'If to-day
+thou bringest me not the piece of yellow gold, I will surely keep
+thee as my slave, and give thee three hundred stripes.'
+
+So the Star-Child went to the wood, and all day long he searched
+for the piece of yellow gold, but nowhere could he find it.  And at
+sunset he sat him down and began to weep, and as he was weeping
+there came to him the little Hare that he had rescued from the
+trap,
+
+And the Hare said to him, 'Why art thou weeping?  And what dost
+thou seek in the wood?'
+
+And the Star-Child answered, 'I am seeking for a piece of yellow
+gold that is hidden here, and if I find it not my master will beat
+me, and keep me as a slave.'
+
+'Follow me,' cried the Hare, and it ran through the wood till it
+came to a pool of water.  And at the bottom of the pool the piece
+of yellow gold was lying.
+
+'How shall I thank thee?' said the Star-Child, 'for lo! this is the
+second time that you have succoured me.'
+
+'Nay, but thou hadst pity on me first,' said the Hare, and it ran
+away swiftly.
+
+And the Star-Child took the piece of yellow gold, and put it in his
+wallet, and hurried to the city.  But the leper saw him coming, and
+ran to meet him, and knelt down and cried, 'Give me a piece of
+money or I shall die of hunger.'
+
+And the Star-Child said to him, 'I have in my wallet but one piece
+of yellow gold, and if I bring it not to my master he will beat me
+and keep me as his slave.'
+
+But the leper entreated him sore, so that the Star-Child had pity
+on him, and gave him the piece of yellow gold.
+
+And when he came to the Magician's house, the Magician opened to
+him, and brought him in, and said to him, 'Hast thou the piece of
+yellow gold?'  And the Star-Child said to him, 'I have it not.'  So
+the Magician fell upon him, and beat him, and loaded him with
+chains, and cast him again into the dungeon.
+
+And on the morrow the Magician came to him, and said, 'If to-day
+thou bringest me the piece of red gold I will set thee free, but if
+thou bringest it not I will surely slay thee.'
+
+So the Star-Child went to the wood, and all day long he searched
+for the piece of red gold, but nowhere could he find it.  And at
+evening he sat him down and wept, and as he was weeping there came
+to him the little Hare.
+
+And the Hare said to him, 'The piece of red gold that thou seekest
+is in the cavern that is behind thee.  Therefore weep no more but
+be glad.'
+
+'How shall I reward thee?' cried the Star-Child, 'for lo! this is
+the third time thou hast succoured me.'
+
+'Nay, but thou hadst pity on me first,' said the Hare, and it ran
+away swiftly.
+
+And the Star-Child entered the cavern, and in its farthest corner
+he found the piece of red gold.  So he put it in his wallet, and
+hurried to the city.  And the leper seeing him coming, stood in the
+centre of the road, and cried out, and said to him, 'Give me the
+piece of red money, or I must die,' and the Star-Child had pity on
+him again, and gave him the piece of red gold, saying, 'Thy need is
+greater than mine.'  Yet was his heart heavy, for he knew what evil
+fate awaited him.
+
+
+But lo! as he passed through the gate of the city, the guards bowed
+down and made obeisance to him, saying, 'How beautiful is our
+lord!' and a crowd of citizens followed him, and cried out, 'Surely
+there is none so beautiful in the whole world!' so that the Star-
+Child wept, and said to himself, 'They are mocking me, and making
+light of my misery.'  And so large was the concourse of the people,
+that he lost the threads of his way, and found himself at last in a
+great square, in which there was a palace of a King.
+
+And the gate of the palace opened, and the priests and the high
+officers of the city ran forth to meet him, and they abased
+themselves before him, and said, 'Thou art our lord for whom we
+have been waiting, and the son of our King.'
+
+And the Star-Child answered them and said, 'I am no king's son, but
+the child of a poor beggar-woman.  And how say ye that I am
+beautiful, for I know that I am evil to look at?'
+
+Then he, whose armour was inlaid with gilt flowers, and on whose
+helmet crouched a lion that had wings, held up a shield, and cried,
+'How saith my lord that he is not beautiful?'
+
+And the Star-Child looked, and lo! his face was even as it had
+been, and his comeliness had come back to him, and he saw that in
+his eyes which he had not seen there before.
+
+And the priests and the high officers knelt down and said to him,
+'It was prophesied of old that on this day should come he who was
+to rule over us.  Therefore, let our lord take this crown and this
+sceptre, and be in his justice and mercy our King over us.'
+
+But he said to them, 'I am not worthy, for I have denied the mother
+who bare me, nor may I rest till I have found her, and known her
+forgiveness.  Therefore, let me go, for I must wander again over
+the world, and may not tarry here, though ye bring me the crown and
+the sceptre.'  And as he spake he turned his face from them towards
+the street that led to the gate of the city, and lo! amongst the
+crowd that pressed round the soldiers, he saw the beggar-woman who
+was his mother, and at her side stood the leper, who had sat by the
+road.
+
+And a cry of joy broke from his lips, and he ran over, and kneeling
+down he kissed the wounds on his mother's feet, and wet them with
+his tears.  He bowed his head in the dust, and sobbing, as one
+whose heart might break, he said to her:  'Mother, I denied thee in
+the hour of my pride.  Accept me in the hour of my humility.
+Mother, I gave thee hatred.  Do thou give me love.  Mother, I
+rejected thee.  Receive thy child now.'  But the beggar-woman
+answered him not a word.
+
+And he reached out his hands, and clasped the white feet of the
+leper, and said to him:  'Thrice did I give thee of my mercy.  Bid
+my mother speak to me once.'  But the leper answered him not a
+word.
+
+And he sobbed again and said:  'Mother, my suffering is greater
+than I can bear.  Give me thy forgiveness, and let me go back to
+the forest.'  And the beggar-woman put her hand on his head, and
+said to him, 'Rise,' and the leper put his hand on his head, and
+said to him, 'Rise,' also.
+
+And he rose up from his feet, and looked at them, and lo! they were
+a King and a Queen.
+
+And the Queen said to him, 'This is thy father whom thou hast
+succoured.'
+
+And the King said, 'This is thy mother whose feet thou hast washed
+with thy tears.'  And they fell on his neck and kissed him, and
+brought him into the palace and clothed him in fair raiment, and
+set the crown upon his head, and the sceptre in his hand, and over
+the city that stood by the river he ruled, and was its lord.  Much
+justice and mercy did he show to all, and the evil Magician he
+banished, and to the Woodcutter and his wife he sent many rich
+gifts, and to their children he gave high honour.  Nor would he
+suffer any to be cruel to bird or beast, but taught love and
+loving-kindness and charity, and to the poor he gave bread, and to
+the naked he gave raiment, and there was peace and plenty in the
+land.
+
+Yet ruled he not long, so great had been his suffering, and so
+bitter the fire of his testing, for after the space of three years
+he died.  And he who came after him ruled evilly.
+
+
+
+
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+<a href="#startoftext">A House of Pomegranates, by Oscar Wilde</a>
+</h2>
+<pre>
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+Title: A House of Pomegranates
+
+Author: Oscar Wilde
+
+Release Date: April, 1997  [EBook #873]
+[This file was first posted on April 8, 1997]
+[Most recently updated: September 25, 2002]
+
+Edition: 10
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+</pre>
+<p><a name="startoftext"></a></p>
+<p>Transcribed from the 1915 Methuen and Co. edition by David Price,
+email ccx074@coventry.ac.uk</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines3"><br /><br /><br /></div>
+<h1>A HOUSE OF POMEGRANATES</h1>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines3"><br /><br /><br /></div>
+<p>Contents:</p>
+<p>The Young King<br />The Birthday of the Infanta<br />The Fisherman
+and his Soul<br />The Star-child</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines3"><br /><br /><br /></div>
+<h2>THE YOUNG KING</h2>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines3"><br /><br /><br /></div>
+<p>[TO MARGARET LADY BROOKE - THE RANEE OF SARAWAK]</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>It was the night before the day fixed for his coronation, and the
+young King was sitting alone in his beautiful chamber.&nbsp; His courtiers
+had all taken their leave of him, bowing their heads to the ground,
+according to the ceremonious usage of the day, and had retired to the
+Great Hall of the Palace, to receive a few last lessons from the Professor
+of Etiquette; there being some of them who had still quite natural manners,
+which in a courtier is, I need hardly say, a very grave offence.</p>
+<p>The lad - for he was only a lad, being but sixteen years of age -
+was not sorry at their departure, and had flung himself back with a
+deep sigh of relief on the soft cushions of his embroidered couch, lying
+there, wild-eyed and open-mouthed, like a brown woodland Faun, or some
+young animal of the forest newly snared by the hunters.</p>
+<p>And, indeed, it was the hunters who had found him, coming upon him
+almost by chance as, bare-limbed and pipe in hand, he was following
+the flock of the poor goatherd who had brought him up, and whose son
+he had always fancied himself to be.&nbsp; The child of the old King&rsquo;s
+only daughter by a secret marriage with one much beneath her in station
+- a stranger, some said, who, by the wonderful magic of his lute-playing,
+had made the young Princess love him; while others spoke of an artist
+from Rimini, to whom the Princess had shown much, perhaps too much honour,
+and who had suddenly disappeared from the city, leaving his work in
+the Cathedral unfinished - he had been, when but a week old, stolen
+away from his mother&rsquo;s side, as she slept, and given into the
+charge of a common peasant and his wife, who were without children of
+their own, and lived in a remote part of the forest, more than a day&rsquo;s
+ride from the town.&nbsp; Grief, or the plague, as the court physician
+stated, or, as some suggested, a swift Italian poison administered in
+a cup of spiced wine, slew, within an hour of her wakening, the white
+girl who had given him birth, and as the trusty messenger who bare the
+child across his saddle-bow stooped from his weary horse and knocked
+at the rude door of the goatherd&rsquo;s hut, the body of the Princess
+was being lowered into an open grave that had been dug in a deserted
+churchyard, beyond the city gates, a grave where it was said that another
+body was also lying, that of a young man of marvellous and foreign beauty,
+whose hands were tied behind him with a knotted cord, and whose breast
+was stabbed with many red wounds.</p>
+<p>Such, at least, was the story that men whispered to each other.&nbsp;
+Certain it was that the old King, when on his deathbed, whether moved
+by remorse for his great sin, or merely desiring that the kingdom should
+not pass away from his line, had had the lad sent for, and, in the presence
+of the Council, had acknowledged him as his heir.</p>
+<p>And it seems that from the very first moment of his recognition he
+had shown signs of that strange passion for beauty that was destined
+to have so great an influence over his life.&nbsp; Those who accompanied
+him to the suite of rooms set apart for his service, often spoke of
+the cry of pleasure that broke from his lips when he saw the delicate
+raiment and rich jewels that had been prepared for him, and of the almost
+fierce joy with which he flung aside his rough leathern tunic and coarse
+sheepskin cloak.&nbsp; He missed, indeed, at times the fine freedom
+of his forest life, and was always apt to chafe at the tedious Court
+ceremonies that occupied so much of each day, but the wonderful palace
+- <i>Joyeuse</i>, as they called it - of which he now found himself
+lord, seemed to him to be a new world fresh-fashioned for his delight;
+and as soon as he could escape from the council-board or audience-chamber,
+he would run down the great staircase, with its lions of gilt bronze
+and its steps of bright porphyry, and wander from room to room, and
+from corridor to corridor, like one who was seeking to find in beauty
+an anodyne from pain, a sort of restoration from sickness.</p>
+<p>Upon these journeys of discovery, as he would call them - and, indeed,
+they were to him real voyages through a marvellous land, he would sometimes
+be accompanied by the slim, fair-haired Court pages, with their floating
+mantles, and gay fluttering ribands; but more often he would be alone,
+feeling through a certain quick instinct, which was almost a divination,
+that the secrets of art are best learned in secret, and that Beauty,
+like Wisdom, loves the lonely worshipper.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>Many curious stories were related about him at this period.&nbsp;
+It was said that a stout Burgo-master, who had come to deliver a florid
+oratorical address on behalf of the citizens of the town, had caught
+sight of him kneeling in real adoration before a great picture that
+had just been brought from Venice, and that seemed to herald the worship
+of some new gods.&nbsp; On another occasion he had been missed for several
+hours, and after a lengthened search had been discovered in a little
+chamber in one of the northern turrets of the palace gazing, as one
+in a trance, at a Greek gem carved with the figure of Adonis.&nbsp;
+He had been seen, so the tale ran, pressing his warm lips to the marble
+brow of an antique statue that had been discovered in the bed of the
+river on the occasion of the building of the stone bridge, and was inscribed
+with the name of the Bithynian slave of Hadrian.&nbsp; He had passed
+a whole night in noting the effect of the moonlight on a silver image
+of Endymion.</p>
+<p>All rare and costly materials had certainly a great fascination for
+him, and in his eagerness to procure them he had sent away many merchants,
+some to traffic for amber with the rough fisher-folk of the north seas,
+some to Egypt to look for that curious green turquoise which is found
+only in the tombs of kings, and is said to possess magical properties,
+some to Persia for silken carpets and painted pottery, and others to
+India to buy gauze and stained ivory, moonstones and bracelets of jade,
+sandal-wood and blue enamel and shawls of fine wool.</p>
+<p>But what had occupied him most was the robe he was to wear at his
+coronation, the robe of tissued gold, and the ruby-studded crown, and
+the sceptre with its rows and rings of pearls.&nbsp; Indeed, it was
+of this that he was thinking to-night, as he lay back on his luxurious
+couch, watching the great pinewood log that was burning itself out on
+the open hearth.&nbsp; The designs, which were from the hands of the
+most famous artists of the time, had been submitted to him many months
+before, and he had given orders that the artificers were to toil night
+and day to carry them out, and that the whole world was to be searched
+for jewels that would be worthy of their work.&nbsp; He saw himself
+in fancy standing at the high altar of the cathedral in the fair raiment
+of a King, and a smile played and lingered about his boyish lips, and
+lit up with a bright lustre his dark woodland eyes.</p>
+<p>After some time he rose from his seat, and leaning against the carved
+penthouse of the chimney, looked round at the dimly-lit room.&nbsp;
+The walls were hung with rich tapestries representing the Triumph of
+Beauty.&nbsp; A large press, inlaid with agate and lapis-lazuli, filled
+one corner, and facing the window stood a curiously wrought cabinet
+with lacquer panels of powdered and mosaiced gold, on which were placed
+some delicate goblets of Venetian glass, and a cup of dark-veined onyx.&nbsp;
+Pale poppies were broidered on the silk coverlet of the bed, as though
+they had fallen from the tired hands of sleep, and tall reeds of fluted
+ivory bare up the velvet canopy, from which great tufts of ostrich plumes
+sprang, like white foam, to the pallid silver of the fretted ceiling.&nbsp;
+A laughing Narcissus in green bronze held a polished mirror above its
+head.&nbsp; On the table stood a flat bowl of amethyst.</p>
+<p>Outside he could see the huge dome of the cathedral, looming like
+a bubble over the shadowy houses, and the weary sentinels pacing up
+and down on the misty terrace by the river.&nbsp; Far away, in an orchard,
+a nightingale was singing.&nbsp; A faint perfume of jasmine came through
+the open window.&nbsp; He brushed his brown curls back from his forehead,
+and taking up a lute, let his fingers stray across the cords.&nbsp;
+His heavy eyelids drooped, and a strange languor came over him.&nbsp;
+Never before had he felt so keenly, or with such exquisite joy, the
+magic and the mystery of beautiful things.</p>
+<p>When midnight sounded from the clock-tower he touched a bell, and
+his pages entered and disrobed him with much ceremony, pouring rose-water
+over his hands, and strewing flowers on his pillow.&nbsp; A few moments
+after that they had left the room, he fell asleep.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And as he slept he dreamed a dream, and this was his dream.</p>
+<p>He thought that he was standing in a long, low attic, amidst the
+whir and clatter of many looms.&nbsp; The meagre daylight peered in
+through the grated windows, and showed him the gaunt figures of the
+weavers bending over their cases.&nbsp; Pale, sickly-looking children
+were crouched on the huge crossbeams.&nbsp; As the shuttles dashed through
+the warp they lifted up the heavy battens, and when the shuttles stopped
+they let the battens fall and pressed the threads together.&nbsp; Their
+faces were pinched with famine, and their thin hands shook and trembled.&nbsp;
+Some haggard women were seated at a table sewing.&nbsp; A horrible odour
+filled the place.&nbsp; The air was foul and heavy, and the walls dripped
+and streamed with damp.</p>
+<p>The young King went over to one of the weavers, and stood by him
+and watched him.</p>
+<p>And the weaver looked at him angrily, and said, &lsquo;Why art thou
+watching me?&nbsp; Art thou a spy set on us by our master?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Who is thy master?&rsquo; asked the young King.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Our master!&rsquo; cried the weaver, bitterly.&nbsp; &lsquo;He
+is a man like myself.&nbsp; Indeed, there is but this difference between
+us - that he wears fine clothes while I go in rags, and that while I
+am weak from hunger he suffers not a little from overfeeding.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The land is free,&rsquo; said the young King, &lsquo;and thou
+art no man&rsquo;s slave.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;In war,&rsquo; answered the weaver, &lsquo;the strong make
+slaves of the weak, and in peace the rich make slaves of the poor.&nbsp;
+We must work to live, and they give us such mean wages that we die.&nbsp;
+We toil for them all day long, and they heap up gold in their coffers,
+and our children fade away before their time, and the faces of those
+we love become hard and evil.&nbsp; We tread out the grapes, and another
+drinks the wine.&nbsp; We sow the corn, and our own board is empty.&nbsp;
+We have chains, though no eye beholds them; and are slaves, though men
+call us free.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Is it so with all?&rsquo; he asked,</p>
+<p>&lsquo;It is so with all,&rsquo; answered the weaver, &lsquo;with
+the young as well as with the old, with the women as well as with the
+men, with the little children as well as with those who are stricken
+in years.&nbsp; The merchants grind us down, and we must needs do their
+bidding.&nbsp; The priest rides by and tells his beads, and no man has
+care of us.&nbsp; Through our sunless lanes creeps Poverty with her
+hungry eyes, and Sin with his sodden face follows close behind her.&nbsp;
+Misery wakes us in the morning, and Shame sits with us at night.&nbsp;
+But what are these things to thee?&nbsp; Thou art not one of us.&nbsp;
+Thy face is too happy.&rsquo;&nbsp; And he turned away scowling, and
+threw the shuttle across the loom, and the young King saw that it was
+threaded with a thread of gold.</p>
+<p>And a great terror seized upon him, and he said to the weaver, &lsquo;What
+robe is this that thou art weaving?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;It is the robe for the coronation of the young King,&rsquo;
+he answered; &lsquo;what is that to thee?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the young King gave a loud cry and woke, and lo! he was in his
+own chamber, and through the window he saw the great honey-coloured
+moon hanging in the dusky air.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And he fell asleep again and dreamed, and this was his dream.</p>
+<p>He thought that he was lying on the deck of a huge galley that was
+being rowed by a hundred slaves.&nbsp; On a carpet by his side the master
+of the galley was seated.&nbsp; He was black as ebony, and his turban
+was of crimson silk.&nbsp; Great earrings of silver dragged down the
+thick lobes of his ears, and in his hands he had a pair of ivory scales.</p>
+<p>The slaves were naked, but for a ragged loin-cloth, and each man
+was chained to his neighbour.&nbsp; The hot sun beat brightly upon them,
+and the negroes ran up and down the gangway and lashed them with whips
+of hide.&nbsp; They stretched out their lean arms and pulled the heavy
+oars through the water.&nbsp; The salt spray flew from the blades.</p>
+<p>At last they reached a little bay, and began to take soundings.&nbsp;
+A light wind blew from the shore, and covered the deck and the great
+lateen sail with a fine red dust.&nbsp; Three Arabs mounted on wild
+asses rode out and threw spears at them.&nbsp; The master of the galley
+took a painted bow in his hand and shot one of them in the throat.&nbsp;
+He fell heavily into the surf, and his companions galloped away.&nbsp;
+A woman wrapped in a yellow veil followed slowly on a camel, looking
+back now and then at the dead body.</p>
+<p>As soon as they had cast anchor and hauled down the sail, the negroes
+went into the hold and brought up a long rope-ladder, heavily weighted
+with lead.&nbsp; The master of the galley threw it over the side, making
+the ends fast to two iron stanchions.&nbsp; Then the negroes seized
+the youngest of the slaves and knocked his gyves off, and filled his
+nostrils and his ears with wax, and tied a big stone round his waist.&nbsp;
+He crept wearily down the ladder, and disappeared into the sea.&nbsp;
+A few bubbles rose where he sank.&nbsp; Some of the other slaves peered
+curiously over the side.&nbsp; At the prow of the galley sat a shark-charmer,
+beating monotonously upon a drum.</p>
+<p>After some time the diver rose up out of the water, and clung panting
+to the ladder with a pearl in his right hand.&nbsp; The negroes seized
+it from him, and thrust him back.&nbsp; The slaves fell asleep over
+their oars.</p>
+<p>Again and again he came up, and each time that he did so he brought
+with him a beautiful pearl.&nbsp; The master of the galley weighed them,
+and put them into a little bag of green leather.</p>
+<p>The young King tried to speak, but his tongue seemed to cleave to
+the roof of his mouth, and his lips refused to move.&nbsp; The negroes
+chattered to each other, and began to quarrel over a string of bright
+beads.&nbsp; Two cranes flew round and round the vessel.</p>
+<p>Then the diver came up for the last time, and the pearl that he brought
+with him was fairer than all the pearls of Ormuz, for it was shaped
+like the full moon, and whiter than the morning star.&nbsp; But his
+face was strangely pale, and as he fell upon the deck the blood gushed
+from his ears and nostrils.&nbsp; He quivered for a little, and then
+he was still.&nbsp; The negroes shrugged their shoulders, and threw
+the body overboard.</p>
+<p>And the master of the galley laughed, and, reaching out, he took
+the pearl, and when he saw it he pressed it to his forehead and bowed.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;It shall be,&rsquo; he said, &lsquo;for the sceptre of the young
+King,&rsquo; and he made a sign to the negroes to draw up the anchor.</p>
+<p>And when the young King heard this he gave a great cry, and woke,
+and through the window he saw the long grey fingers of the dawn clutching
+at the fading stars.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And he fell asleep again, and dreamed, and this was his dream.</p>
+<p>He thought that he was wandering through a dim wood, hung with strange
+fruits and with beautiful poisonous flowers.&nbsp; The adders hissed
+at him as he went by, and the bright parrots flew screaming from branch
+to branch.&nbsp; Huge tortoises lay asleep upon the hot mud.&nbsp; The
+trees were full of apes and peacocks.</p>
+<p>On and on he went, till he reached the outskirts of the wood, and
+there he saw an immense multitude of men toiling in the bed of a dried-up
+river.&nbsp; They swarmed up the crag like ants.&nbsp; They dug deep
+pits in the ground and went down into them.&nbsp; Some of them cleft
+the rocks with great axes; others grabbled in the sand.</p>
+<p>They tore up the cactus by its roots, and trampled on the scarlet
+blossoms.&nbsp; They hurried about, calling to each other, and no man
+was idle.</p>
+<p>From the darkness of a cavern Death and Avarice watched them, and
+Death said, &lsquo;I am weary; give me a third of them and let me go.&rsquo;&nbsp;
+But Avarice shook her head.&nbsp; &lsquo;They are my servants,&rsquo;
+she answered.</p>
