what does this mean?" The young birds kept as still as mice, but
the griffin straightway swallowed lovely little Wild-Rose, yet when
she appeared again she was seven times as beautiful as before.

The griffin now set about a great task; all day long it brought
flowers and soft green moss from the woodland meadows to make the
little girl a room like a fairy's nest, and this tiny chamber,
whenever the wind blew, rocked to and fro like a cradle. From this
time little Wild-Rose was as dear to it as its own children, nay, she
was the very apple of the griffin's eye, and it took care of her and
fed her with the very best things a griffin could find.

So the little Wild-Rose with the golden hair began to grow and
flourish like a stately lily. In the morning the merry dawn kissed and
woke her, at noon the shadows of the leafy boughs fanned her, and in
the evening she was lulled to rest by the gentle breezes and the tunes
that echoed through the forest from the shepherds' pipes.

So the little girl grew in beauty till she was able to stand alone,
and one day, just as the evening-star was bathing in the rosy light
left by the sun when it sank behind the mountains, the Lord permitted
what had been predestined to happen, though it was something that had
never occurred before, since this world was created and the sun began
its course through the sky. So it happened that little Wild-Rose stood
up, came out of her little room, and for the first time gazed into the
world. But when she looked at the evening-sky the air quivered, the
rising stars trembled, and on the eastern horizon a second sun, more
beautiful and a hundred times brighter than the one which had set
behind the mountains, rose upward in majesty and splendor as if
mounting from a sea of fire. The forests, chasms and valleys quaked,
the flowers whispered sweetly to each other and turned their little
heads toward the vivifying waves of light. And now behold--the fairest
flowers tried to drink in the little maid's glances, and the trees
around bowed their tops to rejoice in little Wild-Rose's beauty. In
short, the whole of God's creation, the birds in the sky as well as
the beasts in the forest, exulted and jumped for joy over the divine
miracle.

After that evening's festival, twice three days passed, then three
times three, finally still more until little Wild-Rose was fourteen
years old.

At fourteen little Wild-Rose was beautiful--so beautiful that I am
afraid to p