Albert
reached the top of the hill. He had only the pleasure of looking after
them, and hardly that; for it appeared to him as if every thing about
him was immersed in a sea of azure so resplendently clear, that he was
for several minutes robbed of his sight.

"From the magical slumber into which the child had fallen during her
descent into the kingdom of the fairies, she was awakened by a witching
harmony of sounds. She opened her eyes, and observed, with not a little
wonder, that she was lying upon a bed or mat, or whatsoever else it
might be called, of costly emerald. Over her head nodded marvellous
flowers of the most glowing colours; butterflies, of unseen splendour,
flitted on cooling pinions around her couch, and fanned her with an air
so sweet, so invigorating, that the maiden had never breathed before
with such delight. But with all the magnificence, all the spirit and
splendour, every thing was quite other than upon the sunny earth above.
The flowers and herbs glittered indeed; but they seemed to be juiceless,
and looked as if formed of crystal. Even the butterflies had a peculiar
motion, like that of an involuntary sleepwalker. Only the harmonious
strains, which now rang louder and louder, more and more ravishing, were
so ecstatic, so inviting to joyous devotion, that Maud would fain have
shouted aloud for joy; but she felt that she could not speak, could not
cry out, and sight, touch, and hearing, were more alive than ever.

"Thus she lay for some time motionless, pleasingly intent upon the
nodding flowers, the swarming butterflies. At length the winged
multitude dispersed, and two slender fairy-forms approached her bed and
beckoned her to arise and follow them.

"Maud arose; and the fairies, who hardly reached up to her knee, taking
her between them, conducted her through a gate of mother-of-pearl into
an illimitable space, through which throng of countless millions of
elves confusedly moved. The converse of these semi-spirits sounded in
the distance harmonious, like perfect music. Notwithstanding the immense
multitude, there was nothing of tumult, nothing of uproar. They stood
all in the finest concord, and bent, waving their flower-caps
gracefully, towards the abashed, astonished maiden. It bewildered Maud
to see that not only overhead arched a star-bespangled sky, but likewise
underneath her feet the same solemn starry splendour was revealed, as if
the slight fairy people walked, between two heavens,