King's palace, or
that he would send his servant for her, who was dressed in the black
robe, and wore the crown of stars. She often saw this servant now; he
came to bear many away; but the crown of stars was not on his brow, and
his face shed no light around, only gloom.

Well, Maggie was obliged to stop and bind up the Dove's wing, and tend
it a little before she could proceed on her journey. All delay was
unwelcome to her; for, as the journeying thus far had been in pain, the
true journey was still to begin. She was so hungry and thirsty, too! So
it seemed impossible she could proceed when once she had started
forward. There was no one to give her a crust of bread, or offer her a
cup of cold water; nevertheless, she wouldn't tell the poor Dove, who
was moaning with pain, for she thought, and well enough, that he had as
much of his own trouble as he could well endure.

She had another trouble, too; there were some people whom she could not
think desired to go away from the King's palace, and so she would tell
them how they were going altogether in the wrong path; but they would
either laugh or stare at her in wonder. Then she would almost have stood
weeping in the road at their strange conduct, but the Dove would
incessantly warn her to go on. At last, between grief and hunger, she
fell sick, and thought she should die there, without ever seeing her
mother or the Great King. But, lo! a gentle being, clothed in a white,
spotless garment, came and put to her lips a cup of medicine, which she
told Maggie, if she would but drink, would make her quite well again,
and protect her against hunger and thirst for the rest of the journey.
Upon this, Maggie drank it all but the dregs, and she found it so bitter
that she thought it far worse than any cold she had ever endured. But,
when the bright being saw she left the dregs in her cup, she was not
satisfied, and bade her drink those, even with tears in her eyes. Maggie
drank them as she bade her, and then the bright one vanished, leaving
the child quite well and vigorous. The weariness vanished from her
frame, the parching thirst from her mouth, and, what was yet more
amazing, she found the little Dove quite well, and she stood with it in
her arms before the two roads again.

So she commenced her journey upon the road she had so long ago rejected,
and soon found that the snow vanished from the ground and shook itself
from the tree-tops; the grass sprang up, the flowers played b