+<p>And Death said to her, &lsquo;What hast thou in thy hand?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I have three grains of corn,&rsquo; she answered; &lsquo;what
+is that to thee?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Give me one of them,&rsquo; cried Death, &lsquo;to plant in
+my garden; only one of them, and I will go away.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I will not give thee anything,&rsquo; said Avarice, and she
+hid her hand in the fold of her raiment.</p>
+<p>And Death laughed, and took a cup, and dipped it into a pool of water,
+and out of the cup rose Ague.&nbsp; She passed through the great multitude,
+and a third of them lay dead.&nbsp; A cold mist followed her, and the
+water-snakes ran by her side.</p>
+<p>And when Avarice saw that a third of the multitude was dead she beat
+her breast and wept.&nbsp; She beat her barren bosom, and cried aloud.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;Thou hast slain a third of my servants,&rsquo; she cried, &lsquo;get
+thee gone.&nbsp; There is war in the mountains of Tartary, and the kings
+of each side are calling to thee.&nbsp; The Afghans have slain the black
+ox, and are marching to battle.&nbsp; They have beaten upon their shields
+with their spears, and have put on their helmets of iron.&nbsp; What
+is my valley to thee, that thou shouldst tarry in it?&nbsp; Get thee
+gone, and come here no more.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay,&rsquo; answered Death, &lsquo;but till thou hast given
+me a grain of corn I will not go.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But Avarice shut her hand, and clenched her teeth.&nbsp; &lsquo;I
+will not give thee anything,&rsquo; she muttered.</p>
+<p>And Death laughed, and took up a black stone, and threw it into the
+forest, and out of a thicket of wild hemlock came Fever in a robe of
+flame.&nbsp; She passed through the multitude, and touched them, and
+each man that she touched died.&nbsp; The grass withered beneath her
+feet as she walked.</p>
+<p>And Avarice shuddered, and put ashes on her head.&nbsp; &lsquo;Thou
+art cruel,&rsquo; she cried; &lsquo;thou art cruel.&nbsp; There is famine
+in the walled cities of India, and the cisterns of Samarcand have run
+dry.&nbsp; There is famine in the walled cities of Egypt, and the locusts
+have come up from the desert.&nbsp; The Nile has not overflowed its
+banks, and the priests have cursed Isis and Osiris.&nbsp; Get thee gone
+to those who need thee, and leave me my servants.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay,&rsquo; answered Death, &lsquo;but till thou hast given
+me a grain of corn I will not go.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I will not give thee anything,&rsquo; said Avarice.</p>
+<p>And Death laughed again, and he whistled through his fingers, and
+a woman came flying through the air.&nbsp; Plague was written upon her
+forehead, and a crowd of lean vultures wheeled round her.&nbsp; She
+covered the valley with her wings, and no man was left alive.</p>
+<p>And Avarice fled shrieking through the forest, and Death leaped upon
+his red horse and galloped away, and his galloping was faster than the
+wind.</p>
+<p>And out of the slime at the bottom of the valley crept dragons and
+horrible things with scales, and the jackals came trotting along the
+sand, sniffing up the air with their nostrils.</p>
+<p>And the young King wept, and said: &lsquo;Who were these men, and
+for what were they seeking?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;For rubies for a king&rsquo;s crown,&rsquo; answered one who
+stood behind him.</p>
+<p>And the young King started, and, turning round, he saw a man habited
+as a pilgrim and holding in his hand a mirror of silver.</p>
+<p>And he grew pale, and said: &lsquo;For what king?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the pilgrim answered: &lsquo;Look in this mirror, and thou shalt
+see him.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And he looked in the mirror, and, seeing his own face, he gave a
+great cry and woke, and the bright sunlight was streaming into the room,
+and from the trees of the garden and pleasaunce the birds were singing.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And the Chamberlain and the high officers of State came in and made
+obeisance to him, and the pages brought him the robe of tissued gold,
+and set the crown and the sceptre before him.</p>
+<p>And the young King looked at them, and they were beautiful.&nbsp;
+More beautiful were they than aught that he had ever seen.&nbsp; But
+he remembered his dreams, and he said to his lords: &lsquo;Take these
+things away, for I will not wear them.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the courtiers were amazed, and some of them laughed, for they
+thought that he was jesting.</p>
+<p>But he spake sternly to them again, and said: &lsquo;Take these things
+away, and hide them from me.&nbsp; Though it be the day of my coronation,
+I will not wear them.&nbsp; For on the loom of Sorrow, and by the white
+hands of Pain, has this my robe been woven.&nbsp; There is Blood in
+the heart of the ruby, and Death in the heart of the pearl.&rsquo;&nbsp;
+And he told them his three dreams.</p>
+<p>And when the courtiers heard them they looked at each other and whispered,
+saying: &lsquo;Surely he is mad; for what is a dream but a dream, and
+a vision but a vision?&nbsp; They are not real things that one should
+heed them.&nbsp; And what have we to do with the lives of those who
+toil for us?&nbsp; Shall a man not eat bread till he has seen the sower,
+nor drink wine till he has talked with the vinedresser?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Chamberlain spake to the young King, and said, &lsquo;My
+lord, I pray thee set aside these black thoughts of thine, and put on
+this fair robe, and set this crown upon thy head.&nbsp; For how shall
+the people know that thou art a king, if thou hast not a king&rsquo;s
+raiment?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the young King looked at him.&nbsp; &lsquo;Is it so, indeed?&rsquo;
+he questioned.&nbsp; &lsquo;Will they not know me for a king if I have
+not a king&rsquo;s raiment?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;They will not know thee, my lord,&rsquo; cried the Chamberlain.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I had thought that there had been men who were kinglike,&rsquo;
+he answered, &lsquo;but it may be as thou sayest.&nbsp; And yet I will
+not wear this robe, nor will I be crowned with this crown, but even
+as I came to the palace so will I go forth from it.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And he bade them all leave him, save one page whom he kept as his
+companion, a lad a year younger than himself.&nbsp; Him he kept for
+his service, and when he had bathed himself in clear water, he opened
+a great painted chest, and from it he took the leathern tunic and rough
+sheepskin cloak that he had worn when he had watched on the hillside
+the shaggy goats of the goatherd.&nbsp; These he put on, and in his
+hand he took his rude shepherd&rsquo;s staff.</p>
+<p>And the little page opened his big blue eyes in wonder, and said
+smiling to him, &lsquo;My lord, I see thy robe and thy sceptre, but
+where is thy crown?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the young King plucked a spray of wild briar that was climbing
+over the balcony, and bent it, and made a circlet of it, and set it
+on his own head.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;This shall he my crown,&rsquo; he answered.</p>
+<p>And thus attired he passed out of his chamber into the Great Hall,
+where the nobles were waiting for him.</p>
+<p>And the nobles made merry, and some of them cried out to him, &lsquo;My
+lord, the people wait for their king, and thou showest them a beggar,&rsquo;
+and others were wroth and said, &lsquo;He brings shame upon our state,
+and is unworthy to be our master.&rsquo;&nbsp; But he answered them
+not a word, but passed on, and went down the bright porphyry staircase,
+and out through the gates of bronze, and mounted upon his horse, and
+rode towards the cathedral, the little page running beside him.</p>
+<p>And the people laughed and said, &lsquo;It is the King&rsquo;s fool
+who is riding by,&rsquo; and they mocked him.</p>
+<p>And he drew rein and said, &lsquo;Nay, but I am the King.&rsquo;&nbsp;
+And he told them his three dreams.</p>
+<p>And a man came out of the crowd and spake bitterly to him, and said,
+&lsquo;Sir, knowest thou not that out of the luxury of the rich cometh
+the life of the poor?&nbsp; By your pomp we are nurtured, and your vices
+give us bread.&nbsp; To toil for a hard master is bitter, but to have
+no master to toil for is more bitter still.&nbsp; Thinkest thou that
+the ravens will feed us?&nbsp; And what cure hast thou for these things?&nbsp;
+Wilt thou say to the buyer, &ldquo;Thou shalt buy for so much,&rdquo;
+and to the seller, &ldquo;Thou shalt sell at this price&rdquo;?&nbsp;
+I trow not.&nbsp; Therefore go back to thy Palace and put on thy purple
+and fine linen.&nbsp; What hast thou to do with us, and what we suffer?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Are not the rich and the poor brothers?&rsquo; asked the young
+King.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Ay,&rsquo; answered the man, &lsquo;and the name of the rich
+brother is Cain.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the young King&rsquo;s eyes filled with tears, and he rode on
+through the murmurs of the people, and the little page grew afraid and
+left him.</p>
+<p>And when he reached the great portal of the cathedral, the soldiers
+thrust their halberts out and said, &lsquo;What dost thou seek here?&nbsp;
+None enters by this door but the King.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And his face flushed with anger, and he said to them, &lsquo;I am
+the King,&rsquo; and waved their halberts aside and passed in.</p>
+<p>And when the old Bishop saw him coming in his goatherd&rsquo;s dress,
+he rose up in wonder from his throne, and went to meet him, and said
+to him, &lsquo;My son, is this a king&rsquo;s apparel?&nbsp; And with
+what crown shall I crown thee, and what sceptre shall I place in thy
+hand?&nbsp; Surely this should be to thee a day of joy, and not a day
+of abasement.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Shall Joy wear what Grief has fashioned?&rsquo; said the young
+King.&nbsp; And he told him his three dreams.</p>
+<p>And when the Bishop had heard them he knit his brows, and said, &lsquo;My
+son, I am an old man, and in the winter of my days, and I know that
+many evil things are done in the wide world.&nbsp; The fierce robbers
+come down from the mountains, and carry off the little children, and
+sell them to the Moors.&nbsp; The lions lie in wait for the caravans,
+and leap upon the camels.&nbsp; The wild boar roots up the corn in the
+valley, and the foxes gnaw the vines upon the hill.&nbsp; The pirates
+lay waste the sea-coast and burn the ships of the fishermen, and take
+their nets from them.&nbsp; In the salt-marshes live the lepers; they
+have houses of wattled reeds, and none may come nigh them.&nbsp; The
+beggars wander through the cities, and eat their food with the dogs.&nbsp;
+Canst thou make these things not to be?&nbsp; Wilt thou take the leper
+for thy bedfellow, and set the beggar at thy board?&nbsp; Shall the
+lion do thy bidding, and the wild boar obey thee?&nbsp; Is not He who
+made misery wiser than thou art?&nbsp; Wherefore I praise thee not for
+this that thou hast done, but I bid thee ride back to the Palace and
+make thy face glad, and put on the raiment that beseemeth a king, and
+with the crown of gold I will crown thee, and the sceptre of pearl will
+I place in thy hand.&nbsp; And as for thy dreams, think no more of them.&nbsp;
+The burden of this world is too great for one man to bear, and the world&rsquo;s
+sorrow too heavy for one heart to suffer.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Sayest thou that in this house?&rsquo; said the young King,
+and he strode past the Bishop, and climbed up the steps of the altar,
+and stood before the image of Christ.</p>
+<p>He stood before the image of Christ, and on his right hand and on
+his left were the marvellous vessels of gold, the chalice with the yellow
+wine, and the vial with the holy oil.&nbsp; He knelt before the image
+of Christ, and the great candles burned brightly by the jewelled shrine,
+and the smoke of the incense curled in thin blue wreaths through the
+dome.&nbsp; He bowed his head in prayer, and the priests in their stiff
+copes crept away from the altar.</p>
+<p>And suddenly a wild tumult came from the street outside, and in entered
+the nobles with drawn swords and nodding plumes, and shields of polished
+steel.&nbsp; &lsquo;Where is this dreamer of dreams?&rsquo; they cried.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;Where is this King who is apparelled like a beggar - this boy
+who brings shame upon our state?&nbsp; Surely we will slay him, for
+he is unworthy to rule over us.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the young King bowed his head again, and prayed, and when he
+had finished his prayer he rose up, and turning round he looked at them
+sadly.</p>
+<p>And lo! through the painted windows came the sunlight streaming upon
+him, and the sun-beams wove round him a tissued robe that was fairer
+than the robe that had been fashioned for his pleasure.&nbsp; The dead
+staff blossomed, and bare lilies that were whiter than pearls.&nbsp;
+The dry thorn blossomed, and bare roses that were redder than rubies.&nbsp;
+Whiter than fine pearls were the lilies, and their stems were of bright
+silver.&nbsp; Redder than male rubies were the roses, and their leaves
+were of beaten gold.</p>
+<p>He stood there in the raiment of a king, and the gates of the jewelled
+shrine flew open, and from the crystal of the many-rayed monstrance
+shone a marvellous and mystical light.&nbsp; He stood there in a king&rsquo;s
+raiment, and the Glory of God filled the place, and the saints in their
+carven niches seemed to move.&nbsp; In the fair raiment of a king he
+stood before them, and the organ pealed out its music, and the trumpeters
+blew upon their trumpets, and the singing boys sang.</p>
+<p>And the people fell upon their knees in awe, and the nobles sheathed
+their swords and did homage, and the Bishop&rsquo;s face grew pale,
+and his hands trembled.&nbsp; &lsquo;A greater than I hath crowned thee,&rsquo;
+he cried, and he knelt before him.</p>
+<p>And the young King came down from the high altar, and passed home
+through the midst of the people.&nbsp; But no man dared look upon his
+face, for it was like the face of an angel.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines3"><br /><br /><br /></div>
+<h2>THE BIRTHDAY OF THE INFANTA</h2>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines3"><br /><br /><br /></div>
+<p>[TO MRS. WILLIAM H. GRENFELL OF TAPLOW COURT - LADY DESBOROUGH]</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>It was the birthday of the Infanta.&nbsp; She was just twelve years
+of age, and the sun was shining brightly in the gardens of the palace.</p>
+<p>Although she was a real Princess and the Infanta of Spain, she had
+only one birthday every year, just like the children of quite poor people,
+so it was naturally a matter of great importance to the whole country
+that she should have a really fine day for the occasion.&nbsp; And a
+really fine day it certainly was.&nbsp; The tall striped tulips stood
+straight up upon their stalks, like long rows of soldiers, and looked
+defiantly across the grass at the roses, and said: &lsquo;We are quite
+as splendid as you are now.&rsquo;&nbsp; The purple butterflies fluttered
+about with gold dust on their wings, visiting each flower in turn; the
+little lizards crept out of the crevices of the wall, and lay basking
+in the white glare; and the pomegranates split and cracked with the
+heat, and showed their bleeding red hearts.&nbsp; Even the pale yellow
+lemons, that hung in such profusion from the mouldering trellis and
+along the dim arcades, seemed to have caught a richer colour from the
+wonderful sunlight, and the magnolia trees opened their great globe-like
+blossoms of folded ivory, and filled the air with a sweet heavy perfume.</p>
+<p>The little Princess herself walked up and down the terrace with her
+companions, and played at hide and seek round the stone vases and the
+old moss-grown statues.&nbsp; On ordinary days she was only allowed
+to play with children of her own rank, so she had always to play alone,
+but her birthday was an exception, and the King had given orders that
+she was to invite any of her young friends whom she liked to come and
+amuse themselves with her.&nbsp; There was a stately grace about these
+slim Spanish children as they glided about, the boys with their large-plumed
+hats and short fluttering cloaks, the girls holding up the trains of
+their long brocaded gowns, and shielding the sun from their eyes with
+huge fans of black and silver.&nbsp; But the Infanta was the most graceful
+of all, and the most tastefully attired, after the somewhat cumbrous
+fashion of the day.&nbsp; Her robe was of grey satin, the skirt and
+the wide puffed sleeves heavily embroidered with silver, and the stiff
+corset studded with rows of fine pearls.&nbsp; Two tiny slippers with
+big pink rosettes peeped out beneath her dress as she walked.&nbsp;
+Pink and pearl was her great gauze fan, and in her hair, which like
+an aureole of faded gold stood out stiffly round her pale little face,
+she had a beautiful white rose.</p>
+<p>From a window in the palace the sad melancholy King watched them.&nbsp;
+Behind him stood his brother, Don Pedro of Aragon, whom he hated, and
+his confessor, the Grand Inquisitor of Granada, sat by his side.&nbsp;
+Sadder even than usual was the King, for as he looked at the Infanta
+bowing with childish gravity to the assembling counters, or laughing
+behind her fan at the grim Duchess of Albuquerque who always accompanied
+her, he thought of the young Queen, her mother, who but a short time
+before - so it seemed to him - had come from the gay country of France,
+and had withered away in the sombre splendour of the Spanish court,
+dying just six months after the birth of her child, and before she had
+seen the almonds blossom twice in the orchard, or plucked the second
+year&rsquo;s fruit from the old gnarled fig-tree that stood in the centre
+of the now grass-grown courtyard.&nbsp; So great had been his love for
+her that he had not suffered even the grave to hide her from him.&nbsp;
+She had been embalmed by a Moorish physician, who in return for this
+service had been granted his life, which for heresy and suspicion of
+magical practices had been already forfeited, men said, to the Holy
+Office, and her body was still lying on its tapestried bier in the black
+marble chapel of the Palace, just as the monks had borne her in on that
+windy March day nearly twelve years before.&nbsp; Once every month the
+King, wrapped in a dark cloak and with a muffled lantern in his hand,
+went in and knelt by her side calling out, &lsquo;<i>Mi reina</i>!&nbsp;
+<i>Mi reina</i>!&rsquo; and sometimes breaking through the formal etiquette
+that in Spain governs every separate action of life, and sets limits
+even to the sorrow of a King, he would clutch at the pale jewelled hands
+in a wild agony of grief, and try to wake by his mad kisses the cold
+painted face.</p>
+<p>To-day he seemed to see her again, as he had seen her first at the
+Castle of Fontainebleau, when he was but fifteen years of age, and she
+still younger.&nbsp; They had been formally betrothed on that occasion
+by the Papal Nuncio in the presence of the French King and all the Court,
+and he had returned to the Escurial bearing with him a little ringlet
+of yellow hair, and the memory of two childish lips bending down to
+kiss his hand as he stepped into his carriage.&nbsp; Later on had followed
+the marriage, hastily performed at Burgos, a small town on the frontier
+between the two countries, and the grand public entry into Madrid with
+the customary celebration of high mass at the Church of La Atocha, and
+a more than usually solemn <i>auto-da-f&eacute;</i>, in which nearly
+three hundred heretics, amongst whom were many Englishmen, had been
+delivered over to the secular arm to be burned.</p>
+<p>Certainly he had loved her madly, and to the ruin, many thought,
+of his country, then at war with England for the possession of the empire
+of the New World.&nbsp; He had hardly ever permitted her to be out of
+his sight; for her, he had forgotten, or seemed to have forgotten, all
+grave affairs of State; and, with that terrible blindness that passion
+brings upon its servants, he had failed to notice that the elaborate
+ceremonies by which he sought to please her did but aggravate the strange
+malady from which she suffered.&nbsp; When she died he was, for a time,
+like one bereft of reason.&nbsp; Indeed, there is no doubt but that
+he would have formally abdicated and retired to the great Trappist monastery
+at Granada, of which he was already titular Prior, had he not been afraid
+to leave the little Infanta at the mercy of his brother, whose cruelty,
+even in Spain, was notorious, and who was suspected by many of having
+caused the Queen&rsquo;s death by means of a pair of poisoned gloves
+that he had presented to her on the occasion of her visiting his castle
+in Aragon.&nbsp; Even after the expiration of the three years of public
+mourning that he had ordained throughout his whole dominions by royal
+edict, he would never suffer his ministers to speak about any new alliance,
+and when the Emperor himself sent to him, and offered him the hand of
+the lovely Archduchess of Bohemia, his niece, in marriage, he bade the
+ambassadors tell their master that the King of Spain was already wedded
+to Sorrow, and that though she was but a barren bride he loved her better
+than Beauty; an answer that cost his crown the rich provinces of the
+Netherlands, which soon after, at the Emperor&rsquo;s instigation, revolted
+against him under the leadership of some fanatics of the Reformed Church.</p>
+<p>His whole married life, with its fierce, fiery-coloured joys and
+the terrible agony of its sudden ending, seemed to come back to him
+to-day as he watched the Infanta playing on the terrace.&nbsp; She had
+all the Queen&rsquo;s pretty petulance of manner, the same wilful way
+of tossing her head, the same proud curved beautiful mouth, the same
+wonderful smile - <i>vrai sourire de France</i> indeed - as she glanced
+up now and then at the window, or stretched out her little hand for
+the stately Spanish gentlemen to kiss.&nbsp; But the shrill laughter
+of the children grated on his ears, and the bright pitiless sunlight
+mocked his sorrow, and a dull odour of strange spices, spices such as
+embalmers use, seemed to taint - or was it fancy? - the clear morning
+air.&nbsp; He buried his face in his hands, and when the Infanta looked
+up again the curtains had been drawn, and the King had retired.</p>
+<p>She made a little <i>moue</i> of disappointment, and shrugged her
+shoulders.&nbsp; Surely he might have stayed with her on her birthday.&nbsp;
+What did the stupid State-affairs matter?&nbsp; Or had he gone to that
+gloomy chapel, where the candles were always burning, and where she
+was never allowed to enter?&nbsp; How silly of him, when the sun was
+shining so brightly, and everybody was so happy!&nbsp; Besides, he would
+miss the sham bull-fight for which the trumpet was already sounding,
+to say nothing of the puppet-show and the other wonderful things.&nbsp;
+Her uncle and the Grand Inquisitor were much more sensible.&nbsp; They
+had come out on the terrace, and paid her nice compliments.&nbsp; So
+she tossed her pretty head, and taking Don Pedro by the hand, she walked
+slowly down the steps towards a long pavilion of purple silk that had
+been erected at the end of the garden, the other children following
+in strict order of precedence, those who had the longest names going
+first.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>A procession of noble boys, fantastically dressed as <i>toreadors</i>,
+came out to meet her, and the young Count of Tierra-Nueva, a wonderfully
+handsome lad of about fourteen years of age, uncovering his head with
+all the grace of a born hidalgo and grandee of Spain, led her solemnly
+in to a little gilt and ivory chair that was placed on a raised dais
+above the arena.&nbsp; The children grouped themselves all round, fluttering
+their big fans and whispering to each other, and Don Pedro and the Grand
+Inquisitor stood laughing at the entrance.&nbsp; Even the Duchess -
+the Camerera-Mayor as she was called - a thin, hard-featured woman with
+a yellow ruff, did not look quite so bad-tempered as usual, and something
+like a chill smile flitted across her wrinkled face and twitched her
+thin bloodless lips.</p>
+<p>It certainly was a marvellous bull-fight, and much nicer, the Infanta
+thought, than the real bull-fight that she had been brought to see at
+Seville, on the occasion of the visit of the Duke of Parma to her father.&nbsp;
+Some of the boys pranced about on richly-caparisoned hobby-horses brandishing
+long javelins with gay streamers of bright ribands attached to them;
+others went on foot waving their scarlet cloaks before the bull, and
+vaulting lightly over the barrier when he charged them; and as for the
+bull himself, he was just like a live bull, though he was only made
+of wicker-work and stretched hide, and sometimes insisted on running
+round the arena on his hind legs, which no live bull ever dreams of
+doing.&nbsp; He made a splendid fight of it too, and the children got
+so excited that they stood up upon the benches, and waved their lace
+handkerchiefs and cried out: <i>Bravo toro!&nbsp; Bravo</i> <i>toro</i>!
