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 PUBLISHED BY JOHN C. HIKER, 
 
 No 129 FULTON STREET. 
 
 1848. 
 
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 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1848, 
 
 BY J. C. RIKER, 
 In the Clerk's Office for the Southern District of New York. 
 
 Thomas B. Smith, Stereotyper, 
 216 William Street, N. Y. 
 
 Egbert, Hovey and King, Printers, 
 374 Featl Street. 
 
 TJ^T a i^ SjfcyS 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 much has been done in modern 
 times to convert little children into 
 precocious men and women, that a 
 work like the one now offered to 
 youthful readers, almost seems to 
 require an apology. I have always 
 thought that an attractive fairy tale, so 
 thoroughly pervaded by a fine moral 
 truth, that the youthful mind cannot but 
 imbibe its influence, is of far more effective 
 benefit than an overstrained moral tale, 
 whose improbable incidents, and exaggerated ideas of 
 excellence, tend to give false views of life and its duties. 
 
 3 
 
This opinion lias been confirmed by my acquaintance 
 with a child of exceedingly lovely and high-toned char- 
 acter, who always refused to read any thing that was 
 not strictly true or palpably false. Her first question, 
 when presented with a book, would be, "Is it true?" 
 If it was not, she would ask: "Is it a fairy tale?" 
 And if it was neither the one nor the other, all her 
 fondness for reading could not induce her to accept it. 
 The reason she assigned for this apparent inconsistency 
 was significant of the truthfulness which is still her 
 prevailing trait : " I don't like books that pretend to be 
 true; give me either histories or fairy tales." 
 
 The fine moral which runs through the legends of 
 Brittany, and the quaint simplicity of their details, 
 tempted me to array them in a garb which would render* 
 them presentable to American children. This I have 
 done by taking off the trappings of superstition, without 
 depriving them of then' original Breton costume, to 
 which they owe so much of their picturesqueness. It 
 
would have been impossible to translate them literally, 
 and they have therefore been re-written, after a thorough 
 investigation of the manners, customs, and traditions of 
 the primitive people to whom they belong. If this little 
 volume serves to associate my name in the hearts of my 
 young readers with the pleasant recollections of a happy 
 childhood, I shall feel myself amply repaid for my labor. 
 
 E. C. E. 
 
 5 
 
 < 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE WALDORF FAMILY, 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 JOHN redthroat; or, the golden herb, 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE THREE GIFTS, 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE QUEEN OF THE PEARL ISLANDS, 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE FARMER'S FRIEND, 
 
 PAQB 
 
 9 
 
 34 
 
 56 
 
 . 1Q 
 
 111 
 
 • 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 KERISJ OR, THE PRINCESS OF THE GOLDEN KEYS, . 13-i 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 PERONNEK THE IDIOT; OR, THE GOLDEN BASIN AND 
 
 THE DIAMOND LANCE, 148 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE KORILS OP FAIRY-COPSE ; OR, THE HUNCHBACK, 171 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE GOLD HUNTERS; OR, THE STONES OP PLOUHINIC, 199 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE PALACE IN THE SAND ; OR, THE TEMPTATION 
 
 OF PEREK, 215 
 
 CONCLUSION, 
 
 . 222 
 
GRANDFATHER'S LEGENDS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 WENT Y years ago, when Brook- 
 lyn was just emerging from its 
 villagehood, and had not yet be- 
 come the great city it now is, the 
 abode of Mr. Albert Waldorf was 
 one of the loveliest among its 
 many beautiful and rural residences. 
 Situated directly upon the Heights, 
 overlooking the superb bay of New 
 York, and commanding a wide view 
 in all directions, its position was one of 
 unrivalled beauty. The house was a pic- 
 turesque, cottage-like building, completely 
 embowered in trees, and tapestried over with vines 
 and climbing plants. Every column of the broad 
 
=*^rs^S=^ Sz r z^ ?= 
 
 piazza was twined with fragrant honeysuckles, and 
 every projecting angle served for the support or 
 shelter of some flowering shrub. During the sum- 
 mer it was like a bird's nest, buried in the midst 
 of foliage and blossoms, and in winter the ever- 
 greens that dotted the lawn, the conservatory filled 
 with rare exotics, and a large aviary swarming 
 with birds, seemed to despoil the gloomy season of 
 half its dreariness. 
 
 Mr. Waldorf, the owner of this tasteful and hap- 
 py home, was by birth a German, but he had left 
 his native country at so early an age, that the rec- 
 ollections of boyhood and the tie of filial love alone 
 remained to bind him to his ' Fatherland.' Amer- 
 ica had been the scene of his struggles and difficul- 
 ties in early manhood. The country of his adop- 
 tion had yielded him the success he had so well 
 deserved, and now, a competent fortune, an excel- 
 lent wife, and five rosy, healthy, happy children, 
 had filled the measure of his desires. Dividing his 
 time equally between his oounting-room and his 
 home, he found full employment for all his faculties 
 
in the complicated duties of life. Neither he nor 
 his wife could bring themselves to believe that a 
 parent's duties are fully performed, when children 
 are fed, clothed, and sent to school. They knew 
 how easily the seeds of error are sown in the 
 youthful heart, and how secretly they may spring 
 up into evil habits. They were wise enough to 
 know that children must be not only taught to hate 
 evil, but also to love good. They did not set up 
 in their household an image of Duty, cold, for- 
 bidding, and disagreeable, and then call upon their 
 children to bow down before it. They placed 
 before them a fairer and truer semblance of Virtue, 
 clad in the "beauty of holiness," and wearing 
 the gracious aspect of benevolence and affection. 
 They taught that goodness and happiness go hand 
 in hand in early life, even if the wickedness of the 
 world separates them in after days, and that the 
 happiest children are always those who, having a 
 clear perception of their duties, strive most ear- 
 nestly to perform them. 
 
 At the period of time when our story com- 
 
 u 
 
mences, Edith Waldorf, the eldest child, had just 
 counted her fifteenth birthday. Her character was 
 one of rare excellence. Quiet and gentle in her 
 manners, she yet possessed a degree of firmness 
 and self-control, which is seldom found combined 
 with so much sweetness of temper. She had won- 
 derfully clear views of right and wrong. From 
 her infancy she seemed to have had an innate idea 
 of truth, and never was known to deviate from the 
 strictest integrity of word or deed. Her skill in 
 music had long been the delight of her father, who 
 loved nothing better than the little family concerts 
 in which Edith and her mother would play duets 
 on the piano, while he accompanied them on the 
 violin, and Wilhelm, the eldest son, joined them 
 with the flute. 
 
 The boys differed widely in disposition, though 
 they were closely united in the bonds of affection. 
 Wilhelm was grave and quiet in his demeanor, 
 fond of books, and rather retiring in all his habits. 
 Frank was a lively, spirited boy, full of talent, and 
 possessed of great vividness of fancy ; while Philip 
 
 12 
 
= ^-—- 8^^ -- ,.\ _- 
 
 was yet too young to exhibit any great peculi- 
 arities, except a degree of tenderness and affection, 
 which made every one love him. But little Bertha, 
 the three-year-old darling of the family, was the 
 pet and plaything. She alone was privileged to 
 toss over Edith's daintily-kept drawers, and cabi- 
 nets of knick-knacks ; she might tear Wilhelm's 
 drawings, or break Frank's kites, or toss Phil's 
 balls into the fire, yet no one dreamed of being 
 angry with little Bertha. She was a creature of 
 rare beauty, with a loving nature and a most mis- 
 chievous spirit, which bade fair to make her the 
 only spoiled child in the house. 
 
 Mr. "Waldorf had long been desirous of persuad- 
 ing his old father and mother to end their days 
 under his roof, but it seemed so long and perilous 
 a journey for them that he hesitated to urge his 
 wishes. But when the death of their only re- 
 maining daughter had left the old people alone in 
 the home they had occupied for forty years, then 
 then thoughts began to turn towards their children 
 in America. Little persuasion was necessary to 
 
 13 
 
induce them to leave a country where they had 
 no longer any kindred, and the Waldorf family 
 were now in daily expectation of beholding, for the 
 first time, their aged relatives. 
 
 " I wonder if grandfather will learn to speak 
 English :" said "Wilhelm, as he sat pondering over 
 his German grammar. 
 
 " You forget that he always writes to me in 
 English," answered his mother. " He studied the 
 language when first your father married, in order 
 that he might correspond with his new daughter ; 
 and I assure you I valued such a testimony of his 
 kindliness far beyond his handsome wedding-gifts." 
 
 " I suppose he talks broken English, like old 
 Anthony the gardener," exclaimed Frank. " Wont 
 it be droll ?" 
 
 " If it should be the case, Frank, I hope your 
 love of fun will not overcome your respect for old 
 age." 
 
 " I hope- not, mother ; but if grandfather should 
 say { dish y and ' dat? and count ' dirty-one, dirty- 
 two,' like Anthony, I am sure I should laugh." 
 
 14 
 
 S^ ^s«=^£"5^ ^^^^^ ^ 
 
" I presume you will have but little opportunity 
 of extracting amusement from your grandfather's 
 blunders." 
 
 " Was there not some romantic story connected 
 with grandmother's early life ?" asked Edith. 
 
 " Yes," replied her mother ; " if you use the 
 word romantic in its best sense, and mean heroic 
 and self-devoted. She was exceedingly handsome, 
 and especially noted for the surpassing beauty of 
 her long, fair hair, which, when she stood upright, 
 flowed nearly to her feet. Her father was rich in 
 learning, but derived a very small income from his 
 employment as tutor in one of the universities. 
 Her mother's death left her, at a very early age, to 
 take charge of a household which was to be con- 
 ducted with very narrow means, and her father's 
 studious, abstracted habits threw all the responsi- 
 bility and care upon her. She managed admirably, 
 however, until her father was attacked by a serious 
 illness, brought on by severe application to his 
 studies. His disease finally fell into his eyes and 
 produced total blindness. Of course he could no 
 
 15 
 
longer earn the small stipend on which they had 
 relied for support, and they were threatened with 
 utter destitution. An accidental remark which 
 she heard respecting the skill of a celebrated oculist 
 in Vienna, led her to make some inquiry of the 
 physician who attended her father in his illness, 
 and he fcankly told her that her father's blindness 
 was not incurable. From that moment she deter- 
 mined to find the means of visiting Vienna. Th^ir 
 little furniture was too simple and of too rude a 
 kind to be of any service to her as a mode of rais- 
 ing money, but she had a few ornaments, the 
 remains of her mother's better days, and these she 
 immediately sold. The sum she obtained for them 
 was small, but she had never before been possessed 
 of half so much money. She now inquired the 
 cost of a journey to Vienna, and was frightened to 
 learn that it would far exceed her present means. 
 She again had recourse to the person who had 
 purchased her ornaments, and this time she sacri- 
 ficed her last remaining treasure, the Little gold 
 cross which had been taken from the neck of her 
 
 16 
 
dead mother, when she was laid in her coffin. The 
 tears she shed at parting with this relic excited the 
 curiosity of the purchaser, who was a sort of itin- 
 erant dealer in knick-knacks, and at length she told 
 him her purposes and her necessities. The man 
 was interested in the young girl's story, but did not 
 forget his own selfish gains. It is the custom for 
 certain small traders to travel into Hungary, 
 Poland, Brittany, and the surrounding countries, 
 in order to purchase human hair, a commodity 
 which certainly seems to us a most extraordinary 
 article of traffic. The peasant girls of these cold 
 and rugged lands generally possess superb heads 
 of hair, flaxen in color, luxuriant in quantity, and 
 silky in texture. Nothing is more common than 
 for a maiden to sell her fine tresses, in order to 
 procure a dowry for her marriage. The pedler 
 had just returned from a business tour through 
 Brittany, and was well qualified to estimate the 
 value of the poor girl's magnificent hair. He had 
 seen nothing equal to it in length and beauty, and 
 he proposed to purchase it at a fair and honest 
 
valuation, well knowing that he could reap a most 
 exorbitant profit from it in Paris. She was young, 
 and probably had as much girlish vanity as most 
 of her companions. At first she shrunk from such 
 despoilment of her beautiful tresses, but when she 
 found that the sum she might receive for them, 
 added to her little hoard, would be sufficient to pay 
 their expenses to Vienna, she no longer hesitated. 
 She unbraidcd her long silken locks, and sat quietly 
 while the cruel scissors severed them, one after 
 another. Tears stood in her eyes as she saw them 
 lying so lifelessly upon the table ; but repressing 
 her emotion, with a feeling of shame at her own 
 weakness, she tied on her bonnet, gathered up 
 the money, and went silently out." 
 
 " I should have thought the hair-dealer would 
 have felt sorry," said Edith. 
 
 " He probably expended his sympathy in giving 
 her a full price for his bargain. She felt that she 
 had lost a woman's chief personal ornament ; but 
 he looked upon it as a mere article of trade, which 
 was worth more in his hands than on her head." 
 
 18 
 
" What did her father say ?" 
 
 " He was blind, you know, and could know 
 nothing about her voluntary sacrifice, unless she 
 chose to tell him, but this, of course, she did not. 
 He was persuaded to accompany her to Vienna ; 
 and an operation was there performed on his eyes, 
 which was perfectly successful. He was restored 
 to sight, and his daughter no longer felt that she 
 had made too great a sacrifice. He was so ab- 
 stracted and unobserving a man, that he did not 
 notice the loss of her hair ; but the trader had told 
 the story to several persons, and it at last reached 
 the ears and excited the interest of some influential 
 persons, who were both able and ready to assist 
 merit in distress. An inquiry into their affairs led 
 to the establishment of the father in a lucrative 
 professorship, for which he was admirably qualified, 
 and poverty was thenceforth a stranger to their door." 
 
 " Then those beautiful tresses gave sight to the 
 blind, and wealth to the poor : they were more 
 worthy of honor than the far-famed hair of Bere- 
 nice," said Wilhelm. 
 
 19 
 
" They did more, Wilhelm ; for when your 
 grandfather, then a young and gifted, but poor 
 scholar, became the husband of this good daughter, 
 the remembrance of her self-devotion procured for 
 him an appointment from the Emperor, and thus 
 placed him in circumstances which developed his 
 talents and virtues." 
 
 " Hurrah !" cried Frank, leaping up ; " every 
 hair on her head was worth a diamond. But what 
 a funny idea to sell one's hair ! I did not know a 
 girl's han was good for any thing, except to dangle 
 about her face in curls, or to be bound round her 
 ears as sleek as a mole." 
 
 " It is a well-known fact that in the months of 
 April and May a troop of hair-cutters travel into 
 Brittany, for the purpose of purchasing the long 
 locks of the peasant girls ; and I am told that in 
 the other countries I have named the practice 
 also prevails. The manufacture of human hair 
 into wigs and other similar devices for concealing 
 the ravages of time or disease, is so extensive in 
 Paris, that six or seven thousand persons, at an 
 
expense of near a million of dollars, are annually 
 employed in it." 
 
 " Did grandmother ever recover her beautiful 
 hair?" asked Edith. 
 
 " Not entirely ; it grew again, but was darker 
 in color, less luxuriant in quantity, and not so long. 
 It must now be gray, I should think, for she is 
 nearly eighty years of age. I have not seen her 
 since the first year of my marriage, when I accom- 
 panied your father on a visit to Germany ; she 
 was then remarkably handsome and youthful in 
 appearance, but she has since wept over the loss of 
 three daughters, and sorrow is a greater ravager 
 than time." 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 FEW days after this conversa- 
 tion, the family were thrown into 
 great excitement by the arrival 
 of the ship in which their aged 
 relatives had embarked. The 
 children, full of curiosity and 
 lively interest, could scarcely 
 give any attention to their daily les- 
 sons, and, at length, Mrs. Waldorf, 
 knowing how much easier it is to 
 direct such restless energies than to re- 
 press them altogether, gave to each one 
 some trifling occupation connected with 
 their present anticipations. To Edith she dele- 
 gated the duty of placing fresh flowers in the 
 apartments ; Wilhelm made a selection of choice 
 books for the room which was hereafter to be 
 
grandfather's study ; Frank and Phil went to work 
 gathering the dead leaves from the geraniums, and 
 dusting the foliage of the camellias ; while little 
 Bertha ran about helping every -body in her own 
 way. 
 
 It was late in the day when Mr. Waldorf's 
 carriage drove up, and with a flushed face and 
 joyful heart, he handed out the father and mother 
 he had so longed to see. The meeting between 
 them and Mrs. Waldorf was a silent one, for all 
 were overpowered by their feelings ; and the warm 
 clasp of the band, and the tearful kiss, were all the 
 expressions of affection which their emotion then 
 allowed. Mrs. Waldorf hastened to lead the old 
 lady into her neat sleeping-chamber, where she 
 found all the comforts which her long sojourn on 
 shipboard had now rendered doubly agreeable. 
 But grandfather was not content to seek his repose 
 until he had made acquaintance with the chil- 
 dren. 
 
 " So this is Edith," exclaimed the old man, as 
 he drew her towards him ; " why, you have been 
 
 23 
 
growing up a tall and stately girl, while I have 
 been thinking of you as the little quiet child . your 
 mother used to describe you. And there is Wil- 
 helm, to whom it seems but yesterday that I sent 
 the puppet-show, which, I suppose, he would now 
 scorn to look at." 
 
 " Yes, but it's mine now," cried Phil, creeping 
 between grandfather's knees ; " it's mine now, only 
 little Bertha has broken Punch's sword, and cracked 
 Judy's nose." 
 
 ■ " Naughty brother Phil, to tell tales of little 
 Bertha," lisped the pet, as she put up her rosy lips 
 for the kiss which she had learned to expect from 
 every one. 
 
 " Where's Frank ?" 
 
 Frank was dragged out from his hiding-place, 
 behind grandfather's chair, where he sat with hi" 
 hands over his ears, to avoid hearing the broken 
 English, at which he was afraid he should laugh 
 as soon as the old gentleman opened his mouth. 
 Don't be afraid, master Frank ; grandfather has 
 been familiar with the English tongue for many 
 
years, and, bating a slight German accent, can 
 talk as well, and almost as fast, as yourself. 
 
 A happy family were the Waldorfs when they 
 gathered round the tea-table that night. Every 
 past grief was for the time forgotten, and the joy 
 of that long-anticipated meeting was not marred 
 by a single regret. A happy family were they 
 always, for they were a family of love, and the 
 harsh tones of discord were never heard among 
 them. 
 
 It required but a very few days to make the 
 children exceedingly attached to their newly-found 
 friends. The old lady retained in a remarkable 
 degree the beauty for which she had been noted in 
 early life. Her face was without a wrinkle, and 
 the delicate bloom on her cheek was as fresh as 
 that of a young girl. Her soft brown eyes were 
 full of gentleness, and the placid expression of her 
 mouth, which seemed ever ready to open with a 
 smile or a kindly word, made her one of the love- 
 liest of old ladies. She was very small of stature, 
 — " almost like a fairy," Frank said, — with small 
 
 25 
 
white hands, which were always covered with 
 black silk mitts reaching half way to the elbow, 
 and the dearest little feet, cased in slippers whose 
 sharp-pointed toes Frank vowed would put out the 
 eye of the first mosquito that should venture to 
 light upon them. She wore the simple garb of 
 the Moravians, and her plain bordered cap, which 
 seemed like a framework to her delicate features, 
 just allowed one to see the smooth folds of that yet 
 unsilvered hair, which had been to others such a 
 source of good. 
 
 Grandfather Waldorf was very unlike his wife 
 in personal appearance. His height exceeded six 
 feet, and his chest and shoulders were proportion- 
 ately broad, so that at first sight he seemed smaller 
 than he really was ; but when he stood near a 
 person of middle size, or especially if he was beside 
 his little wife, he looked almost gigantic. His hair 
 was as white as the silk of the Rocky Mountain 
 thistle, and hung in curls upon his neck. His eyes 
 were dark and piercing, overhung by shaggy brows 
 which retained their chestnut hue, and contrasted 
 
 20 
 
singularly with his white locks, while his features 
 had not yet lost the majestic outline that had once 
 made him a painter's model of a youthful hero. 
 He had been a traveller in many lands, and a stu- 
 dent of many sciences. The acquisition of knowl- 
 edge had been his passion, but the tendency of his 
 mind was decidedly imaginative, and hence all 
 things were moulded by him into a poetic form. 
 The society of his son's children seemed to call 
 forth all his early freshness of feeling. He loved 
 to forget his gray hairs, and be once more a child 
 with them. 
 
 One of the most charming traits in the German 
 character is their love of children, and the pains 
 they bestow upon their happiness. Instead of 
 looking upon them as cares, or at best as unformed 
 creatures, who must be disciplined into wisdom and 
 usefulness, they regard them as miniature men and 
 women, with the same kind of tastes, and desires, 
 and passions as actuate grown people. To gratify 
 those tastes, to direct those desires, to guide and 
 modify those passions, is the aim of the parent. 
 
 
Instead of growing old in anxiety, and anticipating 
 years of care, they endeavor to renew their youth- 
 fulness, for the sake of the young creatures by 
 whom they are surrounded. It is a rare thing, in 
 America, to find a family where the parents are 
 the chosen companions of their children, and where 
 the children in early life have learned to sympathize 
 fully with the parents ; but nothing is more com- 
 mon in Germany, and among the German-born 
 citizens of our country. 
 
 The Waldorf family had been accustomed to 
 this pleasant intercourse of domestic life, where 
 each child was the friend of the parents, and the 
 degree of confidence reposed in them was regulated 
 only by their advancing years and increasing dis- 
 cretion. They were not surprised, therefore, to find 
 their grandfather so full of genial feeling, at his 
 time of life ; but that which did excite their aston- 
 ishment was his wonderful memory, and the vast 
 number of legends and traditions which he seemed 
 to retain in what he called " the lumber-room " of 
 his brain. They had already learned many of the 
 
fairy tales of Germany from the lips of their 
 father; but he knew nothing compared to their 
 grandfather, whose inexhaustible treasure-house of 
 stories seemed always to contain something new. 
 Frequently at sunset he would seat himself in the 
 porch, with Edith on one side and Wilhelm on the 
 other, while Frank sat on the floor at his feet, Phil 
 crept to his post between his knees, and Bertha 
 nestled on his lap. Then, when the fragrant breath 
 of the summer air had tempted grandmother to 
 bring her knitting into the hall, and when the spirit 
 of social enjoyment had won Mr. and Mrs. "Waldorf 
 to join the happy throng, grandfather loved to sum- 
 mon up his recollections of the wild dreams which 
 had been the delight of his boyhood. 
 
