ing his back to the
crew, then wading through the waters, he dragged on the vessel in its
course. The cavern widened, the waters spread. To the joy of Proserpine,
apparently, she once more beheld the moon and stars.

'Bright crescent of Diana!' exclaimed the enraptured Queen, 'and ye
too, sweet stars, that I have so often watched on the Sicilian plains;
do I, then, indeed again behold you? or is it only some exquisite vision
that entrances my being? for, indeed, I do not feel the freshness of
that breeze that was wont to renovate my languid frame; nor does the
odorous scent of flowers wafted from the shores delight my jaded senses.
What is it? Is it life or death; earth, indeed, or Hell?'

''Tis nothing,' said Tiresias, 'but a great toy. You must know that
Saturn--until at length, wearied by his ruinous experiments, the gods
expelled him his empire--was a great dabbler in systems. He was always
for making moons brighter than Diana, and lighting the stars by gas; but
his systems never worked. The tides rebelled against their mistress, and
the stars went out with a horrible stench. This is one of his creations,
the most ingenious, though a failure. Jove made it a present to Pluto,
who is quite proud of having a sun and stars of his own, and reckons it
among the choice treasures of his kingdoms.'

'Poor Saturn! I pity him; he meant well.' 'Very true. He is the paviour
of the high-street of Hades. But we cannot afford kings, and especially
Gods, to be philosophers. The certainty of misrule is better than the
chance of good government; uncertainty makes people restless.'

'I feel very restless myself; I wish we were in Elysium!'

'The river again narrows!' exclaimed Manto. 'There is no other portal
to pass. The Saturnian moon and stars grow fainter, there is a grey tint
expanding in the distance; 'tis the realm of Twilight; your Majesty will
soon disembark.'

PART III.

_Containing an Account of Tiresias at His Rubber_

TRAVELLERS who have left their homes generally grow mournful as the
evening draws on; nor is there, perhaps, any time at which the pensive
influence of twilight is more predominant than on the eve that follows a
separation from those we love. Imagine, then, the feelings of the Queen
of Hell, as her barque entered the very region of that mystic light,
and the shadowy shores of the realm of Twilight opened before her. Her
thoughts reverted to Pluto; and she mused over all his fondness, all hi