My right hand will be gloved, Janet;
My left hand will be bare;
And these the tokens I give thee,
No doubt I will be there.

They'll shape me in your arms, Janet,
A toad, snake, and an eel;
But hold me fast, nor let me gang,
As you do love me weel.

They'll shape me in your arms, Janet,
A dove, bat, and a swan:
Cast your green mantle over me,
I'll be myself again."

The good sister Janet, far from remembering any of the old sins of her
brother, wept for joy to know that he was yet among the living. She told
no one of her strange dream; but hastened secretly to the Miles Cross,
saw the strange cavalcade pricking through the greenwood, and pulled
down the rider on the milk-white steed, holding him fast through all his
changing shapes. But when she had thrown her green mantle over him, and
clasped him in her arms as her own brother Robin, the angry voice of the
Fairy Queen was heard.

"Up then spake the Queen of Fairies,
Out of a blush of rye:
'You've taken away the bonniest lad
In all my companie.

'Had I but had the wit, yestreen,
That I have learned to-day,
I'd pinned the sister to her bed
Ere he'd been won away!'"

However, it was too late now. Wild Robin was safe, and the elves had
lost their power over him forever. His forgiving parents and his
lead-hearted brothers welcomed him home with more than the old love.

So grateful and happy was the poor laddie that he nevermore grumbled at
his oatmeal parritch, or minded his kye with a scowling brow.

But to the end of his days, when he heard mention of fairies and
brownies, his mind wandered off in a mizmaze. He died in peace, and was
buried on the banks of the Yarrow.

THE STORY OF MERLIN

Merlin was a King in early Britain; he was also an Enchanter. No one
knows who were his parents, or where he was born; but it is said that he
was brought in by the white waves of the sea, and that, at the last, to
the sea he returned.

When Merlin was King of Britain, it was a delightful island of flowery
meadows. His subjects were fairies, and they spent their lives in
singing, playing, and enjoyment. The Prime Minister of Merlin was a tame
wolf. Part of his kingdom was beneath the waves, and his subjects there
were the mermaids. Here, too, everyone was happy, and the only want they
ever felt was of the full light of the sun, which, coming to them