+just as sensibly as if they had been grown-up people.&nbsp; At last,
+however, after a prolonged combat, during which several of the hobby-horses
+were gored through and through, and, their riders dismounted, the young
+Count of Tierra-Nueva brought the bull to his knees, and having obtained
+permission from the Infanta to give the <i>coup de gr&acirc;ce</i>,
+he plunged his wooden sword into the neck of the animal with such violence
+that the head came right off, and disclosed the laughing face of little
+Monsieur de Lorraine, the son of the French Ambassador at Madrid.</p>
+<p>The arena was then cleared amidst much applause, and the dead hobbyhorses
+dragged solemnly away by two Moorish pages in yellow and black liveries,
+and after a short interlude, during which a French posture-master performed
+upon the tightrope, some Italian puppets appeared in the semi-classical
+tragedy of <i>Sophonisba</i> on the stage of a small theatre that had
+been built up for the purpose.&nbsp; They acted so well, and their gestures
+were so extremely natural, that at the close of the play the eyes of
+the Infanta were quite dim with tears.&nbsp; Indeed some of the children
+really cried, and had to be comforted with sweetmeats, and the Grand
+Inquisitor himself was so affected that he could not help saying to
+Don Pedro that it seemed to him intolerable that things made simply
+out of wood and coloured wax, and worked mechanically by wires, should
+be so unhappy and meet with such terrible misfortunes.</p>
+<p>An African juggler followed, who brought in a large flat basket covered
+with a red cloth, and having placed it in the centre of the arena, he
+took from his turban a curious reed pipe, and blew through it.&nbsp;
+In a few moments the cloth began to move, and as the pipe grew shriller
+and shriller two green and gold snakes put out their strange wedge-shaped
+heads and rose slowly up, swaying to and fro with the music as a plant
+sways in the water.&nbsp; The children, however, were rather frightened
+at their spotted hoods and quick darting tongues, and were much more
+pleased when the juggler made a tiny orange-tree grow out of the sand
+and bear pretty white blossoms and clusters of real fruit; and when
+he took the fan of the little daughter of the Marquess de Las-Torres,
+and changed it into a blue bird that flew all round the pavilion and
+sang, their delight and amazement knew no bounds.&nbsp; The solemn minuet,
+too, performed by the dancing boys from the church of Nuestra Senora
+Del Pilar, was charming.&nbsp; The Infanta had never before seen this
+wonderful ceremony which takes place every year at Maytime in front
+of the high altar of the Virgin, and in her honour; and indeed none
+of the royal family of Spain had entered the great cathedral of Saragossa
+since a mad priest, supposed by many to have been in the pay of Elizabeth
+of England, had tried to administer a poisoned wafer to the Prince of
+the Asturias.&nbsp; So she had known only by hearsay of &lsquo;Our Lady&rsquo;s
+Dance,&rsquo; as it was called, and it certainly was a beautiful sight.&nbsp;
+The boys wore old-fashioned court dresses of white velvet, and their
+curious three-cornered hats were fringed with silver and surmounted
+with huge plumes of ostrich feathers, the dazzling whiteness of their
+costumes, as they moved about in the sunlight, being still more accentuated
+by their swarthy faces and long black hair.&nbsp; Everybody was fascinated
+by the grave dignity with which they moved through the intricate figures
+of the dance, and by the elaborate grace of their slow gestures, and
+stately bows, and when they had finished their performance and doffed
+their great plumed hats to the Infanta, she acknowledged their reverence
+with much courtesy, and made a vow that she would send a large wax candle
+to the shrine of Our Lady of Pilar in return for the pleasure that she
+had given her.</p>
+<p>A troop of handsome Egyptians - as the gipsies were termed in those
+days - then advanced into the arena, and sitting down cross-legs, in
+a circle, began to play softly upon their zithers, moving their bodies
+to the tune, and humming, almost below their breath, a low dreamy air.&nbsp;
+When they caught sight of Don Pedro they scowled at him, and some of
+them looked terrified, for only a few weeks before he had had two of
+their tribe hanged for sorcery in the market-place at Seville, but the
+pretty Infanta charmed them as she leaned back peeping over her fan
+with her great blue eyes, and they felt sure that one so lovely as she
+was could never be cruel to anybody.&nbsp; So they played on very gently
+and just touching the cords of the zithers with their long pointed nails,
+and their heads began to nod as though they were falling asleep.&nbsp;
+Suddenly, with a cry so shrill that all the children were startled and
+Don Pedro&rsquo;s hand clutched at the agate pommel of his dagger, they
+leapt to their feet and whirled madly round the enclosure beating their
+tambourines, and chaunting some wild love-song in their strange guttural
+language.&nbsp; Then at another signal they all flung themselves again
+to the ground and lay there quite still, the dull strumming of the zithers
+being the only sound that broke the silence.&nbsp; After that they had
+done this several times, they disappeared for a moment and came back
+leading a brown shaggy bear by a chain, and carrying on their shoulders
+some little Barbary apes.&nbsp; The bear stood upon his head with the
+utmost gravity, and the wizened apes played all kinds of amusing tricks
+with two gipsy boys who seemed to be their masters, and fought with
+tiny swords, and fired off guns, and went through a regular soldier&rsquo;s
+drill just like the King&rsquo;s own bodyguard.&nbsp; In fact the gipsies
+were a great success.</p>
+<p>But the funniest part of the whole morning&rsquo;s entertainment,
+was undoubtedly the dancing of the little Dwarf.&nbsp; When he stumbled
+into the arena, waddling on his crooked legs and wagging his huge misshapen
+head from side to side, the children went off into a loud shout of delight,
+and the Infanta herself laughed so much that the Camerera was obliged
+to remind her that although there were many precedents in Spain for
+a King&rsquo;s daughter weeping before her equals, there were none for
+a Princess of the blood royal making so merry before those who were
+her inferiors in birth.&nbsp; The Dwarf, however, was really quite irresistible,
+and even at the Spanish Court, always noted for its cultivated passion
+for the horrible, so fantastic a little monster had never been seen.&nbsp;
+It was his first appearance, too.&nbsp; He had been discovered only
+the day before, running wild through the forest, by two of the nobles
+who happened to have been hunting in a remote part of the great cork-wood
+that surrounded the town, and had been carried off by them to the Palace
+as a surprise for the Infanta; his father, who was a poor charcoal-burner,
+being but too well pleased to get rid of so ugly and useless a child.&nbsp;
+Perhaps the most amusing thing about him was his complete unconsciousness
+of his own grotesque appearance.&nbsp; Indeed he seemed quite happy
+and full of the highest spirits.&nbsp; When the children laughed, he
+laughed as freely and as joyously as any of them, and at the close of
+each dance he made them each the funniest of bows, smiling and nodding
+at them just as if he was really one of themselves, and not a little
+misshapen thing that Nature, in some humourous mood, had fashioned for
+others to mock at.&nbsp; As for the Infanta, she absolutely fascinated
+him.&nbsp; He could not keep his eyes off her, and seemed to dance for
+her alone, and when at the close of the performance, remembering how
+she had seen the great ladies of the Court throw bouquets to Caffarelli,
+the famous Italian treble, whom the Pope had sent from his own chapel
+to Madrid that he might cure the King&rsquo;s melancholy by the sweetness
+of his voice, she took out of her hair the beautiful white rose, and
+partly for a jest and partly to tease the Camerera, threw it to him
+across the arena with her sweetest smile, he took the whole matter quite
+seriously, and pressing the flower to his rough coarse lips he put his
+hand upon his heart, and sank on one knee before her, grinning from
+ear to ear, and with his little bright eyes sparkling with pleasure.</p>
+<p>This so upset the gravity of the Infanta that she kept on laughing
+long after the little Dwarf had ran out of the arena, and expressed
+a desire to her uncle that the dance should be immediately repeated.&nbsp;
+The Camerera, however, on the plea that the sun was too hot, decided
+that it would be better that her Highness should return without delay
+to the Palace, where a wonderful feast had been already prepared for
+her, including a real birthday cake with her own initials worked all
+over it in painted sugar and a lovely silver flag waving from the top.&nbsp;
+The Infanta accordingly rose up with much dignity, and having given
+orders that the little dwarf was to dance again for her after the hour
+of siesta, and conveyed her thanks to the young Count of Tierra-Nueva
+for his charming reception, she went back to her apartments, the children
+following in the same order in which they had entered.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>Now when the little Dwarf heard that he was to dance a second time
+before the Infanta, and by her own express command, he was so proud
+that he ran out into the garden, kissing the white rose in an absurd
+ecstasy of pleasure, and making the most uncouth and clumsy gestures
+of delight.</p>
+<p>The Flowers were quite indignant at his daring to intrude into their
+beautiful home, and when they saw him capering up and down the walks,
+and waving his arms above his head in such a ridiculous manner, they
+could not restrain their feelings any longer.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;He is really far too ugly to be allowed to play in any place
+where we are,&rsquo; cried the Tulips.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;He should drink poppy-juice, and go to sleep for a thousand
+years,&rsquo; said the great scarlet Lilies, and they grew quite hot
+and angry.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;He is a perfect horror!&rsquo; screamed the Cactus.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;Why, he is twisted and stumpy, and his head is completely out
+of proportion with his legs.&nbsp; Really he makes me feel prickly all
+over, and if he comes near me I will sting him with my thorns.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And he has actually got one of my best blooms,&rsquo; exclaimed
+the White Rose-Tree.&nbsp; &lsquo;I gave it to the Infanta this morning
+myself, as a birthday present, and he has stolen it from her.&rsquo;&nbsp;
+And she called out: &lsquo;Thief, thief, thief!&rsquo; at the top of
+her voice.</p>
+<p>Even the red Geraniums, who did not usually give themselves airs,
+and were known to have a great many poor relations themselves, curled
+up in disgust when they saw him, and when the Violets meekly remarked
+that though he was certainly extremely plain, still he could not help
+it, they retorted with a good deal of justice that that was his chief
+defect, and that there was no reason why one should admire a person
+because he was incurable; and, indeed, some of the Violets themselves
+felt that the ugliness of the little Dwarf was almost ostentatious,
+and that he would have shown much better taste if he had looked sad,
+or at least pensive, instead of jumping about merrily, and throwing
+himself into such grotesque and silly attitudes.</p>
+<p>As for the old Sundial, who was an extremely remarkable individual,
+and had once told the time of day to no less a person than the Emperor
+Charles V. himself, he was so taken aback by the little Dwarf&rsquo;s
+appearance, that he almost forgot to mark two whole minutes with his
+long shadowy finger, and could not help saying to the great milk-white
+Peacock, who was sunning herself on the balustrade, that every one knew
+that the children of Kings were Kings, and that the children of charcoal-burners
+were charcoal-burners, and that it was absurd to pretend that it wasn&rsquo;t
+so; a statement with which the Peacock entirely agreed, and indeed screamed
+out, &lsquo;Certainly, certainly,&rsquo; in such a loud, harsh voice,
+that the gold-fish who lived in the basin of the cool splashing fountain
+put their heads out of the water, and asked the huge stone Tritons what
+on earth was the matter.</p>
+<p>But somehow the Birds liked him.&nbsp; They had seen him often in
+the forest, dancing about like an elf after the eddying leaves, or crouched
+up in the hollow of some old oak-tree, sharing his nuts with the squirrels.&nbsp;
+They did not mind his being ugly, a bit.&nbsp; Why, even the nightingale
+herself, who sang so sweetly in the orange groves at night that sometimes
+the Moon leaned down to listen, was not much to look at after all; and,
+besides, he had been kind to them, and during that terribly bitter winter,
+when there were no berries on the trees, and the ground was as hard
+as iron, and the wolves had come down to the very gates of the city
+to look for food, he had never once forgotten them, but had always given
+them crumbs out of his little hunch of black bread, and divided with
+them whatever poor breakfast he had.</p>
+<p>So they flew round and round him, just touching his cheek with their
+wings as they passed, and chattered to each other, and the little Dwarf
+was so pleased that he could not help showing them the beautiful white
+rose, and telling them that the Infanta herself had given it to him
+because she loved him.</p>
+<p>They did not understand a single word of what he was saying, but
+that made no matter, for they put their heads on one side, and looked
+wise, which is quite as good as understanding a thing, and very much
+easier.</p>
+<p>The Lizards also took an immense fancy to him, and when he grew tired
+of running about and flung himself down on the grass to rest, they played
+and romped all over him, and tried to amuse him in the best way they
+could.&nbsp; &lsquo;Every one cannot be as beautiful as a lizard,&rsquo;
+they cried; &lsquo;that would be too much to expect.&nbsp; And, though
+it sounds absurd to say so, he is really not so ugly after all, provided,
+of course, that one shuts one&rsquo;s eyes, and does not look at him.&rsquo;&nbsp;
+The Lizards were extremely philosophical by nature, and often sat thinking
+for hours and hours together, when there was nothing else to do, or
+when the weather was too rainy for them to go out.</p>
+<p>The Flowers, however, were excessively annoyed at their behaviour,
+and at the behaviour of the birds.&nbsp; &lsquo;It only shows,&rsquo;
+they said, &lsquo;what a vulgarising effect this incessant rushing and
+flying about has.&nbsp; Well-bred people always stay exactly in the
+same place, as we do.&nbsp; No one ever saw us hopping up and down the
+walks, or galloping madly through the grass after dragon-flies.&nbsp;
+When we do want change of air, we send for the gardener, and he carries
+us to another bed.&nbsp; This is dignified, and as it should be.&nbsp;
+But birds and lizards have no sense of repose, and indeed birds have
+not even a permanent address.&nbsp; They are mere vagrants like the
+gipsies, and should be treated in exactly the same manner.&rsquo;&nbsp;
+So they put their noses in the air, and looked very haughty, and were
+quite delighted when after some time they saw the little Dwarf scramble
+up from the grass, and make his way across the terrace to the palace.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;He should certainly be kept indoors for the rest of his natural
+life,&rsquo; they said.&nbsp; &lsquo;Look at his hunched back, and his
+crooked legs,&rsquo; and they began to titter.</p>
+<p>But the little Dwarf knew nothing of all this.&nbsp; He liked the
+birds and the lizards immensely, and thought that the flowers were the
+most marvellous things in the whole world, except of course the Infanta,
+but then she had given him the beautiful white rose, and she loved him,
+and that made a great difference.&nbsp; How he wished that he had gone
+back with her!&nbsp; She would have put him on her right hand, and smiled
+at him, and he would have never left her side, but would have made her
+his playmate, and taught her all kinds of delightful tricks.&nbsp; For
+though he had never been in a palace before, he knew a great many wonderful
+things.&nbsp; He could make little cages out of rushes for the grasshoppers
+to sing in, and fashion the long jointed bamboo into the pipe that Pan
+loves to hear.&nbsp; He knew the cry of every bird, and could call the
+starlings from the tree-top, or the heron from the mere.&nbsp; He knew
+the trail of every animal, and could track the hare by its delicate
+footprints, and the boar by the trampled leaves.&nbsp; All the wild-dances
+he knew, the mad dance in red raiment with the autumn, the light dance
+in blue sandals over the corn, the dance with white snow-wreaths in
+winter, and the blossom-dance through the orchards in spring.&nbsp;
+He knew where the wood-pigeons built their nests, and once when a fowler
+had snared the parent birds, he had brought up the young ones himself,
+and had built a little dovecot for them in the cleft of a pollard elm.&nbsp;
+They were quite tame, and used to feed out of his hands every morning.&nbsp;
+She would like them, and the rabbits that scurried about in the long
+fern, and the jays with their steely feathers and black bills, and the
+hedgehogs that could curl themselves up into prickly balls, and the
+great wise tortoises that crawled slowly about, shaking their heads
+and nibbling at the young leaves.&nbsp; Yes, she must certainly come
+to the forest and play with him.&nbsp; He would give her his own little
+bed, and would watch outside the window till dawn, to see that the wild
+horned cattle did not harm her, nor the gaunt wolves creep too near
+the hut.&nbsp; And at dawn he would tap at the shutters and wake her,
+and they would go out and dance together all the day long.&nbsp; It
+was really not a bit lonely in the forest.&nbsp; Sometimes a Bishop
+rode through on his white mule, reading out of a painted book.&nbsp;
+Sometimes in their green velvet caps, and their jerkins of tanned deerskin,
+the falconers passed by, with hooded hawks on their wrists.&nbsp; At
+vintage-time came the grape-treaders, with purple hands and feet, wreathed
+with glossy ivy and carrying dripping skins of wine; and the charcoal-burners
+sat round their huge braziers at night, watching the dry logs charring
+slowly in the fire, and roasting chestnuts in the ashes, and the robbers
+came out of their caves and made merry with them.&nbsp; Once, too, he
+had seen a beautiful procession winding up the long dusty road to Toledo.&nbsp;
+The monks went in front singing sweetly, and carrying bright banners
+and crosses of gold, and then, in silver armour, with matchlocks and
+pikes, came the soldiers, and in their midst walked three barefooted
+men, in strange yellow dresses painted all over with wonderful figures,
+and carrying lighted candles in their hands.&nbsp; Certainly there was
+a great deal to look at in the forest, and when she was tired he would
+find a soft bank of moss for her, or carry her in his arms, for he was
+very strong, though he knew that he was not tall.&nbsp; He would make
+her a necklace of red bryony berries, that would be quite as pretty
+as the white berries that she wore on her dress, and when she was tired
+of them, she could throw them away, and he would find her others.&nbsp;
+He would bring her acorn-cups and dew-drenched anemones, and tiny glow-worms
+to be stars in the pale gold of her hair.</p>
+<p>But where was she?&nbsp; He asked the white rose, and it made him
+no answer.&nbsp; The whole palace seemed asleep, and even where the
+shutters had not been closed, heavy curtains had been drawn across the
+windows to keep out the glare.&nbsp; He wandered all round looking for
+some place through which he might gain an entrance, and at last he caught
+sight of a little private door that was lying open.&nbsp; He slipped
+through, and found himself in a splendid hall, far more splendid, he
+feared, than the forest, there was so much more gilding everywhere,
+and even the floor was made of great coloured stones, fitted together
+into a sort of geometrical pattern.&nbsp; But the little Infanta was
+not there, only some wonderful white statues that looked down on him
+from their jasper pedestals, with sad blank eyes and strangely smiling
+lips.</p>
+<p>At the end of the hall hung a richly embroidered curtain of black
+velvet, powdered with suns and stars, the King&rsquo;s favourite devices,
+and broidered on the colour he loved best.&nbsp; Perhaps she was hiding
+behind that?&nbsp; He would try at any rate.</p>
+<p>So he stole quietly across, and drew it aside.&nbsp; No; there was
+only another room, though a prettier room, he thought, than the one
+he had just left.&nbsp; The walls were hung with a many-figured green
+arras of needle-wrought tapestry representing a hunt, the work of some
+Flemish artists who had spent more than seven years in its composition.&nbsp;
+It had once been the chamber of <i>Jean le Fou</i>, as he was called,
+that mad King who was so enamoured of the chase, that he had often tried
+in his delirium to mount the huge rearing horses, and to drag down the
+stag on which the great hounds were leaping, sounding his hunting horn,
+and stabbing with his dagger at the pale flying deer.&nbsp; It was now
+used as the council-room, and on the centre table were lying the red
+portfolios of the ministers, stamped with the gold tulips of Spain,
+and with the arms and emblems of the house of Hapsburg.</p>
+<p>The little Dwarf looked in wonder all round him, and was half-afraid
+to go on.&nbsp; The strange silent horsemen that galloped so swiftly
+through the long glades without making any noise, seemed to him like
+those terrible phantoms of whom he had heard the charcoal-burners speaking
+- the Comprachos, who hunt only at night, and if they meet a man, turn
+him into a hind, and chase him.&nbsp; But he thought of the pretty Infanta,
+and took courage.&nbsp; He wanted to find her alone, and to tell her
+that he too loved her.&nbsp; Perhaps she was in the room beyond.</p>
+<p>He ran across the soft Moorish carpets, and opened the door.&nbsp;
+No!&nbsp; She was not here either.&nbsp; The room was quite empty.</p>
+<p>It was a throne-room, used for the reception of foreign ambassadors,
+when the King, which of late had not been often, consented to give them
+a personal audience; the same room in which, many years before, envoys
+had appeared from England to make arrangements for the marriage of their
+Queen, then one of the Catholic sovereigns of Europe, with the Emperor&rsquo;s
+eldest son.&nbsp; The hangings were of gilt Cordovan leather, and a
+heavy gilt chandelier with branches for three hundred wax lights hung
+down from the black and white ceiling.&nbsp; Underneath a great canopy
+of gold cloth, on which the lions and towers of Castile were broidered
+in seed pearls, stood the throne itself, covered with a rich pall of
+black velvet studded with silver tulips and elaborately fringed with
+silver and pearls.&nbsp; On the second step of the throne was placed
+the kneeling-stool of the Infanta, with its cushion of cloth of silver
+tissue, and below that again, and beyond the limit of the canopy, stood
+the chair for the Papal Nuncio, who alone had the right to be seated
+in the King&rsquo;s presence on the occasion of any public ceremonial,
+and whose Cardinal&rsquo;s hat, with its tangled scarlet tassels, lay
+on a purple <i>tabouret</i> in front.&nbsp; On the wall, facing the
+throne, hung a life-sized portrait of Charles V. in hunting dress, with
+a great mastiff by his side, and a picture of Philip II. receiving the
+homage of the Netherlands occupied the centre of the other wall.&nbsp;
+Between the windows stood a black ebony cabinet, inlaid with plates
+of ivory, on which the figures from Holbein&rsquo;s Dance of Death had
+been graved - by the hand, some said, of that famous master himself.</p>
+<p>But the little Dwarf cared nothing for all this magnificence.&nbsp;
+He would not have given his rose for all the pearls on the canopy, nor
+one white petal of his rose for the throne itself.&nbsp; What he wanted
+was to see the Infanta before she went down to the pavilion, and to
+ask her to come away with him when he had finished his dance.&nbsp;
+Here, in the Palace, the air was close and heavy, but in the forest
+the wind blew free, and the sunlight with wandering hands of gold moved
+the tremulous leaves aside.&nbsp; There were flowers, too, in the forest,
+not so splendid, perhaps, as the flowers in the garden, but more sweetly
+scented for all that; hyacinths in early spring that flooded with waving
+purple the cool glens, and grassy knolls; yellow primroses that nestled
+in little clumps round the gnarled roots of the oak-trees; bright celandine,
+and blue speedwell, and irises lilac and gold.&nbsp; There were grey
+catkins on the hazels, and the foxgloves drooped with the weight of
+their dappled bee-haunted cells.&nbsp; The chestnut had its spires of
+white stars, and the hawthorn its pallid moons of beauty.&nbsp; Yes:
+surely she would come if he could only find her!&nbsp; She would come
+with him to the fair forest, and all day long he would dance for her
+delight.&nbsp; A smile lit up his eyes at the thought, and he passed
+into the next room.</p>
+<p>Of all the rooms this was the brightest and the most beautiful.&nbsp;
+The walls were covered with a pink-flowered Lucca damask, patterned
+with birds and dotted with dainty blossoms of silver; the furniture
+was of massive silver, festooned with florid wreaths, and swinging Cupids;
+in front of the two large fire-places stood great screens broidered
+with parrots and peacocks, and the floor, which was of sea-green onyx,
+seemed to stretch far away into the distance.&nbsp; Nor was he alone.&nbsp;
+Standing under the shadow of the doorway, at the extreme end of the
+room, he saw a little figure watching him.&nbsp; His heart trembled,
+a cry of joy broke from his lips, and he moved out into the sunlight.&nbsp;
+As he did so, the figure moved out also, and he saw it plainly.</p>
+<p>The Infanta!&nbsp; It was a monster, the most grotesque monster he
+had ever beheld.&nbsp; Not properly shaped, as all other people were,
+but hunchbacked, and crooked-limbed, with huge lolling head and mane
+of black hair.&nbsp; The little Dwarf frowned, and the monster frowned
+also.&nbsp; He laughed, and it laughed with him, and held its hands
+to its sides, just as he himself was doing.&nbsp; He made it a mocking
+bow, and it returned him a low reverence.&nbsp; He went towards it,
+and it came to meet him, copying each step that he made, and stopping
+when he stopped himself.&nbsp; He shouted with amusement, and ran forward,
+and reached out his hand, and the hand of the monster touched his, and
+it was as cold as ice.&nbsp; He grew afraid, and moved his hand across,
+and the monster&rsquo;s hand followed it quickly.&nbsp; He tried to
+press on, but something smooth and hard stopped him.&nbsp; The face
+of the monster was now close to his own, and seemed full of terror.&nbsp;
+He brushed his hair off his eyes.&nbsp; It imitated him.&nbsp; He struck
+at it, and it returned blow for blow.&nbsp; He loathed it, and it made
+hideous faces at him.&nbsp; He drew back, and it retreated.</p>
+<p>What is it?&nbsp; He thought for a moment, and looked round at the
+rest of the room.&nbsp; It was strange, but everything seemed to have
