wait upon
them; the love of dominion is their vice. But they were mistaken; John
had learned too much from his servant to be caught in that way.

John's chief delight was walking about alone with Elizabeth; for he
now knew every place so well that he could dispense with the
attendance of his servant. In these rambles he was always gay and
lively, but his companion was frequently sad and melancholy, thinking
of the land above, where men lived, and where the sun, moon, and stars
shine. Now it happened in one of their walks, that as they talked of
their love, and it was after midnight, they passed under the place
where the tops of the glass hills used to open and let the underground
people in and out. As they went along they heard of a sudden the
crowing of several cocks above. At this sound, which she had not heard
for twelve years, little Elizabeth felt her heart so affected that she
could contain herself no longer, but throwing her arms about John's
neck, she bathed his cheeks with her tears. At length she spake--

"Dearest John," said she, "everything down here is very beautiful, and
the little people are kind, and do nothing to injure me, but still I
have always been uneasy, nor ever felt any pleasure till I began to
love you; and yet that is not pure pleasure, for this is not a right
way of living, such as it should be for human beings. Every night I
dream of my dear father and mother, and of our church-yard, where the
people stand so piously at the church-door waiting for my father, and
I could weep tears of blood that I cannot go into the church with
them, and worship God as a human being should; for this is no
Christian life we lead down here, but a delusive half heathen one. And
only think, dear John, that we can never marry, as there is no priest
to join us. Do, then, plan some way for us to leave this place; for I
cannot tell you how I long to get once more to my father, and among
pious Christians."

John too had not been unaffected by the crowing of the cocks, and he
felt what he had never felt here before, a longing after the land
where the sun shines. He replied--

"Dear Elizabeth, all you say is true, and I now feel that it is a sin
for Christians to stay here; and it seems to me as if our Lord said to
us in that cry of the cocks, 'Come up, ye Christian children, out of
those abodes of illusion and magic; come to the light of the stars,
and act as children of light.' I now feel that it was a great sin