to her inward pain, many human beings
will not allow themselves to come to any knowledge of her. But my
mother loves children most of all; and thence it is that the festivals
which she holds in her kingdom for children are the most splendid and
glorious of all. It is then that beautiful spirits belonging to my
mother's kingdom, and to her royal palace, fly deftly through the sky,
weaving and combining a shining rainbow, from one end of her palace to
another, gleaming in the most brilliant dyes. Under those rainbows they
build my mother's diamond throne, all of nothing but diamonds--diamonds
which are, in appearance and in perfume, like lilies, roses, and
carnations; and when my mother takes her place on her throne, the
spirits play on their golden harps and their crystal cymbals, and to
those instruments the court singers of her court sing with voices so
marvellous, that one could die of rapture to hear them. Now, those
singers are beautiful birds, bigger even than eagles, with feathers all
purple-red, such as you have never seen the like of. And as soon as
their music begins, everything in the palace, the woods, and the
gardens moves and sings; and all around there are thousands of
beautiful children in charming dresses, shouting and delighting. They
chase each other amongst the bushes, and throw flowers at each other in
play; they climb trees, where the winds swing them and rock them; they
gather gold-glittering fruit, which tastes as nothing on earth does;
and they play with tame deer and other charming creatures which come
bounding up to them from among the trees; then they run up and down the
rainbows, or they ride on the golden pheasants, which fly up among the
gleaming clouds with them on their backs."

"How delightful that must be!" Christlieb and Felix cried with rapture.
"Oh, take us with you to your home! We want to stay there always!"

But the Stranger Child said, "I cannot take you with me to my home; it
is too far away. You would have to be able to fly as far and as
strongly as I can myself."

Felix and Christlieb were very sorry, and cast their eyes sadly down to
the ground.

THE WICKED MINISTER AT THE FAIRY QUEEN'S COURT.

"And then," the Stranger Child continued, "you might not be as happy as
you expect at my mother's court. Indeed, it might be a misfortune for
you to go there. There are many children who cannot bear the singing of
those purple-red birds, glorious as it is: it breaks