+its double in this invisible wall of clear water.&nbsp; Yes, picture
+for picture was repeated, and couch for couch.&nbsp; The sleeping Faun
+that lay in the alcove by the doorway had its twin brother that slumbered,
+and the silver Venus that stood in the sunlight held out her arms to
+a Venus as lovely as herself.</p>
+<p>Was it Echo?&nbsp; He had called to her once in the valley, and she
+had answered him word for word.&nbsp; Could she mock the eye, as she
+mocked the voice?&nbsp; Could she make a mimic world just like the real
+world?&nbsp; Could the shadows of things have colour and life and movement?&nbsp;
+Could it be that - ?</p>
+<p>He started, and taking from his breast the beautiful white rose,
+he turned round, and kissed it.&nbsp; The monster had a rose of its
+own, petal for petal the same!&nbsp; It kissed it with like kisses,
+and pressed it to its heart with horrible gestures.</p>
+<p>When the truth dawned upon him, he gave a wild cry of despair, and
+fell sobbing to the ground.&nbsp; So it was he who was misshapen and
+hunchbacked, foul to look at and grotesque.&nbsp; He himself was the
+monster, and it was at him that all the children had been laughing,
+and the little Princess who he had thought loved him - she too had been
+merely mocking at his ugliness, and making merry over his twisted limbs.&nbsp;
+Why had they not left him in the forest, where there was no mirror to
+tell him how loathsome he was?&nbsp; Why had his father not killed him,
+rather than sell him to his shame?&nbsp; The hot tears poured down his
+cheeks, and he tore the white rose to pieces.&nbsp; The sprawling monster
+did the same, and scattered the faint petals in the air.&nbsp; It grovelled
+on the ground, and, when he looked at it, it watched him with a face
+drawn with pain.&nbsp; He crept away, lest he should see it, and covered
+his eyes with his hands.&nbsp; He crawled, like some wounded thing,
+into the shadow, and lay there moaning.</p>
+<p>And at that moment the Infanta herself came in with her companions
+through the open window, and when they saw the ugly little dwarf lying
+on the ground and beating the floor with his clenched hands, in the
+most fantastic and exaggerated manner, they went off into shouts of
+happy laughter, and stood all round him and watched him.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;His dancing was funny,&rsquo; said the Infanta; &lsquo;but
+his acting is funnier still.&nbsp; Indeed he is almost as good as the
+puppets, only of course not quite so natural.&rsquo;&nbsp; And she fluttered
+her big fan, and applauded.</p>
+<p>But the little Dwarf never looked up, and his sobs grew fainter and
+fainter, and suddenly he gave a curious gasp, and clutched his side.&nbsp;
+And then he fell back again, and lay quite still.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;That is capital,&rsquo; said the Infanta, after a pause; &lsquo;but
+now you must dance for me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Yes,&rsquo; cried all the children, &lsquo;you must get up
+and dance, for you are as clever as the Barbary apes, and much more
+ridiculous.&rsquo;&nbsp; But the little Dwarf made no answer.</p>
+<p>And the Infanta stamped her foot, and called out to her uncle, who
+was walking on the terrace with the Chamberlain, reading some despatches
+that had just arrived from Mexico, where the Holy Office had recently
+been established.&nbsp; &lsquo;My funny little dwarf is sulking,&rsquo;
+she cried, &lsquo;you must wake him up, and tell him to dance for me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>They smiled at each other, and sauntered in, and Don Pedro stooped
+down, and slapped the Dwarf on the cheek with his embroidered glove.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;You must dance,&rsquo; he said, <i>&lsquo;petit monsire</i>.&nbsp;
+You must dance.&nbsp; The Infanta of Spain and the Indies wishes to
+be amused.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the little Dwarf never moved.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;A whipping master should be sent for,&rsquo; said Don Pedro
+wearily, and he went back to the terrace.&nbsp; But the Chamberlain
+looked grave, and he knelt beside the little dwarf, and put his hand
+upon his heart.&nbsp; And after a few moments he shrugged his shoulders,
+and rose up, and having made a low bow to the Infanta, he said -</p>
+<p><i>&lsquo;Mi bella Princesa</i>, your funny little dwarf will never
+dance again.&nbsp; It is a pity, for he is so ugly that he might have
+made the King smile.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;But why will he not dance again?&rsquo; asked the Infanta,
+laughing.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Because his heart is broken,&rsquo; answered the Chamberlain.</p>
+<p>And the Infanta frowned, and her dainty rose-leaf lips curled in
+pretty disdain.&nbsp; &lsquo;For the future let those who come to play
+with me have no hearts,&rsquo; she cried, and she ran out into the garden.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines3"><br /><br /><br /></div>
+<h2>THE FISHERMAN AND HIS SOUL</h2>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines3"><br /><br /><br /></div>
+<p>[TO H.S.H. ALICE, PRINCESS OF MONACO]</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>Every evening the young Fisherman went out upon the sea, and threw
+his nets into the water.</p>
+<p>When the wind blew from the land he caught nothing, or but little
+at best, for it was a bitter and black-winged wind, and rough waves
+rose up to meet it.&nbsp; But when the wind blew to the shore, the fish
+came in from the deep, and swam into the meshes of his nets, and he
+took them to the market-place and sold them.</p>
+<p>Every evening he went out upon the sea, and one evening the net was
+so heavy that hardly could he draw it into the boat.&nbsp; And he laughed,
+and said to himself, &lsquo;Surely I have caught all the fish that swim,
+or snared some dull monster that will be a marvel to men, or some thing
+of horror that the great Queen will desire,&rsquo; and putting forth
+all his strength, he tugged at the coarse ropes till, like lines of
+blue enamel round a vase of bronze, the long veins rose up on his arms.&nbsp;
+He tugged at the thin ropes, and nearer and nearer came the circle of
+flat corks, and the net rose at last to the top of the water.</p>
+<p>But no fish at all was in it, nor any monster or thing of horror,
+but only a little Mermaid lying fast asleep.</p>
+<p>Her hair was as a wet fleece of gold, and each separate hair as a
+thread of fine gold in a cup of glass.&nbsp; Her body was as white ivory,
+and her tail was of silver and pearl.&nbsp; Silver and pearl was her
+tail, and the green weeds of the sea coiled round it; and like sea-shells
+were her ears, and her lips were like sea-coral.&nbsp; The cold waves
+dashed over her cold breasts, and the salt glistened upon her eyelids.</p>
+<p>So beautiful was she that when the young Fisherman saw her he was
+filled with wonder, and he put out his hand and drew the net close to
+him, and leaning over the side he clasped her in his arms.&nbsp; And
+when he touched her, she gave a cry like a startled sea-gull, and woke,
+and looked at him in terror with her mauve-amethyst eyes, and struggled
+that she might escape.&nbsp; But he held her tightly to him, and would
+not suffer her to depart.</p>
+<p>And when she saw that she could in no way escape from him, she began
+to weep, and said, &lsquo;I pray thee let me go, for I am the only daughter
+of a King, and my father is aged and alone.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the young Fisherman answered, &lsquo;I will not let thee go save
+thou makest me a promise that whenever I call thee, thou wilt come and
+sing to me, for the fish delight to listen to the song of the Sea-folk,
+and so shall my nets be full.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Wilt thou in very truth let me go, if I promise thee this?&rsquo;
+cried the Mermaid.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;In very truth I will let thee go,&rsquo; said the young Fisherman.</p>
+<p>So she made him the promise he desired, and sware it by the oath
+of the Sea-folk.&nbsp; And he loosened his arms from about her, and
+she sank down into the water, trembling with a strange fear.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>Every evening the young Fisherman went out upon the sea, and called
+to the Mermaid, and she rose out of the water and sang to him.&nbsp;
+Round and round her swam the dolphins, and the wild gulls wheeled above
+her head.</p>
+<p>And she sang a marvellous song.&nbsp; For she sang of the Sea-folk
+who drive their flocks from cave to cave, and carry the little calves
+on their shoulders; of the Tritons who have long green beards, and hairy
+breasts, and blow through twisted conchs when the King passes by; of
+the palace of the King which is all of amber, with a roof of clear emerald,
+and a pavement of bright pearl; and of the gardens of the sea where
+the great filigrane fans of coral wave all day long, and the fish dart
+about like silver birds, and the anemones cling to the rocks, and the
+pinks bourgeon in the ribbed yellow sand.&nbsp; She sang of the big
+whales that come down from the north seas and have sharp icicles hanging
+to their fins; of the Sirens who tell of such wonderful things that
+the merchants have to stop their ears with wax lest they should hear
+them, and leap into the water and be drowned; of the sunken galleys
+with their tall masts, and the frozen sailors clinging to the rigging,
+and the mackerel swimming in and out of the open portholes; of the little
+barnacles who are great travellers, and cling to the keels of the ships
+and go round and round the world; and of the cuttlefish who live in
+the sides of the cliffs and stretch out their long black arms, and can
+make night come when they will it.&nbsp; She sang of the nautilus who
+has a boat of her own that is carved out of an opal and steered with
+a silken sail; of the happy Mermen who play upon harps and can charm
+the great Kraken to sleep; of the little children who catch hold of
+the slippery porpoises and ride laughing upon their backs; of the Mermaids
+who lie in the white foam and hold out their arms to the mariners; and
+of the sea-lions with their curved tusks, and the sea-horses with their
+floating manes.</p>
+<p>And as she sang, all the tunny-fish came in from the deep to listen
+to her, and the young Fisherman threw his nets round them and caught
+them, and others he took with a spear.&nbsp; And when his boat was well-laden,
+the Mermaid would sink down into the sea, smiling at him.</p>
+<p>Yet would she never come near him that he might touch her.&nbsp;
+Oftentimes he called to her and prayed of her, but she would not; and
+when he sought to seize her she dived into the water as a seal might
+dive, nor did he see her again that day.&nbsp; And each day the sound
+of her voice became sweeter to his ears.&nbsp; So sweet was her voice
+that he forgot his nets and his cunning, and had no care of his craft.&nbsp;
+Vermilion-finned and with eyes of bossy gold, the tunnies went by in
+shoals, but he heeded them not.&nbsp; His spear lay by his side unused,
+and his baskets of plaited osier were empty.&nbsp; With lips parted,
+and eyes dim with wonder, he sat idle in his boat and listened, listening
+till the sea-mists crept round him, and the wandering moon stained his
+brown limbs with silver.</p>
+<p>And one evening he called to her, and said: &lsquo;Little Mermaid,
+little Mermaid, I love thee.&nbsp; Take me for thy bridegroom, for I
+love thee.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the Mermaid shook her head.&nbsp; &lsquo;Thou hast a human soul,&rsquo;
+she answered.&nbsp; &lsquo;If only thou wouldst send away thy soul,
+then could I love thee.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the young Fisherman said to himself, &lsquo;Of what use is my
+soul to me?&nbsp; I cannot see it.&nbsp; I may not touch it.&nbsp; I
+do not know it.&nbsp; Surely I will send it away from me, and much gladness
+shall be mine.&rsquo;&nbsp; And a cry of joy broke from his lips, and
+standing up in the painted boat, he held out his arms to the Mermaid.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;I will send my soul away,&rsquo; he cried, &lsquo;and you shall
+be my bride, and I will be thy bridegroom, and in the depth of the sea
+we will dwell together, and all that thou hast sung of thou shalt show
+me, and all that thou desirest I will do, nor shall our lives be divided.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the little Mermaid laughed for pleasure and hid her face in her
+hands.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;But how shall I send my soul from me?&rsquo; cried the young
+Fisherman.&nbsp; &lsquo;Tell me how I may do it, and lo! it shall be
+done.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Alas!&nbsp; I know not,&rsquo; said the little Mermaid: &lsquo;the
+Sea-folk have no souls.&rsquo;&nbsp; And she sank down into the deep,
+looking wistfully at him.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>Now early on the next morning, before the sun was the span of a man&rsquo;s
+hand above the hill, the young Fisherman went to the house of the Priest
+and knocked three times at the door.</p>
+<p>The novice looked out through the wicket, and when he saw who it
+was, he drew back the latch and said to him, &lsquo;Enter.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the young Fisherman passed in, and knelt down on the sweet-smelling
+rushes of the floor, and cried to the Priest who was reading out of
+the Holy Book and said to him, &lsquo;Father, I am in love with one
+of the Sea-folk, and my soul hindereth me from having my desire.&nbsp;
+Tell me how I can send my soul away from me, for in truth I have no
+need of it.&nbsp; Of what value is my soul to me?&nbsp; I cannot see
+it.&nbsp; I may not touch it.&nbsp; I do not know it.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Priest beat his breast, and answered, &lsquo;Alack, alack,
+thou art mad, or hast eaten of some poisonous herb, for the soul is
+the noblest part of man, and was given to us by God that we should nobly
+use it.&nbsp; There is no thing more precious than a human soul, nor
+any earthly thing that can be weighed with it.&nbsp; It is worth all
+the gold that is in the world, and is more precious than the rubies
+of the kings.&nbsp; Therefore, my son, think not any more of this matter,
+for it is a sin that may not be forgiven.&nbsp; And as for the Sea-folk,
+they are lost, and they who would traffic with them are lost also.&nbsp;
+They are as the beasts of the field that know not good from evil, and
+for them the Lord has not died.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>The young Fisherman&rsquo;s eyes filled with tears when he heard
+the bitter words of the Priest, and he rose up from his knees and said
+to him, &lsquo;Father, the Fauns live in the forest and are glad, and
+on the rocks sit the Mermen with their harps of red gold.&nbsp; Let
+me be as they are, I beseech thee, for their days are as the days of
+flowers.&nbsp; And as for my soul, what doth my soul profit me, if it
+stand between me and the thing that I love?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The love of the body is vile,&rsquo; cried the Priest, knitting
+his brows, &lsquo;and vile and evil are the pagan things God suffers
+to wander through His world.&nbsp; Accursed be the Fauns of the woodland,
+and accursed be the singers of the sea!&nbsp; I have heard them at night-time,
+and they have sought to lure me from my beads.&nbsp; They tap at the
+window, and laugh.&nbsp; They whisper into my ears the tale of their
+perilous joys.&nbsp; They tempt me with temptations, and when I would
+pray they make mouths at me.&nbsp; They are lost, I tell thee, they
+are lost.&nbsp; For them there is no heaven nor hell, and in neither
+shall they praise God&rsquo;s name.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Father,&rsquo; cried the young Fisherman, &lsquo;thou knowest
+not what thou sayest.&nbsp; Once in my net I snared the daughter of
+a King.&nbsp; She is fairer than the morning star, and whiter than the
+moon.&nbsp; For her body I would give my soul, and for her love I would
+surrender heaven.&nbsp; Tell me what I ask of thee, and let me go in
+peace.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Away!&nbsp; Away!&rsquo; cried the Priest: &lsquo;thy leman
+is lost, and thou shalt be lost with her.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And he gave him no blessing, but drove him from his door.</p>
+<p>And the young Fisherman went down into the market-place, and he walked
+slowly, and with bowed head, as one who is in sorrow.</p>
+<p>And when the merchants saw him coming, they began to whisper to each
+other, and one of them came forth to meet him, and called him by name,
+and said to him, &lsquo;What hast thou to sell?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I will sell thee my soul,&rsquo; he answered.&nbsp; &lsquo;I
+pray thee buy it of me, for I am weary of it.&nbsp; Of what use is my
+soul to me?&nbsp; I cannot see it.&nbsp; I may not touch it.&nbsp; I
+do not know it.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the merchants mocked at him, and said, &lsquo;Of what use is
+a man&rsquo;s soul to us?&nbsp; It is not worth a clipped piece of silver.&nbsp;
+Sell us thy body for a slave, and we will clothe thee in sea-purple,
+and put a ring upon thy finger, and make thee the minion of the great
+Queen.&nbsp; But talk not of the soul, for to us it is nought, nor has
+it any value for our service.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the young Fisherman said to himself: &lsquo;How strange a thing
+this is!&nbsp; The Priest telleth me that the soul is worth all the
+gold in the world, and the merchants say that it is not worth a clipped
+piece of silver.&rsquo;&nbsp; And he passed out of the market-place,
+and went down to the shore of the sea, and began to ponder on what he
+should do.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And at noon he remembered how one of his companions, who was a gatherer
+of samphire, had told him of a certain young Witch who dwelt in a cave
+at the head of the bay and was very cunning in her witcheries.&nbsp;
+And he set to and ran, so eager was he to get rid of his soul, and a
+cloud of dust followed him as he sped round the sand of the shore.&nbsp;
+By the itching of her palm the young Witch knew his coming, and she
+laughed and let down her red hair.&nbsp; With her red hair falling around
+her, she stood at the opening of the cave, and in her hand she had a
+spray of wild hemlock that was blossoming.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;What d&rsquo;ye lack?&nbsp; What d&rsquo;ye lack?&rsquo; she
+cried, as he came panting up the steep, and bent down before her.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;Fish for thy net, when the wind is foul?&nbsp; I have a little
+reed-pipe, and when I blow on it the mullet come sailing into the bay.&nbsp;
+But it has a price, pretty boy, it has a price.&nbsp; What d&rsquo;ye
+lack?&nbsp; What d&rsquo;ye lack?&nbsp; A storm to wreck the ships,
+and wash the chests of rich treasure ashore?&nbsp; I have more storms
+than the wind has, for I serve one who is stronger than the wind, and
+with a sieve and a pail of water I can send the great galleys to the
+bottom of the sea.&nbsp; But I have a price, pretty boy, I have a price.&nbsp;
+What d&rsquo;ye lack?&nbsp; What d&rsquo;ye lack?&nbsp; I know a flower
+that grows in the valley, none knows it but I.&nbsp; It has purple leaves,
+and a star in its heart, and its juice is as white as milk.&nbsp; Shouldst
+thou touch with this flower the hard lips of the Queen, she would follow
+thee all over the world.&nbsp; Out of the bed of the King she would
+rise, and over the whole world she would follow thee.&nbsp; And it has
+a price, pretty boy, it has a price.&nbsp; What d&rsquo;ye lack?&nbsp;
+What d&rsquo;ye lack?&nbsp; I can pound a toad in a mortar, and make
+broth of it, and stir the broth with a dead man&rsquo;s hand.&nbsp;
+Sprinkle it on thine enemy while he sleeps, and he will turn into a
+black viper, and his own mother will slay him.&nbsp; With a wheel I
+can draw the Moon from heaven, and in a crystal I can show thee Death.&nbsp;
+What d&rsquo;ye lack?&nbsp; What d&rsquo;ye lack?&nbsp; Tell me thy
+desire, and I will give it thee, and thou shalt pay me a price, pretty
+boy, thou shalt pay me a price.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;My desire is but for a little thing,&rsquo; said the young
+Fisherman, &lsquo;yet hath the Priest been wroth with me, and driven
+me forth.&nbsp; It is but for a little thing, and the merchants have
+mocked at me, and denied me.&nbsp; Therefore am I come to thee, though
+men call thee evil, and whatever be thy price I shall pay it.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;What wouldst thou?&rsquo; asked the Witch, coming near to
+him.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I would send my soul away from me,&rsquo; answered the young
+Fisherman.</p>
+<p>The Witch grew pale, and shuddered, and hid her face in her blue
+mantle.&nbsp; &lsquo;Pretty boy, pretty boy,&rsquo; she muttered, &lsquo;that
+is a terrible thing to do.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>He tossed his brown curls and laughed.&nbsp; &lsquo;My soul is nought
+to me,&rsquo; he answered.&nbsp; &lsquo;I cannot see it.&nbsp; I may
+not touch it.&nbsp; I do not know it.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;What wilt thou give me if I tell thee?&rsquo; asked the Witch,
+looking down at him with her beautiful eyes.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Five pieces of gold,&rsquo; he said, &lsquo;and my nets, and
+the wattled house where I live, and the painted boat in which I sail.&nbsp;
+Only tell me how to get rid of my soul, and I will give thee all that
+I possess.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>She laughed mockingly at him, and struck him with the spray of hemlock.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;I can turn the autumn leaves into gold,&rsquo; she answered,
+&lsquo;and I can weave the pale moonbeams into silver if I will it.&nbsp;
+He whom I serve is richer than all the kings of this world, and has
+their dominions.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;What then shall I give thee,&rsquo; he cried, &lsquo;if thy
+price be neither gold nor silver?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>The Witch stroked his hair with her thin white hand.&nbsp; &lsquo;Thou
+must dance with me, pretty boy,&rsquo; she murmured, and she smiled
+at him as she spoke.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nought but that?&rsquo; cried the young Fisherman in wonder
+and he rose to his feet.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nought but that,&rsquo; she answered, and she smiled at him
+again.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Then at sunset in some secret place we shall dance together,&rsquo;
+he said, &lsquo;and after that we have danced thou shalt tell me the
+thing which I desire to know.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>She shook her head.&nbsp; &lsquo;When the moon is full, when the
+moon is full,&rsquo; she muttered.&nbsp; Then she peered all round,
+and listened.&nbsp; A blue bird rose screaming from its nest and circled
+over the dunes, and three spotted birds rustled through the coarse grey
+grass and whistled to each other.&nbsp; There was no other sound save
+the sound of a wave fretting the smooth pebbles below.&nbsp; So she
+reached out her hand, and drew him near to her and put her dry lips
+close to his ear.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;To-night thou must come to the top of the mountain,&rsquo;
+she whispered.&nbsp; &lsquo;It is a Sabbath, and He will be there.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>The young Fisherman started and looked at her, and she showed her
+white teeth and laughed.&nbsp; &lsquo;Who is He of whom thou speakest?&rsquo;
+he asked.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;It matters not,&rsquo; she answered.&nbsp; &lsquo;Go thou
+to-night, and stand under the branches of the hornbeam, and wait for
+my coming.&nbsp; If a black dog run towards thee, strike it with a rod
+of willow, and it will go away.&nbsp; If an owl speak to thee, make
+it no answer.&nbsp; When the moon is full I shall be with thee, and
+we will dance together on the grass.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;But wilt thou swear to me to tell me how I may send my soul
+from me?&rsquo; he made question.</p>
+<p>She moved out into the sunlight, and through her red hair rippled
+the wind.&nbsp; &lsquo;By the hoofs of the goat I swear it,&rsquo; she
+made answer.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Thou art the best of the witches,&rsquo; cried the young Fisherman,
+&lsquo;and I will surely dance with thee to-night on the top of the
+mountain.&nbsp; I would indeed that thou hadst asked of me either gold
+or silver.&nbsp; But such as thy price is thou shalt have it, for it
+is but a little thing.&rsquo;&nbsp; And he doffed his cap to her, and
+bent his head low, and ran back to the town filled with a great joy.</p>
+<p>And the Witch watched him as he went, and when he had passed from
+her sight she entered her cave, and having taken a mirror from a box
+of carved cedarwood, she set it up on a frame, and burned vervain on
+lighted charcoal before it, and peered through the coils of the smoke.&nbsp;
+And after a time she clenched her hands in anger.&nbsp; &lsquo;He should
+have been mine,&rsquo; she muttered, &lsquo;I am as fair as she is.&rsquo;</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And that evening, when the moon had risen, the young Fisherman climbed
+up to the top of the mountain, and stood under the branches of the hornbeam.&nbsp;
+Like a targe of polished metal the round sea lay at his feet, and the
+shadows of the fishing-boats moved in the little bay.&nbsp; A great
+owl, with yellow sulphurous eyes, called to him by his name, but he
+made it no answer.&nbsp; A black dog ran towards him and snarled.&nbsp;
+He struck it with a rod of willow, and it went away whining.</p>
+<p>At midnight the witches came flying through the air like bats.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;Phew!&rsquo; they cried, as they lit upon the ground, &lsquo;there
+is some one here we know not!&rsquo; and they sniffed about, and chattered
+to each other, and made signs.&nbsp; Last of all came the young Witch,
+with her red hair streaming in the wind.&nbsp; She wore a dress of gold
+tissue embroidered with peacocks&rsquo; eyes, and a little cap of green
+velvet was on her head.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Where is he, where is he?&rsquo; shrieked the witches when
+they saw her, but she only laughed, and ran to the hornbeam, and taking
+the Fisherman by the hand she led him out into the moonlight and began
+to dance.</p>
+<p>Round and round they whirled, and the young Witch jumped so high
+that he could see the scarlet heels of her shoes.&nbsp; Then right across
+the dancers came the sound of the galloping of a horse, but no horse
+was to be seen, and he felt afraid.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Faster,&rsquo; cried the Witch, and she threw her arms about
+his neck, and her breath was hot upon his face.&nbsp; &lsquo;Faster,
+faster!&rsquo; she cried, and the earth seemed to spin beneath his feet,
+and his brain grew troubled, and a great terror fell on him, as of some
