y's eye made him think of
the lying magpie. So he left her, and hastened on, and, behold! there
stood before him the village maypole, bedecked with roses and ribbons,
and a living garland of youths and fair maidens dancing round it.

They had a lovely little fairy-body in their midst, and were entreating
her to be their "May-Queen," but laughingly she broke away from them
all, and declared she had her duties elsewhere--other young folks in
another hamlet to render happy. She nodded in a friendly, familiar way
to Lionel, who waited, shyly looking on, and motioned to him with her
little wand to join the party round the May-pole.

Far from repulsing him with sneers and jests, or "stoning him to death,"
the young people were very kind to Lionel; and, taking his hand,
welcomed him into their chain of dancers.

And when the frolics were at an end, and each one satiated with
happiness and excitement, they brought him to their festal board, and
gave him to eat and drink.

Then the good old wives of the hamlet gathered round, and began to
question the stranger youth, inquiring his name and whence he came. When
they heard that he was called "Lionel," and his father "Martin," they
held up their hands with astonishment, and nodded their heads to one
another, and cried out, "Dame Ursula's son! Dame Ursula's babe, that was
christened Lionel, the day Lord Lackaday became king! Well to be sure!
And where is Dame Ursula now? And Martin the gardener? And where have
they hidden themselves all these long years?" cried the old wives of the
hamlet in a breath.

But Lionel wept bitterly, as he thought of his mother and father far
down in the bottom of the gold-mine; and at the same time he was
ashamed to tell the village people where they were.

"I must go," he cried, "and bring them here! I must be off to search for
them, away ... away ... at the back of the mountain."

Then the old wives insisted on his waiting and resting the night there;
for he had need of sleep, he was so tired after walking and bathing,
dancing and weeping. And they gave him a nice, spruce, dimity-curtained
bed to sleep in; and presented him with a beautiful suit of new garments
for the morrow; "for," they said, "they had been at his christening, and
it was easy to see that the good Dame Ursula, wherever she had been all
these years, had brought her boy up well."

Lionel was fatigued, and shut his eyes at once for the night; but, ere
slumber overtook him, he he