 It happened one day that the conversation turned 
 upon the peculiarities of various parts of the world, 
 and the changes which the facilities of travel had 
 made in the habits of all countries. 
 
 " I know of but one country," said grandfather 
 Waldorf, " which yet retains its primitive customs 
 and manners, and that is Lower Brittany. You 
 
all know its position, opposite the southern coast 
 of England, on the north-western extremity of 
 France, and bounded on the south and west by the 
 restless waves of the Atlantic ocean, while the 
 provinces of Normandy and Anjou adjoin it on the 
 east. It is an exceedingly wild country, traversed 
 by a double chain of mountains, from whose sides 
 descend innumerable small streams, too insignifi- 
 cant to receive a distinctive name, which wind 
 through the country, and finally find their way 
 into the sea. A country bordered by the sea, and 
 intersected by mountains, must have very romantic 
 scenery ; and I think I never beheld so great a 
 variety of landscape within so limited a space. 
 Verdant hills, and barren mountains ; fields covered 
 with grain, and large plains where nothing but 
 grass will grow ; desert spots, so rugged and wild 
 that the bear, the wolf, and the vulture are the only 
 inhabitants ; Druidical remains ; ruins of feudal 
 eastles, and the crumbling walls of old churches 
 and monasteries ; rudely built crosses of stone, 
 called in the language of the country ' Calvaries,' 
 
surmounting so many eminences, that they seem 
 like the spires of churches in some populous city ; 
 — such are the varied objects which meet the 
 traveller's eye, in wandering through that strange 
 land. But they who confine their travels merely 
 to the few high roads which cross the country, see 
 few of these peculiarities. It is in the more remote 
 districts, the cantons of Leon, Cornouaille, Tre- 
 guir, and Vannes, where one is obliged to cross 
 mountain torrents on stepping-stones for want of 
 bridges, and to traverse causeways made over 
 broad morasses ; where the by-roads are little more 
 than the dry channels of exhausted rivulets, that 
 Brittany exhibits its wildest and noblest features." 
 
 " Are the people as peculiar as their country ?" 
 asked Mrs. Waldorf. 
 
 " Quite as much so ; their manners are exceed- 
 ingly simple and primitive. They are a grave, 
 earnest, religious people, who wear the wooden 
 shoes, the loose doublet, and enormous trunk-hose 
 that were worn by then great-grandfathers, and 
 remind one constantly of the Dutch boors in Te- 
 
 31 
 
niers' pictures. Of course their legends and tradi- 
 tions partake of the character of the country and 
 the people. In a land of perpetual sunshine, diver- 
 sified only by smiling plains and luxuriant vine- 
 yards, the traditional tales will probably assume 
 a joyous character ; but in a country which is 
 washed by the tossing waves of ocean, overhung 
 by sea-fogs or mountain mists, and bordered by 
 dreary stretches of sand, the imagination of the 
 people will take a darker coloring. The fairy 
 legends of the Bretons are fantastic, grotesque, 
 and often gloomy, but they are very striking. I 
 spent a year in Brittany, and one of my most 
 intimate friends was a native of Leon ; I was 
 therefore enabled to gratify my taste for fairy lore 
 in an entirely new field ; and I found, that while 
 there were many points of resemblance between 
 their traditions and those of other European coun- 
 tries, yet there were also curious points of dif- 
 ference." 
 
 " Oh, tell us a Breton fairy tale, grandfather," 
 exclaimed the children. 
 
 32 
 
" The legends of fairy-land are so strangely 
 blended with the remnants of Druidical supersti- 
 tion, and so leavened with the strong and reverent 
 spirit of religion which prevails among the Bretons, 
 that it will be difficult for me to separate the pure 
 fairy tale from its accessories. But I will make 
 the attempt." 
 
 The good old man pushed up his spectacles till 
 they rested on his broad forehead, and, after a 
 moment's pause to collect his ideas, began the 
 promised story. 
 
 33 
 
t@^w 
 
 THE GOLDEN HERB, 
 
 ANY years ago, when the oaks 
 which built the oldest ships in 
 the world were yet only little 
 acorns, there lived, in a certain 
 province in Brittany, a poor 
 widow, named Nina. She be- 
 longed to a noble family, and was 
 heiress to a handsome fortune, for her 
 father, at his death, left a fine man- 
 sion-house, a large farm, a mill, and 
 y ® a lime-kiln, together with twelve horses, 
 > and twice as many oxen, twelve cows, 
 and ten times as many sheep ; while the quantity 
 of flax and grain in his barns, was beyond all 
 
calculation. But the brothers of Nina, seeing her a 
 lone widow, refused to give her a share of the estate. 
 Perrik, the eldest brother, claimed the mansion- 
 house, the -farm, and the horses ; Fanchon, the 
 second, took the mill and the cows ; while Riwal, 
 the youngest, received the lime-kiln, the oxen, and 
 the sheep : so that nothing remained for Nina but 
 an old hovel, without any door, which had been 
 built out on a waste field, for the shelter of sick 
 cattle. 
 
 As she was sorrowfully going away to her mis- 
 erable abode, Fanchon took compassion upon her, 
 and said: 
 
 " I wish to act towards you like a brother and 
 a Christian ; I have an old black cow, which has 
 never been good for any thing, and does not give 
 milk enough to feed a new-born baby ; I will there- 
 fore make her a present to you ; you can pasture 
 her in the waste field, and little Snowdrop can 
 take care of her." 
 
 This was the name of the widow's child, a little 
 pale girl of twelve years old, who, from her white 
 
 35 
 
skin and flaxen hair, had received the name of 
 Snowdrop. 
 
 The poor widow thanked her brother, and tying 
 a string to the horns of poor old Black, led her 
 away. The next morning she sent Snowdrop out 
 into the waste field with the cow. The little girl 
 sat all day on a stone, watching the cow, for fear 
 the wolves might come. She had no other amuse- 
 ment than that of seeing poor Black cropping her 
 scanty allowance of grass from between the stones, 
 until she bethought herself of making garlands 
 and crosses out of the rushes that grew around, and 
 twisting them with heath-blossoms, or hawthorn, 
 while she repeated all the prayers and hymns she 
 could remember. — This, by the way, is a favorite 
 amusement with the children of Brittany, while 
 watching the flocks. Sometimes the wayside will 
 be bordered, for a long distance, with these little 
 flowery crosses planted in the earth by the young 
 shepherds. 
 
 One day, while Snowdrop was singing a hymn 
 she had heard in church, a bird settled himself 
 
 36 
 
 r^..h - -^ acu^ 
 

on one of the branches she had just put in the 
 ground, and began to sing at the very top of his 
 voice, at the same time wagging his tail, shaking 
 his wings, and peering up into her face with a 
 mighty significant expression in his bright, black 
 eyes. The little girl was very much surprised, 
 and finding him so tame, she bent down her head 
 to listen to what he seemed saying. But she 
 could not understand a word. He sang louder and 
 louder, flew round and round as if he was in a per- 
 fect fury of impatience, and was evidently talking 
 in the most eloquent manner ; but, unfortunately, 
 Snowdrop could not comprehend a single syllable. 
 She was so much amused, however, by his song 
 and his droll antics, that she did not notice the 
 lapse of time. At last, the bird took to his wings, 
 and as she raised her head to look after him, she 
 was astonished to see the stars in the sky. All at 
 once she remembered old Black, and ran to seek 
 her, to drive her home. But the old cow was no 
 longer to be seen. She called her as loud as pos- 
 sible ; she beat the bushes with her stick, she went 
 
down into all the hollows, hut no cow was there. 
 Just as she was ready to cry with fear, she heard 
 her mother's voice, calling to her in a tone of great 
 distress. She followed the direction of the sound, 
 and at the edge of the field, in the little foot- 
 path which led to the cottage, she saw the widow 
 standing beside the remains of old Black, whom 
 the wolves had so completely devoured that nothing 
 was left of her but her bones and horns. 
 
 At this sight, Snowdrop's blood ran cold. She 
 threw herself on her knees and wept bitterly, for 
 she had taken care of the poor cow so long that 
 she had become quite attached to her. Nina, see- 
 ing her daughter's extravagant grief, endeavored to 
 console her, and said : 
 
 " You should not weep for old Black as if she 
 was a human being like ourselves. If the wolves 
 of the forest are in league with your wicked uncles 
 against us, there is yet a good Providence to help 
 the widow and the fatherless. Let us collect a 
 bundle of faggots and go home ; if we have no milk 
 to-night, we can drink water with our black bread." 
 
 38 
 
Snowdrop obeyed her mother, but at every step 
 she could not help crying, and saying to herself, 
 " Poor old Black ! she was so good-natured, and so 
 easy to lead ; she eat so much, and she began to 
 grow so fat : — Poor old Black !" 
 
 She had no heart to eat any supper, and she 
 awoke twenty times in the night, thinking she 
 heard the cow lowing at the door. The next 
 morning, before daybreak, she jumped out of bed, 
 amd without waiting to put on her petticoat or her 
 shoes, she ran out to the field where she had seen 
 the bird. As she reached the edge of the heath, 
 she saw the little bird perched on the same flower- 
 ing branch, and singing louder than ever. He was 
 evidently calling her, for he fidgeted about when 
 he saw her, and seemed trying very hard to say 
 something. But Snowdrop was no wiser than she 
 had been the night before. She could not under- 
 stand a word, and she was turning away, quite 
 disheartened, when she saw something glittering 
 among the grass. She fancied it was a piece of gold, 
 and putting out her foot, she tried to turn it over. 
 
e£?fcE£= 
 
 Now you must know that there is a plant of 
 wonderful virtue, known by the name of the 
 " Golden Herb." It is generally invisible ; but if 
 a person who has committed no sin, will go to the 
 fields at daybreak, clad in a single garment and 
 barefooted, they may discover it, and should it be 
 accidentally trodden on, it will instantly convey to 
 the fortunate discoverer the power of understand- 
 ing the language of animals. It was this Golden 
 Herb which Snowdrop had seen shining in the 
 grass ; and the instant her naked foot touched it, 
 she understood every word the little bird was say- 
 Lig to her. The first thing she heard was : 
 
 " Snowdrop, sweet Snowdrop, I'm waiting for thee ; 
 Snowdrop, sweet Snowdrop, come, listen to me." 
 
 " Who are you ?" asked the little girl. 
 
 " I'm little John Redthroat, who pulled out a thorn 
 From the foot of the pilgrim so old and forlorn : 
 The holy man Messed me, and gave me the power 
 Every year to bestow on some maiden her dower. 
 Now Snowdrop, sweet Snowdrop, come, listen to me, 
 For this year, sweet Snowdrop, my choice falls on thee." 
 
!,_ 
 
 " Are you, indeed, that dear good John Red- 
 throat, who pulled the thorn out of the old pil- 
 grim's foot, and who covered the poor little dead 
 babes with leaves in the woods ? Will you really 
 make me rich ? and may I have a silver chain on 
 my neck, and wear shoes every day ?" asked 
 Snowdrop. 
 
 " Your chain shall be gold, set with pearls white as milk, 
 And your shoes shall be always of velvet or silk," 
 
 sung the polite little bird. 
 
 " What must I do to deserve all this, sweet- 
 heart ?" said the child. 
 
 " Snowdrop, sweet Snowdrop, now, follow my track ; 
 Before the sun rises we both must come back." 
 
 Snowdrop said she would like nothing better 
 than to follow the dear bird forever ; but she 
 wanted to go home first to put on some clothes, 
 as she could nrt help thinking one garment was 
 scarcely enough for a long journey. But the bird 
 would not wait a moment, and set off on so rapid 
 
terribly frightened, for she had not expected to be 
 swung about at the end of the cow's tail, with the 
 whole country lying a thousand feet below her. 
 But she twisted her hands tightly in the tuft 
 of silky hair, and before she had time to grow 
 dizzy, she found herself seated on the door-step 
 of her mother's cottage, with her milk -pail beside 
 her. 
 
 The sun was rising when she arrived home, 
 and her mother, who had that moment missed her, 
 was just coming out of the door to look for her. 
 Of course, the poor widow was very happy to find 
 herself in possession of so fine a cow ; but her joy 
 was increased tenfold when Snowdrop began to 
 milk the beautiful animal, for the milk flowed 
 through her fingers like water from a spring. 
 Nina filled all the earthen bowls, and pitchers, and 
 pans she could find ; then she mustered all the 
 wooden pails and churns in the neighborhood, but 
 still the milk continued to flow, until they began 
 to be afraid that the cow would occasion an inun- 
 dation of all the low grounds in Brittany. I really 
 
believe the cow could have furnished milk enough 
 for all the babes and pigs in the world. 
 
 The whole district was soon in commotion about 
 the widow's cow. People came from far and near 
 to see it. The clergyman of the place came to 
 ascertain whether it was not an evil spirit ; but 
 when he saw the white star on its forehead, he 
 was quite satisfied. The richest farmers offered 
 to purchase it, and each tried to outbid the other 
 in price. But Nina had no idea of parting with 
 so valuable an animal, unless she received some 
 very tempting offer. At last, her brother Perrik 
 came to learn the truth respecting the good luck 
 that had befallen his sister. As soon as he saw 
 with his own eyes the wonderful powers of the 
 magic cow, he said : 
 
 " If you have any Christian feeling, you will 
 give your brother the preference over all other 
 purchasers. Let me have your Sea-Cow, and I 
 will give you in exchange as many common cows 
 as it takes tailors to make a man." 
 
 " The Sea-Cow is worth more than nine common 
 
 45 
 
cows," answered Nina. " She is of more value 
 than all the cows in the parish." 
 
 " "Well, sister, since you set so high a price 
 upon her, I will offer you the mansion-house where 
 you were born, with the farm and all the horses." 
 
 Nina did not hesitate long in accepting this offer. 
 So Perrik conducted her to the farm, and, after 
 she had taken a bit of earth from the field, drank 
 a mouthful of water from the well, made a fire in 
 the chimney corner, and cut a tuft of hair from 
 the tails of all the horses, to prove that she had 
 become mistress of all these things, she gave the 
 cow to Perrik, who led her away. 
 
 Poor little Snowdrop was very sorry to lose her 
 new favorite. She thought of her soft skin and 
 tender eyes, until she almost cried to think she 
 should never see the poor cow again. At evening, 
 she went into the barn to replenish the mangers 
 for the cattle ; and as she was busied, she fancied 
 she heard the cow's voice. She listened, and as 
 the Golden Herb had given her knowledge of the 
 language of animals, she heard the words — 
 
 46 
 
" I am here, little mistress ; open the door, and 
 let me in." 
 
 Snowdrop ran to the barn-door, and as she threw 
 it open, in walked the beautiful Sea-Cow. 
 
 " How came you here, my darling?" said she. 
 
 " I could not remain with your uncle Perrik," 
 lowed the cow, in a solemn voice. " My nature is 
 so pure that I cannot live under the same roof 
 with wicked people, and I have therefore come 
 back to you." 
 
 " Then my mother must give back the mansion- 
 house, and the farm, and the horses," said Snow- 
 drop, sadly. 
 
 " That does not follow," grumbled the Sea-Cow. 
 " They were taken from her unjustly, and she 
 must now keep them." 
 
 " But uncle Perrik will come here and find 
 you." 
 
 " Go and pluck three leaves of vervain." 
 
 Snowdrop was not gone a minute ; and when 
 she came back, the cow said : 
 
 " Hold the leaves by their stems and pass them 
 
three times over my back, from the point of my 
 horns to the tuft on my tail, saying all the time, 
 
 Cow of the Sea 
 Begone from me ; 
 Thy task is done, 
 And thy race is run." 
 
 Snowdrop did all she was told ; and as she 
 reached the tuft on the cow's tail for the third 
 time, the animal was suddenly changed into a 
 superb horse. 
 
 " Now," neighed the creature, tossing its head 
 and pricking up its ears, " your uncle Perrik will 
 have some trouble to claim me. I am now the 
 Sea-Horse." 
 
 The widow was of course very much surprised 
 and delighted. The first thing she did, the next 
 morning, was to try the strength of her new horse, 
 by loading him with sacks of grain for the market. 
 But never had such a wonderful creature been 
 seen in Brittany. The more sacks of corn they 
 heaped upon him, the longer his back grew ; until 
 
 43 
 
it seemed as if he might carry all the bags in the 
 country. Indeed, had they continued to load him, 
 he would have continued to stretch, until his nose 
 would have been poking into the market-town 
 before his tail had whisked out of the farm-yard. 
 Of course, here was another wonder. People 
 flocked to see it from all quarters ; and Fanchon, 
 determined to outbid all others, offered his sister 
 the mill, with all the cows and fatted pigs, in 
 exchange for the horse. The bargain was made, 
 and Nina took possession of her new estate in the 
 same manner as she had done of the farm. But 
 in the evening Snowdrop found the horse at the 
 barn-door again. So she took' the three leaves of 
 vervain, and rubbing them slowly down the horse's 
 back, from the tips of his ears to the end of bis 
 tail, she said : 
 
 " Horse of the Sea 
 Begone from me ; 
 Thy task is done, 
 And thy race is run." 
 
In the twinkling of an eye, the horse was gone ; 
 and in his place was an enormous sheep, with a 
 fleece as long as hemp, as red as scarlet, and as 
 fine as combed flax. He was now the Sea-Ram. 
 
 They were all rejoiced at this new miracle, and 
 Nina said, " G-o, my daughter, and bring hither 
 the shears. The poor animal can scarcely carry 
 his heavy fleece." 
 
 But the more they sheared the Sea-Ram, the 
 faster his fleece grew, until the locks of wool lay 
 like a mountain in the farm-yard, and there was 
 no barn large enough to hold it. Riwal, Nina's 
 youngest brother, happened to be passing by, and 
 beheld the whole affair. He instantly offered his 
 kiln, his oxen, and his sheep in exchange for the 
 Sea-Ram. Nina consented ; and he went off, 
 delighted with his good fortune. But as he was 
 driving his new purchase home, he had occasion 
 to pass near the sea-shore, opposite the " Seven 
 Islands." As soon as he came in sight of them, 
 the Sea-Ram sprang away, jumped into the sea, 
 and swam off to the islands. While Riwal was 
 
 50 
 
rj^^r^^V.-~F-r>rr 
 
 5fe3£ 
 
 looking on, amazed at this sudden escape, the 
 rocks opened to let the Sea-Ram enter, and then 
 closing behind, effectually prevented any search 
 for him. 
 
 Snowdrop expected he would return ; but she 
 looked for him in vain. She became quite mel- 
 ancholy at his loss ; and, at length, she bethought 
 her of going to the common, to consult John Red- 
 throat. He had evidently expected her, for he was 
 sitting on his old perch, and singing : 
 
 " Snowdrop, sweet Snowdrop, I'm waiting for thee ; 
 Thou hast seen for the last time the Cow of the Sea. 
 Thy wicked old uncles will die in a ditch ; 
 Thy mother is happy, and Snowdrop is rich ; 
 Her shoes are of velvet, her chain pearl and gold ; 
 John Redthroat has done all he promised of old." 
 
 With these words, the bird flew off, and Snow- 
 drop never saw him again. She built a little 
 chapel on the spot where she had first met him ; 
 and though she was now a rich heiress, and rode 
 to church on a velvet saddle embroidered in silver, 
 
 51 
 
^s-J ! ^5 g -^Tgg^j-^=jJ > >gai^eCTCE? = 
 
 f 
 
 with silken shoes on her feet, and a gold chain 
 about her neck, she never forgot that she had 
 once been poor, nor did she lose any of her virtues 
 in the days of prosperity. 
 
 ■S^. J ^C^-y "W^gS^ 
 
s gs r ^as&J ' .i..^ - gg gggw^g 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 ILL you tell us another fairy 
 tale, dear grandfather ? Please 
 tell us another Breton story," 
 exclaimed several voices, when, 
 on the following evening, the 
 Waldorf family Were again seat- 
 ed in the porch, enjoying the cool 
 sea-breeze, and looking out upon the 
 beautiful sunset. 
 
 " I thought you would be quite 
 disappointed with so homely a fairy tale," 
 replied the old gentleman, smiling. 
 '" There were no crystal palaces, no golden 
 chariots, no beautiful fairy queens in robes of 
 green satin, with crowns of pearly dew-drops on 
 their flowing tresses. The Breton fairies are all 
 
 53 
 
' I 
 
 little workies ; they plough, and reap, and spin, 
 and knit, like the people among whom they 
 dwell." 
 
 " Oh, but it seems so very droll to hear of fairy 
 cows that might cause a new deluge, fairy horses 
 with backs ten miles long, and fairy sheep with a 
 mountain of wool on their sides," exclaimed Frank. 
 " For my part," continued he, jjf I am tired of 
 hearing about little dainty creatures floating about 
 on sunbeams ; I like the substantial fairies of Brit- 
 tany. Please tell us another story, grandfather, 
 and let it be something about boys' and men's 
 work this time; your first story was all girl- 
 talk." 
 
 Every one laughed at Frank's sally in behalf 
 of his own boy -tastes, and grandfather was half 
 tempted to begin a discussion with him, for the 
 sake of hearing his good and sufficient reasons for 
 thinking "men's work" so much more interesting 
 than women's trials. But the children, like most 
 young people, were more anxious for the story 
 than for the philosophy. So the land old man, 
 
 54 
 
fl! IB IB IB MM 
 
 ;NCE upon a time, there lived, in 
 the province of Leon, in Lower 
 Brittany, a widow, who had two 
 sons, each as beautiful as the 
 sunshine, and as rich as they 
 could desire. Though Mylio, 
 the eldest, was but sixteen years 
 old, and his brother, Tonyk, was two 
 years younger, they had studied so 
 hard, that there was scarcely any 
 thing more for them to learn at home ; 
 and their mother therefore resolved to 
 send them to their uncle, who lived in a 
 distant province, in order that they might see the 
 world, as well as secure a portion of their uncle's 
 inheritance before he died. Accordingly, one day 
 she furnished each of them with a new hat, a pair 
 
 56 
 
of shoes with silver buckles, a purple cloth cloak, a 
 purse full of money, and a horse ; and then giving 
 them her blessing, sent them off to seek their 
 uncle. 
 