+evil thing that was watching him, and at last he became aware that under
+the shadow of a rock there was a figure that had not been there before.</p>
+<p>It was a man dressed in a suit of black velvet, cut in the Spanish
+fashion.&nbsp; His face was strangely pale, but his lips were like a
+proud red flower.&nbsp; He seemed weary, and was leaning back toying
+in a listless manner with the pommel of his dagger.&nbsp; On the grass
+beside him lay a plumed hat, and a pair of riding-gloves gauntleted
+with gilt lace, and sewn with seed-pearls wrought into a curious device.&nbsp;
+A short cloak lined with sables hang from his shoulder, and his delicate
+white hands were gemmed with rings.&nbsp; Heavy eyelids drooped over
+his eyes.</p>
+<p>The young Fisherman watched him, as one snared in a spell.&nbsp;
+At last their eyes met, and wherever he danced it seemed to him that
+the eyes of the man were upon him.&nbsp; He heard the Witch laugh, and
+caught her by the waist, and whirled her madly round and round.</p>
+<p>Suddenly a dog bayed in the wood, and the dancers stopped, and going
+up two by two, knelt down, and kissed the man&rsquo;s hands.&nbsp; As
+they did so, a little smile touched his proud lips, as a bird&rsquo;s
+wing touches the water and makes it laugh.&nbsp; But there was disdain
+in it.&nbsp; He kept looking at the young Fisherman.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Come! let us worship,&rsquo; whispered the Witch, and she
+led him up, and a great desire to do as she besought him seized on him,
+and he followed her.&nbsp; But when he came close, and without knowing
+why he did it, he made on his breast the sign of the Cross, and called
+upon the holy name.</p>
+<p>No sooner had he done so than the witches screamed like hawks and
+flew away, and the pallid face that had been watching him twitched with
+a spasm of pain.&nbsp; The man went over to a little wood, and whistled.&nbsp;
+A jennet with silver trappings came running to meet him.&nbsp; As he
+leapt upon the saddle he turned round, and looked at the young Fisherman
+sadly.</p>
+<p>And the Witch with the red hair tried to fly away also, but the Fisherman
+caught her by her wrists, and held her fast.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Loose me,&rsquo; she cried, &lsquo;and let me go.&nbsp; For
+thou hast named what should not be named, and shown the sign that may
+not be looked at.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay,&rsquo; he answered, &lsquo;but I will not let thee go
+till thou hast told me the secret.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;What secret?&rsquo; said the Witch, wrestling with him like
+a wild cat, and biting her foam-flecked lips.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Thou knowest,&rsquo; he made answer.</p>
+<p>Her grass-green eyes grew dim with tears, and she said to the Fisherman,
+&lsquo;Ask me anything but that!&rsquo;</p>
+<p>He laughed, and held her all the more tightly.</p>
+<p>And when she saw that she could not free herself, she whispered to
+him, &lsquo;Surely I am as fair as the daughters of the sea, and as
+comely as those that dwell in the blue waters,&rsquo; and she fawned
+on him and put her face close to his.</p>
+<p>But he thrust her back frowning, and said to her, &lsquo;If thou
+keepest not the promise that thou madest to me I will slay thee for
+a false witch.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&nbsp;She grew grey as a blossom of the Judas tree, and shuddered.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;Be it so,&rsquo; she muttered.&nbsp; &lsquo;It is thy soul and
+not mine.&nbsp; Do with it as thou wilt.&rsquo;&nbsp; And she took from
+her girdle a little knife that had a handle of green viper&rsquo;s skin,
+and gave it to him.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;What shall this serve me?&rsquo; he asked of her, wondering.</p>
+<p>She was silent for a few moments, and a look of terror came over
+her face.&nbsp; Then she brushed her hair back from her forehead, and
+smiling strangely she said to him, &lsquo;What men call the shadow of
+the body is not the shadow of the body, but is the body of the soul.&nbsp;
+Stand on the sea-shore with thy back to the moon, and cut away from
+around thy feet thy shadow, which is thy soul&rsquo;s body, and bid
+thy soul leave thee, and it will do so.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>The young Fisherman trembled.&nbsp; &lsquo;Is this true?&rsquo; he
+murmured.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;It is true, and I would that I had not told thee of it,&rsquo;
+she cried, and she clung to his knees weeping.</p>
+<p>He put her from him and left her in the rank grass, and going to
+the edge of the mountain he placed the knife in his belt and began to
+climb down.</p>
+<p>And his Soul that was within him called out to him and said, &lsquo;Lo!&nbsp;
+I have dwelt with thee for all these years, and have been thy servant.&nbsp;
+Send me not away from thee now, for what evil have I done thee?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the young Fisherman laughed.&nbsp; &lsquo;Thou hast done me no
+evil, but I have no need of thee,&rsquo; he answered.&nbsp; &lsquo;The
+world is wide, and there is Heaven also, and Hell, and that dim twilight
+house that lies between.&nbsp; Go wherever thou wilt, but trouble me
+not, for my love is calling to me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And his Soul besought him piteously, but he heeded it not, but leapt
+from crag to crag, being sure-footed as a wild goat, and at last he
+reached the level ground and the yellow shore of the sea.</p>
+<p>Bronze-limbed and well-knit, like a statue wrought by a Grecian,
+he stood on the sand with his back to the moon, and out of the foam
+came white arms that beckoned to him, and out of the waves rose dim
+forms that did him homage.&nbsp; Before him lay his shadow, which was
+the body of his soul, and behind him hung the moon in the honey-coloured
+air.</p>
+<p>And his Soul said to him, &lsquo;If indeed thou must drive me from
+thee, send me not forth without a heart.&nbsp; The world is cruel, give
+me thy heart to take with me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>He tossed his head and smiled.&nbsp; &lsquo;With what should I love
+my love if I gave thee my heart?&rsquo; he cried.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay, but be merciful,&rsquo; said his Soul: &lsquo;give me
+thy heart, for the world is very cruel, and I am afraid.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;My heart is my love&rsquo;s,&rsquo; he answered, &lsquo;therefore
+tarry not, but get thee gone.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Should I not love also?&rsquo; asked his Soul.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Get thee gone, for I have no need of thee,&rsquo; cried the
+young Fisherman, and he took the little knife with its handle of green
+viper&rsquo;s skin, and cut away his shadow from around his feet, and
+it rose up and stood before him, and looked at him, and it was even
+as himself.</p>
+<p>He crept back, and thrust the knife into his belt, and a feeling
+of awe came over him.&nbsp; &lsquo;Get thee gone,&rsquo; he murmured,
+&lsquo;and let me see thy face no more.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay, but we must meet again,&rsquo; said the Soul.&nbsp; Its
+voice was low and flute-like, and its lips hardly moved while it spake.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;How shall we meet?&rsquo; cried the young Fisherman.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;Thou wilt not follow me into the depths of the sea?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Once every year I will come to this place, and call to thee,&rsquo;
+said the Soul.&nbsp; &lsquo;It may be that thou wilt have need of me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;What need should I have of thee?&rsquo; cried the young Fisherman,
+&lsquo;but be it as thou wilt,&rsquo; and he plunged into the waters
+and the Tritons blew their horns and the little Mermaid rose up to meet
+him, and put her arms around his neck and kissed him on the mouth.</p>
+<p>And the Soul stood on the lonely beach and watched them.&nbsp; And
+when they had sunk down into the sea, it went weeping away over the
+marshes.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And after a year was over the Soul came down to the shore of the
+sea and called to the young Fisherman, and he rose out of the deep,
+and said, &lsquo;Why dost thou call to me?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Soul answered, &lsquo;Come nearer, that I may speak with
+thee, for I have seen marvellous things.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So he came nearer, and couched in the shallow water, and leaned his
+head upon his hand and listened.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And the Soul said to him, &lsquo;When I left thee I turned my face
+to the East and journeyed.&nbsp; From the East cometh everything that
+is wise.&nbsp; Six days I journeyed, and on the morning of the seventh
+day I came to a hill that is in the country of the Tartars.&nbsp; I
+sat down under the shade of a tamarisk tree to shelter myself from the
+sun.&nbsp; The land was dry and burnt up with the heat.&nbsp; The people
+went to and fro over the plain like flies crawling upon a disk of polished
+copper.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;When it was noon a cloud of red dust rose up from the flat
+rim of the land.&nbsp; When the Tartars saw it, they strung their painted
+bows, and having leapt upon their little horses they galloped to meet
+it.&nbsp; The women fled screaming to the waggons, and hid themselves
+behind the felt curtains.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;At twilight the Tartars returned, but five of them were missing,
+and of those that came back not a few had been wounded.&nbsp; They harnessed
+their horses to the waggons and drove hastily away.&nbsp; Three jackals
+came out of a cave and peered after them.&nbsp; Then they sniffed up
+the air with their nostrils, and trotted off in the opposite direction.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;When the moon rose I saw a camp-fire burning on the plain,
+and went towards it.&nbsp; A company of merchants were seated round
+it on carpets.&nbsp; Their camels were picketed behind them, and the
+negroes who were their servants were pitching tents of tanned skin upon
+the sand, and making a high wall of the prickly pear.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;As I came near them, the chief of the merchants rose up and
+drew his sword, and asked me my business.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I answered that I was a Prince in my own land, and that I
+had escaped from the Tartars, who had sought to make me their slave.&nbsp;
+The chief smiled, and showed me five heads fixed upon long reeds of
+bamboo.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Then he asked me who was the prophet of God, and I answered
+him Mohammed.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;When he heard the name of the false prophet, he bowed and
+took me by the hand, and placed me by his side.&nbsp; A negro brought
+me some mare&rsquo;s milk in a wooden dish, and a piece of lamb&rsquo;s
+flesh roasted.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;At daybreak we started on our journey.&nbsp; I rode on a red-haired
+camel by the side of the chief, and a runner ran before us carrying
+a spear.&nbsp; The men of war were on either hand, and the mules followed
+with the merchandise.&nbsp; There were forty camels in the caravan,
+and the mules were twice forty in number.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;We went from the country of the Tartars into the country of
+those who curse the Moon.&nbsp; We saw the Gryphons guarding their gold
+on the white rocks, and the scaled Dragons sleeping in their caves.&nbsp;
+As we passed over the mountains we held our breath lest the snows might
+fall on us, and each man tied a veil of gauze before his eyes.&nbsp;
+As we passed through the valleys the Pygmies shot arrows at us from
+the hollows of the trees, and at night-time we heard the wild men beating
+on their drums.&nbsp; When we came to the Tower of Apes we set fruits
+before them, and they did not harm us.&nbsp; When we came to the Tower
+of Serpents we gave them warm milk in howls of brass, and they let us
+go by.&nbsp; Three times in our journey we came to the banks of the
+Oxus.&nbsp; We crossed it on rafts of wood with great bladders of blown
+hide.&nbsp; The river-horses raged against us and sought to slay us.&nbsp;
+When the camels saw them they trembled.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The kings of each city levied tolls on us, but would not suffer
+us to enter their gates.&nbsp; They threw us bread over the walls, little
+maize-cakes baked in honey and cakes of fine flour filled with dates.&nbsp;
+For every hundred baskets we gave them a bead of amber.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;When the dwellers in the villages saw us coming, they poisoned
+the wells and fled to the hill-summits.&nbsp; We fought with the Magadae
+who are born old, and grow younger and younger every year, and die when
+they are little children; and with the Laktroi who say that they are
+the sons of tigers, and paint themselves yellow and black; and with
+the Aurantes who bury their dead on the tops of trees, and themselves
+live in dark caverns lest the Sun, who is their god, should slay them;
+and with the Krimnians who worship a crocodile, and give it earrings
+of green glass, and feed it with butter and fresh fowls; and with the
+Agazonbae, who are dog-faced; and with the Sibans, who have horses&rsquo;
+feet, and run more swiftly than horses.&nbsp; A third of our company
+died in battle, and a third died of want.&nbsp; The rest murmured against
+me, and said that I had brought them an evil fortune.&nbsp; I took a
+horned adder from beneath a stone and let it sting me.&nbsp; When they
+saw that I did not sicken they grew afraid.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;In the fourth month we reached the city of Illel.&nbsp; It
+was night-time when we came to the grove that is outside the walls,
+and the air was sultry, for the Moon was travelling in Scorpion.&nbsp;
+We took the ripe pomegranates from the trees, and brake them, and drank
+their sweet juices.&nbsp; Then we lay down on our carpets, and waited
+for the dawn.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And at dawn we rose and knocked at the gate of the city.&nbsp;
+It was wrought out of red bronze, and carved with sea-dragons and dragons
+that have wings.&nbsp; The guards looked down from the battlements and
+asked us our business.&nbsp; The interpreter of the caravan answered
+that we had come from the island of Syria with much merchandise.&nbsp;
+They took hostages, and told us that they would open the gate to us
+at noon, and bade us tarry till then.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;When it was noon they opened the gate, and as we entered in
+the people came crowding out of the houses to look at us, and a crier
+went round the city crying through a shell.&nbsp; We stood in the market-place,
+and the negroes uncorded the bales of figured cloths and opened the
+carved chests of sycamore.&nbsp; And when they had ended their task,
+the merchants set forth their strange wares, the waxed linen from Egypt
+and the painted linen from the country of the Ethiops, the purple sponges
+from Tyre and the blue hangings from Sidon, the cups of cold amber and
+the fine vessels of glass and the curious vessels of burnt clay.&nbsp;
+From the roof of a house a company of women watched us.&nbsp; One of
+them wore a mask of gilded leather.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And on the first day the priests came and bartered with us,
+and on the second day came the nobles, and on the third day came the
+craftsmen and the slaves.&nbsp; And this is their custom with all merchants
+as long as they tarry in the city.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And we tarried for a moon, and when the moon was waning, I
+wearied and wandered away through the streets of the city and came to
+the garden of its god.&nbsp; The priests in their yellow robes moved
+silently through the green trees, and on a pavement of black marble
+stood the rose-red house in which the god had his dwelling.&nbsp; Its
+doors were of powdered lacquer, and bulls and peacocks were wrought
+on them in raised and polished gold.&nbsp; The tilted roof was of sea-green
+porcelain, and the jutting eaves were festooned with little bells.&nbsp;
+When the white doves flew past, they struck the bells with their wings
+and made them tinkle.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;In front of the temple was a pool of clear water paved with
+veined onyx.&nbsp; I lay down beside it, and with my pale fingers I
+touched the broad leaves.&nbsp; One of the priests came towards me and
+stood behind me.&nbsp; He had sandals on his feet, one of soft serpent-skin
+and the other of birds&rsquo; plumage.&nbsp; On his head was a mitre
+of black felt decorated with silver crescents.&nbsp; Seven yellows were
+woven into his robe, and his frizzed hair was stained with antimony.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;After a little while he spake to me, and asked me my desire.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I told him that my desire was to see the god.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;The god is hunting,&rdquo; said the priest, looking
+strangely at me with his small slanting eyes.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Tell me in what forest, and I will ride with him,&rdquo;
+I answered.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;He combed out the soft fringes of his tunic with his long
+pointed nails.&nbsp; &ldquo;The god is asleep,&rdquo; he murmured.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Tell me on what couch, and I will watch by him,&rdquo;
+I answered.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;The god is at the feast,&rdquo; he cried.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;If the wine be sweet I will drink it with him, and
+if it be bitter I will drink it with him also,&rdquo; was my answer.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;He bowed his head in wonder, and, taking me by the hand, he
+raised me up, and led me into the temple.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And in the first chamber I saw an idol seated on a throne
+of jasper bordered with great orient pearls.&nbsp; It was carved out
+of ebony, and in stature was of the stature of a man.&nbsp; On its forehead
+was a ruby, and thick oil dripped from its hair on to its thighs.&nbsp;
+Its feet were red with the blood of a newly-slain kid, and its loins
+girt with a copper belt that was studded with seven beryls.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And I said to the priest, &ldquo;Is this the god?&rdquo;&nbsp;
+And he answered me, &ldquo;This is the god.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Show me the god,&rdquo; I cried, &ldquo;or I will surely
+slay thee.&rdquo;&nbsp; And I touched his hand, and it became withered.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And the priest besought me, saying, &ldquo;Let my lord heal
+his servant, and I will show him the god.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;So I breathed with my breath upon his hand, and it became
+whole again, and he trembled and led me into the second chamber, and
+I saw an idol standing on a lotus of jade hung with great emeralds.&nbsp;
+It was carved out of ivory, and in stature was twice the stature of
+a man.&nbsp; On its forehead was a chrysolite, and its breasts were
+smeared with myrrh and cinnamon.&nbsp; In one hand it held a crooked
+sceptre of jade, and in the other a round crystal.&nbsp; It ware buskins
+of brass, and its thick neck was circled with a circle of selenites.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And I said to the priest, &ldquo;Is this the god?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And he answered me, &ldquo;This is the god.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Show me the god,&rdquo; I cried, &ldquo;or I will surely
+slay thee.&rdquo;&nbsp; And I touched his eyes, and they became blind.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And the priest besought me, saying, &ldquo;Let my lord heal
+his servant, and I will show him the god.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;So I breathed with my breath upon his eyes, and the sight
+came back to them, and he trembled again, and led me into the third
+chamber, and lo! there was no idol in it, nor image of any kind, but
+only a mirror of round metal set on an altar of stone.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And I said to the priest, &ldquo;Where is the god?&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And he answered me: &ldquo;There is no god but this mirror
+that thou seest, for this is the Mirror of Wisdom.&nbsp; And it reflecteth
+all things that are in heaven and on earth, save only the face of him
+who looketh into it.&nbsp; This it reflecteth not, so that he who looketh
+into it may be wise.&nbsp; Many other mirrors are there, but they are
+mirrors of Opinion.&nbsp; This only is the Mirror of Wisdom.&nbsp; And
+they who possess this mirror know everything, nor is there anything
+hidden from them.&nbsp; And they who possess it not have not Wisdom.&nbsp;
+Therefore is it the god, and we worship it.&rdquo;&nbsp; And I looked
+into the mirror, and it was even as he had said to me.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And I did a strange thing, but what I did matters not, for
+in a valley that is but a day&rsquo;s journey from this place have I
+hidden the Mirror of Wisdom.&nbsp; Do but suffer me to enter into thee
+again and be thy servant, and thou shalt be wiser than all the wise
+men, and Wisdom shall be thine.&nbsp; Suffer me to enter into thee,
+and none will be as wise as thou.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the young Fisherman laughed.&nbsp; &lsquo;Love is better than
+Wisdom,&rsquo; he cried, &lsquo;and the little Mermaid loves me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p><i>&lsquo;</i>Nay, but there is nothing better than Wisdom,&rsquo;
+said the Soul.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Love is better,&rsquo; answered the young Fisherman, and he
+plunged into the deep, and the Soul went weeping away over the marshes.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And after the second year was over, the Soul came down to the shore
+of the sea, and called to the young Fisherman, and he rose out of the
+deep and said, &lsquo;Why dost thou call to me?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Soul answered, &lsquo;Come nearer, that I may speak with
+thee, for I have seen marvellous things.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So he came nearer, and couched in the shallow water, and leaned his
+head upon his hand and listened.</p>
+<p>And the Soul said to him, &lsquo;When I left thee, I turned my face
+to the South and journeyed.&nbsp; From the South cometh everything that
+is precious.&nbsp; Six days I journeyed along the highways that lead
+to the city of Ashter, along the dusty red-dyed highways by which the
+pilgrims are wont to go did I journey, and on the morning of the seventh
+day I lifted up my eyes, and lo! the city lay at my feet, for it is
+in a valley.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;There are nine gates to this city, and in front of each gate
+stands a bronze horse that neighs when the Bedouins come down from the
+mountains.&nbsp; The walls are cased with copper, and the watch-towers
+on the walls are roofed with brass.&nbsp; In every tower stands an archer
+with a bow in his hand.&nbsp; At sunrise he strikes with an arrow on
+a gong, and at sunset he blows through a horn of horn.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;When I sought to enter, the guards stopped me and asked of
+me who I was.&nbsp; I made answer that I was a Dervish and on my way
+to the city of Mecca, where there was a green veil on which the Koran
+was embroidered in silver letters by the hands of the angels.&nbsp;
+They were filled with wonder, and entreated me to pass in.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Inside it is even as a bazaar.&nbsp; Surely thou shouldst
+have been with me.&nbsp; Across the narrow streets the gay lanterns
+of paper flutter like large butterflies.&nbsp; When the wind blows over
+the roofs they rise and fall as painted bubbles do.&nbsp; In front of
+their booths sit the merchants on silken carpets.&nbsp; They have straight
+black beards, and their turbans are covered with golden sequins, and
+long strings of amber and carved peach-stones glide through their cool
+fingers.&nbsp; Some of them sell galbanum and nard, and curious perfumes
+from the islands of the Indian Sea, and the thick oil of red roses,
+and myrrh and little nail-shaped cloves.&nbsp; When one stops to speak
+to them, they throw pinches of frankincense upon a charcoal brazier
+and make the air sweet.&nbsp; I saw a Syrian who held in his hands a
+thin rod like a reed.&nbsp; Grey threads of smoke came from it, and
+its odour as it burned was as the odour of the pink almond in spring.&nbsp;
+Others sell silver bracelets embossed all over with creamy blue turquoise
+stones, and anklets of brass wire fringed with little pearls, and tigers&rsquo;
+claws set in gold, and the claws of that gilt cat, the leopard, set
+in gold also, and earrings of pierced emerald, and finger-rings of hollowed
+jade.&nbsp; From the tea-houses comes the sound of the guitar, and the
+opium-smokers with their white smiling faces look out at the passers-by.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Of a truth thou shouldst have been with me.&nbsp; The wine-sellers
+elbow their way through the crowd with great black skins on their shoulders.&nbsp;
+Most of them sell the wine of Schiraz, which is as sweet as honey.&nbsp;
+They serve it in little metal cups and strew rose leaves upon it.&nbsp;
+In the market-place stand the fruitsellers, who sell all kinds of fruit:
+ripe figs, with their bruised purple flesh, melons, smelling of musk
+and yellow as topazes, citrons and rose-apples and clusters of white
+grapes, round red-gold oranges, and oval lemons of green gold.&nbsp;
+Once I saw an elephant go by.&nbsp; Its trunk was painted with vermilion
+and turmeric, and over its ears it had a net of crimson silk cord.&nbsp;
+It stopped opposite one of the booths and began eating the oranges,
+and the man only laughed.&nbsp; Thou canst not think how strange a people
+they are.&nbsp; When they are glad they go to the bird-sellers and buy
+of them a caged bird, and set it free that their joy may be greater,
+and when they are sad they scourge themselves with thorns that their
+sorrow may not grow less.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;One evening I met some negroes carrying a heavy palanquin
+through the bazaar.&nbsp; It was made of gilded bamboo, and the poles
+were of vermilion lacquer studded with brass peacocks.&nbsp; Across
+the windows hung thin curtains of muslin embroidered with beetles&rsquo;
+wings and with tiny seed-pearls, and as it passed by a pale-faced Circassian
+looked out and smiled at me.&nbsp; I followed behind, and the negroes
+hurried their steps and scowled.&nbsp; But I did not care.&nbsp; I felt
