he house,
and, bending one knee on the ground, asked the mother for her
daughter's hand.

"What an honor!" thought the mother.

"My dream has come to pass," said Marienka. "You see, mother, that, as
usual, I was right and you were wrong."

She ran to her chamber, tied the betrothal knot, and offered it
smilingly as a pledge of her faith to the handsome lord, who, on his
side, put a ring on her finger set with a stone that sparkled like the
stars, and presented her with a golden diadem and a dress of gold
lace.

The proud girl ran to her room to dress for the ceremony, while the
mother, still anxious, said to the bridegroom, "My good sir, what
bread do you offer my daughter?"

"Among us," said he, "the bread is of copper, silver, and gold. She
can take her choice."

"What does this mean?" thought the mother. But Marienka had no
anxiety; she returned as beautiful as the sun, took her lover's arm,
and set out for the church without asking her mother's blessing. The
poor woman was left to pray alone on the threshold; and when Marienka
returned and entered the carriage she did not even turn round to look
at her mother or to bid her a last farewell.

The eight horses set off at a gallop, and did not stop till they
reached a huge rock in which there was a hole as large as the gate of
a city. The horses plunged into the darkness, the earth trembled, and
the rock cracked and crumbled. Marienka seized her husband's hand.

"Don't be alarmed, my fair one; in a moment it will be light."

All at once a thousand lights waved in the air. The dwarfs of the
mountain, each with a torch in his hand, came to salute their lord,
the King of the Mines. Marienka learned for the first time her
husband's name. Whether he was a spirit of good or of evil, at least
he was so rich that she did not regret her choice.

[Illustration: AS THE MOTHER GAZED LOVINGLY AT HER BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER,
MARIENKA LAUGHED IN HER SLEEP]

They emerged from the darkness, and advanced through bleached
forests and mountains that raised their pale and gloomy summits to the
skies. Firs, beeches, birches, oaks, rocks, all were of lead. At the
end of the forest stretched a vast meadow the grass of which was of
silver; and at the bottom of the meadow was a castle of gold, inlaid
with diamonds and rubies. The carriage stopped before the door, and
the King of the Mines offered his hand to his bride, saying, "My fair
one, all that you see is yours."

Marienka was d