 The brothers were so wonderfully alike in per- 
 son, that it was difficult to distinguish one from 
 the other by sight ; but they differed greatly from 
 each other in character. Tonyk was pious and 
 charitable ; always ready to help the poor, and as 
 forgiving as he was affectionate. He could no 
 more keep money in his hand, than he could anger 
 in his heart. Mylio, on the contrary, never gave 
 anybody more than their just due, and, indeed, 
 seldom did that without grumbling and chaffering. 
 If any one offended him, he was sure to be re- 
 venged if he could, and he was as selfish as he 
 was miserly and vindictive. But these differences 
 had not yet shown themselves so strongly as to put 
 the brothers at variance ; and they "set out upon 
 their journey in fine spirits, delighted, as young 
 folks always are, at the thought of seeing strange 
 countries. 
 
 57 
 
T xe horses their mother had given them were so 
 swift, that in a very few days they found them- 
 selves entering upon a region which produced trees 
 quite unknown to them, and grain such as they 
 had never before seen. As they turned into a by- 
 road, they saw an old woman sitting under one of 
 those rude crosses which are so frequent in Brit- 
 tany. She sat with her apron over her face, rock- 
 ing herself backwards and forwards, and sobbing 
 as if her heart would break. Tonyk stopped his 
 horse to inquire into the cause of her distress, and 
 when she told him she had just buried her only 
 son, who had been the support of her old age, the 
 tears stood in Tonyk's eyes. But Mylio, who was 
 waiting a few paces off, cried out, in derision : 
 
 " Don't be fool enough to listen to the first 
 whiner you meet ; the old woman only wants to 
 cry purses out of the pockets of travellers." 
 
 " Hush, brother," answered Tonyk ; " your 
 cruel words make her weep more bitterly. Don't 
 you see she is old and gray, like our dear mother ?" 
 Then leaning over his horse's neck, and holding 
 
 58 
 
out his purse, he continued : " Take this, my good 
 woman ; I can do nothing except to relieve your 
 wants. God only can console you in your afflic- 
 tion." 
 
 The woman took the purse, with a thousand 
 thanks, and as she pressed her withered lips to the 
 young man's hand, she said : 
 
 " My good youth, since you have enriched me 
 now for life, you will not certainly refuse to receive 
 a gift from me in return. Within this walnut is 
 a wasp with a diamond sting. Take it, and keep 
 it against the time of need." 
 
 Tonyk took the nut, and thanking the old wo- 
 man, as a gentleman should, went on his way. 
 
 The travellers soon arrived on the borders of a 
 forest, where they saw a half-naked child, digging 
 into the hollow trees, and moaning a melancholy 
 song, that sounded more sad than a funeral hymn. 
 Sometimes he would pause in his work, and rub 
 his poor little frozen hands together, while the loud 
 chattering of his teeth almost prevented them from 
 hearing the mournful words he was chantin 
 
" The cow has her stall, and the sheep has his fold, 
 But for me there's no shelter. I'm cold, oh ! I'm cold." 
 
 Tonyk was ready to cry at the sight of so much 
 suffering at so tender an age, and he said to his 
 brother : 
 
 " Oh, Mylio, is it not terrible to see how that 
 poor child is suffering from this driving wind !" 
 
 " He must be very tender, then," answered 
 Mylio : "for my part, I don't find it so very 
 cold." 
 
 " Because you are protected by a good frieze 
 jacket, and over that a cloth coat, and over that 
 again your purple cloak ; but the boy is almost 
 naked." 
 
 " Oh, he is used to it : he is only a poor peasant." 
 
 " I can't bear to see him shiver," said Tonyk. 
 So, calling the little fellow to him, he asked what 
 he was doing in the woods. 
 
 " I am seeking for the beautiful dragon-flies, 
 which sleep in the hollow trees," answered the 
 boy. 
 

 
 
 ** -^, I 
 
" And what do you mean to do with them, 
 when you get them ?" asked Tonyk. 
 
 " When I get enough, I will sell them in the 
 village, and buy a coat to keep me warm when 
 the sun does not shine." 
 
 " How many have you already found ?" 
 
 " Only one ;" said the child, holding up, as he 
 spoke, a little wicker-cage, in which was impris- 
 oned a beautiful insect with wings of blue and 
 gold. 
 
 " Very well ; I will buy that one," said Tonyk, 
 throwing his fine purple cloak round the trembling 
 boy. " Wrap your frozen limbs in this warm 
 cloth ; and when you say your prayers to-night, 
 thank Heaven for having sent us to your aid." 
 
 The brothers continued their journey ; and 
 though Tonyk at first felt the want of his cloak, 
 as he rode in the face of a biting north-easter, yet 
 scarcely had they emerged from the forest, when 
 the wind fell, the mist cleared away, and the sun 
 began to break through the heavy clouds. They 
 soon arrived at a more open country ; and as they 
 
 
entered a green valley, through which murmured a 
 pleasant stream, they saw, by the water's edge, an 
 old man, clad in miserable tatters, and bearing on 
 his shoulder a beggar's wallet. As soon as he saw 
 the travellers, he began to implore their assistance. 
 
 " What can we do for you, father ?" asked 
 Tonyk, taking off his hat as he spoke, out of re- 
 spect to the old man's years. 
 
 " Alas ! my dear little gentleman," said the 
 beggar, " you see my gray hairs and wrinkled 
 cheeks ; I am so old that my legs will no longer 
 carry me, and I must die in this place, unless one 
 of you will sell me your horse." 
 
 " Sell our horses to an old bone-picker, like 
 you ?" exclaimed Mylio. " I would like to see 
 what you can offer for them." 
 
 " Do you see this hollow acorn ?" answered the 
 old man. " It contains a spider, which spins a 
 web stronger than steel. Let me take one of 
 your horses, and I will give you in exchange the 
 spider and the acorn." 
 
 Mylio burst into a loud laugh. " Do you hear 
 
 62 
 
that, Tonyk ?" said he ; " did you ever know such 
 a fool ? I will wager my silver buckles, that you 
 might find a pair of asses' heels in that old fellow's 
 wooden shoes, if you were to pull them off." 
 
 " The poor man can offer no more than he has," 
 replied Tonyk, softly. Then alighting from his 
 horse, and advancing towards the . old beggar, he 
 said : 
 
 " I will give you my horse, my good man, not 
 for the price you offer, but for charity's sake. 
 Look upon him as your own, and thank Heaven, 
 who has sent us to your assistance." 
 
 The old man muttered a thousand benedictions, 
 and mounting the horse with the youth's assist- 
 ance, galloped off into the woods. Mylio, who 
 had been more and more incensed at each of 
 Tonyk's gifts, now no longer attempted to contol 
 his indignation. 
 
 " Idiot !" he exclaimed, " you* have reduced 
 yourself to a pretty condition by your folly. I 
 dare say, you fancied that after you had stripped 
 yourself of every tiling, I would share with you 
 
 63 
 
my gold, and my cloak, and my horse ; but you 
 will find yourself mistaken. I hope the lesson 
 will do you good, and teach you more economy in 
 future." 
 
 " I am willing to learn from all good lessons, 
 brother," said Tonyk, mildly. " I have no idea 
 of sharing your goods ; so go your way, and be 
 not disturbed about me : I will follow you." 
 
 Mylio made no reply ; but urging his horse 
 into a trot, was soon far in advance of Tonyk, 
 who followed him at a distance. 
 
 Not a great way from thence was a narrow 
 passage, between two high mountains whose heads 
 were hidden in the clouds. This path was called 
 the Pass of Peril, because of a terrible ogre, who 
 dwelt on the top of the highest mountain, and lay 
 in wait there for travellers, just as a sportsman 
 would watch for game. He was a monstrous 
 giant, without, any legs, and stone-blind ; but his 
 ears were so fine, that he could hear the worms 
 creeping in the earth. He was attended by two 
 eagles whom he had tamed, and he always sent 
 
them out after the prey whose approach he heard. 
 Therefore the people of the country were accus- 
 tomed to traverse this pass with their shoes in 
 their hands, scarcely daring to breathe, for fear 
 of being seized by the terrible ogre. Mylio, how- 
 ever, who knew nothing of all this, trotted briskly 
 into the narrow pass. But the tramp of his horse's 
 feet woke the giant out of his afternoon's nap, 
 and he called out, " Holloa ! where are my grey- 
 hounds ? Up, sluggards, and bring in that noisy 
 fellow for my supper." The white and the red 
 eagles instantly flew off, like two bullets out of a 
 rifle. They plunged into the ravine, seized Mylio 
 by his purple cloak, and carried him into the 
 giant's house. 
 
 Tonyk arrived at the entrance of the Pass of 
 Peril, at the moment when the eagles had seized 
 their prey. He saw his brother struggling in their 
 talons, and uttering a loud cry, he rushed forward 
 to his rescue. But long ere he could reach them, 
 they were hidden among the clouds and darkness 
 of that lofty mountain-top. 
 
 65 
 
" I would move heaven and earth to save my 
 brother," exclaimed the affectionate Tonyk, throw- 
 ing himself upon the ground in despair. 
 
 " That would be making a great commotion for 
 a very small matter," said a tiny little voice, ap- 
 parently close beside him. 
 
 " Who speaks ? where are you ?" exclaimed the 
 startled youth. 
 
 " We are in your coat-pocket," answered the 
 voice. 
 
 Tonyk thrust his hand in his pocket, and drew 
 out the walnut, the acorn, and the wicker-cage, 
 in which were inclosed the three insects. 
 
 " Who will rescue Mylio ?" asked Tonyk. 
 
 " We ! — We ! — We !" answered three droning 
 voices, in as many different tones. 
 
 " What can you do, my poor little nobodies . ? " 
 said the youth, sadly. 
 
 " Open our prisons, and you shall see." 
 
 Tonyk did as he was desired ; and no sooner had 
 he opened the acorn, than there issued from it a 
 iet-black spider, whose body was studded with 
 
 66 
 
^gggteefr ,.*^ — ^s^s-ai^^-J 
 
 rubies, and who instantly commenced fastening to 
 a tree a thread as brilliant and strong as the finest 
 tempered steel wire. Then came forward the drag- 
 on-fly, and taking the spider on his back, he rose 
 slowly through the air, swaying himself backwards 
 and forwards in such a manner as to enable the 
 spider to weave a step-ladder long enough to reach 
 the skies. Tonyk, setting the wasp on the crown 
 of his hat, began to ascend the ladder, and, though 
 it almost took his breath away to mount up so 
 high in the clouds, he at last reached the top of 
 the mountain. Here the wasp, flying before him, 
 guided him to the giant's abode, winch was a great 
 cave, as big as a church, scooped out of the solid 
 rock. Here, in the centre of the cavern, sat the 
 old ogre. On the ground lay Mylio, with his 
 arms and legs pinioned against his back, like a 
 chicken just ready for the spit ; while the giant, as 
 he leaned over him, seemed to balance his body 
 like the trunk of an enormous poplar swayed by 
 the north wind. He was in high good-humor, for 
 Mylio had always been under the care of a good 
 
> : ■■ ^.-r-^-^^a^rr^ 
 
 mother, and of course his flesh was firm, and his 
 skin white, as if he had always fed on the fat of 
 the land. The ogre busied himself in cutting 
 strips of pork, with which to lard his fine goose, 
 and as he did so, he sung a sort of gigantic bac- 
 chanalian song, in tones that seemed to shake the 
 mountain. The noise made by his own voice, and 
 the deep attention he was bestowing upon the 
 delicate morsels which were soon to be inserted 
 into Mylio's soft skin, prevented him from hearing 
 the approach of Tonyk and his three little assist- 
 ants. The eagles were both in the chimney, 
 where one was employed in stirring the fire, while 
 the other was winding up the turnspit. The 
 red eagle, however, spied Tonyk, and was dart- 
 ing towards him with extended talons, when 
 the wasp thrust his diamond sting into both his 
 eyes. The white eagle flew to the assistance of 
 his comrade, but met with the same fate, and 
 with a shriek of pain, they retreated to their 
 corner. The old ogre, raising himself up when he 
 heard the cries of his attendants, turned towards 
 
 68 
 
a aas^ ss ^-'H, ' -^yjy.s ^r^* 
 
 them, and received the attack of the wasp full in 
 his face. He roared like a wild bull, and flung 
 his arms around like the sails of a great windmill, 
 but his blindness prevented him from seizing the 
 wasp, and the want of legs prevented him from 
 running away from his unmerciful attacks. At 
 length, half mad with pain, he threw himself on 
 his- face to the ground. No sooner was he there, 
 than the spider hastened to weave around him a 
 web so strong that he could not stir a finger, but 
 lay like a dead tree in the forest. In vain he 
 called upon his eagles to help him. The pain 
 they were suffering from their blinded eyes made 
 them quite savage, and knowing that the ogre's 
 power was at an end forever, they determined to 
 avenge themselves for their former slavery. So 
 they flew at him, beat him with their great wings, 
 struck him with their sharp talons, and tore out 
 such great pieces of his flesh with their beaks, 
 that there was soon nothing left of him but the 
 bare bones rattling in the spider's steel web. 
 But scarcely had they gorged themselves with 
 
their horrid meal, when they found they had 
 been indulging in rather indigestible food; for 
 their bodies swelled to the size of oxen, and 
 they died in great torment. 
 
 As for Tonyk, he was overbed to see his 
 brother yet undevoured ; so, cutting asunder his 
 bonds, he led him out of that frightful cavern. 
 On the edge of the precipice, he found the wasp 
 and the dragon-fly harnessed to the wicker-cage, 
 which was now transformed into a magnificent 
 chariot. They politely requested the brothers to 
 seat themselves in the new vehicle, and the spider 
 mounted behind like a liveried footman. In this 
 manner, they flew along like the wind, and accom- 
 plished the rest of their journey without meeting 
 any new adventures. The high roads of the air 
 are usually kept in pretty good order ; so they 
 traversed mountains and plains, hills and valleys, 
 towns and villages, with great rapidity, and soon 
 found themselves near their uncle's chateau. The 
 carriage then descended towards the earth, and 
 the travellers, alighting from it, were agreeably 
 
surprised to find their own horses waiting for them 
 on the drawbridge. At Tqnyk's saddle-bow, there 
 hung his purse and his purple cloak ; but the 
 purse was now ten times as large and full as it 
 had been, and his cloak was embroidered with 
 diamonds and pearls. 
 
 The young men turned towards the carriage to 
 inquire the meaning of all this, but the wasp, the 
 dragon-fly, and the spider, had all disappeared. 
 In their stead they beheld three fairies, as beau- 
 tiful as a May morning, and not more than three 
 inches in height. Mounting on the top of a haw- 
 thorn bush, which brought them nearly on a level 
 with the youths, the ladies began to explain mat- 
 ters ; but as' they ail talked at once, and each 
 exerted her voice to the utmost, it was at first 
 impossible to distinguish a word. By dint of per- 
 suasion and extreme courtesy, Tonyk finally in- 
 duced them to speak in turn. He then learned 
 that the old woman, the frozen child, and the 
 beggar, were only disguises assumed by the three 
 fairies to test the virtue of the young travellers. 
 
Tonyk had stood the trial so well, that besides 
 receiving the reward originally designed for his 
 charity, he was allowed to rescue his selfish brother 
 from the fate he had so richly deserved ;— for to a 
 generous nature, the greatest of all pleasures is to 
 do good to others. Tonyk thanked the ladies for 
 their interest in his welfare, and promised better 
 things in behalf of Mylio, who stood with down- 
 cast eyes and sheepish air, listening to the enume- 
 ration of his brother's virtues and his own demerits. 
 Whether he ever really reformed is doubtful ; for 
 the selfish man has his idol always so close to him; 
 that he can scarcely ever put aside his idolatry. 
 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 OW when the happy family were 
 next assembled in their accus- 
 tomed place on the piazza, they 
 began to fancy they might 
 claim as a right what had here- 
 tofore been accorded as a favor, 
 and so they clamored for a con- 
 tinuance of grandfather's legends. 
 Frank drew forward the good man's 
 favorite chair, (which, with its great 
 arms, so hospitably extended, looked as if 
 it always wanted to take somebody into 
 its lap,) and, as the old gentleman com- 
 fortably sank into its downiness, he said : 
 
 " This old chair shall be called ' Fairy Hol- 
 low? and whenever grandpapa seats himself in it, 
 
 73 
 
*=ea=*=»5V=^ 
 
 at the ! witching hour' of sunset, we shall expect 
 some tidings from fairy land." 
 
 "How did you like my boy-story, last night, 
 master Frank," asked Mr. Waldorf; "did you 
 derive any moral from its grotesque incidents ?" 
 
 " Oh, yes, sir," said Frank, looking very wise : 
 " I think it was quite an allegory." 
 
 " Pray explain it, for our benefit." 
 
 Frank colored a little, and replied : "I think 
 the two brothers were intended to represent Benev- 
 olence and Selfishness. The Wasp, I suppose, 
 meant courage, the Spider was perseverance, and 
 the Dragonfly, hope." 
 
 " Pretty well imagined, my boy ; but we had 
 better not attempt to carry out the allegory any 
 farther, or we might meet with some difficulty." 
 
 "I hate allegories," said Edith, "unless they 
 are very short, and so skilfully written as to seem 
 like real stories. I often think that the old lady 
 was not far wrong when she called them paregor- 
 ical stories, for they always put me to sleep." 
 
 " I suppose you would like me to find a rustic 
 
\ 
 
 love-story among our fairy tales, my little Edith. 
 Well, since it seems decided that I ■ am to tell a 
 legend every fine evening, I will endeavor to suit 
 all tastes, and to-night it is your turn to be 
 consulted." 
 
THE 
 
 OTHSIBH ©IF hub IPEAM. nsiLMrnDi 
 
 ) N former times, when Fairies were 
 as numerous in Brittany as 
 wolves in the forest, or pigs in 
 the farm-yard, or children in the 
 cottages, there lived in one of the 
 provinces a young man named 
 Harold, and a very pretty girl called 
 Bellah. They were own cousins, and 
 their mothers, while they were yet 
 tiny little babies, had determined they 
 should marry each other. So they were 
 rocked in the same cradle, and fed with 
 the same pap-spoon, according to the custom of 
 Brittany, whenever one of these early betrothals 
 
takes place. As they grew older they loved each 
 other dearly, and every thing seemed to favor them, 
 when suddenly their parents died. They were still 
 very young, and as they had no inheritance to de- 
 pend upon, the poor orphans were obliged to go out 
 to service. They were fortunate enough to obtain 
 employment with the same farmer, so that they 
 were not separated, and might have been happy, 
 if they had only been willing to think themselves 
 so. But lovers, so says the Breton legend, are like 
 the waves of the ocean ; always restless, and always 
 complaining. 
 
 " If we could only get money enough to buy a 
 young heifer, and a lean pig," said Harold, " then I 
 would rent a lot of land from the farmer, and we 
 might get married, and go to housekeeping." 
 
 " Yes," said Bellah, with a deep sigh ; " but 
 what can we expect in such hard times ? Cows 
 and pigs are twice as dear as they used to be, and 
 I am afraid that poor folks will never be able to 
 marry, at least till better days come." 
 
 " I dare say we shall have to wait till I am 
 
^ttr£\r=*S=xr^= 
 
 S & -** *. ^agg g^ 
 
 gray-headed, Bellah ; for I have noticed that when 
 I am drinking with my friends, it never comes 
 to my turn to get the last glass in the bottle ; 
 which you know is a sure sign of being married 
 within the year." 
 
 " That is just my luck too," sighed Bellah; "I 
 have never yet been able to hear the first song of 
 the cuckoo, and I know that every girl who hears 
 it will be married before whiter." 
 
 In this manner they complained to each other 
 every day, until at length Harold began to lose all 
 patience. One morning he went after Bellah,- who 
 was very busy winnowing • corn in the barn, and 
 told her he was going to seek his fortune. The 
 poor girl was very much distressed, and tried hard 
 to make him change his mind ; but Harold was an 
 obstinate fellow, and would not listen to reason. 
 
 " The birds fly about till they find a field of 
 corn," said he, "and the bees will go miles to seek 
 flowers for their honey. A man ought not to have 
 less sense than the beasts. I am going to do as 
 they do, and look for what I want. When I get 
 
 78 
 
rich enough to buy a heifer, and a lean pig, I will 
 come back." 
 
 Bellah knew there was no use in talking to him, 
 so she yielded with as good a grace as possible. 
 
 " Since you must go, Harold," said she, " I will 
 first divide with you my little inheritance." 
 
 She then went to her clothes-press, and took out 
 a bell, a knife, and a staff made of the wild apple- 
 tree. 
 
 "These three relics," said she, "have never 
 been out of our family. They were the gifts of an 
 old fairy many years ago. The bell has the power 
 of ringing whenever he who wears it is in danger, 
 and its sound always reaches his best friend, even 
 if he is a hundred miles off. The knife can 
 break all enchantments ; for by touching it, all 
 things are restored to their original forms. The 
 staff is better than a wishing cap, for it can trans- 
 port the owner wherever he wishes to go, in the 
 twinkling of an eye. The bell you must hang 
 round your neck, and the knife you must carry 
 in your pocket ; but the staff I will keep, for if I 
 
hear the bell ring, I shall use my fairy saddle- 
 horse to go in search of you." 
 
 Harold thanked his dear Bellah, kissed her most 
 heartily, and, I dare say, shed a few tears, as lovers 
 are apt to do, on such occasions ; but still he 
 turned his face towards the mountains, and left 
 Bellah to her farm- work. 
 
 He travelled a great many miles, and found 
 things very much the same all over the world. In 
 every town he was besieged by beggars, and found 
 it would be far easier to spend a fortune than 
 to make one. So he continued his journey, and 
 come at length to a pretty village, built on the 
 banks of a river, bordered with tall poplar trees. 
 As he sat by the door of the inn he overheard two 
 muleteers, talking together, as they were loading 
 their mules. They were telling some wonderful 
 stories about the Queen of the Pearl Islands ; and 
 in answer to Harold's inquiries, they told him that 
 she was a great enchantress, who dwelt on an 
 island in the midst of a lake. She was said to 
 
 be richer than all the kings in the world, and 
 
 80 
 
A»=^»^rt3s#aBfea^?a 
 
 hundreds of people had gone in search of the 
 Queen of the Pearl Islands, but not one had ever 
 returned. 
 
 Suddenly it came into Harold's head to try this 
 adventure. The muleteers tried hard to dissuade 
 him ; but finding him resolute, they raised a 
 terrible outcry, calling upon the neighbors to pre- 
 vent the poor youth from rushing to his destruc- 
 tion. Harold thanked them for their kind inten- 
 tions, and told them, that if they would contribute 
 as much money as would buy him a young heifer, 
 and a lean pig, he would give up his dangerous 
 project. But at this proposal, they all cried out 
 that he must be a fool, and there was no use in 
 trying to save him. 
 