+a great curiosity come over me.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;At last they stopped at a square white house.&nbsp; There
+were no windows to it, only a little door like the door of a tomb.&nbsp;
+They set down the palanquin and knocked three times with a copper hammer.&nbsp;
+An Armenian in a caftan of green leather peered through the wicket,
+and when he saw them he opened, and spread a carpet on the ground, and
+the woman stepped out.&nbsp; As she went in, she turned round and smiled
+at me again.&nbsp; I had never seen any one so pale.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;When the moon rose I returned to the same place and sought
+for the house, but it was no longer there.&nbsp; When I saw that, I
+knew who the woman was, and wherefore she had smiled at me.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Certainly thou shouldst have been with me.&nbsp; On the feast
+of the New Moon the young Emperor came forth from his palace and went
+into the mosque to pray.&nbsp; His hair and beard were dyed with rose-leaves,
+and his cheeks were powdered with a fine gold dust.&nbsp; The palms
+of his feet and hands were yellow with saffron.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;At sunrise he went forth from his palace in a robe of silver,
+and at sunset he returned to it again in a robe of gold.&nbsp; The people
+flung themselves on the ground and hid their faces, but I would not
+do so.&nbsp; I stood by the stall of a seller of dates and waited.&nbsp;
+When the Emperor saw me, he raised his painted eyebrows and stopped.&nbsp;
+I stood quite still, and made him no obeisance.&nbsp; The people marvelled
+at my boldness, and counselled me to flee from the city.&nbsp; I paid
+no heed to them, but went and sat with the sellers of strange gods,
+who by reason of their craft are abominated.&nbsp; When I told them
+what I had done, each of them gave me a god and prayed me to leave them.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;That night, as I lay on a cushion in the tea-house that is
+in the Street of Pomegranates, the guards of the Emperor entered and
+led me to the palace.&nbsp; As I went in they closed each door behind
+me, and put a chain across it.&nbsp; Inside was a great court with an
+arcade running all round.&nbsp; The walls were of white alabaster, set
+here and there with blue and green tiles.&nbsp; The pillars were of
+green marble, and the pavement of a kind of peach-blossom marble.&nbsp;
+I had never seen anything like it before.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;As I passed across the court two veiled women looked down
+from a balcony and cursed me.&nbsp; The guards hastened on, and the
+butts of the lances rang upon the polished floor.&nbsp; They opened
+a gate of wrought ivory, and I found myself in a watered garden of seven
+terraces.&nbsp; It was planted with tulip-cups and moonflowers, and
+silver-studded aloes.&nbsp; Like a slim reed of crystal a fountain hung
+in the dusky air.&nbsp; The cypress-trees were like burnt-out torches.&nbsp;
+From one of them a nightingale was singing.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;At the end of the garden stood a little pavilion.&nbsp; As
+we approached it two eunuchs came out to meet us.&nbsp; Their fat bodies
+swayed as they walked, and they glanced curiously at me with their yellow-lidded
+eyes.&nbsp; One of them drew aside the captain of the guard, and in
+a low voice whispered to him.&nbsp; The other kept munching scented
+pastilles, which he took with an affected gesture out of an oval box
+of lilac enamel.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;After a few moments the captain of the guard dismissed the
+soldiers.&nbsp; They went back to the palace, the eunuchs following
+slowly behind and plucking the sweet mulberries from the trees as they
+passed.&nbsp; Once the elder of the two turned round, and smiled at
+me with an evil smile.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Then the captain of the guard motioned me towards the entrance
+of the pavilion.&nbsp; I walked on without trembling, and drawing the
+heavy curtain aside I entered in.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The young Emperor was stretched on a couch of dyed lion skins,
+and a gerfalcon perched upon his wrist.&nbsp; Behind him stood a brass-turbaned
+Nubian, naked down to the waist, and with heavy earrings in his split
+ears.&nbsp; On a table by the side of the couch lay a mighty scimitar
+of steel.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;When the Emperor saw me he frowned, and said to me, &ldquo;What
+is thy name?&nbsp; Knowest thou not that I am Emperor of this city?&rdquo;&nbsp;
+But I made him no answer.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;He pointed with his finger at the scimitar, and the Nubian
+seized it, and rushing forward struck at me with great violence.&nbsp;
+The blade whizzed through me, and did me no hurt.&nbsp; The man fell
+sprawling on the floor, and when he rose up his teeth chattered with
+terror and he hid himself behind the couch.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The Emperor leapt to his feet, and taking a lance from a stand
+of arms, he threw it at me.&nbsp; I caught it in its flight, and brake
+the shaft into two pieces.&nbsp; He shot at me with an arrow, but I
+held up my hands and it stopped in mid-air.&nbsp; Then he drew a dagger
+from a belt of white leather, and stabbed the Nubian in the throat lest
+the slave should tell of his dishonour.&nbsp; The man writhed like a
+trampled snake, and a red foam bubbled from his lips.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;As soon as he was dead the Emperor turned to me, and when
+he had wiped away the bright sweat from his brow with a little napkin
+of purfled and purple silk, he said to me, &ldquo;Art thou a prophet,
+that I may not harm thee, or the son of a prophet, that I can do thee
+no hurt?&nbsp; I pray thee leave my city to-night, for while thou art
+in it I am no longer its lord.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And I answered him, &ldquo;I will go for half of thy treasure.&nbsp;
+Give me half of thy treasure, and I will go away.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;He took me by the hand, and led me out into the garden.&nbsp;
+When the captain of the guard saw me, he wondered.&nbsp; When the eunuchs
+saw me, their knees shook and they fell upon the ground in fear.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;There is a chamber in the palace that has eight walls of red
+porphyry, and a brass-sealed ceiling hung with lamps.&nbsp; The Emperor
+touched one of the walls and it opened, and we passed down a corridor
+that was lit with many torches.&nbsp; In niches upon each side stood
+great wine-jars filled to the brim with silver pieces.&nbsp; When we
+reached the centre of the corridor the Emperor spake the word that may
+not be spoken, and a granite door swung back on a secret spring, and
+he put his hands before his face lest his eyes should be dazzled.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Thou couldst not believe how marvellous a place it was.&nbsp;
+There were huge tortoise-shells full of pearls, and hollowed moonstones
+of great size piled up with red rubies.&nbsp; The gold was stored in
+coffers of elephant-hide, and the gold-dust in leather bottles.&nbsp;
+There were opals and sapphires, the former in cups of crystal, and the
+latter in cups of jade.&nbsp; Round green emeralds were ranged in order
+upon thin plates of ivory, and in one corner were silk bags filled,
+some with turquoise-stones, and others with beryls.&nbsp; The ivory
+horns were heaped with purple amethysts, and the horns of brass with
+chalcedonies and sards.&nbsp; The pillars, which were of cedar, were
+hung with strings of yellow lynx-stones.&nbsp; In the flat oval shields
+there were carbuncles, both wine-coloured and coloured like grass.&nbsp;
+And yet I have told thee but a tithe of what was there.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And when the Emperor had taken away his hands from before
+his face he said to me: &ldquo;This is my house of treasure, and half
+that is in it is thine, even as I promised to thee.&nbsp; And I will
+give thee camels and camel drivers, and they shall do thy bidding and
+take thy share of the treasure to whatever part of the world thou desirest
+to go.&nbsp; And the thing shall be done to-night, for I would not that
+the Sun, who is my father, should see that there is in my city a man
+whom I cannot slay.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;But I answered him, &ldquo;The gold that is here is thine,
+and the silver also is thine, and thine are the precious jewels and
+the things of price.&nbsp; As for me, I have no need of these.&nbsp;
+Nor shall I take aught from thee but that little ring that thou wearest
+on the finger of thy hand.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And the Emperor frowned.&nbsp; &ldquo;It is but a ring of
+lead,&rdquo; he cried, &ldquo;nor has it any value.&nbsp; Therefore
+take thy half of the treasure and go from my city.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;&ldquo;Nay,&rdquo; I answered, &ldquo;but I will take nought
+but that leaden ring, for I know what is written within it, and for
+what purpose.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And the Emperor trembled, and besought me and said, &ldquo;Take
+all the treasure and go from my city.&nbsp; The half that is mine shall
+be thine also.&rdquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And I did a strange thing, but what I did matters not, for
+in a cave that is but a day&rsquo;s journey from this place have, I
+hidden the Ring of Riches.&nbsp; It is but a day&rsquo;s journey from
+this place, and it waits for thy coming.&nbsp; He who has this Ring
+is richer than all the kings of the world.&nbsp; Come therefore and
+take it, and the world&rsquo;s riches shall be thine.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the young Fisherman laughed.&nbsp; &lsquo;Love is better than
+Riches,&rsquo; he cried, &lsquo;and the little Mermaid loves me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay, but there is nothing better than Riches,&rsquo; said
+the Soul.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Love is better,&rsquo; answered the young Fisherman, and he
+plunged into the deep, and the Soul went weeping away over the marshes.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And after the third year was over, the Soul came down to the shore
+of the sea, and called to the young Fisherman, and he rose out of the
+deep and said, &lsquo;Why dost thou call to me?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Soul answered, &lsquo;Come nearer, that I may speak with
+thee, for I have seen marvellous things.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So he came nearer, and couched in the shallow water, and leaned his
+head upon his hand and listened.</p>
+<p>And the Soul said to him, &lsquo;In a city that I know of there is
+an inn that standeth by a river.&nbsp; I sat there with sailors who
+drank of two different-coloured wines, and ate bread made of barley,
+and little salt fish served in bay leaves with vinegar.&nbsp; And as
+we sat and made merry, there entered to us an old man bearing a leathern
+carpet and a lute that had two horns of amber.&nbsp; And when he had
+laid out the carpet on the floor, he struck with a quill on the wire
+strings of his lute, and a girl whose face was veiled ran in and began
+to dance before us.&nbsp; Her face was veiled with a veil of gauze,
+but her feet were naked.&nbsp; Naked were her feet, and they moved over
+the carpet like little white pigeons.&nbsp; Never have I seen anything
+so marvellous; and the city in which she dances is but a day&rsquo;s
+journey from this place.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>Now when the young Fisherman heard the words of his Soul, he remembered
+that the little Mermaid had no feet and could not dance.&nbsp; And a
+great desire came over him, and he said to himself, &lsquo;It is but
+a day&rsquo;s journey, and I can return to my love,&rsquo; and he laughed,
+and stood up in the shallow water, and strode towards the shore.</p>
+<p>And when he had reached the dry shore he laughed again, and held
+out his arms to his Soul.&nbsp; And his Soul gave a great cry of joy
+and ran to meet him, and entered into him, and the young Fisherman saw
+stretched before him upon the sand that shadow of the body that is the
+body of the Soul.</p>
+<p>And his Soul said to him, &lsquo;Let us not tarry, but get hence
+at once, for the Sea-gods are jealous, and have monsters that do their
+bidding.&rsquo;</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>So they made haste, and all that night they journeyed beneath the
+moon, and all the next day they journeyed beneath the sun, and on the
+evening of the day they came to a city.</p>
+<p>And the young Fisherman said to his Soul, &lsquo;Is this the city
+in which she dances of whom thou didst speak to me?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And his Soul answered him, &lsquo;It is not this city, but another.&nbsp;
+Nevertheless let us enter in.&rsquo;&nbsp; So they entered in and passed
+through the streets, and as they passed through the Street of the Jewellers
+the young Fisherman saw a fair silver cup set forth in a booth.&nbsp;
+And his Soul said to him, &lsquo;Take that silver cup and hide it.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So he took the cup and hid it in the fold of his tunic, and they
+went hurriedly out of the city.</p>
+<p>And after that they had gone a league from the city, the young Fisherman
+frowned, and flung the cup away, and said to his Soul, &lsquo;Why didst
+thou tell me to take this cup and hide it, for it was an evil thing
+to do?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But his Soul answered him, &lsquo;Be at peace, be at peace.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And on the evening of the second day they came to a city, and the
+young Fisherman said to his Soul, &lsquo;Is this the city in which she
+dances of whom thou didst speak to me?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And his Soul answered him, &lsquo;It is not this city, but another.&nbsp;
+Nevertheless let us enter in.&rsquo;&nbsp; So they entered in and passed
+through the streets, and as they passed through the Street of the Sellers
+of Sandals, the young Fisherman saw a child standing by a jar of water.&nbsp;
+And his Soul said to him, &lsquo;Smite that child.&rsquo;&nbsp; So he
+smote the child till it wept, and when he had done this they went hurriedly
+out of the city.</p>
+<p>And after that they had gone a league from the city the young Fisherman
+grew wroth, and said to his Soul, &lsquo;Why didst thou tell me to smite
+the child, for it was an evil thing to do?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But his Soul answered him, &lsquo;Be at peace, be at peace.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And on the evening of the third day they came to a city, and the
+young Fisherman said to his Soul, &lsquo;Is this the city in which she
+dances of whom thou didst speak to me?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And his Soul answered him, &lsquo;It may be that it is in this city,
+therefore let us enter in.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So they entered in and passed through the streets, but nowhere could
+the young Fisherman find the river or the inn that stood by its side.&nbsp;
+And the people of the city looked curiously at him, and he grew afraid
+and said to his Soul, &lsquo;Let us go hence, for she who dances with
+white feet is not here.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But his Soul answered, &lsquo;Nay, but let us tarry, for the night
+is dark and there will be robbers on the way.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So he sat him down in the market-place and rested, and after a time
+there went by a hooded merchant who had a cloak of cloth of Tartary,
+and bare a lantern of pierced horn at the end of a jointed reed.&nbsp;
+And the merchant said to him, &lsquo;Why dost thou sit in the market-place,
+seeing that the booths are closed and the bales corded?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the young Fisherman answered him, &lsquo;I can find no inn in
+this city, nor have I any kinsman who might give me shelter.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Are we not all kinsmen?&rsquo; said the merchant.&nbsp; &lsquo;And
+did not one God make us?&nbsp; Therefore come with me, for I have a
+guest-chamber.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So the young Fisherman rose up and followed the merchant to his house.&nbsp;
+And when he had passed through a garden of pomegranates and entered
+into the house, the merchant brought him rose-water in a copper dish
+that he might wash his hands, and ripe melons that he might quench his
+thirst, and set a bowl of rice and a piece of roasted kid before him.</p>
+<p>And after that he had finished, the merchant led him to the guest-chamber,
+and bade him sleep and be at rest.&nbsp; And the young Fisherman gave
+him thanks, and kissed the ring that was on his hand, and flung himself
+down on the carpets of dyed goat&rsquo;s-hair.&nbsp; And when he had
+covered himself with a covering of black lamb&rsquo;s-wool he fell asleep.</p>
+<p>And three hours before dawn, and while it was still night, his Soul
+waked him and said to him, &lsquo;Rise up and go to the room of the
+merchant, even to the room in which he sleepeth, and slay him, and take
+from him his gold, for we have need of it.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the young Fisherman rose up and crept towards the room of the
+merchant, and over the feet of the merchant there was lying a curved
+sword, and the tray by the side of the merchant held nine purses of
+gold.&nbsp; And he reached out his hand and touched the sword, and when
+he touched it the merchant started and awoke, and leaping up seized
+himself the sword and cried to the young Fisherman, &lsquo;Dost thou
+return evil for good, and pay with the shedding of blood for the kindness
+that I have shown thee?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And his Soul said to the young Fisherman, &lsquo;Strike him,&rsquo;
+and he struck him so that he swooned and he seized then the nine purses
+of gold, and fled hastily through the garden of pomegranates, and set
+his face to the star that is the star of morning.</p>
+<p>And when they had gone a league from the city, the young Fisherman
+beat his breast, and said to his Soul, &lsquo;Why didst thou bid me
+slay the merchant and take his gold?&nbsp; Surely thou art evil.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But his Soul answered him, &lsquo;Be at peace, be at peace.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay,&rsquo; cried the young Fisherman, &lsquo;I may not be
+at peace, for all that thou hast made me to do I hate.&nbsp; Thee also
+I hate, and I bid thee tell me wherefore thou hast wrought with me in
+this wise.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And his Soul answered him, &lsquo;When thou didst send me forth into
+the world thou gavest me no heart, so I learned to do all these things
+and love them.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;What sayest thou?&rsquo; murmured the young Fisherman.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Thou knowest,&rsquo; answered his Soul, &lsquo;thou knowest
+it well.&nbsp; Hast thou forgotten that thou gavest me no heart?&nbsp;
+I trow not.&nbsp; And so trouble not thyself nor me, but be at peace,
+for there is no pain that thou shalt not give away, nor any pleasure
+that thou shalt not receive.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And when the young Fisherman heard these words he trembled and said
+to his Soul, &lsquo;Nay, but thou art evil, and hast made me forget
+my love, and hast tempted me with temptations, and hast set my feet
+in the ways of sin.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And his Soul answered him, &lsquo;Thou hast not forgotten that when
+thou didst send me forth into the world thou gavest me no heart.&nbsp;
+Come, let us go to another city, and make merry, for we have nine purses
+of gold.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the young Fisherman took the nine purses of gold, and flung them
+down, and trampled on them.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay,&rsquo; he cried, &lsquo;but I will have nought to do
+with thee, nor will I journey with thee anywhere, but even as I sent
+thee away before, so will I send thee away now, for thou hast wrought
+me no good.&rsquo;&nbsp; And he turned his back to the moon, and with
+the little knife that had the handle of green viper&rsquo;s skin he
+strove to cut from his feet that shadow of the body which is the body
+of the Soul.</p>
+<p>Yet his Soul stirred not from him, nor paid heed to his command,
+but said to him, &lsquo;The spell that the Witch told thee avails thee
+no more, for I may not leave thee, nor mayest thou drive me forth.&nbsp;
+Once in his life may a man send his Soul away, but he who receiveth
+back his Soul must keep it with him for ever, and this is his punishment
+and his reward.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the young Fisherman grew pale and clenched his hands and cried,
+&lsquo;She was a false Witch in that she told me not that.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay,&rsquo; answered his Soul, &lsquo;but she was true to
+Him she worships, and whose servant she will be ever.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And when the young Fisherman knew that he could no longer get rid
+of his Soul, and that it was an evil Soul and would abide with him always,
+he fell upon the ground weeping bitterly.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And when it was day the young Fisherman rose up and said to his Soul,
+&lsquo;I will bind my hands that I may not do thy bidding, and close
+my lips that I may not speak thy words, and I will return to the place
+where she whom I love has her dwelling.&nbsp; Even to the sea will I
+return, and to the little bay where she is wont to sing, and I will
+call to her and tell her the evil I have done and the evil thou hast
+wrought on me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And his Soul tempted him and said, &lsquo;Who is thy love, that thou
+shouldst return to her?&nbsp; The world has many fairer than she is.&nbsp;
+There are the dancing-girls of Samaris who dance in the manner of all
+kinds of birds and beasts.&nbsp; Their feet are painted with henna,
+and in their hands they have little copper bells.&nbsp; They laugh while
+they dance, and their laughter is as clear as the laughter of water.&nbsp;
+Come with me and I will show them to thee.&nbsp; For what is this trouble
+of thine about the things of sin?&nbsp; Is that which is pleasant to
+eat not made for the eater?&nbsp; Is there poison in that which is sweet
+to drink?&nbsp; Trouble not thyself, but come with me to another city.&nbsp;
+There is a little city hard by in which there is a garden of tulip-trees.&nbsp;
+And there dwell in this comely garden white peacocks and peacocks that
+have blue breasts.&nbsp; Their tails when they spread them to the sun
+are like disks of ivory and like gilt disks.&nbsp; And she who feeds
+them dances for their pleasure, and sometimes she dances on her hands
+and at other times she dances with her feet.&nbsp; Her eyes are coloured
+with stibium, and her nostrils are shaped like the wings of a swallow.&nbsp;
+From a hook in one of her nostrils hangs a flower that is carved out
+of a pearl.&nbsp; She laughs while she dances, and the silver rings
+that are about her ankles tinkle like bells of silver.&nbsp; And so
+trouble not thyself any more, but come with me to this city.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the young Fisherman answered not his Soul, but closed his lips
+with the seal of silence and with a tight cord bound his hands, and
+journeyed back to the place from which he had come, even to the little
+bay where his love had been wont to sing.&nbsp; And ever did his Soul
+tempt him by the way, but he made it no answer, nor would he do any
+of the wickedness that it sought to make him to do, so great was the
+power of the love that was within him.</p>
+<p>And when he had reached the shore of the sea, he loosed the cord
+from his hands, and took the seal of silence from his lips, and called
+to the little Mermaid.&nbsp; But she came not to his call, though he
+called to her all day long and besought her.</p>
+<p>And his Soul mocked him and said, &lsquo;Surely thou hast but little
+joy out of thy love.&nbsp; Thou art as one who in time of death pours
+water into a broken vessel.&nbsp; Thou givest away what thou hast, and
+nought is given to thee in return.&nbsp; It were better for thee to
+come with me, for I know where the Valley of Pleasure lies, and what
+things are wrought there.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the young Fisherman answered not his Soul, but in a cleft of
+the rock he built himself a house of wattles, and abode there for the
+space of a year.&nbsp; And every morning he called to the Mermaid, and
+every noon he called to her again, and at night-time he spake her name.&nbsp;
+Yet never did she rise out of the sea to meet him, nor in any place
+of the sea could he find her though he sought for her in the caves and
+in the green water, in the pools of the tide and in the wells that are
+at the bottom of the deep.</p>
+<p>And ever did his Soul tempt him with evil, and whisper of terrible
+things.&nbsp; Yet did it not prevail against him, so great was the power
+of his love.</p>
+<p>And after the year was over, the Soul thought within himself, &lsquo;I
+have tempted my master with evil, and his love is stronger than I am.&nbsp;
+I will tempt him now with good, and it may be that he will come with
+me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So he spake to the young Fisherman and said, &lsquo;I have told thee
+of the joy of the world, and thou hast turned a deaf ear to me.&nbsp;
+Suffer me now to tell thee of the world&rsquo;s pain, and it may be
+that thou wilt hearken.&nbsp; For of a truth pain is the Lord of this
+world, nor is there any one who escapes from its net.&nbsp; There be
+some who lack raiment, and others who lack bread.&nbsp; There be widows
+who sit in purple, and widows who sit in rags.&nbsp; To and fro over
+the fens go the lepers, and they are cruel to each other.&nbsp; The
+beggars go up and down on the highways, and their wallets are empty.&nbsp;
+Through the streets of the cities walks Famine, and the Plague sits
+at their gates.&nbsp; Come, let us go forth and mend these things, and
+make them not to be.&nbsp; Wherefore shouldst thou tarry here calling
+to thy love, seeing she comes not to thy call?&nbsp; And what is love,
+that thou shouldst set this high store upon it?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the young Fisherman answered it nought, so great was the power
+of his love.&nbsp; And every morning he called to the Mermaid, and every
+noon he called to her again, and at night-time he spake her name.&nbsp;
+Yet never did she rise out of the sea to meet him, nor in any place
+of the sea could he find her, though he sought for her in the rivers
+of the sea, and in the valleys that are under the waves, in the sea
+that the night makes purple, and in the sea that the dawn leaves grey.</p>
+<p>And after the second year was over, the Soul said to the young Fisherman
+at night-time, and as he sat in the wattled house alone, &lsquo;Lo!
