he had ever seen. One was fair and dressed in cloudy
gauze which changed in colour from blue to green and mauve like
opalescent waters; the other was dark and wore a dress of rose colour
that changed into orange and red like leaping flames of fire. These were
the geniuses of water and fire. Walter did not know this at the time; at
least he only guessed it; he was too young to speculate as to the nature
of the strange sights he saw. He found himself suddenly in a Court suit
of white woollen material, beautifully embroidered and lined with
silver.

"Now you are a cloud with a silver lining," his fairy friends said to
him smiling. "You are sure to please the Old King."

Wonderful fairy creatures, nixies and gnomes and goblins arrived every
minute as guests for the castle. The hare came in quite breathless with
a basket which he delivered up to an attendant, saying: "Eggs for His
Majesty."

The fox from Fuchstanz seemed to feel himself very important; he
swaggered about, knocking people with his bushy tail. He stuck out a paw
condescendingly for Walter to shake as he went by, and stared at him
more inquisitively than ever.

An elderly woman who would have been very neat and tidy, save that her
hair was white with snowflakes (no, it could not be snow, it was little
feathers as soft as down) came in smiling with a pot of bilberry jam
under her arm. She had come from the Rossert Mountain, and the jam had
been cooked as was her custom on the Holle Stone, that mysterious stone
on the slopes of the Rossert, so neatly marked on the Taunus map, but so
impossible for the curious mortal to find.

Gradually all these strange guests began to form into a long procession,
and to march round the hall to the sound of fairy music.

One side of the wall was draped with a green curtain; this began to sway
and draw itself aside. A fresh, invigorating mountain air blew in their
faces; they marched on to a larger and loftier room. The ceiling was the
sky; the light was the light of thousands of stars, the same stars that
we know, but shining with greater brilliancy for the fairies on
Midsummer Eve. The floor was carpeted with the softest moss. Walter's
feet sank into it. They marched through green arches made by skilfully
interlaced trees. Pines and larches were arranged as pillars, and were
adorned by festoons of wild roses, forming garlands from one to the
other.

At the far end of the room stood two tall poplar trees, and between the