 Harold went to the sea-shore, and there found a 
 boatman, who carried him over to the Pearl 
 Islands. "When he landed, he soon found himself 
 on the borders of a large lake, lying in the very 
 centre of the islands. The margin of the lake 
 was covered with grass and flowers ; but on one 
 side, half concealed in the shadow of a hawthorn 
 
 81 
 
 I 
 
bush, he saw a sea-green pleasure-boat floating on 
 the still waters. The little boat was shaped like 
 a sleeping swan, with its head tucked under its 
 wing, and its webbed-feet drawn close up to its body. 
 Harold had never seen any tiling like this before ; 
 and in order to examine it more closely, he stepped 
 into it. He had no sooner done this than the bird 
 raised its head, spread its great feet out upon the 
 waters, and paddled out from the shore. Harold, 
 frightened half to death, jumped into the water, 
 intending to swim back ; but the bud caught him 
 with its strong beak, and plunged down to the 
 bottom of the lake. As the poor fellow could not 
 open his mouth without swallowing some of the 
 sulphurous water of the lake, he dared not even cry 
 for help. He felt himself going down, lower and 
 lower, but at length the bird paused, and he found 
 himself at the gate of a magnificent palace, built 
 of the most beautiful sea-shells. The stairs which 
 led into the palace was of rock crystal, and it was 
 so curiously constructed, that every step began to 
 sing most melodiously, as soon as a foot touched 
 
 82 
 
it. Forests of marine shrubs and trees, stretched 
 off in the distance ; around the palace lay gardens 
 filled with flowers made of pearls and precious stones, 
 while instead of grassy lawns, there were large 
 fields of every variety of sea-weed, sprinkled all over 
 with diamonds, like daisies in a June meadow. 
 
 As Harold entered the door of this superb pal- 
 ace, he was struck dumb with amazement. 
 Reclining on a couch of solid gold, canopied with 
 the most beautiful ostrich and peacock feathers, 
 lay the beautiful Queen of the Pearl Islands. She 
 was dressed in a flowing robe, as green as the sea, 
 as fine as a ray of light, and as pliant as a wave. 
 Her dark hair, bound with wreaths of crimson 
 coral, reached to her feet ; and the blush which 
 overspread her snow-white skin at the sight of 
 Harold, was like the rosy tint in the lip of a sea- 
 shell. Seeing that he paused on the threshold, 
 the queen arose, and, smiling sweetly, advanced 
 towards him. Her motions were so graceful, that 
 she seemed to float onwards, like the foam on a 
 wave. She received the stranger very kindly. 
 
" You are welcome," said she, making a sign 
 for him to enter ; "we have always room for 
 handsome young men in my palace." 
 
 Harold was a little nattered, and he ventured to 
 enter the apartment. 
 
 "Who are you? whence do you come? and 
 what do you seek ?" asked the queen. 
 
 " I am called Harold ; I come from Lanillis ; I 
 am looking for money to buy a young heifer and a 
 lean pig," answered Harold. 
 
 " Come and feast with me, Harold," said the 
 enchantress. " I promise to give you all you 
 desire." ^ 
 
 With these words, she led Harold into a second 
 saloon, hung with silken tapestry embroidered with 
 pearls. Here she placed before him eight large 
 goblets made of chased silver, and lined with gold, 
 the handles and brims of which were incrusted 
 with precious stones. These cups she filled with 
 eight different kinds of wine. Harold tasted them 
 all in turn, and found them so. excellent that he 
 drank each cup out eight times, and at every 
 
 84 "^ 
 
draught the queen seemed to become more and 
 more beautiful in his eyes. She begged him not 
 to be sparing of the wine, for her cellars were full 
 of hundreds of casks. She told him that the lake 
 in the midst of the islands, had a subterraneous 
 communication with the ocean, and that as all the 
 treasures which were swallowed up by the numer- 
 ous shipwrecks, were brought into the lake by a 
 magical under-current, of course there was no end 
 to her riches. 
 
 " Upon my word," said Harold " I don't wonder 
 people say hard things of you. Such rich people 
 must always expect to be envied. I wish I had only 
 half your fortune." 
 
 " You shall have the whole if you please," said 
 the fairy. 
 
 "How?" was his astonished question. 
 
 " I have just received news of the death of my 
 husband, a poor miserable dwarf of a fairy, whom I 
 never cared any thing about ; I have taken a great 
 fancy to your good looks, and if you choose, you 
 shall be my second husband." 
 
 85 
 
The young man was startled. Such an offer from 
 a beautiful woman who could give him eight differ- 
 ent kinds of wine every day, was certainly a great 
 temptation. It is true he was promised to Bellah, 
 but men easily forget such youthful follies, and, be- 
 sides, how could he ever marry Bellah if he could 
 never get money enough to buy the heifer and the 
 lean pig ? He pondered over it about two minutes, 
 but the wine was dancing in his head and he could 
 not think very clearly. However, he remembered 
 her hundreds of casks in the cellar, and that deter- 
 mined him. He very politely told the enchantress 
 that nothing would give him greater pleasure than 
 to become her husband, and the Queen of the Pearl 
 Islands replied that she would immediately prepare 
 the wedding supper. 
 
 Accordingly she set out a golden table, and put 
 on it every good thing that Harold had ever dreamed 
 of in his whole life, as well as a great many dain- 
 ties which he had never heard of. Then running 
 out to a fishpond at the end of the palace garden, 
 she called out : 
 
 80 
 
" Come, lawyer ! come, miller ! come, tailor ! come, priest ! 
 For you must be fried that my husband may feast." 
 
 At each name she called, a fish darted towards her, 
 which she caught in her hand, and put into a sil- 
 ver net which was hanging at her girdle. When 
 the net was full, she carried the fish to the palace, 
 and leaving Harold in the saloon, she went into 
 the adjoining room, where she threw them into a 
 golden frying-pan. As the pan began to hiss over 
 the fire, Harold thought he heard the murmur of 
 voices. 
 
 " "What whispering is that, I hear, my beautiful 
 queen?" asked the young man. 
 
 " It is only the crackling of the green wood un- 
 der the pan," answered the enchantress, stirring 
 the fire as she spoke. 
 
 In less than a minute Harold heard again the 
 sound of half-choked voices. 
 
 " What whispering do I hear, my beautiful 
 queen?" he again asked. 
 
 " It is only the melting of the lard in the pan," 
 
 87 
 
she replied, at the same time turning the fish over 
 as she spoke. 
 
 The little voices now uttered faint and doleful 
 cries. 
 
 "What do I hear crying, my beautiful queen?" 
 said Harold a^ain. 
 
 "It is only the chirping of the cricket on the 
 hearth," answered the fairy, beginning to sing so 
 loud that Harold could listen to nothing else. But 
 the young Breton, who had time to recover a little 
 from the effects of the wine, began to reflect upon 
 these strange sounds. He grew a little frightened, 
 and of course, as he thought himself in danger, he 
 began to feel some penitence for his folly. 
 
 " Is it possible," thought he, " that I have been 
 so near forgetting my dear Bellah for the sake of a 
 fairy, whose mother is perhaps a fish, and her 
 father a sea-snake ! She is certainly one of the 
 foul fiend's own brood, and if I should marry her, I 
 should, have to go to bed every night without say- 
 ing my prayers. What shall I do ? How shall I 
 escape out of this horrible island ?" 
 
While he was thus talking to himself for want of 
 better company, the Queen of the Pearl Islands had 
 set the fried fish in a golden dish upon the table, and 
 now summoned Harold to take his seat at supper. 
 
 " Eat heartily," said she ; " those fish are of 
 excellent flavor and well fattened, so do not spare 
 them. In the meantime I will go into the cellar, 
 and draw twelve different kinds of wine for you." 
 
 Harold sat down by the table, and as the en- 
 chantress left the room to get the wine, he drew 
 out his knife and began to attack the fish, which 
 certainly looked very tempting, and had a most 
 savory smell. But no sooner had the magic blade 
 touched the golden dish, than the fish suddenly re- 
 turned to their original forms, and popped them- 
 selves up before him as little men, clad in the dress 
 of their profession. The lawyer stood up in his 
 black robe, the tailor in purple breeches, the miller 
 in a meal-colored doublet, and the priest in his 
 white surplice, all crying out as loud as they could, 
 while they tried hard to keep their heads above the 
 melted butter. 
 
 89 
 
" Save us, Harold, if you wish to save your- 
 self!" 
 
 " Who in the world are you ?" exclaimed Har- 
 old. " This is the first time I ever saw five Chris- 
 tians swimming in boiling fat." 
 
 " We are foolish men, hke yourself," they re- 
 plied. " We came to the Pearl Islands to seek our 
 fortune. We drank wine from golden cups till we 
 did not know what we were doing. We married 
 the queen ; and the next morning we found our- 
 selves swimming in the fish-pond, with hundreds 
 of others like ourselves." 
 
 "What!" exclaimed Harold, "can it be possi- 
 ble that so young and beautiful a woman is al- 
 ready the widow of hundreds of fish ?" 
 
 " Yes, yes," sputtered the poor little men ; " and 
 to-morrow you will be in the same condition that 
 we are, with a fair chance of being fried and eaten 
 by the next young man that comes here." 
 
 Harold gave a tremendous leap, as if he already 
 felt himself in the hot pan, and ran to the door, 
 hoping to make his escape before the return of the 
 
 90 
 
enchantress. But she had been standing outside, 
 and had overheard every thing. Just as he reached 
 the door, she threw her silver net over his head, 
 and in an instant Harold had assumed the form of 
 a little green frog, which the wicked queen threw 
 into the fish-pond along with her former husbands. 
 At the moment when these wonderful events 
 were occurring in the Pearl Islands, Bellah was in 
 the dairy at Lanillis, straining the morning's milk. 
 But the moment that Harold was changed into a 
 frog, the bell which he wore about his neck began 
 to ring, and Bellah heard it distinctly. It sounded 
 to her like a clap of thunder, for she knew Harold 
 must be in danger. She dropped the strainer into 
 the milk, and only waiting to put on her Sunday 
 gown and her new wooden shoes, she took her 
 magic staff and hurried off. When she reached 
 the cross-road, she planted her staff firmly in the 
 ground, and walking three times round it, with 
 clasped hands, she uttered the charm : 
 
 By the spell that was laid 
 On the wild apple-tree, 
 
h .^l _ ^U .g=^==5g»=53^; 
 
 sg \j i w-? = 
 
 Conduct me in safety 
 O'er land and o'er sea." 
 
 The staff instantly disappeared, and in its place 
 stood a little bay mare, all groomed, and saddled, 
 and bridled, with a knot of ribbons at each ear, and 
 a plume of blue feathers on her forehead. Bellah 
 mounted her new steed, who at first went off on a 
 walk, then warmed up into a trot, and at last 
 started into a furious gallop. She went so swiftly, 
 that hedges and ditches, houses and churches, 
 passed before Bellah's eyes like the whirling of a 
 spindle. But she did not mind this, for she was 
 anxious to find Harold, and she urged her bay 
 mare to its utmost speed by singing: 
 
 " The swallow skims the fields of air, 
 
 But the wind outstrips the swallow's speed; 
 And swifter still is the lightning's glare, 
 But swifter be thou, my magic steed !" 
 
 The mare understood her wishes, and dashed on, 
 like a straw in a whirlwind, until she reached the 
 foot of a high mountain called the "Stag's Leap." 
 
Bellah knew that neither horse nor mare could 
 scramble up that smooth rock, so dismounting from 
 the saddle, she walked three times round the bay 
 mare, twirling her thumbs from east to west, and 
 sung: 
 
 " By the spell that was laid 
 On the wild apple-tree, 
 I charge thee to guide me 
 O'er mountain and sea." 
 
 Before the last words were uttered, the bay 
 mare had gathered up her legs, and spread out a 
 pair of wings, and become a great eagle, which 
 taking Bellah on its back, carried her to the top of 
 the mountain. Here the eagle crouched down, 
 and she got off. On the topmost cliff she saw a 
 large nest made of clay, and lined with dry moss. 
 As she approached it, she found it occupied by a 
 little old dwarf, as wrinkled as a wet sheep-skin, 
 and as black as a smoked fish. As soon as he saw 
 Bellah, he called out : 
 
 " Aha ! my pretty girl, so you have come at 
 
last ; I've waited for you a long time. Now you 
 will release me from this hateful nest." 
 
 " Who are you ?" said Bellah ; " and how can 
 I release you?" 
 
 " I am Jeanne ton, the husband of the Queen of 
 the Pearl Islands, and it is my wicked wife who 
 keeps me here." 
 
 " What are you doing in that nest, my little 
 man ?" 
 
 " I am sitting on six stone eggs, and I cannot be 
 released until they are all hatched." 
 
 Bellah could not help laughing. " Poor dear 
 little man-bird," said she, " how can I release 
 you ?" 
 
 " By saving Harold from the spells of the Queen 
 of the Pearl Islands." 
 
 " Oh ! I would go through the world barefoot to 
 do that." 
 
 " You must do two things," said Jeanneton, the 
 dwarf : " first, you must visit the queen in the dis- 
 guise of a young man ; and when you get there, 
 you must obtain the silver net she carries at her 
 
 94 
 
 yJBB P^ y^rm> g -->-r~ i ■ r .i , 7£;rf -frn ^u^^, j ^BBa ^ gg^SB^ -Tr^s^ = 5~^*^ j= 
 
girdle, for with nothing else can she be held 
 bound." 
 
 " Where can I find a dress to fit me, my dear 
 mannikin ?" asked Bellah. 
 
 " You shall soon see, my little milkmaid." 
 With these words, the dwarf pulled four long, 
 coarse hairs out of his head, and blowing upon 
 them, muttered some words, as he threw them on 
 the ground. Immediately the hairs sprung up 
 into four brisk tailors, one of whom carried a cab- 
 bage, another a scissors, a third a thimble, and a 
 fourth an iron goose. They seated themselves 
 round the nest, and doubling up their legs in the 
 form of an X, they went to work upon a dress for 
 Bellah. Out of one leaf of the cabbage they soon 
 made a beautiful coat, embroidered down every 
 seam. Another leaf furnished them with materials 
 for a fine waistcoat ; but it took two of the very 
 largest leaves to make the great trunk-hose, which 
 were then in fashion. They cut the heart of the 
 cabbage into an excellent hat, and the stalk, with a 
 little splicing, served to make a pair of shoes. When 
 
Bellah had put on this elegant dress, she looked 
 like a young prince, for her clothes were of velvet, 
 lined with the purest white satin, and every button 
 was a diamond, while the button-holes were all 
 worked with gold thread. So, thanking the poor 
 little dwarf, who was almost frozen to death, with 
 sitting so long on the stone eggs, she mounted her 
 eagle, and set out on her journey. The bird knew 
 where to go, and he never stayed his flight until he 
 set her down on the margin of the lake, in the 
 midst of the Pearl Islands. Having received in- 
 structions from Jeanneton, she knew exactly what 
 to do. So, commmanding her bird to become a 
 staff again, she took it in her hand, entered the 
 swan-shaped boat, and in a few minutes found her- 
 self at the palace gate. 
 
 "When the Queen of the Pearl Islands saw the 
 handsome youth, dressed in green velvet, with 
 diamond buttons, she was highly delighted. " This 
 is the finest young fellow I have ever seen," said 
 she to herself. " I should not wonder if I were to 
 love him at least nine days." She immediately 
 
began to lavish all kinds of attentions upon Bellah, 
 calling her a darling, a sweetheart, and all such 
 pretty and flattering names. She insisted on pro- 
 viding some food for the stranger, and while she 
 was bringing out her dainties, Bellah spied on the 
 table the magic knife she had given Harold. She 
 hid it in her bosom, until she should find occasion 
 to use it, and followed the enchantress out to the 
 garden. Here she showed Bellah the greenwood 
 all sprinkled with diamonds, the fountains throwing 
 up jets of perfumed lavender-water, and the fish- 
 pond, full of fish, of every color of the rainbow. 
 Bellah appeared delighted with every thing, espe- 
 cially with the pond full of fish, and seated herself 
 on the bank, to watch them floating about in the 
 water. The Queen of the Pearl Islands took this 
 opportunity of asking Bellah if she would not like 
 to marry her, and remain always among these 
 beautiful objects. Bellah declared that nothing 
 else could make her half so happy. 
 
 " Then we will be married without delay," said 
 the fairy. 
 
 
" Yes," said Bellah, " but on one condition ; 
 you must lend me the silver net which hangs at 
 your girdle, that I may catch some of these fish 
 for our wedding-supper." 
 
 The enchantress, pleased at finding Bellah so 
 obliging, and suspecting no treachery, unloosed the 
 net from her girdle, saying : 
 
 " Try your luck, young fisherman, and let us 
 see what you will catch." 
 
 i l I will make sure of a devil-fish," cried Bellah, 
 suddenly throwing the enchanted net over the 
 fairy's head. " By the power of your own spells, 
 I charge you to become as hideous in body as you 
 are in soul." 
 
 The enchantress uttered a loud cry, which ended 
 in a stifled murmur, for the beautiful Queen of the 
 Pearl Islands was instantly changed into a hideous 
 queen of toads. 
 
 Bellah gathered up the silver net and flung it 
 into a deep pit, over the mouth of which she placed 
 a great stone, so that the instrument of so much 
 mischief might never again be found. She then 
 

hurried out to the fish-pond ; but the fish had al- 
 ready leaped out of the water, and were coming in 
 procession to meet her, crying out at the very top 
 of their little hoarse voices : 
 
 " Hail to our lord and master, who has delivered 
 us from the silver net and the golden frying-pan !" 
 
 " Let me now have the pleasure of seeing you 
 restored to your true shapes," said Bellah, drawing 
 from her bosom the magic knife. As she stooped 
 down to reach the procession of fish, she saw at her 
 feet, a little green frog, with a bell on his neck. 
 He was sobbing as if his heart would break, and 
 pressed his tiny fore feet to his bosom, with the 
 most pathetic air imaginable. Bellah had a secret 
 and instinctive idea that she was looking on an old 
 friend. 
 
 " Is it you, my dear Harold ?" she exclaimed. 
 
 " Alas, yes ; it is your own repentant Harold !" 
 croaked out the befrogged youth. 
 
 Bellah touched him with the magic knife, and 
 immediately found herself in the arms of her lover. 
 After they had kissed and embraced each other, 
 
^^!S =- - ■ ga — l. ri frg 
 
 they remembered the poor little fish, who were 
 modestly waiting their turn to be freed from their 
 enchantment. Bellah gave them all the required 
 touch, and in less than a minute the garden was 
 filled with hundreds of people of all countries. In 
 the midst of the confusion that ensued, who should 
 come sweeping along but Jeanneton, the dwarf. 
 He was sitting in the nest, which he had trans- 
 formed into a golden car ; and he was drawn 
 through the air by six magnificent lady-bugs, all 
 studded with rubies and emeralds. These beauti- 
 ful winged steeds had broken through the stone 
 eggs, at the very moment when Bellah threw the 
 net over the head of the enchantress. 
 
 " Here I come, pretty maiden," said he to Bel- 
 lah ; " you have broken the charm, and changed 
 me from an old hen, into a comely-looking young 
 man." 
 
 Bellah hid her face on Harold's shoulder, for she 
 could hardly refrain from 'aughing at the little, 
 wrinkled, ugly old fellow, who evidently considered 
 himself quite a beau. 
 
" You deserve that I should marry you," said 
 the fairy, " but the old proverb holds good with me, 
 1 a scalded cat dreads cold water.' I have found one 
 wife too much for me, and shall now remain a 
 widower to the end of my days." 
 
 He then led them into the treasure-chambers 
 of the palace, and told the lovers to take as much ' 
 as they could carry. They rilled their pockets, 
 their girdles, and their hats with diamonds, and 
 emeralds, and pearls^ They even dropped some 
 into the toes of their wooden shoes ; and at last, 
 Bellah proposed that they should tighten the knee- 
 buckles of their trunk-hose, and pour them full of 
 gold pieces. "When this was done, finding it rather 
 inconvenient to walk when encumbered with such 
 a weight of treasure, Bellah ordered her staff to 
 become an immense chariot, large enough to hold 
 all the people she had delivered from their enchant- 
 ment. In this manner they arrived safely at Lan- 
 illis, where the banns of marriage were immediately 
 published between Harold and Bellah, who were at 
 
 last allowed to eat their wedding-supper in peace. 
 
 101 
 
 
They were now very happy ; for instead of buy- 
 ing a young heifer, and a lean pig, Harold became 
 master of all the richest lands in the district, and 
 settled upon them, as farmers, all the men who had 
 been rescued from the power of the Queen of the 
 Pearl Islands. 
 
 102 
 
 =ijF = ^r^^ ^*~ T ^ ^^==g= :Bi ^ :: = 3 ^^''""' 'ar J -=^ :£=sg ^^ 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 O habitual a thing had it become 
 for grandfather to relate a story 
 every evening, that the children 
 felt quite aggrieved when any 
 thing occurred to deprive them 
 of the anticipated pleasure. It 
 happened, on the day following that 
 on which they had listened to the 
 legend of the Queen of the Pearl 
 Islands, a lady came to make a visit to 
 their mother ; and, out of politeness to 
 their guest, the stories were suspended. 
 They became quite impatient at being deprived of 
 their accustomed indulgence, and probably felt the 
 disappointment the more, because the lady was so 
 
 103 
 
uncongenial in some of her tastes, that they could 
 not become interested in her or her conversation. 
 
 Mrs. Lorton was a very sensible and excellent 
 woman ; but she made the mistake of regarding 
 children as necessary evils in a community, who 
 were to be kept out of the way as much as possible, 
 and after being treated like babies up to a certain 
 age, were then to receive the discipline of criminals 
 until they became men and women. She was a 
 a widow, but had never been a mother ; and though 
 her nephews and nieces paid her visits of ceremony 
 at stated times, yet they stood in such awe of her 
 spotless carpets, her shining tables, her glittering 
 door-knobs and polished hearth-stones, that they 
 moved about like little machines, glad to escape as 
 quick as possible from the oppressive neatness and 
 coldness of her abode. She had no sympathy with 
 youth ; none of that precious dew about her heart 
 which keeps the feelings so fresh and unfaded even 
 in old age. Childhood was, in her opinion, a very 
 disagreeable period in life, and she endeavored to 
 shorten it by putting old heads on young shoulders, 
 
 104 
 
whenever she had the opportunity. She was al- 
 ways lecturing and advising ; she was full of those 
 odious little proverbs, which children hold in such 
 horror. — "Children should be seen, and not heard:" 
 "Little pitchers with big ears:" "Early to bed, 
 and early to rise :" " Spare the rod, and spoil the 
 child :" and all the " proverbial philosophy" which 
 has been dinned into the ears of the world's " lit- 
 tle people" for so many years, and which all chil- 
 dren so heartily detest ; — such were among her 
 most agreeable modes of conveying admonition to 
 young people. 
 