+now I have tempted thee with evil, and I have tempted thee with good,
+and thy love is stronger than I am.&nbsp; Wherefore will I tempt thee
+no longer, but I pray thee to suffer me to enter thy heart, that I may
+be one with thee even as before.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Surely thou mayest enter,&rsquo; said the young Fisherman,
+&lsquo;for in the days when with no heart thou didst go through the
+world thou must have much suffered.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Alas!&rsquo; cried his Soul, &lsquo;I can find no place of
+entrance, so compassed about with love is this heart of thine.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Yet I would that I could help thee,&rsquo; said the young
+Fisherman.</p>
+<p>And as he spake there came a great cry of mourning from the sea,
+even the cry that men hear when one of the Sea-folk is dead.&nbsp; And
+the young Fisherman leapt up, and left his wattled house, and ran down
+to the shore.&nbsp; And the black waves came hurrying to the shore,
+bearing with them a burden that was whiter than silver.&nbsp; White
+as the surf it was, and like a flower it tossed on the waves.&nbsp;
+And the surf took it from the waves, and the foam took it from the surf,
+and the shore received it, and lying at his feet the young Fisherman
+saw the body of the little Mermaid.&nbsp; Dead at his feet it was lying.</p>
+<p>Weeping as one smitten with pain he flung himself down beside it,
+and he kissed the cold red of the mouth, and toyed with the wet amber
+of the hair.&nbsp; He flung himself down beside it on the sand, weeping
+as one trembling with joy, and in his brown arms he held it to his breast.&nbsp;
+Cold were the lips, yet he kissed them.&nbsp; Salt was the honey of
+the hair, yet he tasted it with a bitter joy.&nbsp; He kissed the closed
+eyelids, and the wild spray that lay upon their cups was less salt than
+his tears.</p>
+<p>And to the dead thing he made confession.&nbsp; Into the shells of
+its ears he poured the harsh wine of his tale.&nbsp; He put the little
+hands round his neck, and with his fingers he touched the thin reed
+of the throat.&nbsp; Bitter, bitter was his joy, and full of strange
+gladness was his pain.</p>
+<p>The black sea came nearer, and the white foam moaned like a leper.&nbsp;
+With white claws of foam the sea grabbled at the shore.&nbsp; From the
+palace of the Sea-King came the cry of mourning again, and far out upon
+the sea the great Tritons blew hoarsely upon their horns.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Flee away,&rsquo; said his Soul, &lsquo;for ever doth the
+sea come nigher, and if thou tarriest it will slay thee.&nbsp; Flee
+away, for I am afraid, seeing that thy heart is closed against me by
+reason of the greatness of thy love.&nbsp; Flee away to a place of safety.&nbsp;
+Surely thou wilt not send me without a heart into another world?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the young Fisherman listened not to his Soul, but called on the
+little Mermaid and said, &lsquo;Love is better than wisdom, and more
+precious than riches, and fairer than the feet of the daughters of men.&nbsp;
+The fires cannot destroy it, nor can the waters quench it.&nbsp; I called
+on thee at dawn, and thou didst not come to my call.&nbsp; The moon
+heard thy name, yet hadst thou no heed of me.&nbsp; For evilly had I
+left thee, and to my own hurt had I wandered away.&nbsp; Yet ever did
+thy love abide with me, and ever was it strong, nor did aught prevail
+against it, though I have looked upon evil and looked upon good.&nbsp;
+And now that thou art dead, surely I will die with thee also.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And his Soul besought him to depart, but he would not, so great was
+his love.&nbsp; And the sea came nearer, and sought to cover him with
+its waves, and when he knew that the end was at hand he kissed with
+mad lips the cold lips of the Mermaid, and the heart that was within
+him brake.&nbsp; And as through the fulness of his love his heart did
+break, the Soul found an entrance and entered in, and was one with him
+even as before.&nbsp; And the sea covered the young Fisherman with its
+waves.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And in the morning the Priest went forth to bless the sea, for it
+had been troubled.&nbsp; And with him went the monks and the musicians,
+and the candle-bearers, and the swingers of censers, and a great company.</p>
+<p>And when the Priest reached the shore he saw the young Fisherman
+lying drowned in the surf, and clasped in his arms was the body of the
+little Mermaid.&nbsp; And he drew back frowning, and having made the
+sign of the cross, he cried aloud and said, &lsquo;I will not bless
+the sea nor anything that is in it.&nbsp; Accursed be the Sea-folk,
+and accursed be all they who traffic with them.&nbsp; And as for him
+who for love&rsquo;s sake forsook God, and so lieth here with his leman
+slain by God&rsquo;s judgment, take up his body and the body of his
+leman, and bury them in the corner of the Field of the Fullers, and
+set no mark above them, nor sign of any kind, that none may know the
+place of their resting.&nbsp; For accursed were they in their lives,
+and accursed shall they be in their deaths also.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the people did as he commanded them, and in the corner of the
+Field of the Fullers, where no sweet herbs grew, they dug a deep pit,
+and laid the dead things within it.</p>
+<p>And when the third year was over, and on a day that was a holy day,
+the Priest went up to the chapel, that he might show to the people the
+wounds of the Lord, and speak to them about the wrath of God.</p>
+<p>And when he had robed himself with his robes, and entered in and
+bowed himself before the altar, he saw that the altar was covered with
+strange flowers that never had been seen before.&nbsp; Strange were
+they to look at, and of curious beauty, and their beauty troubled him,
+and their odour was sweet in his nostrils.&nbsp; And he felt glad, and
+understood not why he was glad.</p>
+<p>And after that he had opened the tabernacle, and incensed the monstrance
+that was in it, and shown the fair wafer to the people, and hid it again
+behind the veil of veils, he began to speak to the people, desiring
+to speak to them of the wrath of God.&nbsp; But the beauty of the white
+flowers troubled him, and their odour was sweet in his nostrils, and
+there came another word into his lips, and he spake not of the wrath
+of God, but of the God whose name is Love.&nbsp; And why he so spake,
+he knew not.</p>
+<p>And when he had finished his word the people wept, and the Priest
+went back to the sacristy, and his eyes were full of tears.&nbsp; And
+the deacons came in and began to unrobe him, and took from him the alb
+and the girdle, the maniple and the stole.&nbsp; And he stood as one
+in a dream.</p>
+<p>And after that they had unrobed him, he looked at them and said,
+&lsquo;What are the flowers that stand on the altar, and whence do they
+come?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And they answered him, &lsquo;What flowers they are we cannot tell,
+but they come from the corner of the Fullers&rsquo; Field.&rsquo;&nbsp;
+And the Priest trembled, and returned to his own house and prayed.</p>
+<p>And in the morning, while it was still dawn, he went forth with the
+monks and the musicians, and the candle-bearers and the swingers of
+censers, and a great company, and came to the shore of the sea, and
+blessed the sea, and all the wild things that are in it.&nbsp; The Fauns
+also he blessed, and the little things that dance in the woodland, and
+the bright-eyed things that peer through the leaves.&nbsp; All the things
+in God&rsquo;s world he blessed, and the people were filled with joy
+and wonder.&nbsp; Yet never again in the corner of the Fullers&rsquo;
+Field grew flowers of any kind, but the field remained barren even as
+before.&nbsp; Nor came the Sea-folk into the bay as they had been wont
+to do, for they went to another part of the sea.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines3"><br /><br /><br /></div>
+<h2>THE STAR-CHILD</h2>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines3"><br /><br /><br /></div>
+<p>[TO MISS MARGOT TENNANT - MRS. ASQUITH]</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>Once upon a time two poor Woodcutters were making their way home
+through a great pine-forest.&nbsp; It was winter, and a night of bitter
+cold.&nbsp; The snow lay thick upon the ground, and upon the branches
+of the trees: the frost kept snapping the little twigs on either side
+of them, as they passed: and when they came to the Mountain-Torrent
+she was hanging motionless in air, for the Ice-King had kissed her.</p>
+<p>So cold was it that even the animals and the birds did not know what
+to make of it.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Ugh!&rsquo; snarled the Wolf, as he limped through the brushwood
+with his tail between his legs, &lsquo;this is perfectly monstrous weather.&nbsp;
+Why doesn&rsquo;t the Government look to it?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Weet! weet! weet!&rsquo; twittered the green Linnets, &lsquo;the
+old Earth is dead and they have laid her out in her white shroud.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;The Earth is going to be married, and this is her bridal dress,&rsquo;
+whispered the Turtle-doves to each other.&nbsp; Their little pink feet
+were quite frost-bitten, but they felt that it was their duty to take
+a romantic view of the situation.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nonsense!&rsquo; growled the Wolf.&nbsp; &lsquo;I tell you
+that it is all the fault of the Government, and if you don&rsquo;t believe
+me I shall eat you.&rsquo;&nbsp; The Wolf had a thoroughly practical
+mind, and was never at a loss for a good argument.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Well, for my own part,&rsquo; said the Woodpecker, who was
+a born philosopher, &lsquo;I don&rsquo;t care an atomic theory for explanations.&nbsp;
+If a thing is so, it is so, and at present it is terribly cold.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>Terribly cold it certainly was.&nbsp; The little Squirrels, who lived
+inside the tall fir-tree, kept rubbing each other&rsquo;s noses to keep
+themselves warm, and the Rabbits curled themselves up in their holes,
+and did not venture even to look out of doors.&nbsp; The only people
+who seemed to enjoy it were the great horned Owls.&nbsp; Their feathers
+were quite stiff with rime, but they did not mind, and they rolled their
+large yellow eyes, and called out to each other across the forest, &lsquo;Tu-whit!&nbsp;
+Tu-whoo!&nbsp; Tu-whit!&nbsp; Tu-whoo! what delightful weather we are
+having!&rsquo;</p>
+<p>On and on went the two Woodcutters, blowing lustily upon their fingers,
+and stamping with their huge iron-shod boots upon the caked snow.&nbsp;
+Once they sank into a deep drift, and came out as white as millers are,
+when the stones are grinding; and once they slipped on the hard smooth
+ice where the marsh-water was frozen, and their faggots fell out of
+their bundles, and they had to pick them up and bind them together again;
+and once they thought that they had lost their way, and a great terror
+seized on them, for they knew that the Snow is cruel to those who sleep
+in her arms.&nbsp; But they put their trust in the good Saint Martin,
+who watches over all travellers, and retraced their steps, and went
+warily, and at last they reached the outskirts of the forest, and saw,
+far down in the valley beneath them, the lights of the village in which
+they dwelt.</p>
+<p>So overjoyed were they at their deliverance that they laughed aloud,
+and the Earth seemed to them like a flower of silver, and the Moon like
+a flower of gold.</p>
+<p>Yet, after that they had laughed they became sad, for they remembered
+their poverty, and one of them said to the other, &lsquo;Why did we
+make merry, seeing that life is for the rich, and not for such as we
+are?&nbsp; Better that we had died of cold in the forest, or that some
+wild beast had fallen upon us and slain us.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Truly,&rsquo; answered his companion, &lsquo;much is given
+to some, and little is given to others.&nbsp; Injustice has parcelled
+out the world, nor is there equal division of aught save of sorrow.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But as they were bewailing their misery to each other this strange
+thing happened.&nbsp; There fell from heaven a very bright and beautiful
+star.&nbsp; It slipped down the side of the sky, passing by the other
+stars in its course, and, as they watched it wondering, it seemed to
+them to sink behind a clump of willow-trees that stood hard by a little
+sheepfold no more than a stone&rsquo;s-throw away.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Why! there is a crook of gold for whoever finds it,&rsquo;
+they cried, and they set to and ran, so eager were they for the gold.</p>
+<p>And one of them ran faster than his mate, and outstripped him, and
+forced his way through the willows, and came out on the other side,
+and lo! there was indeed a thing of gold lying on the white snow.&nbsp;
+So he hastened towards it, and stooping down placed his hands upon it,
+and it was a cloak of golden tissue, curiously wrought with stars, and
+wrapped in many folds.&nbsp; And he cried out to his comrade that he
+had found the treasure that had fallen from the sky, and when his comrade
+had come up, they sat them down in the snow, and loosened the folds
+of the cloak that they might divide the pieces of gold.&nbsp; But, alas!
