e, and no ways comfortable in his own
mind at thinking how much farther he had to travel, and that he should
be walking all the night; so he sat down under the moat to rest himself,
and began looking mournfully enough upon the moon, which--

Rising in clouded majesty at length
Apparent Queen, unveil'd her peerless light,
And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw.

Presently there arose a wild strain of unearthly melody upon the ear of
little Lusmore. He listened, and he thought that he had never heard such
ravishing music before. It was like the sound of many voices, each
mingling and blending with the others so strangely that they seemed to
be one, though all singing different strains, and the words of the songs
were these:

Da Luan, Da Mort, Da Luan, Da Mort, Da Luan, Da Mort,
Da Luan, Da Mort;

when there would be a moment's pause, and then the round of melody went
on again.

Lusmore listened attentively, scarcely drawing his breath, lest he
might lose the slightest note. He now plainly perceived that the singing
was within the moat; and though at first it had charmed him much, he
began to get tired of hearing the same round sung over and over so often
without any change; so, availing himself of the pause when Da Luan, Da
Mort, had been sung three times, he took up the tune, and raised it with
the words augus Da Dardeen, and then went on singing with the voices
inside of the moat, Da Luan, Da Mort, finishing the melody, when the
pause came again, with augus Da Dardeen.

The fairies within Knockgrafton, for the song was a fairy melody, when
they heard this addition to the tune, were so much delighted that with
instant resolve it was determined to bring the mortal among them whose
musical skill so far exceeded theirs, and little Lusmore was conveyed
into their company with the eddying speed of a whirlwind.

Glorious to behold was the sight that burst upon him as he came down
through the moat, twirling round and round, with the lightness of a
straw, to the sweetest music, that kept time to his motion. The greatest
honour was then paid him, for he was put above all the musicians, and he
had servants tending upon him and everything to his heart's content, and
a hearty welcome to all; and, in short, he was made as much of as if he
had been the first man in the land.

Presently Lusmore saw a great consultation going on among the fairies,
and, notwithstanding all their civ