 Of course, she soon succeeded in making herself 
 excessively disagreeable to the Waldorf children ; 
 and while they treated her with the respect due to 
 a guest, they were yet restrained and uncomforta- 
 ble in her presence. After a week's stay, however, 
 she left them to return to her home, and the car- 
 riage which bore her from the door, had scarcely got 
 beyond the gate of the lawn, when Frank threw 
 up his hat, and uttered a loud "Huzzah!" taking 
 care, however, that no one heard him but Edith. 
 
 105 
 
"I couldn't help it," said he, in reply to her 
 gentle remonstrance. " I am glad Mrs. Lorton is 
 gone ; the whole house seemed turned into a school 
 while she was here. I took a dislike to her the 
 day after she came here ; for, instead of giving lit- 
 tle Bertha a kiss for the pretty nosegay she laid 
 on her plate at breakfast, she only told her how 
 naughty it was to break off the buds with the 
 blossoms, and began to give the poor child quite a 
 lecture on botany." 
 
 " That is a small cause for disliking her," said 
 Edith, gently. 
 
 "Well, you may think so, but I know it showed 
 character, as grandfather says. She wants chil- 
 dren to be little old men and women ; and she 
 might as well expect a kitten to be as quiet and 
 demure as the old mother-cat." 
 
 " What are you talking about, Frank ? You 
 seem very much in earnest, if I may judge by your 
 gesticulations," said old Mr. Waldorf, at that mo- 
 ment coming out on the piazza. 
 
 " Oh , grandfather, I was just going to look for 
 
 106 
 
you," exclaimed Frank. " Can't we have a fairy 
 story to-night ? I dare say Mrs. Lorton would be 
 shocked at such an enormity ; but she is far away 
 by this time." 
 
 " Many very good and sensible people, Frank, 
 object to legends and fairy tales, as a source of 
 amusement, or a medium of instruction for their 
 children," said Mr. "Waldorf. 
 
 " Why do they dislike them ?" asked Edith, 
 modestly. 
 
 " From a mistaken idea, that all which is not 
 truth is falsehood. If they say all which is not 
 fact is fable, I agree with them ; but there are so 
 many fine moral truths which are made more use- 
 ful by the aid of fancy, than they could ever be 
 as mere abstractions, that I cannot unite in con- 
 demning the attempt to garb them in a costume 
 which makes them more conspicuous. ' Truth se- 
 vere by fiction drest,' as the poet styles it, is not, 
 to my mind, falsehood. There are moral truths 
 so great and stupendous, that the feeble capacity 
 of youth may be unable to grasp them in all their 
 
 107 
 
grandeur. Then the camera-obscura of fancy may 
 be properly brought in use, to diminish then pro- 
 portions, in order that they may come within a 
 limited range of vision, until the mental sight be- 
 comes fitted to receive their full magnificence. 
 Again, there are multitudes of minor moral truths 
 which would escape the eye of youth, if they were 
 not caught in the fantastic web of imagination, and 
 there secured until the youthful eye could become 
 familiar with their form and comeliness. I re- 
 member once standing with several friends on a 
 terrace, which commanded a view of a superb 
 landscape. We were all expressing our admiration 
 in the most vivid terms, when I observed a sad ex- 
 pression steal over the countenance of one of the 
 ladies. She was very near-sighted, and all that 
 we so much extolled, was but a green waste to her 
 eyes. As soon as this was remarked, a gentleman 
 in the company drew from his pocket a Claude- 
 Lorraine glass." 
 
 " What is that, grandfather ?" 
 
 "It is a mirror, which, besides reflecting every 
 
 108 
 
object in reduced size, is tinged with the most deli- 
 cate rose-color, or azure, and of course creates, as 
 it were, a beautiful atmosphere for every scene 
 which is depicted on its surface. It derives its 
 name from the great landscape painter, who ex- 
 celled in what is technically called the atmosphere 
 of his pictures. This almost magical glass, was 
 handed to the lady ; she gazed in it as if her very 
 soul was in her eyes. In a mirror scarcely ten 
 inches long, she saw all the beauties, which before 
 had been hidden from her view. The blue moun- 
 tains in the distance, the hanging woods on their 
 sides, the rushing river at their foot, the village be- 
 side the stream, the village girls at the spring, the 
 children at play on the green, all was called up in 
 life-like beauty before her ; and for the first time, 
 a widely extended view of nature's charms was 
 brought within her limited range of eyesight." 
 
 " Oh ! how delightful it must have been," ex- 
 claimed Edith. 
 
 " What that Claude-Lorraine glass was to my 
 friend's bodily eyes, the mirror of fancy often is to 
 
 109 
 
the imperfect perceptions of youth. Some may 
 say she did not actually see nature in its full size, 
 and its varied tints ; but was it not better to see a 
 perfect picture of the scene in miniature, than to 
 have received no impression of its beauties ? I can 
 assure you she considered herself richer for the rest 
 of her life, when she found herself possessor of a 
 talisman which could bring a landscape to her feet 
 at any moment." 
 
 " I am sure anybody but Mrs. Lorton would be 
 quite satisfied with your vindication of fairy tales, 
 grandpapa," said Frank. 
 
 " I suppose you mean to flatter me with omit- 
 ting the remainder of my lecture on fiction, and 
 giving you a legend instead. Well, I am quite 
 ready ; and as I see your father and mother are 
 waiting for us, we may as well take our usual 
 places." So saying, the old gentleman sank into 
 the comfortable depths of Fairy Hollow, and be- 
 
Shi ifamibib's irffiioHi 
 
 INARD, a valley near Morlaix, 
 was the abode of a certain rich 
 farmer, who had a very beau- 
 tiful daughter named Barbaika. 
 Besides being noted far and near 
 for her beauty, this young lady 
 was celebrated as the best dan- 
 cer, and the most elegantly dressed 
 damsel in the whole parish. When 
 she rode into Morlaix to church, she 
 always wore a richly embroidered coif, or 
 cap, a silk kerchief, five petticoats, one 
 over the other, and slippers with silver buckles. 
 This style of dress, in a country where wooden 
 shoes and serge petticoats are much more common 
 
 than French millinery, naturally enough excited 
 
 111 
 
the envy of her neighbors. The market-women 
 
 used to shake their heads very significantly, and 
 
 wonder " how long it would be before the black ox 
 
 trod on her foot." But Barbai'ka cared little for 
 
 their scandal, so long as she could wear fine clothes 
 
 and have plenty of beaux around her. This was 
 
 not difficult, for her father was rich, and gave her 
 
 whatever she wanted ; and as for lovers, it was 
 
 then just the same as it is now, — young men are 
 
 like straws- hanging on the bushes, the lightest puff 
 
 of wind carries them away. 
 
 Among Barba'ika's admirers was a good, honest, 
 
 hard-working fellow, who had long been a laborer 
 
 on her father's farm. He was as rough as a bear, 
 
 and as ugly as a pig, but he loved her better than 
 
 all the world, and would have done any thing in 
 
 the world to gain her affections. Barbai'ka could 
 
 not endure poor Jegu, however, and the best name 
 
 she ever gave him was " dog," " wolf," " unlicked 
 
 cub," or some equally insulting title. Indeed she 
 
 could not forgive so ugly a fellow for daring to be 
 
 in love with her, and she treated him with every 
 112 
 
kind of indignity, until she nearly broke his 
 heart. 
 
 One day as he was leading the cattle to pasture, 
 and as he stopped by the river to give them drink, 
 he was standing very disconsolately beside them, 
 thinking over all his troubles, when he heard a 
 tiny little voice saying : 
 
 "What is the matter with you, Jegu? You 
 seem to be quite in despair." 
 
 " Who are you ?" exclaimed the young man, 
 raising his head, and looking round. 
 
 " I am Tuez, the water-sprite," answered the 
 same voice. 
 
 "I can't see you," replied Jegu. 
 
 " Look sharp, and you will see me in the form 
 of a beautiful green frog, sitting in the midst of 
 the rushes. I take all sorts of disguises when it 
 suits my humor to be visible." 
 
 " I would like to see you in your real shape," 
 said the matter-of-fact Jegu. 
 
 " Just as you please, Master Jegu ; take care of 
 your head ;" and with these words the frog leaped 
 
 113 
 
over the ploughman, and alighted on the back of 
 one of the horses, in the form of a little man, in a 
 green jacket, with black leather boots on his feet, 
 and a slouched hat, adorned with a peacock's fea- 
 ther, on his head. 
 
 Jegu was so frightened, that he jumped at least 
 ten feet back, and fell flat on his back in the mud ; 
 but the fairy only laughed at him, and assured 
 him that he had come expressly to do him a kind- 
 ness. 
 
 " What has put it into your head to serve me ?" 
 asked Jegu, who had no great faith in this sudden 
 fit of benevolence. 
 
 "Because you did me a service last winter," 
 answered the water-sprite. " Don't you remem- 
 ber," he continued, " finding a robin redbreast in 
 the fowler's net, when you were ploughing the 
 alder field?" 
 
 " Oh, yes ; and I set him free, for little John 
 Eedthroat is a good little bird, and never steals 
 corn, like the rascally crows." 
 
 " That bird was no other than myself," said the 
 
 114 
 
fairy ; " and if you had not released me, I should 
 have had my neck twisted, and been baked in a 
 pie. I have been your friend ever since then, and 
 I have now come to tell you, that if you want to 
 marry Barba'ika, you shall do so." 
 
 " Ah, my dear little friend," sighed Jegu, " if 
 you could insure me this, I would deny you noth- 
 ing, except my soul." - 
 
 "Poh! poh! what should I want with a soul 
 like yours ? I will not demand any such heavy 
 price. Only leave me to manage matters, and in 
 six months you shall be the husband of Barba'ika, 
 and master of the farm. But you had better 
 change your mind, and take a fancy to something 
 else, for she will never do you any good." 
 
 Jegu rolled up his eyes, and laid his hand on 
 his heart, with an air of such devoted constancy, 
 that the fairy saw it was hopeless to persuade 
 him. 
 
 "How will you accomplish this wonder?" asked 
 the lovesick ploughman. 
 
 " Ask no questions, Jegu, and take no notice of 
 
done all these little services for her, in order to 
 gratify her. She therefore spoke to him with great 
 kindness, and thanked him for his good offices ; but 
 Jegu gave her a rough answer, and told her he did 
 not know what she was talking about. For seve- 
 ral days the same duties were performed by her 
 
 any thing you see. You have nothing to do but to 
 eat, drink, sleep, and smoke your pipe." 
 
 Jegu found this mighty pleasant counsel ; so tak- 
 ing off his hat, with a low bow to the little green 
 man, he thanked him, bade him farewell, and went 
 home. 
 
 The next morning was a feast-day, and Bar- 
 baika rose very early to look after the cattle, as 
 usual, before dressing herself for the gayeties of the 
 day. But when she went into the barn, she found 
 that some one had strewn new litter for the ani- 
 mals, refilled their mangers, milked the cows, and 
 churned the butter. The night before she had ex- 
 pressed a wish to get through her work very early, 
 so as to be in time for the morning procession in 
 Morlaix, and she now concluded that Jegu had 
 
unknown assistant, while it really seemed that the 
 barns had never before been in such good order, nor 
 the cattle so well kept. 
 
 Every morning and evening Barbai'ka found her 
 pans full of milk, nicely strained, and a pound of 
 fresh butter, newly churned, and garnished with 
 sweet-brier leaves, set upon the shelf in the dairy. 
 At the end of a few weeks, she had fallen into the 
 habit of lying in bed till broad daylight, because 
 she had now nothing to do but to put the house in 
 order, and get breakfast for the family. Even this 
 labor was soon taken off her hands, for, one morn- 
 ing, when she rose, she found the house swept, the 
 furniture nicely waxed, the milk-broth boiling on 
 the fire, and the bread all cut up on the dishes, so 
 that she had nothing to do, except to stand in the 
 barn-door, and call the laborers to their morning 
 meal. This was perfectly delightful to Barbai'ka, 
 who dearly loved ease and pleasure. She was sure 
 that nobody but Jegu would take such" pains to 
 please her, and she began to think what an excel- 
 lent husband he would make. 
 
Indeed, the fair damsel soon found that she had 
 only to express a wish in the presence of Jegu, and 
 it was sure to be gratified. If the wind was too 
 cold, or the sun too hot, and she was afraid of 
 spoiling her complexion by going to the spring, she 
 would say in a whisper : 
 
 " I should like to see my churns filled with clear 
 spring water, my pails all washed, and my pots of 
 butter covered with linen dipped in the running 
 brook." She would then saunter off to gossip with 
 a neighbor, and, when she came back, she always 
 found every thing as she had wished. If she found 
 her rye bread too slow in raising, or the oven too 
 slow in getting hot, she would say : 
 
 " I should like to see six great loaves, weighing 
 each fifteen pounds, ranged on the shelf in the 
 pantry." Two hours afterwards the bread would 
 be there. If she took a fancy that the journey to 
 market was too tiresome, she would say, on going 
 to bed : 
 
 "I wish I was on my way back from Morlaix, 
 with my milk-pail empty, my pot of butter all sold, 
 
a pound of black cherries in my wooden platter, 
 and six gold pieces in the pocket of my apron." 
 
 In the morning when she awoke, the first thing 
 she would see, was her empty milk-pail and butter- 
 pot, her wooden platter full of black cherries, and 
 the six gold pieces in the pocket of her apron. 
 
 But these were not all the services she received. 
 If she wanted to me'et some young friends at a 
 dance, or to have a new ribbon from the* city, or to 
 find out when a procession was to take place, she 
 had only to wish, and she accomplished every thing. 
 She could even make use of this invisible friend to 
 revenge herself on those she disliked. If an old 
 gossip had found fault with Barbaika's laziness, she 
 had' only to wish that she might find a great hole 
 in her Sunday-cap, or burn a whole batch of bread, 
 or leave the door of the chicken-house open to the 
 weazel, and it was sure to happen. Of course, 
 Barba'ika felt grateful to the kind friend who thus 
 enabled her to gratify her indolence, her love of 
 pleasure, and her resentments. She was persuaded 
 that Jegu did it all, notwithstanding his rude de- 
 

 nials, when she talked to him on the subject, and 
 she began to think that a man who could be at the 
 same time her slave, and her good angel, was not 
 to be despised. 
 
 When matters had arrived at this crisis, the 
 fairy advised Jegu to ask for Barbai'ka in mar- 
 riage. This time she did not give him a huffish 
 answer, or laugh in his face. • As a lover, he was 
 shockingly ugly and coarse, but he bade fair to be 
 a most useful husband. If she married him, she 
 saw no reason why she should not sleep till sunrise, 
 like the city-dames ; and wear fine clothes, like a 
 lady ; and stand in the doorway, with her arms 
 crossed over her apron, gossiping with every one 
 that came by ; and dance at all the festivals, just 
 as she did at that time ; for Jegu would certainly 
 attend to all her affairs. She fancied that he 
 would be the farmer's horse, dragging the wagon 
 to market, while she might play the farmer's wife, 
 and sit on a bundle of clover, driving him along 
 with whip and voice. 
 
 After duly deliberating on all these things, she 
 120 
 
replied, as a well-behaved maiden should, by re- 
 ferring him to her father ; well knowing that the 
 old farmer desired nothing so much as to see Jegu 
 his son-in-law. The end of it all was, that, as the 
 fairy had promised, Jegu married Barbaika ; and 
 in less than six months, the death of her father put 
 him in possession of the farm. 
 
 Jegu was now the happiest of the happy, but he 
 would have found the farm a very heavy charge, 
 had it not been for the assistance of the good water- 
 sprite. Little Tuez became head ploughman, and 
 did more work each day than four hired laborers. 
 He kept the farming-tools in good order, repaired 
 the harness, and always told Jegu when to plant 
 his grain, and on what days it would be ready to 
 reap. If Jegu was hurried with his farm-work, 
 the fairy sent a summons to his friends, and pres- 
 ently a whole troop of dwarfs, clad in green, and 
 carrying hoes, and pitchforks, and spades, would 
 swarm into the barn-yard, ready to help in any 
 thing. If the farmer had need of more cattle, he 
 had only to go to the fairy-dell, and say : " My 
 
 121 
 
little friends, lend me a yoke of oxen, or a span of 
 horses," and by the time he got home, he found 
 them standing, all harnessed, in the barn-yard. All 
 that the fairy required in return for these labors, 
 was a little porringer of milk'-pap, which was set for 
 him every night, upon the shelf, in the dairy ; and 
 Jegu, who liked to be served at a cheap rate, loved 
 him as if he had been his own son. 
 
 Barbaika, on the contrary, hated him most 
 heartily ; and not without cause. The morning 
 after her marriage, she rose late, as usual, expect- 
 ing to find every thing prepared for her, as Jegu 
 had been up with the sun ; but what was her 
 amazement, when she found that nothing was 
 done. Instead of finding the broth warm, and the 
 bread cut, she found that she must begin by clear- 
 ing up the barn, feeding the cattle, milking the 
 cows, churning the butter, sweeping the house, 
 baking the bread, and attending to all those dis- 
 agreeable affairs which she thought she had es- 
 caped. As she had married Jegu only to make 
 him a useful drudge, she complained bitterly of his 
 
neglect, when he came in to breakfast. He re- 
 torted, by giving her a severe scolding for being so 
 late with her morning duties ; and. they had. a great 
 quarrel, which would have ended in her getting a 
 beating from the goodman of the house, if they 
 had. been married a little longer. In the midst of 
 the turmoil, the fairy, who had witnessed the whole 
 matter from behind the door, burst into a loud 
 laugh, and told her that she had been indebted to 
 him, and not to Jegu, for all her past assistance ; 
 but as he had now accomplished the marriage, she 
 might hereafter do her own work, like all other 
 good wives. Of course, Barbaika was terribly 
 enraged, and treasured up a bitter hatred of the 
 water-sprite. Every morning when she was ob- 
 liged to rise before day, to milk the cows, and 
 every night when she was kept out of bed till mid- 
 night, to churn the butter for market, she vowed 
 vengeance on the malicious fairy. But whenever 
 she looked at Jegu's fat, red face, squinting eyes, 
 and rough head, she was ready to tear her own 
 eyes out for very spite. She thought of the fine 
 
young beaux, who used to come round her, with 
 then hats full of flowers, or cherries, or nuts, ac- 
 cording to the season, which they offered, with the 
 most flattering speeches in the world, to the pretti- 
 est girl hi the parish. She remembered the gay 
 times she used to have at the balls, where her dan- 
 cing was the admiration of every one ; and the 
 thought of working now like a slave, for her awk- 
 ward lout of a husband, almost drove her mad. 
 
 One day she had been invited to a wedding in 
 Morlaix ; but the old mare had fallen lame, and 
 there was no other horse on the farm, which would 
 bear a pillion. So, rather than lose the festivity, 
 she applied to the fairy to provide her with a con- 
 veyance. He sent her to the fairy-dell, and told 
 her to be careful to explain exactly what she 
 wanted. Accordingly, she went, and requested 
 " A black horse, with eyes, and mouth, and ears, 
 and all saddled and bridled ;" thinking she had 
 mentioned all the necessary points ha her demand. 
 When she returned home, she found the black 
 horse standing in the farm-yard, and as she was 
 
 124 
 
ready dressed, she mounted him, and set off for 
 Morlaix. But she soon discovered that something 
 was wrong ; for every one laughed as she passed 
 by, and at last one person called out : 
 
 " See ! see ! The farmer's wife has sold her 
 horse's tail, to pay for her embroidered pillion." 
 
 Barbaika turned quickly round, and then, for 
 the first time, saw that her horse had not even the 
 stump of a tail ; — she had forgotten to ask for a 
 tail, and the mischievous little fairies had given 
 her exactly what she demanded, but no more. 
 She was very much provoked, and tried to urge 
 her horse faster ; but he would not move except 
 at his usual pace ; so she was obliged to listen 
 to all the jokes of the wayfarers. She was now 
 more angry than ever with little Tuez, for she be- 
 lieved he had contrived this new mortification for 
 her ; and she resolved, sooner or later, to be re- 
 venged. 
 
 The commencement of spring is always held as 
 a great festival among the fairies ; and when the 
 season arrived, little Tuez requested that his servi- 
 
 125 
 
^rftasMs^ss^ffigba: 
 
 ces during the winter might be rewarded, by per- 
 mitting him to invite his friends to pass the night 
 in Jegu's barn, where he wished to entertain them 
 with a ball and a supper. His master not only con- 
 sented to the fairy's wishes, but also ordered Bar- 
 ba'ika to set out tables in the barn, to spread her 
 finest fringed napkins upon them, and to set out a 
 whole baking of bread, cut into slices, with plenty 
 of butter, flagons' full of fresh milk, and as many 
 wheat pancakes as she could bake in a day. To 
 Jegu's great surprise, Barbaika made no objections 
 to his commands. She made the pancakes, filled 
 the flagons, cut the bread and butter, and when it 
 was evening, she set out the tables in the barn, as 
 her husband had directed ; but before she left the 
 barn, she strewed, all around the tables, the hot 
 cinders she had just taken from the oven. 
 
 Little Tuez received his guests with great hos- 
 pitality ; and after dancing till they were tired, he 
 led them to the tables, to partake of the fine feast 
 which was prepared for them. But scarcely had 
 they approached, when they all uttered a frightful 
 
cry, and ran out of the barn, for they were burned 
 almost to the bone, with Barbaika's hot cinders. 
 Not to lose the feast, however, they returned with 
 buckets of water, and after extinguishing the fire, 
 they made an end of all the provisions. Then, 
 joining hands, they formed a ring around the farm- 
 house, singing : — 
 
 Barkaika the shrew, 
 
 The bad wife of Jegu, 
 
 By her wicked deceit 
 
 Burned our poor little feet, 
 
 So no more may we dwell 
 
 In the green fairy-dell ; 
 But we leave our black ban on the barn and the dairy, 
 And we leave Barbaika the curse of the fairy. 
 