+no gold was in it, nor silver, nor, indeed, treasure of any kind, but
+only a little child who was asleep.</p>
+<p>And one of them said to the other: &lsquo;This is a bitter ending
+to our hope, nor have we any good fortune, for what doth a child profit
+to a man?&nbsp; Let us leave it here, and go our way, seeing that we
+are poor men, and have children of our own whose bread we may not give
+to another.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But his companion answered him: &lsquo;Nay, but it were an evil thing
+to leave the child to perish here in the snow, and though I am as poor
+as thou art, and have many mouths to feed, and but little in the pot,
+yet will I bring it home with me, and my wife shall have care of it.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So very tenderly he took up the child, and wrapped the cloak around
+it to shield it from the harsh cold, and made his way down the hill
+to the village, his comrade marvelling much at his foolishness and softness
+of heart.</p>
+<p>And when they came to the village, his comrade said to him, &lsquo;Thou
+hast the child, therefore give me the cloak, for it is meet that we
+should share.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But he answered him: &lsquo;Nay, for the cloak is neither mine nor
+thine, but the child&rsquo;s only,&rsquo; and he bade him Godspeed,
+and went to his own house and knocked.</p>
+<p>And when his wife opened the door and saw that her husband had returned
+safe to her, she put her arms round his neck and kissed him, and took
+from his back the bundle of faggots, and brushed the snow off his boots,
+and bade him come in.</p>
+<p>But he said to her, &lsquo;I have found something in the forest,
+and I have brought it to thee to have care of it,&rsquo; and he stirred
+not from the threshold.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;What is it?&rsquo; she cried.&nbsp; &lsquo;Show it to me,
+for the house is bare, and we have need of many things.&rsquo;&nbsp;
+And he drew the cloak back, and showed her the sleeping child.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Alack, goodman!&rsquo; she murmured, &lsquo;have we not children
+of our own, that thou must needs bring a changeling to sit by the hearth?&nbsp;
+And who knows if it will not bring us bad fortune?&nbsp; And how shall
+we tend it?&rsquo;&nbsp; And she was wroth against him.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay, but it is a Star-Child,&rsquo; he answered; and he told
+her the strange manner of the finding of it.</p>
+<p>But she would not be appeased, but mocked at him, and spoke angrily,
+and cried: &lsquo;Our children lack bread, and shall we feed the child
+of another?&nbsp; Who is there who careth for us?&nbsp; And who giveth
+us food?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay, but God careth for the sparrows even, and feedeth them,&rsquo;
+he answered.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Do not the sparrows die of hunger in the winter?&rsquo; she
+asked.&nbsp; &lsquo;And is it not winter now?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the man answered nothing, but stirred not from the threshold.</p>
+<p>And a bitter wind from the forest came in through the open door,
+and made her tremble, and she shivered, and said to him: &lsquo;Wilt
+thou not close the door?&nbsp; There cometh a bitter wind into the house,
+and I am cold.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Into a house where a heart is hard cometh there not always
+a bitter wind?&rsquo; he asked.&nbsp; And the woman answered him nothing,
+but crept closer to the fire.</p>
+<p>And after a time she turned round and looked at him, and her eyes
+were full of tears.&nbsp; And he came in swiftly, and placed the child
+in her arms, and she kissed it, and laid it in a little bed where the
+youngest of their own children was lying.&nbsp; And on the morrow the
+Woodcutter took the curious cloak of gold and placed it in a great chest,
+and a chain of amber that was round the child&rsquo;s neck his wife
+took and set it in the chest also.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>So the Star-Child was brought up with the children of the Woodcutter,
+and sat at the same board with them, and was their playmate.&nbsp; And
+every year he became more beautiful to look at, so that all those who
+dwelt in the village were filled with wonder, for, while they were swarthy
+and black-haired, he was white and delicate as sawn ivory, and his curls
+were like the rings of the daffodil.&nbsp; His lips, also, were like
+the petals of a red flower, and his eyes were like violets by a river
+of pure water, and his body like the narcissus of a field where the
+mower comes not.</p>
+<p>Yet did his beauty work him evil.&nbsp; For he grew proud, and cruel,
+and selfish.&nbsp; The children of the Woodcutter, and the other children
+of the village, he despised, saying that they were of mean parentage,
+while he was noble, being sprang from a Star, and he made himself master
+over them, and called them his servants.&nbsp; No pity had he for the
+poor, or for those who were blind or maimed or in any way afflicted,
+but would cast stones at them and drive them forth on to the highway,
+and bid them beg their bread elsewhere, so that none save the outlaws
+came twice to that village to ask for alms.&nbsp; Indeed, he was as
+one enamoured of beauty, and would mock at the weakly and ill-favoured,
+and make jest of them; and himself he loved, and in summer, when the
+winds were still, he would lie by the well in the priest&rsquo;s orchard
+and look down at the marvel of his own face, and laugh for the pleasure
+he had in his fairness.</p>
+<p>Often did the Woodcutter and his wife chide him, and say: &lsquo;We
+did not deal with thee as thou dealest with those who are left desolate,
+and have none to succour them.&nbsp; Wherefore art thou so cruel to
+all who need pity?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>Often did the old priest send for him, and seek to teach him the
+love of living things, saying to him: &lsquo;The fly is thy brother.&nbsp;
+Do it no harm.&nbsp; The wild birds that roam through the forest have
+their freedom.&nbsp; Snare them not for thy pleasure.&nbsp; God made
+the blind-worm and the mole, and each has its place.&nbsp; Who art thou
+to bring pain into God&rsquo;s world?&nbsp; Even the cattle of the field
+praise Him.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the Star-Child heeded not their words, but would frown and flout,
+and go back to his companions, and lead them.&nbsp; And his companions
+followed him, for he was fair, and fleet of foot, and could dance, and
+pipe, and make music.&nbsp; And wherever the Star-Child led them they
+followed, and whatever the Star-Child bade them do, that did they.&nbsp;
+And when he pierced with a sharp reed the dim eyes of the mole, they
+laughed, and when he cast stones at the leper they laughed also.&nbsp;
+And in all things he ruled them, and they became hard of heart even
+as he was.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>Now there passed one day through the village a poor beggar-woman.&nbsp;
+Her garments were torn and ragged, and her feet were bleeding from the
+rough road on which she had travelled, and she was in very evil plight.&nbsp;
+And being weary she sat her down under a chestnut-tree to rest.</p>
+<p>But when the Star-Child saw her, he said to his companions, &lsquo;See!&nbsp;
+There sitteth a foul beggar-woman under that fair and green-leaved tree.&nbsp;
+Come, let us drive her hence, for she is ugly and ill-favoured.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So he came near and threw stones at her, and mocked her, and she
+looked at him with terror in her eyes, nor did she move her gaze from
+him.&nbsp; And when the Woodcutter, who was cleaving logs in a haggard
+hard by, saw what the Star-Child was doing, he ran up and rebuked him,
+and said to him: &lsquo;Surely thou art hard of heart and knowest not
+mercy, for what evil has this poor woman done to thee that thou shouldst
+treat her in this wise?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Star-Child grew red with anger, and stamped his foot upon
+the ground, and said, &lsquo;Who art thou to question me what I do?&nbsp;
+I am no son of thine to do thy bidding.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Thou speakest truly,&rsquo; answered the Woodcutter, &lsquo;yet
+did I show thee pity when I found thee in the forest.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And when the woman heard these words she gave a loud cry, and fell
+into a swoon.&nbsp; And the Woodcutter carried her to his own house,
+and his wife had care of her, and when she rose up from the swoon into
+which she had fallen, they set meat and drink before her, and bade her
+have comfort.</p>
+<p>But she would neither eat nor drink, but said to the Woodcutter,
+&lsquo;Didst thou not say that the child was found in the forest?&nbsp;
+And was it not ten years from this day?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Woodcutter answered, &lsquo;Yea, it was in the forest that
+I found him, and it is ten years from this day.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;And what signs didst thou find with him?&rsquo; she cried.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;Bare he not upon his neck a chain of amber?&nbsp; Was not round
+him a cloak of gold tissue broidered with stars?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Truly,&rsquo; answered the Woodcutter, &lsquo;it was even
+as thou sayest.&rsquo;&nbsp; And he took the cloak and the amber chain
+from the chest where they lay, and showed them to her.</p>
+<p>And when she saw them she wept for joy, and said, &lsquo;He is my
+little son whom I lost in the forest.&nbsp; I pray thee send for him
+quickly, for in search of him have I wandered over the whole world.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So the Woodcutter and his wife went out and called to the Star-Child,
+and said to him, &lsquo;Go into the house, and there shalt thou find
+thy mother, who is waiting for thee.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So he ran in, filled with wonder and great gladness.&nbsp; But when
+he saw her who was waiting there, he laughed scornfully and said, &lsquo;Why,
+where is my mother?&nbsp; For I see none here but this vile beggar-woman.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the woman answered him, &lsquo;I am thy mother.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Thou art mad to say so,&rsquo; cried the Star-Child angrily.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;I am no son of thine, for thou art a beggar, and ugly, and in
+rags.&nbsp; Therefore get thee hence, and let me see thy foul face no
+more.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay, but thou art indeed my little son, whom I bare in the
+forest,&rsquo; she cried, and she fell on her knees, and held out her
+arms to him.&nbsp; &lsquo;The robbers stole thee from me, and left thee
+to die,&rsquo; she murmured, &lsquo;but I recognised thee when I saw
+thee, and the signs also have I recognised, the cloak of golden tissue
+and the amber chain.&nbsp; Therefore I pray thee come with me, for over
+the whole world have I wandered in search of thee.&nbsp; Come with me,
+my son, for I have need of thy love.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the Star-Child stirred not from his place, but shut the doors
+of his heart against her, nor was there any sound heard save the sound
+of the woman weeping for pain.</p>
+<p>And at last he spoke to her, and his voice was hard and bitter.&nbsp;
+&lsquo;If in very truth thou art my mother,&rsquo; he said, &lsquo;it
+had been better hadst thou stayed away, and not come here to bring me
+to shame, seeing that I thought I was the child of some Star, and not
+a beggar&rsquo;s child, as thou tellest me that I am.&nbsp; Therefore
+get thee hence, and let me see thee no more.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Alas! my son,&rsquo; she cried, &lsquo;wilt thou not kiss
+me before I go?&nbsp; For I have suffered much to find thee.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay,&rsquo; said the Star-Child, &lsquo;but thou art too foul
+to look at, and rather would I kiss the adder or the toad than thee.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So the woman rose up, and went away into the forest weeping bitterly,
+and when the Star-Child saw that she had gone, he was glad, and ran
+back to his playmates that he might play with them.</p>
+<p>But when they beheld him coming, they mocked him and said, &lsquo;Why,
+thou art as foul as the toad, and as loathsome as the adder.&nbsp; Get
+thee hence, for we will not suffer thee to play with us,&rsquo; and
+they drave him out of the garden.</p>
+<p>And the Star-Child frowned and said to himself, &lsquo;What is this
+that they say to me?&nbsp; I will go to the well of water and look into
+it, and it shall tell me of my beauty.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So he went to the well of water and looked into it, and lo! his face
+was as the face of a toad, and his body was sealed like an adder.&nbsp;
+And he flung himself down on the grass and wept, and said to himself,
+&lsquo;Surely this has come upon me by reason of my sin.&nbsp; For I
+have denied my mother, and driven her away, and been proud, and cruel
+to her.&nbsp; Wherefore I will go and seek her through the whole world,
+nor will I rest till I have found her.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And there came to him the little daughter of the Woodcutter, and
+she put her hand upon his shoulder and said, &lsquo;What doth it matter
+if thou hast lost thy comeliness?&nbsp; Stay with us, and I will not
+mock at thee.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And he said to her, &lsquo;Nay, but I have been cruel to my mother,
+and as a punishment has this evil been sent to me.&nbsp; Wherefore I
+must go hence, and wander through the world till I find her, and she
+give me her forgiveness.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So he ran away into the forest and called out to his mother to come
+to him, but there was no answer.&nbsp; All day long he called to her,
+and, when the sun set he lay down to sleep on a bed of leaves, and the
+birds and the animals fled from him, for they remembered his cruelty,
+and he was alone save for the toad that watched him, and the slow adder
+that crawled past.</p>
+<p>And in the morning he rose up, and plucked some bitter berries from
+the trees and ate them, and took his way through the great wood, weeping
+sorely.&nbsp; And of everything that he met he made inquiry if perchance
+they had seen his mother.</p>
+<p>He said to the Mole, &lsquo;Thou canst go beneath the earth.&nbsp;
+Tell me, is my mother there?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Mole answered, &lsquo;Thou hast blinded mine eyes.&nbsp;
+How should I know?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>He said to the Linnet, &lsquo;Thou canst fly over the tops of the
+tall trees, and canst see the whole world.&nbsp; Tell me, canst thou
+see my mother?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Linnet answered, &lsquo;Thou hast clipt my wings for thy
+pleasure.&nbsp; How should I fly?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And to the little Squirrel who lived in the fir-tree, and was lonely,
+he said, &lsquo;Where is my mother?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Squirrel answered, &lsquo;Thou hast slain mine.&nbsp; Dost
+thou seek to slay thine also?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Star-Child wept and bowed his head, and prayed forgiveness
+of God&rsquo;s things, and went on through the forest, seeking for the
+beggar-woman.&nbsp; And on the third day he came to the other side of
+the forest and went down into the plain.</p>
+<p>And when he passed through the villages the children mocked him,
+and threw stones at him, and the carlots would not suffer him even to
+sleep in the byres lest he might bring mildew on the stored corn, so
+foul was he to look at, and their hired men drave him away, and there
+was none who had pity on him.&nbsp; Nor could he hear anywhere of the
+beggar-woman who was his mother, though for the space of three years
+he wandered over the world, and often seemed to see her on the road
+in front of him, and would call to her, and run after her till the sharp
+flints made his feet to bleed.&nbsp; But overtake her he could not,
+and those who dwelt by the way did ever deny that they had seen her,
+or any like to her, and they made sport of his sorrow.</p>
+<p>For the space of three years he wandered over the world, and in the
+world there was neither love nor loving-kindness nor charity for him,
+but it was even such a world as he had made for himself in the days
+of his great pride.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And one evening he came to the gate of a strong-walled city that
+stood by a river, and, weary and footsore though he was, he made to
+enter in.&nbsp; But the soldiers who stood on guard dropped their halberts
+across the entrance, and said roughly to him, &lsquo;What is thy business
+in the city?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;I am seeking for my mother,&rsquo; he answered, &lsquo;and
+I pray ye to suffer me to pass, for it may be that she is in this city.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But they mocked at him, and one of them wagged a black beard, and
+set down his shield and cried, &lsquo;Of a truth, thy mother will not
+be merry when she sees thee, for thou art more ill-favoured than the
+toad of the marsh, or the adder that crawls in the fen.&nbsp; Get thee
+gone.&nbsp; Get thee gone.&nbsp; Thy mother dwells not in this city.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And another, who held a yellow banner in his hand, said to him, &lsquo;Who
+is thy mother, and wherefore art thou seeking for her?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And he answered, &lsquo;My mother is a beggar even as I am, and I
+have treated her evilly, and I pray ye to suffer me to pass that she
+may give me her forgiveness, if it be that she tarrieth in this city.&rsquo;&nbsp;
+But they would not, and pricked him with their spears.</p>
+<p>And, as he turned away weeping, one whose armour was inlaid with
+gilt flowers, and on whose helmet couched a lion that had wings, came
+up and made inquiry of the soldiers who it was who had sought entrance.&nbsp;
+And they said to him, &lsquo;It is a beggar and the child of a beggar,
+and we have driven him away.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay,&rsquo; he cried, laughing, &lsquo;but we will sell the
+foul thing for a slave, and his price shall be the price of a bowl of
+sweet wine.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And an old and evil-visaged man who was passing by called out, and
+said, &lsquo;I will buy him for that price,&rsquo; and, when he had
+paid the price, he took the Star-Child by the hand and led him into
+the city.</p>
+<p>And after that they had gone through many streets they came to a
+little door that was set in a wall that was covered with a pomegranate
+tree.&nbsp; And the old man touched the door with a ring of graved jasper
+and it opened, and they went down five steps of brass into a garden
+filled with black poppies and green jars of burnt clay.&nbsp; And the
+old man took then from his turban a scarf of figured silk, and bound
+with it the eyes of the Star-Child, and drave him in front of him.&nbsp;
+And when the scarf was taken off his eyes, the Star-Child found himself
+in a dungeon, that was lit by a lantern of horn.</p>
+<p>And the old man set before him some mouldy bread on a trencher and
+said, &lsquo;Eat,&rsquo; and some brackish water in a cup and said,
+&lsquo;Drink,&rsquo; and when he had eaten and drunk, the old man went
+out, locking the door behind him and fastening it with an iron chain.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And on the morrow the old man, who was indeed the subtlest of the
+magicians of Libya and had learned his art from one who dwelt in the
+tombs of the Nile, came in to him and frowned at him, and said, &lsquo;In
+a wood that is nigh to the gate of this city of Giaours there are three
+pieces of gold.&nbsp; One is of white gold, and another is of yellow
+gold, and the gold of the third one is red.&nbsp; To-day thou shalt
+bring me the piece of white gold, and if thou bringest it not back,
+I will beat thee with a hundred stripes.&nbsp; Get thee away quickly,
+and at sunset I will be waiting for thee at the door of the garden.&nbsp;
+See that thou bringest the white gold, or it shall go ill with thee,
+for thou art my slave, and I have bought thee for the price of a bowl
+of sweet wine.&rsquo;&nbsp; And he bound the eyes of the Star-Child
+with the scarf of figured silk, and led him through the house, and through
+the garden of poppies, and up the five steps of brass.&nbsp; And having
+opened the little door with his ring he set him in the street.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And the Star-Child went out of the gate of the city, and came to
+the wood of which the Magician had spoken to him.</p>
+<p>Now this wood was very fair to look at from without, and seemed full
+of singing birds and of sweet-scented flowers, and the Star-Child entered
+it gladly.&nbsp; Yet did its beauty profit him little, for wherever
+he went harsh briars and thorns shot up from the ground and encompassed
+him, and evil nettles stung him, and the thistle pierced him with her
+daggers, so that he was in sore distress.&nbsp; Nor could he anywhere
+find the piece of white gold of which the Magician had spoken, though
+he sought for it from morn to noon, and from noon to sunset.&nbsp; And
+at sunset he set his face towards home, weeping bitterly, for he knew
+what fate was in store for him.</p>
+<p>But when he had reached the outskirts of the wood, he heard from
+a thicket a cry as of some one in pain.&nbsp; And forgetting his own
+sorrow he ran back to the place, and saw there a little Hare caught
+in a trap that some hunter had set for it.</p>
+<p>And the Star-Child had pity on it, and released it, and said to it,
+&lsquo;I am myself but a slave, yet may I give thee thy freedom.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Hare answered him, and said: &lsquo;Surely thou hast given
+me freedom, and what shall I give thee in return?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Star-Child said to it, &lsquo;I am seeking for a piece of
+white gold, nor can I anywhere find it, and if I bring it not to my
+master he will beat me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Come thou with me,&rsquo; said the Hare, &lsquo;and I will
+lead thee to it, for I know where it is hidden, and for what purpose.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So the Star-Child went with the Hare, and lo! in the cleft of a great
+oak-tree he saw the piece of white gold that he was seeking.&nbsp; And
+he was filled with joy, and seized it, and said to the Hare, &lsquo;The
+service that I did to thee thou hast rendered back again many times
+over, and the kindness that I showed thee thou hast repaid a hundred-fold.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay,&rsquo; answered the Hare, &lsquo;but as thou dealt with
+me, so I did deal with thee,&rsquo; and it ran away swiftly, and the
+Star-Child went towards the city.</p>
+<p>Now at the gate of the city there was seated one who was a leper.&nbsp;
+Over his face hung a cowl of grey linen, and through the eyelets his
+eyes gleamed like red coals.&nbsp; And when he saw the Star-Child coming,
+he struck upon a wooden bowl, and clattered his bell, and called out
+to him, and said, &lsquo;Give me a piece of money, or I must die of
+hunger.&nbsp; For they have thrust me out of the city, and there is
+no one who has pity on me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Alas!&rsquo; cried the Star-Child, &lsquo;I have but one piece
+of money in my wallet, and if I bring it not to my master he will beat
+me, for I am his slave.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the leper entreated him, and prayed of him, till the Star-Child
+had pity, and gave him the piece of white gold.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>And when he came to the Magician&rsquo;s house, the Magician opened
+to him, and brought him in, and said to him, &lsquo;Hast thou the piece
+of white gold?&rsquo;&nbsp; And the Star-Child answered, &lsquo;I have
+it not.&rsquo;&nbsp; So the Magician fell upon him, and beat him, and
+set before him an empty trencher, and said, &lsquo;Eat,&rsquo; and an
+empty cup, and said, &lsquo;Drink,&rsquo; and flung him again into the
+dungeon.</p>
+<p>And on the morrow the Magician came to him, and said, &lsquo;If to-day
+thou bringest me not the piece of yellow gold, I will surely keep thee
+as my slave, and give thee three hundred stripes.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So the Star-Child went to the wood, and all day long he searched
+for the piece of yellow gold, but nowhere could he find it.&nbsp; And
+at sunset he sat him down and began to weep, and as he was weeping there
+came to him the little Hare that he had rescued from the trap,</p>
+<p>And the Hare said to him, &lsquo;Why art thou weeping?&nbsp; And
+what dost thou seek in the wood?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Star-Child answered, &lsquo;I am seeking for a piece of yellow
+gold that is hidden here, and if I find it not my master will beat me,
+and keep me as a slave.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Follow me,&rsquo; cried the Hare, and it ran through the wood
+till it came to a pool of water.&nbsp; And at the bottom of the pool
+the piece of yellow gold was lying.</p>
+<p>&lsquo;How shall I thank thee?&rsquo; said the Star-Child, &lsquo;for
+lo! this is the second time that you have succoured me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay, but thou hadst pity on me first,&rsquo; said the Hare,
+and it ran away swiftly.</p>
+<p>And the Star-Child took the piece of yellow gold, and put it in his
+wallet, and hurried to the city.&nbsp; But the leper saw him coming,
+and ran to meet him, and knelt down and cried, &lsquo;Give me a piece
+of money or I shall die of hunger.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Star-Child said to him, &lsquo;I have in my wallet but one
+piece of yellow gold, and if I bring it not to my master he will beat
+me and keep me as his slave.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But the leper entreated him sore, so that the Star-Child had pity
+on him, and gave him the piece of yellow gold.</p>
+<p>And when he came to the Magician&rsquo;s house, the Magician opened
+to him, and brought him in, and said to him, &lsquo;Hast thou the piece
+of yellow gold?&rsquo;&nbsp; And the Star-Child said to him, &lsquo;I
+have it not.&rsquo;&nbsp; So the Magician fell upon him, and beat him,
+and loaded him with chains, and cast him again into the dungeon.</p>
+<p>And on the morrow the Magician came to him, and said, &lsquo;If to-day
+thou bringest me the piece of red gold I will set thee free, but if
+thou bringest it not I will surely slay thee.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>So the Star-Child went to the wood, and all day long he searched
+for the piece of red gold, but nowhere could he find it.&nbsp; And at
+evening he sat him down and wept, and as he was weeping there came to
+him the little Hare.</p>
+<p>And the Hare said to him, &lsquo;The piece of red gold that thou
+seekest is in the cavern that is behind thee.&nbsp; Therefore weep no
+more but be glad.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;How shall I reward thee?&rsquo; cried the Star-Child, &lsquo;for
+lo! this is the third time thou hast succoured me.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>&lsquo;Nay, but thou hadst pity on me first,&rsquo; said the Hare,
+and it ran away swiftly.</p>
+<p>And the Star-Child entered the cavern, and in its farthest corner
+he found the piece of red gold.&nbsp; So he put it in his wallet, and
+hurried to the city.&nbsp; And the leper seeing him coming, stood in
+the centre of the road, and cried out, and said to him, &lsquo;Give
+me the piece of red money, or I must die,&rsquo; and the Star-Child
+had pity on him again, and gave him the piece of red gold, saying, &lsquo;Thy
+need is greater than mine.&rsquo;&nbsp; Yet was his heart heavy, for
+he knew what evil fate awaited him.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines1"><br /></div>
+<p>But lo! as he passed through the gate of the city, the guards bowed
+down and made obeisance to him, saying, &lsquo;How beautiful is our
+lord!&rsquo; and a crowd of citizens followed him, and cried out, &lsquo;Surely
+there is none so beautiful in the whole world!&rsquo; so that the Star-Child
+wept, and said to himself, &lsquo;They are mocking me, and making light
+of my misery.&rsquo;&nbsp; And so large was the concourse of the people,
+that he lost the threads of his way, and found himself at last in a
+great square, in which there was a palace of a King.</p>
+<p>And the gate of the palace opened, and the priests and the high officers
+of the city ran forth to meet him, and they abased themselves before
+him, and said, &lsquo;Thou art our lord for whom we have been waiting,
+and the son of our King.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Star-Child answered them and said, &lsquo;I am no king&rsquo;s
+son, but the child of a poor beggar-woman.&nbsp; And how say ye that
+I am beautiful, for I know that I am evil to look at?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>Then he, whose armour was inlaid with gilt flowers, and on whose
+helmet crouched a lion that had wings, held up a shield, and cried,
+&lsquo;How saith my lord that he is not beautiful?&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the Star-Child looked, and lo! his face was even as it had been,
+and his comeliness had come back to him, and he saw that in his eyes
+which he had not seen there before.</p>
+<p>And the priests and the high officers knelt down and said to him,
+&lsquo;It was prophesied of old that on this day should come he who
+was to rule over us.&nbsp; Therefore, let our lord take this crown and
+this sceptre, and be in his justice and mercy our King over us.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>But he said to them, &lsquo;I am not worthy, for I have denied the
+mother who bare me, nor may I rest till I have found her, and known
+her forgiveness.&nbsp; Therefore, let me go, for I must wander again
+over the world, and may not tarry here, though ye bring me the crown
+and the sceptre.&rsquo;&nbsp; And as he spake he turned his face from
+them towards the street that led to the gate of the city, and lo! amongst
+the crowd that pressed round the soldiers, he saw the beggar-woman who
+was his mother, and at her side stood the leper, who had sat by the
+road.</p>
+<p>And a cry of joy broke from his lips, and he ran over, and kneeling
+down he kissed the wounds on his mother&rsquo;s feet, and wet them with
+his tears.&nbsp; He bowed his head in the dust, and sobbing, as one
+whose heart might break, he said to her: &lsquo;Mother, I denied thee
+in the hour of my pride.&nbsp; Accept me in the hour of my humility.&nbsp;
+Mother, I gave thee hatred.&nbsp; Do thou give me love.&nbsp; Mother,
+I rejected thee.&nbsp; Receive thy child now.&rsquo;&nbsp; But the beggar-woman
+answered him not a word.</p>
+<p>And he reached out his hands, and clasped the white feet of the leper,
+and said to him: &lsquo;Thrice did I give thee of my mercy.&nbsp; Bid
+my mother speak to me once.&rsquo;&nbsp; But the leper answered him
+not a word.</p>
+<p>And he sobbed again and said: &lsquo;Mother, my suffering is greater
+than I can bear.&nbsp; Give me thy forgiveness, and let me go back to
+the forest.&rsquo;&nbsp; And the beggar-woman put her hand on his head,
+and said to him, &lsquo;Rise,&rsquo; and the leper put his hand on his
+head, and said to him, &lsquo;Rise,&rsquo; also.</p>
+<p>And he rose up from his feet, and looked at them, and lo! they were
+a King and a Queen.</p>
+<p>And the Queen said to him, &lsquo;This is thy father whom thou hast
+succoured.&rsquo;</p>
+<p>And the King said, &lsquo;This is thy mother whose feet thou hast
+washed with thy tears.&rsquo;&nbsp; And they fell on his neck and kissed
+him, and brought him into the palace and clothed him in fair raiment,
+and set the crown upon his head, and the sceptre in his hand, and over
+the city that stood by the river he ruled, and was its lord.&nbsp; Much
+justice and mercy did he show to all, and the evil Magician he banished,
+and to the Woodcutter and his wife he sent many rich gifts, and to their
+children he gave high honour.&nbsp; Nor would he suffer any to be cruel
+to bird or beast, but taught love and loving-kindness and charity, and
+to the poor he gave bread, and to the naked he gave raiment, and there
+was peace and plenty in the land.</p>
+<p>Yet ruled he not long, so great had been his suffering, and so bitter
+the fire of his testing, for after the space of three years he died.&nbsp;
+And he who came after him ruled evilly.</p>
+<div class="GutenbergBlankLines3"><br /><br /><br /></div>
+<p>End of the Project Gutenberg eBook A House of Pomegranates</p>
+<p>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, A HOUSE OF POMEGRANATES ***</p>
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+
+*END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN EBOOKS*Ver.02/11/02*END*
+</pre></body>
+</html>
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+++ b/old/hpomg10h.zip