ir
princess before their eyes. They even sprang into the water and tried
to dive after her, but in vain; they only floated like corks in the
enchanted pool, and could not keep under water for a second.

They saw at last that there was nothing for it but to carry to the
king the sad tidings of his beloved daughter's disappearance. And what
great weeping and lamentation there was in the palace when the
dreadful news was told! The king tore his robes, dashed his golden
crown from his head, and hid his face in his purple mantle for grief
and anguish at the loss of the princess. After the first outburst of
wailing, however, he took heart and hurried off to see for himself the
scene of this strange adventure, thinking, as people will in sorrow,
that there might be some mistake after all. But when he reached the
spot, behold, all was changed again! The glittering grotto described
to him by the maidens had completely vanished, and so had the marble
bath, the bower of jasmine; instead, all was a tangle of flowers, as
it had been of old. The king was so much perplexed that he threatened
the princess's playfellows with all sorts of punishments if they would
not confess something about her disappearance; but as they only
repeated the same story he presently put down the whole affair to the
work of some sprite or goblin, and tried to console himself for his
loss by ordering a grand hunt; for kings cannot bear to be troubled
about anything long.

Meanwhile the princess was not at all unhappy in the palace of her
elfish lover.

When the water-nymphs, who were hiding in readiness, had caught her
and dragged her out of the sight of her terrified maidens, she herself
had not had time to be frightened. They swam with her quickly by
strange underground ways to a palace so splendid that her father's
seemed but a poor cottage in comparison with it, and when she
recovered from her astonishment she found herself seated upon a couch,
wrapped in a wonderful robe of satin fastened with a silken girdle,
while beside her knelt a young man who whispered the sweetest speeches
imaginable in her ear. The gnome, for he it was, told her all about
himself and his great underground kingdom, and presently led her
through the many rooms and halls of the palace, and showed her the
rare and wonderful things displayed in them till she was fairly
dazzled at the sight of so much splendour. On three sides of the
castle lay a lovely garden with masses of gay, s