 From that day, the fairies were never seen in 
 that part of the country, and Jegu, having lost his 
 best friend, found himself unable to manage his 
 farm. Tuez never appeared to him ; but often, 
 when he was in distress of mind, he fancied he 
 heard a scornful laugh, which sounded like that of 
 the water-sprite; and once when he went to the 
 
 127 
 
river, half determined to throw himself in, he saw 
 a great green frog among the rushes, who was 
 grinning with such manifest glee, that Jegu turned 
 back in a rage at the creature's insolence. The 
 poor farmer finally fell into great trouble, and died 
 broken-hearted ; while Barbaika, who had now 
 grown ugly from care and hard work, was glad to 
 make a living as a market-woman. 
 
 Fairies are scarcer now in all parts of the world, 
 but I have heard industrious persons say, that 
 every good workman has ten good fairies in his 
 employ, if he knows how to use his ten fingers. 
 
 123 
 
 ■^ r'-- ~ ^^^,^^-^~^t~=^^^^-^' r.^r-r-. — =s^^=^^z^^ it'" 1 ? tc^ 
 
AmgW=E5=?=ggsr-*=g£^ 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 'OWEVER amused the children 
 had been by the story of Jegu, 
 they were rather sorry that the 
 poor fellow should come to want 
 through the misconduct of the 
 proud and lazy Barbai'ka. They 
 were not disposed to waste much 
 time, however, in criticizing what 
 they had already heard, when they 
 had the opportunity of listening to a 
 new story. But Grandfather Waldorf,, 
 who was desirous that they should dis- 
 tinctly trace the fine moral which pervades the 
 Breton legends, had no intention of suffering them 
 to derive mere amusement, without imbibing the 
 instruction also. 
 
 129 
 
"It is not necessary," he would say, "that a 
 medicinal potion should be made unpalatable in 
 order to do good ; but we must not swallow the 
 sugared draught, and leave the physic among the 
 lees in the bottom of the cup. There is not one of 
 the fairy legends of Brittany, which does not con- 
 tain some simple practical truth beneath its gro- 
 tesque and often ludicrous circumstances. A peo- 
 ple so primitive in all their habits of life, so 
 credulous in their faith, and with so little educa- 
 tion diffused among them, must always remain 
 like children in some points of character. The 
 tales to which they listen, as they gather around 
 their winter fires, are only illustrated truths. 
 They are like pictures of their daily duties and 
 experience. Of the usefulness of such means of 
 imparting instruction, we dare not doubt; for, 
 with all due reverence, I would point to the exam- 
 ple of Him who ' spake as never man spake,' and 
 who did not disdain to teach his disciples by means 
 of parables. Sometimes we trace in these wild 
 tales of the Bretons, a fact in history, or at least a 
 
 130 
 
historical tradition, which has been handed down 
 from father to son, from so remote an age, that we 
 cannot refuse to believe it must have had its origin 
 in some actual event. Such, for instance, as the 
 destruction of the city of Is." 
 
 " Was there ever such a city, grandpapa ?" 
 asked Wilhelm. 
 
 " On the western coast of Brittany, bounded on 
 the north by the bay of Brest, and on the south by 
 the bay of Douarnenez, lies the peninsula of Cro- 
 zon, filled with Druidical remains, which at some 
 future time I may perhaps describe to you. The 
 bay of Douarnenez is said to occupy the site of the 
 city of Is, which was so magnificent, that the Bre- 
 tons generally believe Paris, the great capital of 
 France, to have received its name in honor of the 
 submerged city, and to be ' Par-IsJ or equal to Is. 
 Indeed, they have a proverb, which says : 
 
 ' Since the high towers of Is have been sunk in the sea, 
 Earth holds not its equal, except in Paris.' 
 
 The play upon the names of the two cities is quite 
 
 >4fc3^5E 
 
 =^=,5=^^= 
 
untranslatable ; and in order to make the rhyme, 
 the French pronunciation must be given to the last 
 word. There seems to be little doubt that a large 
 city once occupied a place somewhere in the neigh- 
 borhood of the spot where tradition places Is, or 
 rather Keris, as it was called, the word ' Kerf in 
 the Breton dialect, signifying city." 
 
 "But if such a city had ever existed, would 
 there not be some traces of it still found ?" asked 
 Edith. 
 
 " In the island of Tristan, in the bay of Douar- 
 nenez, are found large masses of stone, from three 
 to four feet thick, evidently the remains of build- 
 ings of great antiquity. These are not solid, but 
 composed of pieces of granite five or six inches 
 square, cemented together with a kind of mortar. 
 The neighborhood of the bay is filled with remains 
 of heavy masonry; and bricks, eighteen inches in 
 length, by fifteen in width, have been found there 
 at the depth of six feet under ground. Indeed, I 
 remember hearing that at a distance of twenty feet 
 from the water line, and lying under some fifteen 
 
 132 
 
 -rgs^b? 
 
feet of earth, a fine tessellated or inlaid pavement 
 had been discovered. These remains seem to prove 
 the existence of an old city, which was probably a 
 Roman colony. If you will take the trouble to re- 
 fer to any large map of France, you will see the 
 exact position which ' Kens' is supposed to have 
 occupied, now covered by the waters of the bay I 
 have already named. The imagination of the 
 story-teller has, from age to age, embellished the 
 tradition of its destruction, until it has now become 
 a wild and fanciful legend, which I will repeat to 
 you, with all its details, as I once heard it related 
 in a Breton cottage, within sound of the moaning 
 waters of the bay, and almost within reach of the 
 spray thrown up by the driving tempest." 
 
 The children settled themselves in an attitude 
 of attention, and the old man began the legend. 
 
 133 
 
I 
 
 ] 
 
 msas 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE PRINCESS OF THE GOLDEN KEYS 
 
 EARS upon years ago, there 
 dwelt in CornouaiUe a power- 
 ful king, named Grallon. He 
 was one of the very best of 
 monarchs, and his court was 
 crowded with men of renown 
 from all parts of the world, who 
 were equally weU received by him, 
 whether they were rich or poor. He 
 was rich, and mighty, and would 
 have been one of the happiest sovereigns 
 upon earth, if he had not been rendered 
 miserable by the misconduct of his only 
 daughter Dayuta, who, in order to escape from his 
 
 134 
 
counsels, had taken up her abode in Keris, some 
 leagues from Quimper, where the king held his 
 court. 
 
 One day, when King Grallon was hunting, with 
 his attendants, in the forest which stretches along 
 the base of Menehour, he lost his way, and wan- 
 dered on until he arrived at the hermitage of a holy 
 anchorite, named Corentin. Grallon had heard of 
 this good man, who was said to be skilled in all 
 kinds of wisdom, and to be also a great magician, 
 though his piety kept him from using his knowl- 
 edge, except for the benefit of mankind. The king 
 was not sorry, therefore, to have discovered his 
 abode ; but the attendants, who were half dead 
 with hunger, looked disdainfully round, and mut- 
 tered something about the difficulty of making a 
 supper out of prayers and learned books. 
 
 Corentin, who could read their thoughts, asked 
 the king if he would condescend to accept of a re- 
 past in so poor a place ; and Grallon replied that he 
 would gladly do so, as he had tasted nothing since 
 the early cock-crowing. The holy man then called 
 
 135 
 
the cupbearer and the cook, to assist in preparing 
 the king's supper. He led them to a spring of 
 clear water, which flowed from a rock beside his 
 hermitage, and after rilling the king's golden cup 
 with water,' he cut a small piece out of a little 
 fish which was swimming in the brook, and told the 
 two attendants to set out a table for the king and 
 his suite. But the cook and the cupbearer burst 
 into a loud laugh, and asked him if he did not 
 know the difference between courtiers and beggars, 
 when he thus ventured to offer them scraps of fish 
 and frog-wine. Corentin quietly repeated his or- 
 ders, and the king compelled them to obey. 
 
 Accordingly, the cook prepared the morsel of 
 fish ; but when he came to take it out of the pan, 
 he found it changed into dozens and dozens of the 
 most delicious little fish, all nicely fried in melted 
 butter ; while the cupbearer, finding the king's 
 golden goblet began to overflow, called for pitchers 
 and bowls, into which he poured the frog-wine, 
 now transformed into a drink sweeter than honey, 
 and stronger than fire. The whole party made an 
 
 136 
 
excellent supper, and Grallon, being informed of 
 the magical repast he had shared, went to the 
 spring, where, to his further astonishment, he per- 
 ceived the little fish swimming about, as lively, 
 and as entire as if Corentin had not just before cut 
 off half his body. 
 
 The king, charmed with the skill of the wise 
 Corentin, insisted on taking him to his capital, 
 arid offered to make him governor of the city, if he 
 would leave his retreat in the forest. The good 
 man at last consented to follow the king, who took 
 the holy man to Quimpsr, and made him governor 
 of the city, as he had promised ; while, in order 
 not to interfere with Corentin's orders, Grallon 
 went to reside at Keris, where his daughter still 
 dwelt. 
 
 Keris was the most magnificent city in the 
 world ; but it was built on a table of land, which, 
 instead of lying above the level of the sea, was far 
 lower, and was only preserved from an overflow of 
 its waters, by dikes and sluices, the gates of which 
 were opened at certain times, to admit the ebb and 
 
flow of the tides. These gates were wrought of 
 solid iron, covered with thick silver plates ; and the 
 keys by which they were opened and closed, were 
 of gold, set with rich jewels. The Princess Day- 
 uta, the daughter of Grallon, wore these keys sus- 
 pended from her neck by a diamond chain, and she 
 was, therefore, known as the Princess with the 
 golden keys. As she was a powerful enchantress, 
 she had embellished the city with all kinds of won- 
 derful works. All the Korigans of the country 
 had been collected by her orders, to construct the 
 dikes, and forge the gates. They had also covered 
 the palace with a metal resembling gold, and sur- 
 rounded its superb gardens with a balustrade of 
 polished steel. They had built great stables for 
 Dayuta, and paved them with red, white, and 
 black marble, to suit the color of the horses ; and 
 they kept guard over the harbor, where were im- 
 prisoned the sea-dragons, whom Dayuta had tamed. 
 These monstrous animals were used as horses by 
 the inhabitants of Keris, who would mount upon 
 their backs, and ride over the most tempestuous 
 
waves, in search of shipwrecked treasures, which 
 were so plentiful that the people became enor- 
 mously rich ; so much so, that they are said to 
 have measured their grain in silver bushels. 
 
 But riches had made them cruel and wicked. 
 They chased all beggars out of the country, as if 
 they had been wild beasts, and their piety was no 
 greater than their charity ; for there was but one 
 church in the place, and that was so utterly dilap- 
 idated, that the key was lost ; nettles grew upon 
 the threshold, and swallows made their nests in the 
 joints of the door-posts. The people spent all their 
 time, day and night, in taverns, drinking, dancing, 
 and singing, as if they were determined to know 
 nothing but wickedness. 
 
 Dayuta set them an example of every thing that 
 was evil. There was a perpetual feast in her 
 palace, and every day strangers arrived from all 
 quarters of the globe, to enjoy the pleasures of her 
 luxurious court. If she happened to take a par- 
 ticular fancy for any of her visitors, she gave them 
 a magic mask which rendered them invisible, and 
 
 139 
 
enabled her to transport them to a lofty tower, 
 built in the midst of the Island of Vain Delights. 
 Here she would detain them in a luxurious prison, 
 until she was tired of their company ; when she 
 would again lend them the magic mask, as if to 
 facilitate their departure ; but upon this occasion, 
 the mask would contract itself, and strangle the 
 wearer. A gigantic black man would then dispose 
 of the bodies, by casting them from a precipice 
 into the sea. 
 
 Corentin, the good Governor of Quimper, who 
 knew all these things, had several times warned 
 Grallon that some frightful calamity would befall 
 his wicked people ; but the king had lost much of 
 his power, since he had grown old, and lived al- 
 most alone in one of the wings of his palace, while 
 Dayuta ruled the country at her own pleasure. 
 
 One night, when she was holding a great ban- 
 quet, a powerful prince was announced, who had 
 come from the world's end to see her. He was a 
 man of lofty stature, clad in crimson velvet, and 
 with so thick a beard, that nothing of his face 
 
 140 
 
could be seen excepting his eyes, which glittered 
 like stars on a frosty night. He addressed the 
 princess in verses so well turned and elegant, that 
 no poet in Brittany could equal them ; and he con- 
 versed with a spirit and eloquence which amazed 
 all who listened to him. 
 
 But what particularly struck Dayuta and her 
 friends, was the skill and adroitness which the 
 stranger showed in inventing new methods of com- 
 mitting sin. He seemed to be acquainted with all 
 the wickedness in the world ; and nothing made 
 him happier than to find an opportunity for im- 
 parting his knowledge. On one occasion, Prince 
 Barbu, or the Prince with the beard, as he was 
 called, proposed a new kind of dance, which he un- 
 dertook to teach the courtiers ; and for this pur- 
 pose, he brought into the hall a musician, who 
 was one of his own suite of attendants. He was 
 an ugly little dwarf, dressed in the skin of a black 
 goat, and carried his immense bagpipes under his 
 arm. But scarcely had he sounded a note, when 
 Dayuta and all her people were seized with a sort 
 
 141 
 
of frenzy, and began to spin round like waves of 
 the sea in a whirlwind. Prince Barbu took advan- 
 tage of this to rob the princess of her golden keys, 
 with which he escaped before she was aware of her 
 loss. 
 
 During all this time King Grallon was alone in 
 his distant palace, sitting by the ashes of a half 
 extinguished fire, in a dark and melancholy room. 
 He was overcome with sadness for the evil condi- 
 tion of his people, when suddenly the door opened, 
 and Corentin entered. 
 
 " Rise, King Grallon," exclaimed he ; " the hour 
 is come, and Keris must be blotted out from the 
 earth. Take your most precious treasures, and fly 
 swiftly away." 
 
 Grallon, terrified at these tidings, called an 
 old servant, and having collected some treasures, 
 mounted his black horse, and followed the holy 
 man, who floated on before him, like a feather in 
 the air. Just as he was passing the dike, he 
 heard a great roaring of the waves, and beheld 
 Prince Barbu, busily employed in opening all the 
 
sluices, with the golden keys which he had stolen 
 from the princess. The sea immediately poured 
 down upon the city in great torrents, and the 
 waves lifted their white tops almost to the roofs of 
 the houses, while the sea-dragons, who could not 
 break their chains, uttered the most frightful cries. 
 Grallon wished to give the people some notice of 
 the terrible calamity, but Corentin forbade him ; 
 and he galloped on along the sea-shore. His horse 
 carried him over streets, and squares, and by-roads, 
 pursued by the waves, and with his hind feet al- 
 ways in the water. He was passing the palace of 
 Dayuta, when suddenly she rushed out of the gate, 
 with her hair all dishevelled, and in great terror, 
 sprang upon the horse, behind her father. But the 
 horse reared, stumbled, and slipped so, that the 
 king found the water reaching above his knees. 
 He called to Corentin for help, but the old man re- 
 plied : 
 
 " Fling off the sin which you carry at your 
 back." 
 
 Grallon hesitated to give his only daughter 
 
 143 
 
a prey to the waters ; but Corentin struck her 
 with his staff, and she fell into the midst of the 
 waves. The horse now sprang forward, and 
 reached the rock of Garric, where the marks of his 
 iron hoofs may be seen at this day. 
 
 The king returned to Keris on the same evening, 
 to see if any thing had been rescued from destruc- 
 tion ; but to his astonishment, not a trace remained 
 of the stately Queen of the Waters. Where but 
 yesterday palaces and towers had reared their lofty 
 heads, now extended a waste of waters, reflecting 
 only the quiet stars ; while far off, on the edge 
 of the horizon, the crimson garments of Prince 
 Barbu floated on the breeze, as, standing on the 
 broken fragments of the dike, he held up the 
 golden keys, with a gesture of derision and con- 
 tempt. 
 
 Since that time, many forests of oak trees have 
 sprung up, and withered away ; but the story of 
 Keris has never been forgotten. On a calm even- 
 ing, when the setting sun shines aslant upon the 
 waters, the ruins of temples and palaces, may 
 
 144 
 

 
sometimes be seen, lying far down in the depths of 
 the sea, where line or plummet have never de- 
 scended. 
 
I 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 HE hour of sunset was always 
 welcomed with joy by the young 
 Waldorfs, for grandpapa was sure 
 then to lay aside his books, push 
 away his inkstand, and taking 
 off his spectacles, walk out on 
 the piazza, where the happy children 
 were equally certain to be waiting for 
 him. On the present evening, there 
 had been a heavy thunder-storm, and the 
 sun burst through the clouds just as he 
 reached the verge of the horizon. The 
 scene was one of exceeding beauty. Every leaf, 
 every blade of grass, glittered with a rain-drop, 
 which the sunbeam had converted into a sparkling 
 emerald. The lawn seemed ^aved with jewels, and 
 
 146 
 
the trees appeared laden with fruit from Aladin's 
 enchanted garden ; while the richly-tinted clouds 
 of purple and gold hung over all, like the draperies 
 of some regal canopy. The wonderful magnifi- 
 cence of the evening seemed to fill the imaginations 
 of all those who beheld it ; and it was not until 
 the glorious hues of sunset had faded into the gray 
 of twilight, that the children seated themselves to 
 hear another of the Breton legends. 
 

 ■1 
 
 IP IB IB ©HEME, MH MM ©IP 
 
 THE GOLDEN BASIN AND THE DIAMOND LANCE. 
 
 /•i POOR idiot, whose name was 
 Peronnik, who had neither fa- 
 ther nor mother, brother nor 
 sister, but owed every thing to 
 the charity of strangers, once 
 lived in Brittany. He wandered 
 about as he pleased. If he was 
 thirsty, he drank at the brook ; if he 
 was hungry, he begged some crusts 
 from the farmer's wife ; if he was 
 sleepy, he found a bundle of straw, an'd 
 crept into it, like a lizard. As for 
 clothes, he was not so badly off as many 
 of his tribe ; for his cloth breeches only wanted part 
 
 148 
 
 =^Er^p 
 
 5^r3»3 
 
of a leg ; his jacket had one whole sleeve, though 
 the other was missing ; and his hat had lost nothing 
 but the crown. As to his occupation, poor Peron- 
 nik had never learned a trade, but he was not 
 without some skill in his own way. He could eat 
 as much, and sleep as long as any one in the par- 
 ish, besides being able to imitate the song of the 
 lark so perfectly, as almost to deceive the birds 
 themselves. 
 
 One day Peronnik came to a farm-house which 
 stood on the borders of the forest of Paimpont, and 
 as the dinner hour had been striking for some time, 
 in his stomach, he went to the door to ask for some 
 food. The farmer's wife was, at that moment, 
 kneeling on the door-sill, cleaning out her saucepan 
 with a piece of flint ; but when she heard the 
 voice of the idiot, she stopped, and offered him the 
 pot ; at the same time telling him, that if the 
 pigs had thrived, she would have been able to 
 have given him something better than scrapings. 
 Peronnik sat down on the ground, and taking the 
 saucepan between his knees, began to dig and 
 
scrape with his nails, but could only find a mere 
 taste, for all the spoons in the house had already 
 been into it. Notwithstanding this he licked his 
 fingers, and gave a grunt of satisfaction, as if he 
 had never eaten any thing half so good. 
 
 "It is made of millet-flour," he said, in a low 
 voice ; "of the best of millet-flour, moistened with 
 the milk of a black cow, and boiled by the best 
 cook in the country." 
 
 The farmer's wife, who listened to him from be- 
 hind the door, was quite flattered. " Poor inno- 
 cent," said she, " there is very little left for you ; 
 but I will find a piece of rye bread to satisfy your 
 hunger." 
 
 She then brought him the first cut of a loaf, just 
 taken from the oven, which he pounced upon, as a 
 wolf would sei2e a lamb, crying that nobody but 
 the king's baker could make such delicious bread. 
 The woman, who began to be puffed up with his 
 praises, told him it would taste like quite another 
 thing, if he should eat it with some fresh-churned 
 butter ; and immediately brought him a little dish 
 
 150 
 
of fresh butter, which Peronnik liked so well, that 
 he spread it all upon his slice of bread, declaring 
 that it was as sweet as a June honeysuckle. This 
 piece of flattery obtained for him a piece of bacon, 
 the remains of a Sunday dinner ; and Peronnik, 
 who devoured every thing set before him, declared, 
 with truth, that it was a very long time since he 
 had made such a grand feast. 
 
 While he was yet licking his lips, in the door- 
 way, an armed cavalier rode up to the gate, and 
 addressing the farmer's wife, inquired the road to 
 the Castle of Kerglas. 
 
 " My noble lord, I hope you are not going -that 
 way," said the woman. 
 
 " Yes," answered the knight ; " I have come 
 from a country so far off, that I have travelled 
 three months, night and day, to reach the Castle of 
 Kerglas. 
 
 " What do you expect to do there ?" asked the 
 good peasant. 
 
 " I am seeking for the basin of gold, and the 
 diamond lance." 
 
 151 
 
" Are they such wonderful affairs ?" asked Pe- 
 ronnik. 
 
 " They are worth more than all the crowns in 
 the world," replied the stranger; "for not only 
 will the golden basin produce, in a moment, all 
 the food and money one may want ; but if a 
 wounded man drinks out of it, he will be instantly 
 cured ; and if it is put to the lips of a soldier 
 newly killed, he will wake up in perfect health. 
 As for the diamond lance, it kills and destroys 
 every thing it touches." 
 
 " Who owns the golden basin, and the diamond 
 lance ?" asked the idiot. 
 
 " They belong to a magician, named Rogear, 
 who lives in the Castle of Kerglas," answered the 
 woman. " He may be seen every day, riding along 
 the edge of the forest, mounted on a black mare, 
 which is always followed by a young foal ; but no 
 one would venture to attack him, because he car- 
 ries in his hand the diamond lance." 
 
 " He is under a spell, and cannot make use of 
 his lance in his own castle," said the stranger ; 
 
" when he arrives there, the golden basin and the 
 diamond lance age placed in a deep vault, which 
 no key can open ; and, therefore, I mean to attack 
 him in Kerglas." 
 
 " Alas ! my good sir, you will not succeed," said 
 the woman. " More than an hundred gentlemen 
 have tried the adventure before you, and not one 
 has ever returned." 
 
