orns and resign himself to his fate. He felt as if he were
flying along. At length the stag paused before a steep rock and gently
let the tailor down to the ground.

Feeling more dead than alive, he paused for a while to collect his
scattered senses, but when he seemed somewhat restored the stag struck
such a blow on a door in the rock that it flew open. Flames of fire
rushed forth, and such clouds of steam followed that the stag had to
avert its eyes. The tailor could not think what to do or which way to
turn to get away from this awful wilderness, and to find his way back
amongst human beings once more.

As he stood hesitating, a voice from the rock cried to him: 'Step in
without fear, no harm shall befall you.'

He still lingered, but some mysterious power seemed to impel him, and
passing through the door he found himself in a spacious hall, whose
ceiling, walls, and floor were covered with polished tiles carved all
over with unknown figures. He gazed about, full of wonder, and was just
preparing to walk out again when the same voice bade him: 'Tread on the
stone in the middle of the hall, and good luck will attend you.'

By this time he had grown so courageous that he did not hesitate to obey
the order, and hardly had he stepped on the stone than it began to sink
gently with him into the depths below. On reaching firm ground he found
himself in a hall of much the same size as the upper one, but with much
more in it to wonder at and admire. Round the walls were several niches,
in each of which stood glass vessels filled with some bright-coloured
spirit or bluish smoke. On the floor stood two large crystal boxes
opposite each other, and these attracted his curiosity at once.

Stepping up to one of them, he saw within it what looked like a model
in miniature of a fine castle surrounded by farms, barns, stables, and a
number of other buildings. Everything was quite tiny, but so beautifully
and carefully finished that it might have been the work of an
accomplished artist. He would have continued gazing much longer at this
remarkable curiosity had not the voice desired him to turn round and
look at the crystal coffin which stood opposite.

What was his amazement at seeing a girl of surpassing loveliness lying
in it! She lay as though sleeping, and her long, fair hair seemed to
wrap her round like some costly mantle. Her eyes were closed, but the
bright colour in her face, and the movement of a ribbon, which rose and