must e'en serve me for a twelvemonth.'

Then Thomas fell upon his knees and prayed to Mary mild that she
would have pity upon him.

But when he arose the Queen of Elfland bade him mount behind her,
and Thomas could do nought save obey her command.

Her steed flew forward, the Eildon hills opened, and horse and
riders were in the caverns of the earth.

Thomas felt darkness close around him. On they rode, on and yet
on; swift as the wind they rode. Water reached to his knee, above
and around him was darkness, and ever and anon the booming of the
waves.

For three days they rode. Then Thomas grew faint with hunger and
cried, 'Woe is me, I shall die for lack of food.'

As he cried, the darkness grew less thick, and they were riding
forward into light. Bright sunlight lay around them as they rode
toward a garden. It was a garden such as Thomas had never seen on
earth.

All manner of fruit was there, apples and pears, dates and
damsons, figs and currants, all ripe, ready to be plucked. In
this beautiful garden, too, there were birds, nightingales
building their nests, gay popinjays flitting hither and thither
among the trees, thrushes singing their sweetest songs.

But these Thomas neither saw nor heard. Thomas had eyes only for
the fruit, and he thrust forth his hand to pluck it, so hungry,
so faint was he.

'Let be the fruit, Thomas,' cried the lady, 'let be the fruit.
For dost thou pluck it, thy soul will go to an evil place, nor
shall it escape until the day of doom. Leave the fruit, Thomas,
and come lay thy head upon my knee, and I will show thee a sight
fairer than ever mortal hath seen. And Thomas, being fain to
rest, lay down as he was bid, and closed his eyes.

'Now open thine eyes, Thomas,' said the lady, 'and thou shalt see
three roads before thee. Narrow and straight is the first, and
hard is it to walk there, for thorns and briars grow thick, and
spread themselves across the pathway. Straight up over the
mountain-tops on into the city of God runs this straight and
narrow road. It is named the path of Goodness. And ever will the
thorns prick and the briars spread, for few there be who tread
far on this rough and prickly road.

'Look yet again, Thomas,' said the lady. And Thomas saw
stretching before him a long white road. It ran smooth and broad
across a grassy plain, and roses blossomed, and lilies bloomed by
the wayside. 'That,' said the lady, 'is named the path of Evil,
and many there be who s