 " I know all about that, my good woman," re- 
 plied the knight ; " but they, had not received such 
 instructions as I have done, from the hermit of 
 Blavet." 
 
 " What did the hermit of Blavet tell you ?" 
 asked Peronnik. 
 
 " He informed me of every thing I should have 
 to encounter. First, I must traverse the Forest of 
 Enchantments, where every thing will be done to 
 bewilder me. The most of those who have pre- 
 ceded me, have perished there from cold, hunger, 
 and fatigue." 
 
 "Well, when you pass that forest, what then?" 
 
 " When I pass that, I shall encounter a korigan, 
 
 153 
 
armed with a fiery sword, which burns to ashes 
 every thing it touches. This fellow keeps guard 
 over an apple-tree, from which I must pluck an 
 apple." 
 
 " What then ?" 
 
 " Then I must gather the laughing flower, 
 which is protected by a lion, whose mane is formed 
 of living vipers. After this, I must cross the Lake 
 of Dragons. I shall then meet with a blacka- 
 moor, armed with an iron ball, which always 
 reaches its aim, and then returns to its master. 
 When I pass him, I shall enter the Valley of False 
 Delights, where are all manner of temptations ; 
 and I shall then reach a river which has but one 
 ford. There I shall find a woman clad in black 
 garments, whom I shall take up behind me, and 
 she will direct me what to do." 
 
 The farmer's wife tried to persuade the stranger 
 that he could not endure all these hardships ; but 
 he told her it was not a woman's affair ; and after 
 receiving directions about the road through the 
 forest, urged his horse into a gallop, and soon dis- 
 
 154 
 
appeared among the trees. The woman heaved a 
 deep sigh, and declared he was no better than a 
 dead man, already ; then giving Peronnik some 
 crusts, she bade him go on his way. He was 
 about to obey her, when the farmer came home, 
 and seeing Peronnik, thought he could make some 
 use of him ; so, he asked him whether he would 
 like to stay there and watch the cattle. Peronnik 
 would have preferred staying and taking care only 
 of himself ; for he had an especial talent for doing 
 nothing ; but he had yet upon his lips the taste of 
 the bacon, the fresh butter, the rye bread, and the 
 millet-broth ; so he yielded to temptation, and ac- 
 cepted the farmer's proposal. The farmer immedi- 
 ately led him to the edge of the forest ; counted 
 aloud the number of his cows, not forgetting the 
 young heifers ; cut for him a switch of hazel wood, 
 and told him to remain there till sundown. 
 
 Peronnik was now fairly installed as cow-keeper, 
 and had enough to do to keep them in order ; so 
 that, long before night, he was tired to death 
 with running from the black cow to the red one, 
 
and from the red cow to the white one. "While he 
 was scudding about after the stray cattle, he heard 
 the tramp of a horse, and perceived in one of the 
 avenues of the forest, the giant, Rogear, mounted 
 on his black mare, and followed by the young colt. 
 He had the golden basin hanging from his neck, 
 and in his hand was the diamond lance, which 
 shone like a flame of fire. Peronnik was so 
 alarmed, that he hid himself behind the bushes ; 
 but the giant passed on, and did not notice him. 
 "When he had disappeared, the idiot came out from 
 his hiding-place, and looked on all sides to discover 
 the road the giant had taken, but it had already 
 become invisible. 
 
 Day after day there came armed knights seeking 
 the Castle of Kerglas, but none were ever seen 
 returning. In the mean time, the giant rode out 
 every evening; and Perronnik, who had now be- 
 come accustomed to the sight of him, no longer 
 hid himself, but gazed with envious eyes upon the 
 golden basin and the diamond lance, which he was 
 now determined to possess. 
 
 654?=^=^ 
 
One evening, as Peronnik was gathering the 
 cows to drive them home, he saw on the edge of 
 the wood an old gray -bearded man. The idiot, sup- 
 posing him to be another stranger, in quest of ad- 
 ventures, asked him if he was looking for the road 
 to Kerglas. 
 
 " Why should I be looking for what I have 
 found long ago ?" answered the old man. 
 
 " You have been to Kerglas, and yet come back 
 alive !" exclaimed Peronnik. 
 
 " I have nothing to fear," replied the stranger 
 with the white beard. " I am the enchanter 
 Bryak, the eldest brother of Rogear. When I wish 
 to see him, I come here ; and as, notwithstanding 
 my power, I cannot cross the Forest of Enchant- 
 ments without losing my way, I call the foal to 
 conduct me." 
 
 With these words, the magician traced three 
 circles in the dust with his ringer, repeating to 
 himself a secret spell, and then he called out aloud : 
 
 " Foal of the forest, from bridle-bit free, 
 Foal of the forest, I'm waiting for thee." 
 
 157 
 
In an instant the colt appeared, and Bryak, slip- 
 ping a halter over his head, mounted upon his back 
 and entered the forest. 
 
 Peronnik said nothing to any one about this ad- 
 venture ; but he understood plainly enough, that in 
 order to reach the Castle of Kerglas, he must mount 
 the black mare's foal. Unfortunately, he could 
 neither trace the magical circles, nor repeat the 
 spell; and though he remembered every word of 
 the old man's call, and went about saying to him- 
 self: 
 
 " Foal of the forest, from bridle-bit free, 
 Foal of the forest, I'm waiting for thee," 
 
 yet the animal paid no attention to his couplet ; so 
 he thought he would try to find another means of 
 catching the colt. He thought over all he had 
 heard and seen, and finally determined to try the 
 effect of cunning and trickery against the powerful 
 giant. He therefore made all his arrangements, in 
 order to be ready when the giant should appear in 
 the forest. He took with him a hempen halter, a 
 
 158 
 
 BqMSfiSBSaS a 
 
snare, used in catching woodcocks, a leather bag, 
 full of birdlime and lark's feathers, a handful of 
 beads, an elder-wood pipe, and a morsel of dry 
 bread smeared over with rancid lard. These being 
 ready, he broke into pieces the bread which he had 
 saved from his breakfast, and scattered it along the 
 road which the giant always travelled. 
 
 The giant, the black mare, and the foal, all ap- 
 peared at the usual hour, and went on their usual 
 way ; but the colt, who went with his head down, 
 sniffing the earth, smelt the bread, and began de- 
 vouring the scattered pieces, until the giant had 
 gone out of sight. Then Peronnik softly approached 
 him, and slipping a halter over his head, leaped on 
 his back, well knowing that the colt would take 
 the direct road to Kerglas. He was not mistaken 
 in this, for the colt instantly struck into a dark and 
 narrow pass, and dashed forward at the top of his 
 speed. 
 
 Peronnik trembled like a leaf, as soon as he en- 
 tered the Forest of Enchantments, and beheld all its 
 terrors. Sometimes a bottomless pit seemed to open 
 
before Ms horse's feet, as if to swallow him up ; 
 sometimes the trees would suddenly burst out into 
 flames ; sometimes, as he was passing a little 
 brook, it would swell into a mighty waterfall, and 
 threaten to overwhelm him ; and again, as the 
 road wound round the foot of a mountain, immense 
 rocks would totter above his head, ready to crush 
 him in a moment. The idiot knew that these were 
 but sorceries, but they froze the very marrow of 
 his bones with terror ; and, at last, pulling his hat 
 over his eyes, that he might see nothing more, he 
 suffered the colt to carry him onward, without 
 noticing whither he went. 
 
 At length they reached the extremity of the en- 
 chanted forest, and Peronnik, taking off his hat, 
 found himself in the midst of a sandy plain. As 
 far as the eye could reach, nothing was to be seen 
 but the skeletons of knights who had sought the 
 Castle of Kerglas. They were stretched out, each 
 one beside his horse, and the gray wolves had 
 picked their bones as clean as an elder-wood whis- 
 tle. The foal carried Peronnik swiftly past tins 
 
 160 
 
terrible sight, until he arrived at a meadow com- 
 pletely overshadowed by one large apple-tree, so 
 laden with fruit, that its branches hung down to 
 the ground. In front of the tree sat the korigan, 
 holding in his hand the flaming sword, which 
 turned to ashes every thing it touched. At the 
 sight of Peronnik, he screamed like a sea-gull, and 
 lifted his sword; but, without appearing in the 
 least alarmed, the young man politely took off his 
 hat, saying: 
 
 " Do not disturb yourself, my little prince ; I am 
 only going to Kerglas, where Lord Rogear is ex- 
 pecting me." 
 
 " Expecting you !" exclaimed the dwarf. " What 
 does he want with you ?" 
 
 " I am his new servant," replied the idiot ; "and 
 he is now waiting for me, as you know." 
 
 " I know nothing about it," cried the dwarf. " I 
 only know you look like a rogue." 
 
 " Pardon me," interrupted Peronnik ; " I have 
 no such trade. My business is that of a bird- 
 catcher. But Ibeg of you not to detain me any 
 
 161 
 
 
 11 
 
longer, for Rogear is impatient, and as you see, has 
 lent me his black mare's foal, to carry me to the 
 castle as swiftly as possible." 
 
 The korigan, seeing Peronnik mounted on the 
 colt, supposed his story must be true, especially as 
 he had such a frank and innocent air ; but in order 
 to satisfy himself more fully, he asked what use 
 Rogear was going to make of a bird-catcher. 
 
 " He has great need of one just now," answered 
 the youth ; " for, according to his account, all the 
 grain and fruit in Kerglas is eaten up by the 
 birds." 
 
 " How can you catch them ?" asked the dwarf. 
 
 Peronnik showed him the snare which he had 
 made, and said no bud could escape from it. 
 
 " I would like to see it tried," said the korigan ; 
 " for my apple-tree is ravaged by blackbirds and 
 sparrows. If you can catch a few of them in your 
 snare, I will let you pass." 
 
 Peronnik tied his colt, and, approaching the 
 apple-tree, fixed one end of the snare to the ground, 
 and called to the korigan to hold the other end, 
 
 162 
 
 g^ pwg^ a raig a eg g w g^paes 
 
 ^^j-*— >< — s= 
 
while lie prepared the pegs. The dwarf obeyed; 
 but no sooner did he put his hand in the noose, 
 than Peronnik pulled the slip-knot, and the korigan 
 found himself trapped like a bird. He uttered a 
 cry of rage, and struggled hard to free himself from 
 the snare ; but he could not stir, while Peronnik, 
 snatching an apple from the tree, mounted the foal, 
 and was out of sight in a moment. 
 
 He soon found himself near a garden filled with 
 the most beautiful and rare plants. There were 
 roses of all colors, scarlet honeysuckles, and fra- 
 grant lilies ; but conspicuous among them, was a 
 snow-white flower, which continually uttered a 
 most melodious and ringing laugh. Directly in 
 the path which led to the garden, stood a lion, 
 whose mane was composed of living snakes, and 
 who roared and gnashed his teeth, as soon as he 
 spied the traveller. Peronnik stopped, and saluted 
 him with a low bow ; for he knew that, when deal- 
 ing with great people, a hat is of more use in the 
 hand than on the head. He then asked after the 
 lion's health, as well as that of his family; and 
 
 163 
 
 — — ^T-'W ^ _ l ^ - . -^ — *wJ 
 

 
 finished, by requesting his highness to show him the 
 most direct road to Kerglas. 
 
 " What are you going to do at Kerglas ?" roared 
 the ferocious beast. 
 
 " A great lady, the friend of my Lord Rogear, 
 has sent me to him with a bag full of larks, to 
 make a pie. 
 
 " A bag full of larks !" exclaimed the lion, lick- 
 ing his moustache. "It is an age since I have 
 tasted one. Have you got many ?" 
 
 "My bag is full, my lord," replied Peronnik, 
 showing the leather bag, which he had filled with 
 birdlime and feathers, while he imitated with his 
 voice the warbling of larks. 
 
 The lion could not resist this. " Let me see your 
 birds," said he ; " they may not be fat enough for 
 my master." 
 
 " I am afraid they will fly out if I open the bag," 
 said Peronnik. 
 
 "Open it a little way, so that I can get my 
 head in." 
 
 This was just what Peronnik desired. He held 
 
 164 
 
< 
 
 open the leather bag, into which the lion thrust his 
 head, and in a moment he was caught among the 
 birdlime and the feathers. The idiot pulled the 
 string, leaving the bag fastened round the lion's 
 throat, and his head buried within it ; then pluck- 
 ing the laughing flower, he mounted the foal, and 
 was off like a dart. 
 
 He soon came to the Lake of Dragons ; and he 
 had no sooner entered it, than the frightful animals 
 came from all sides to devour him. Peronnik 
 threw out some beads, which the dragons mistook 
 for grains of corn, and greedily devoured ; but the 
 moment they had swallowed one, they turned over 
 on their backs, and floated off quite dead. 
 
 The valley guarded by the blackamoor with the 
 iron ball, now remained to be crossed. Peronnik 
 saw him at a distance, chained to a rock at the 
 entrance of the valley, and holding in his hand his 
 terrible weapon, which always reached its aim, and 
 then returned of itself. He had six eyes around 
 his head, two of which usually slept, while the 
 others watched ; but when the idiot saw him, the 
 
 165 
 
 1 
 
whole six were wide open. Peronnik, fearing the 
 iron ball, crept along under the bushes, until he 
 arrived within a few steps of the blackamoor, who 
 stretched himself, and seemed to be growing sleepy. 
 Peronnik, hiding behind the trees, began to sing 
 like a lark, and at last fairly sung the old fellow 
 sound asleep. Then taking his horse by the bridle, 
 and making him tread on the soft turf, he passed 
 the guardian of the valley, and entered the Garden 
 of False Delights. 
 
 This garden was the most dangerous place he 
 had yet traversed. It was full of fruits, and 
 flowers, and fountains ; but the fountains flowed 
 with wine and delicious cordials, the flowers sung 
 like nightingales, and the fruit dropped into the 
 hands of the traveller. As he entered one of the 
 winding walks, he saw great tables covered with 
 dainties fit for a king, while he smelt the rich 
 odors of pies and cakes which the servants were 
 taking out of the ovens. A little farther on, he 
 saw groups of young girls dancing, who called him 
 by name, and invited him to join them. By de- 
 
SES-^ta^aagiAgs; 
 
 grees, Peronnik found himself slackening the pace 
 of the foal, and going along with his nose in the 
 air, scenting the rich cookery. He was upon the 
 point of stopping, when he suddenly remembered 
 the golden basin, and the diamond lance. He 
 immediately began to play on his elder- wood flute, 
 that he might not hear the sweet voices around 
 him ; to eat his crust of bread, smeared with 
 rancid butter, that he might not smell the rich 
 dishes ; and to look only at the ears of his horse, 
 that he might not see the dancers. By these 
 means he was enabled to pass through the garden 
 in safety, and came within sight of the Castle of 
 Kerglas, from which he was now only divided by 
 the river that had but one for ding-place. This, 
 fortunately, was well known to the black mare's 
 foal, and Peronnik crossed in safety. 
 
 When he reached the opposite side, he beheld a 
 lady seated on a rock. She had a face as yellow 
 as a Moor's, and was clad from head to foot in 
 black satin. Peronnik took off his hat, and asked 
 her if she wished to visit the Castle of Kerglas. 
 
 167 
 
" I am waiting for you," answered the lady. 
 " Come and take me up behind you." 
 
 Peronnik took the lady behind him, and went on 
 his way. They had not gone far, when she said : 
 
 " Do you know who I am, my good youth ? 
 
 " From your rich dress, madam, I take you to 
 be some noble and powerful lady." 
 
 " I am noble enough," replied the lady, "for I 
 can trace my origin back to the earliest days of 
 the world : I am powerful too, for all the kings of 
 the earth fear me." 
 
 " What then is your name, great princess ?" 
 asked Peronnik. 
 
 " I am called the Plague," answered the yellow 
 lady. 
 
 Peronnik started, and was about to spring from 
 his horse, but the lady held him back, and said : 
 
 " You have nothing to fear from me ; — I am 
 come to do you a service." 
 
 " I am much obliged to you, madam ; but you 
 can do me no greater service than to rid me of the 
 magician Rogear." 
 
 J 
 

 
" That I will do with pleasure," answered she. 
 " Give him the apple you plucked, and if he tastes 
 it, I have only to touch him, and he will die." 
 
 " But how am I to obtain the " golden basin, 
 and the diamond lance ?" asked Peronnik. 
 
 " The laughing flower opens all doors, and 
 gives light in all dark places. It will lead you to 
 the vault where these treasures are concealed, and 
 will unclose the doors which no key can unlock." 
 
 At that moment they reached the castle gate, 
 over the entrance to which was stretched a great 
 canopy, where the giant, sheltered from the sun, 
 sat smoking a golden pipe. As soon as he per- 
 ceived Peronnik, and the lady clad in black satin, 
 he exclaimed : 
 
 " By the powers of the air ! the idiot is riding 
 my black mare's foal !" 
 
 " It is the very same, oh greatest of magicians !" 
 answered Peronnik. 
 
 " How did you get him ?" 
 
 " I followed the directions of your brother Bryak, 
 and when I reached the edge of the forest, I said : 
 
 169 
 
' FoaJ of the Forest, from bridle-bit free, 
 Foal of the Forest, I'm waiting for thee.' " 
 
 " Then you know my brother ?" 
 
 " As well as a man can know his master." 
 
 " Why did he send you here ?" 
 
 " To present you with two rare gifts, which he 
 has just received from the country of the Moors. 
 This apple has the power of making you always 
 happy, if you but taste it ; and this lady, if 
 allowed to enter your service, can fulfil all your 
 wishes in an instant." 
 
 " Then give me the apple, and set down your 
 Morisco woman," answered Rogear. 
 
 The idiot obeyed ; but as soon as the giant had 
 eaten a morsel of the apple, the yellow lady 
 touched him with her finger, and he fell to the 
 earth like a stricken ox. Peronnik entered the 
 castle, holding in his hand the laughing flower. 
 He traversed fifty rooms, and at length reached a 
 vault closed with a silver door. This immediately 
 opened at the presence of the laughing flower, 
 and Peronnik found himself master of the golden 
 
 170 
 
basin and the diamond lance. But scarcely had 
 he seized them, than the earth began to tremble 
 beneath his feet, a terrible clap of thunder was 
 heard, the palace disappeared, and Peronnik found 
 himself on the borders of the forest, with his two 
 talismans in his hand. He stopped at the nearest 
 city to buy a rich dress, and then hurried on to 
 offer his services to the King of Brittany. 
 
 On arriving at Nantes, he found the city be- 
 sieged by the French, who had so completely rav- 
 aged the country, that they had not left forage 
 enough for a goat. Famine was raging in the 
 city, and the soldiers who did not die of their 
 wounds, perished for want of food. Therefore, on 
 the very day of Peronnik's arrival, the king had 
 proclaimed, by the sound of trumpet, that whoever 
 should relieve the city, and drive away the French, 
 should be adopted as his heir. Hearing this, the 
 idiot said to the herald : 
 
 " Don't give yourself any more trouble ; I will 
 do all you require." 
 
 " You !" exclaimed the herald, looking at the 
 
 171 
 
 : ? 
 
idiot, who was very young, and very small. " Go 
 your way, little wren; the king has no time to 
 catch birds on the ohimney-tops." 
 
 Peronnik touched the soldier with his diamond 
 lance, and he fell dead at his feet, to the great 
 alarm of the beholders. 
 
 " Now, you see what I can do to my ene- 
 mies ; and I will show you how I can serve my 
 friends." 
 
 So saying, he put the golden basin to the lips of 
 the dead soldier, who instantly started up, and be- 
 gan to blow his trumpet. 
 
 The king, being informed of these wonderful 
 events, gave Peronnik the command of his whole 
 army. In less than six days, he had killed all the 
 French with his diamond lance, and furnished all 
 the Bretons with food, besides healing all their 
 wounds by means of his golden basin. After sub- 
 jecting all the neighboring countries to his power, 
 he married a beautiful princess, and lived long and 
 happily in his own dominions. But after his 
 death, the magician Bryak, brother to Rogear, 
 
 172 
 
found means to gain possession of the golden basin 
 and the diamond lance, and they are not likely to 
 be discovered again, until they are sought for by 
 as wise a fool as Peronnik the Idiot. 
 
 173 
 
 =«=»g^sga -— "A-fg aa^jMg^i . gg aBSgag lBSBS'BSgSwg aB'^ 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 AN you not find it in your heart 
 to wish our children less fond 
 of legendary tales?" asked the 
 younger Mrs. Waldorf, smilingly, 
 as she saw grandfather lay aside 
 a volume in which he was deeply 
 interested, and rise from his seat at 
 the summons of little Bertha. 
 
 "No, my daughter," answered the 
 kind old man ; " children are apt to think 
 there are so few links between youth and 
 age, that I am always glad when they 
 find more than they looked for." 
 
 " But you suffer them to interrupt you in your 
 favorite studies." 
 
 " I do not feel it an interruption. I am like a 
 
 174 
 
traveller who, having arrived within sight of the 
 city of his rest, seats himself on a green bank, 
 awaiting the opening of the gates. If the little 
 children gather round him, in curiosity or in kind- 
 ness, he will not rebuke them, but rather while 
 away with them the hours that must pass between 
 the eventide and the glad sun-rising. You under- 
 stand my metaphor, daughter ; my work on earth 
 is nearly done. Milton says : 
 
 1 They also serve, who only stand and wait.' 
 
 May I not believe, therefore, that having served 
 God in my youth, with all the active powers of 
 my mind, I am also humbly serving him now, 
 while I seem to be only awaiting his pleasure, to 
 call me home ? The love with which I have in- 
 spired the young hearts of that dear group, who 
 are now gathering round my old chair in the porch, 
 is a "comfort to me, and will, I trust, be a blessing 
 to them. "With regard to my legends, I can only 
 say, that as the downy filament which encircles 
 certain seeds, enables them to fly on the wings of 
 
 175 
 
 : ^=>^=i^^= 
 
-. — a — ^ asg^-nj^ 
 
 the wind, to their congenial soils ; so the gossamer 
 fancies in which our legends envelope moral truths, 
 may carry them farther, and plant them in their 
 proper soil, when all efforts of the graver moralist 
 would fail. 
 
 " But the children are impatient, and we will join 
 them. Do not give me too much credit for my 
 good-nature, however ; for I have been reading an 
 essay on the analogies that exist between the pop- 
 ular fictions of all nations, and it has recalled to 
 my memory the only Breton legend with which I 
 am acquainted, that closely resembles a popular 
 Irish fairy tale. I am going to tell it this evening, 
 in order to test the similarity, and see if Master 
 Frank, who is my greatest critic, will recognize or 
 remember it." 
 
