nd crack to some distance around the stem. She gave another pull,
but relaxed her hold, fancying that there was a rumbling sound right
beneath her feet. Did the roots extend down into some enchanted cavern?
Then, laughing at herself for so childish a notion, she made another
effort; up came the shrub, and Proserpina staggered back, holding the stem
triumphantly in her hand, and gazing at the deep hole which its roots had
left in the soil.

Much to her astonishment this hole kept spreading wider and wider, and
growing deeper and deeper, until it really seemed to have no bottom; and
all the while, there came a rumbling noise out of its depths, louder and
louder, and nearer and nearer, and sounding like the tramp of horses'
hoofs and the rattling of wheels. Too much frightened to run away, she
stood straining her eyes into this wonderful cavity, and soon saw a team
of four sable horses, snorting smoke out of their nostrils, and tearing
their way out of the earth with a splendid golden chariot whirling at
their heels. They leaped out of the bottomless hole, chariot and all; and
there they were, tossing their black manes, flourishing their black tails,
and curvetting with every one of their hoofs off the ground at once, close
by the spot where Proserpina stood. In the chariot sat the figure of a
man, richly dressed, with a crown on his head, all flaming with diamonds.
He was of a noble aspect, and rather handsome, but looked sullen and
discontented; and he kept rubbing his eyes and shading them with his hand,
as if he did not live enough in the sunshine to be very fond of its light.

[Illustration: THEY LEAPED OUT OF THE BOTTOMLESS HOLE, CHARIOT AND ALL;
AND THERE THEY WERE TOSSING THEIR BLACK TAILS, AND CURVETTING WITH EVERY
ONE OF THEIR HOOFS OFF THE GROUND AT ONCE, CLOSE BY THE SPOT WHERE
PROSERPINA STOOD. IN THE CHARIOT SAT THE FIGURE OF A MAN]

As soon as this personage saw the affrighted Proserpina, he beckoned her
to come a little nearer.

"Do not be afraid," said he, with as cheerful a smile as he knew how to
put on. "Come! Will not you like to ride a little way with me, in my
beautiful chariot?"

But Proserpina was so alarmed that she wished for nothing but to get out
of his reach. And no wonder. The stranger did not look remarkably
good-natured, in spite of his smile; and as for his voice, its tones were
deep and stern, and sounded as much like the rumbling of an earthquake
under ground as anything else. As is