ing away
and away, farther and farther, fainter and fainter, until at last, after
an interminable time, as it seemed to them, the sounds died completely
away and silence reigned once more.

"It is marvellous! superb!" whispered Evelin, not caring to again arouse
the echoes of the place. "Come, Blanche, sweetheart, let us explore a
little further while our torch still holds out."

Hand in hand, and with cautious steps--for the floor was almost as
slippery as ice--they began to make the tour of this fairy-like cavern;
but they had not proceeded a dozen steps before they were again
arrested, spell-bound. The walls, as far as the feeble light of the
torch would reveal them, were of rock of the same character as the
floor; only that instead of being smooth and even they were broken up
into fantastic projections of every imaginable form, while here and
there huge masses started boldly out from the face, forming flying
buttresses with projecting pinnacles and elaborate carved-work, all
executed by Nature's own hand; while elsewhere there clustered columns,
so regular and perfect in their shape that they might have been
transferred with scarcely a finishing touch of the chisel to the aisles
of a cathedral. Where the light happened to fall upon these the effect
was bewilderingly beautiful, the rays being reflected and refracted from
and through the crystals of which they were composed until they shone
and sparkled like columns of prismatic fire.

Then a new wonder revealed itself; for, on approaching more closely to
the glittering walls, it became apparent that they were seamed with wide
cracks here and there, the cracks being filled with a cement-like
substance, so thickly studded with nuggets of gold of all sizes, that in
less than five minutes a man might have gathered more than he could
carry away. Passing along the walls, Lance found that it was everywhere
the same, and that in stumbling upon this subterranean palace of the
fairies they had also discovered a mine of incalculable wealth.

Hastily gathering a few of the finest nuggets within reach, they set out
to return.

They had apparently made the entire circuit of the cavern, for there
close to them yawned the black mouth of a passage. This was fortunate;
as the torch had now burned so low that Lance saw with consternation it
would be necessary for them to make the greater part of their return
journey in darkness.

"But never mind, Blanche darling," he said c