 With these words, grandfather left the room ; 
 and the shouts of the children, as he took possession 
 of " Fairy-Hollow," were quickly silenced by their 
 attention to the story. 
 
vmi mmm m wMm»mwm 
 
 OR , 
 
 THE HUNCHBACK. 
 
 RITTANY formerly contained a 
 race of dwarfs, called korigans, 
 who were divided into four classes. 
 Those who inhabited the woods, 
 were named " kornikaneds," or 
 " hornblowers," because they 
 played on tiny bugles which they 
 carried at their girdles. The second 
 °| class, who dwelt in the meadows, 
 were called " korils," because they spent 
 the night in dancing by the light of the 
 moon. A third class, inhabiting the deep 
 valleys, were entitled " poul-pikans," or "people 
 
 177 
 
 12 
 
who live in the lowlands." The " teus" composed 
 the fourth class, who dwelt among the fields of ripe 
 grain, but were finally banished from the country, 
 on suspicion of being too favorable towards the 
 human race. 
 
 In the province of Plandren was a wide heath, 
 known by a name which signified " Fairy-Copse," 
 where was the largest settlement of korils to be 
 found in any country. They danced every night 
 upon the heath ; and woe to the luckless wight 
 who should chance to traverse that path ; for he 
 was instantly seized, dragged into the circle, and 
 compelled to dance until cock-crowing time ; when 
 he was left, half dead with fatigue, upon the 
 trampled grass. Of course, very few persons were 
 adventurous enough to cross the heath after night- 
 fall ; but it so happened that a certain laborer, 
 named Bernard Guilcher, was one night returning, 
 with his wife, from a day's work in the neighbor- 
 hood, and found that he must either cross the 
 Fairy-Copse, or make a circuit of several miles. 
 Now, Bernard was very tired, and as it was very 
 
 178 
 
 "z — ~" — V " 1 ' "T*"~.~ » ^g"""~\ 
 
early, he trusted to the belief, that the dwarfs had 
 not yet begun their nightly frolics. So he ven- 
 tured upon the heath, and had nearly reached the 
 middle of it, when he suddenly beheld it swarming 
 with fairies, like crows in a corn field. At the 
 same moment, the horns of the little hunters 
 sounded on all sides, and the cries of the poul- 
 pikans were heard in every direction. 
 
 " We are lost ! we are lost !" cried Bernard, 
 " we shall be obliged to dance till daylight ; and, 
 after our day's work, it will kill us." 
 
 Troops of korigans now clustered round, like 
 flies about a drop of honey, and the poor peasants 
 were in despair. But just as the dwarfs were 
 about to seize both, they espied the little pitch- 
 fork, which Guilcher carried in his hand, and in- 
 stantly, tumbling each other head over heels, they 
 retreated, singing : — 
 
 " Back ! my comrades ! let them be ! 
 
 In his hand the pitchfork see ; 
 
 Touch them not, both he and she 
 
 Through the Fairy-Copse go free." 
 
 179 
 
 ^^s?^=^=^ 
 
So, greatly to his own surprise, as well as delight, 
 Bernard found his way left clear ; and you may 
 easily suppose he did not let the grass grow under 
 his feet, as he crossed the heath. By this means it 
 was discovered that a pitchfork was a magical 
 safeguard against the malicious dwarfs ; and 
 from that time, the peasants traversed the heath 
 in perfect safety, whenever they took the pre- 
 caution to arm themselves with one before going 
 out. 
 
 This was a great discovery, no doubt, but Ber- 
 nard Guilcher was not so easily satisfied. He was 
 a curious and cunning fellow, as full of fun as 
 hunchbacks always are, and as merry as a cricket. 
 (I forgot to mention that Bernard had a great 
 hump, directly between his shoulders, of which he 
 was by no means vain.) He pondered over this 
 affair of the korils, and their evident reverence for 
 a pitchfork, until he began to fancy^hat he might 
 turn his discovery to still better account. Ac- 
 cordingly, one night, he took his pitchfork, and sal- 
 lied out to the heath, determined to become better 
 
 180 
 
acquainted with the fairies. He was espied by 
 them at a great distance, and he heard them ery 
 out : 
 
 " Here comes Bernard Guilcher ! — here he 
 comes !" 
 
 "Yes ; here I come, to pay you a friendly visit;" 
 said the jovial hunchback. 
 
 " Welcome ! thrice welcome !" said the korils ; 
 " will you dance with us ?" 
 
 " Excuse me, my dear little friends ; you are 
 too long-winded for a poor invalid like me," an- 
 swered Bernard." 
 
 " We will stop as soon as you get tired," cried 
 the dwarfs. 
 
 " On your honor ? — Well, then I will join your 
 ring ;" and Bernard, knowing that he was safe in 
 their promise, began to dance merrily, while the 
 korals sang their old refrain of 
 
 " Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, are all, 
 Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, are all." 
 
 But in a few minutes Bernard was so heartily 
 
 181 
 
tired of their monotonous chant, that he stopped 
 suddenly, and said : 
 
 "With all due respect to you, gentlemen, it 
 seems to me that your dance lacks variety and 
 sprightliness ; you stop too early in the week with 
 your song; and, though I do not pretend to be 
 much of a poet, I think I could mend your verse." 
 
 " Quick ; quick. Let us hear you," exclaimed 
 the korils. 
 
 The hunchback replied by singing : — 
 
 " Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday — oh, these are not all, 
 Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, come at our call." 
 
 He had scarcely uttered these words, when the 
 korils burst into a loud shout : " Hurrah for Ber- 
 nard Guilcher ! hurrah for the minstrel and the 
 dancer ! Sing it again ; sing it again." 
 
 Bernard cheerfully complied with their wishes ; 
 and the little fairies danced round and round, like 
 dead leaves in a whirlwind. At last they stopped, 
 and coming up to Guilcher, they exclaimed : 
 
 " Tell us what you want. What shall we give 
 
 182 
 
you ? will you have riches or beauty ? Choose 
 which you like, and you shall have it." 
 
 " Are you serious," asked the astonished hunch- 
 back. 
 
 " May we be condemned to carry corn, grain by 
 grain, to yonder mill, if we deceive you." 
 
 " If you are really in earnest, and desire to give 
 me some reward," said Bernard, " then let me beg 
 you to relieve me of this burden, which I carry be- 
 tween my shoulders, and make me as straight as a 
 flag-staff." 
 
 " "Well, well ; you shall have your wish ; only 
 be quiet." And with these words, the korils 
 seized Bernard, tossed him up in the air, flung him 
 from one to another, like a ball, till he had been in 
 the hands of the whole circle ; and, finally, just as 
 the daylight broke, they flung him down on the 
 grass, and disappeared like a swarm of gnats before 
 a high wind. Bernard slowly rose to his feet, 
 wearied, bewildered, dizzy-headed, and half blinded, 
 but without his hump. He had become so young, 
 so tall, so straight, and so handsome, that his 
 
 183 
 
own mother would have been unable to recognize 
 him. 
 
 You may imagine how he astonished all his 
 neighbors upon his return. His wife did not know 
 what to do about receiving him into the house ; 
 and he was obliged to tell her how many petti- 
 coats she had in her wardrobe, and even to say 
 what was the color of her stockings, before she 
 would believe he was her husband. When people 
 were at last convinced of his identity, it became 
 difficult to satisfy their curiosity. Bernard knew 
 that if he should declare himself a favorite with 
 the fairies, he should be continually tormented 
 about sick oxen and stray sheep ; so he merely an- 
 swered, that he went to sleep in the Fairy-Copse, 
 and when he woke, his hump was gone. Every 
 ill-shaped person in the parish soon after tried Ber- 
 nard's experiment, and, armed with a pitchfork, 
 went to sleep on the heath. But as no good re- 
 sults attended their attempts, many believed that 
 Guilcher was in possession of some secret which he 
 would not divulge. 
 
There was, in the place, a certain red-faced, 
 squint-eyed tailor ; who, from his stammering 
 speech, was called Pierre Balibowzik, or Peter 
 Babbler. The most of his trade are merry fellows, 
 singing on their shop-boards, like robins in the 
 woods, and scenting wheat pancakes as a dog 
 smells game. But Balibowzik never laughed, or 
 sung, or told merry tales ; and he ate nothing bet- 
 ter than bread, so coarse you might pick straws 
 out of it. He was a miser ; and what is worse, a 
 usurer, who lent out his money on such enormous 
 interest, that he ruined every-body who dealt with 
 him. Bernard Guilcher had owed him five crowns 
 for a long time, and Balibowzik determined to wait 
 no longer for his money. So he made his demand ; 
 and when Bernard begged for a little more time, 
 he refused him a single day, unless he would im- 
 part the secret of his changed appearance. Poor 
 Guilcher had no resource ; and he, therefore, told 
 the whole story to his unrelenting creditor, who 
 made him repeat all the details several times, that 
 he might fix them in his memory ; and then 
 
 185 
 
granted him only eight days' time, in which to ob- 
 tain his five crowns. 
 
 The story he had heard awakened all the ava- 
 rice in Balibowzik's nature ; and he determined, on 
 that very night, to pay a visit to the Fairy-Copse, 
 and see whether he too could not obtain his choice 
 between riches and beauty. As soon as the moon 
 had risen, off went the squint-eyed babbler, with 
 his pitchfork in his hand. The korils perceived him 
 coming, and running up, asked him if he would 
 dance. Peter Babbler consented, on the same con- 
 ditions as Guilcher had made, and entering the ring, 
 joined them in their dance and song. They sung 
 the verse as it had been lengthened by Guilcher. 
 
 1 Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, — oh, these are not all, 
 Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, come at our call." 
 
 " Stop," cried the tailor, as if seized with a sud- 
 den fit of inspiration ; "I too will add something to 
 your song." 
 
 " Go on ! go on !" cried the korils ; and they all 
 began together : 
 
" Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, — oh, these are not all, 
 Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, come at our call." 
 
 when they had gone thus far, they paused, and the 
 Babbler stammered out : — 
 
 " Then Sun-Sun-Sunday is left as the very last one." 
 
 The dwarfs uttered a terrible cry. " Go on ! go 
 on !" they screamed. 
 
 "Then Sunday is left"— 
 
 stammered the poor tailor. 
 
 "But what comes next ? Quick ! quick !" 
 " Sun-Sun-Sunday," was all Peter Babbler 
 could say. 
 
 Suddenly breaking up their ring, the faries came 
 round him in a fury of impatience ; but the poor 
 stammerer, frightened half to death, stood with 
 open mouth, unable to utter another word. At 
 last the waves of little black heads by which he 
 was surrounded, seemed to become more quiet. 
 They approached him in less menacing attitudes ; 
 and a thousand voices at once exclaimed : 
 
 187 
 
" What is your wish ? Make your wish." 
 
 " My w-w-wish ?" again stuttered Balibowzik. 
 "Guilcher has cho-cho-chosen between beauty and 
 riches." 
 
 " Yes ; he chose beauty, and left riches behind." 
 
 " Well, I choose what Gui-gui-Guilcher left be- 
 hind." 
 
 " Very good," cried the korils ; " come here, 
 Master Tailor." 
 
 Peter Babbler found himself rudely tossed from 
 hand to hand, until he had been thrown round the 
 whole circle. He was then flung breathless on the 
 ground ; and as he rose to his feet, he found that 
 he bore between his shoulders, the hump that Guil- 
 cher had left. 
 
 The poor tailor returned to his home, as sneak- 
 ingly as a dog that had lost his tail. As soon as 
 the story was known, people came from far and 
 near, to see him ; and all held up their hands, in 
 horror, when they beheld his back, as round as the 
 curb of a well. But Balibowzik treasured up ven- 
 geance in his heart against Guilcher, whom he be- 
 
 188 
 
lieved to have influenced the korils to put this dis- 
 grace upon him. 
 
 "When the eight days had gone by, he accord- 
 ingly demanded his five crowns from Bernard ; and 
 finding him yet unprepared with the money, gave 
 orders to the officers of justice, that they should 
 sell Guilcher's effects at public sale. Bernard's 
 wife was in despair, and cried that they were dis- 
 graced forever, — that they could do nothing now 
 but take a sack and a staff, and beg on the high 
 road, — that Bernard had grown handsome just in 
 time to carry a beggar's wallet ; and a thousand 
 unreasonable things, such as women often say in 
 such cases. Guilcher made no reply to her re- 
 proaches, but he felt them in his heart. He regret- 
 ted now that he had not chosen riches instead of 
 beauty ; and he would gladly have taken back his 
 hump, if he could have covered it with a rich man's 
 cloak. In utter despair of all other aid, he at length 
 determined to pay another visit to Fairy-Copse. 
 
 The korils received him with open arms ; and 
 placed him, as before, in the middle of their circle. 
 
 189 
 
Though Guilcher had no heart for mirth, he deter- 
 mined not to mar the mirth of his friends ; so he 
 danced with all his strength. The fairies, de- 
 lighted with his good-humor, flew round him like 
 autumn leaves. They sang the first line of their 
 refrain, while Guilcher took the second line ; then 
 the korils took up the third ; and as there was no 
 fourth line, Bernard, who was the last, was obliged 
 to sing the air without any words. This did not 
 suit his nice ear, and he said : 
 
 £ * If I might venture my opinion, my little mas- 
 ters, I should say your song is like the butcher's 
 dog, it halts on three legs." 
 
 " That's true ; that's true !" cried the korils. 
 
 " Don't you think it would go better if I should 
 add a fourth foot ?" asked Bernard. 
 
 " Go on ! go on !" squeaked the impatient little 
 dwarfs ; and immediately all began to sing, in a 
 piercing voice : 
 
 " Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, — oh ! these are not all, 
 Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, come at our call ; 
 Then Sunday is left as the very last one — " 
 
 190 
 
here they stopped for Guilcher's addition : 
 
 " Dance, korigans, dance, for the week now is done," 
 
 sung he merrily. 
 
 A thousand voices were mingled in the wild cry 
 which rose from every corner of the Fairy-Copse. 
 In an instant, every place was crowded with kori- 
 gans, who issued from tufts of grass, from thickets 
 of hawthorn, and from the clefts of the rocks, 
 swarming like a perfect beehive, and singing : 
 
 " Guilc'ner has saved us, — our penance is done; 
 Our exile is oyer, and we must be gone." 
 
 "What in the world do you mean?" asked 
 Guilcher. 
 
 " For some treason, committed many years ago, 
 the korigans were banished from Fairy-land, and 
 condemned to live among men, until some good 
 Christian should complete the verse to which we 
 were obliged to dance every night. You have once 
 before lengthened it ; and we hoped that the tailor 
 you sent would have finished it ; but he stopped 
 
just before it was complete, and therefore we pun- 
 ished him for our disappointment. You have again 
 come to our assistance, and now, 
 
 Guilclier has saved us, — our penance is done, 
 Our exile is over, and we must be gone." 
 
 " If you do indeed owe me so much gratitude," 
 said Guilclier, " do not depart without aiding me 
 in my distress." 
 
 " What do you want now ?" 
 
 " Enough money to pay Balibowzik to-morrow, 
 and the baker every day afterwards." 
 
 " Take our purses ! take our purses !" screamed 
 the little elves ; and thus saying, they threw at his 
 feet the little red cloth pockets which they carried 
 at their girdles. 
 
 Guilclier quickly gathered up as many as he 
 could carry, and hurried joyously home. 
 
 "Light a pine-torch, and lock the door," ex- 
 claimed he to his wife. " I have got money 
 enough now to buy the whole country," placing 
 at the same time the little bags upon the table. 
 
 192 
 
But, alas ! he had counted the price of his butter 
 before he had bought his cow. The purses of the 
 malicious korils contained nothing but sand, dead 
 leaves, some hair, and a pair of scissors. At this 
 deplorable sight, he uttered such a cry, that his 
 wife, who had gone to lock the door, came running 
 back to see what was the matter. Guilcher told 
 her the whole story, 
 
 " The korigans have cheated you," she said. 
 
 " Alas ! yes ; I see it now," said the poor fellow. 
 
 " How could you dare to touch the purses of 
 that accursed race, you wicked wretch ?" 
 
 " I thought I should find in them something 
 worth having," said he, despondingly. 
 
 " You might have known better than to expect 
 any thing good from such a source. You have 
 only brought ill-luck upon the house. But give 
 me the sacks : you know that running water de- 
 stroys all enchantments ; and if I throw them into 
 the brook behind the house, they will do us no 
 harm." 
 
 So saying, she snatched up the little red purses, 
 
 193 
 
 13 
 
and followed by the miserable Guilcher, went to 
 the stream, into which she plunged the fairy treas- 
 ures. But Guilcher waited until she had gone 
 into the house, and then wading into the water, he 
 fished out the sacks, saying to himself: "I will 
 take them back to the korils, and perhaps they 
 will give me true gold for them." 
 
 As he was carrying them into the barn, where 
 he meant to hide them until night, he fancied they 
 had grown heavier, and could not resist his desire 
 to look into one more bag, to be sure that he had 
 really been cheated. "What was his astonishment, 
 therefore, to find the hairs converted into pearls, 
 the dead leaves into gold pieces, the sand into 
 diamonds, and the scissors into a superb gold-hilted 
 sword. The running water had destroyed the en- 
 chantment which the mischievous korils had laid 
 upon their treasures, to guard them from the eyes 
 of mortals. 
 
 Guilcher paid Balibowzik his five crowns, and 
 gave to every poor man in the village a bushel of 
 wheat, and six ells of cloth, besides bestowing a 
 
 194 
 
large sum upon the church. He then went with 
 his wife to another part of the country ; and as 
 he bought a fine house, and kept a rich equipage, 
 nobody knew that he had not been born a gentle- 
 man, especially as he always conducted himself like 
 a good man and a Christian towards every one. 
 
 195 
 
 "g^ r-fl so-js 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 VERY day now seemed to pos- 
 sess a double value to the chil- 
 dren, for the summer was draw- 
 ing to its close; and they knew 
 that when the soft bright days 
 of autumn came, they should no 
 longer be indulged with their favorite 
 fairy legends. Grandfather Waldorf 
 had been extremely desirous to visit 
 Niagara, and as soon as the heats of sum- 
 ^ mer were over, the elder members of the 
 family intended to journey among all the 
 remarkable places in the neighborhood of their 
 native state. Frank was very anxious to obtain 
 a promise from his grandfather that the legends 
 should only be suspended, and not entirely relin- 
 
quished; but the old gentleman, gravely, and 
 somewhat sadly, replied to his modest hint : 
 
 " I dare not make any promise, whose fulfilment 
 depends on the future, my dear boy. When one has 
 counted as many years as I have done, it is scarcely 
 right to make calculations even for months. But 
 we will not dim the brightness of the present time, 
 by thinking of the future ; let us enjoy the pleas- 
 ures that present themselves from day to day ; even 
 old age may be permitted to do this with safety." 
 
 " Since you spoke of the Druidical remains in 
 Brittany," said Edith, " I have looked into several 
 books on the subject, and have been surprised to 
 learn the magnitude and number of these singular 
 monuments." 
 
 " They are among the most extraordinary rem- 
 nants of antiquity," replied Mr. Waldorf. " You 
 have, doubtless, heard of Stonehenge, in England, 
 which is one of the most remarkable of their re- 
 mains ; but few persons are aware that Brittany 
 abounds in monuments far more wonderful. On the 
 plain of Karnac, for instance, are to be seen eleven 
 
 197 
 
parallel ranges of stones, each stone from ten to 
 twenty feet high, composed of a single rough block 
 of immense weight. These ranges of stone extend 
 for two leagues. And, to increase the wonder, the 
 smallest part, or, what would be called the apex of 
 the pyramid, is planted in the earth ; leaving them 
 standing, as it were, on their heads, with their 
 broad base in the air. There are various traditions 
 i concerning them ; but scholars generally unite in 
 attributing them to the time of the Druid worship. 
 There are several varieties in the form of these 
 Druidical remains, but they are similar in char- 
 acter. If we should ever resume our legends, I 
 will give you a fuller description of these very cu- 
 rious monuments. The imperfect account I have 
 now sketched out for you, will serve for the present, 
 to introduce one of the traditions of the country." 
 
 198 
 
V10 MIL© MM M£ 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE STONES OF PLOUHINIC. 
 
 YING beyond Hennebon, near the 
 sea-coast, is a poor little village, 
 called Plouhinic, surrounded by 
 sandy plains, diversified by a few 
 scanty forests of fir-trees, and pro- 
 ducing neither grass enough to 
 feed an ox, nor gram enough to fatten 
 a pig. But if the people have but little 
 corn and few cattle, they can comfort 
 themselves with the idea, that when 
 they grow rich enough to build a city, there 
 will be no lack of stone for their palaces. 
 The country around is literally strewed with those 
 
 199 
 
singular stones, which scholars know to be the re- 
 mains of Druidical temples, but which the peas- 
 ants suppose to be magnificent cities built by the 
 korigans or fairies, who have the cunning to give 
 them the appearance of mere stones to the eyes of 
 mortal men. 
 
 Not many years since, remnants of Druidical 
 rites might be found in the simple sports of the 
 country. The festival of the first day of June was 
 one of these. On that day, the young people were 
 accustomed to assemble on the great plain ; the 
 girls wearing flax flowers in their boddices ; and 
 the young men carrying green wheat-ears in their 
 hats. Before beginning the dance, which was kept 
 up till evening, with great spirit, each lover would 
 take his mistress by the hand, and approaching one 
 of the great stone tables, they would lay upon it 
 the wheat-ears and the flax blossoms. If, on their 
 return, at sunset, the flowers were still unfaded, 
 they might rely on each other's fidelity. A fright- 
 ful story is told of the beautiful Tinah, who suf- 
 fered herself, on such an occasion, to be beguiled 
 
 200 
 
by an evil spirit, in the disguise of a gay cavalier ; 
 and her fate is still remembered, as a .warning 
 against fickleness and ambition. 
 
 But I am forgetting my story, while indulging 
 my recollections. In the village of Plouhinic, then, 
 near the banks of the river Intel, resided a certain 
 man, named Marzinn, who was considered very 
 rich ; inasmuch as he was able to salt a pig every 
 year, to eat as much rye bread as he liked, and 
 to buy a new pair of sabots, or wooden shoes, every 
 Christmas. He was, therefore, something of a 
 great man, in the village, and had refused the 
 hand of his sister, Rozanne, to all her suitors, be- 
 cause they were day-laborers, earning their bread 
 by the sweat of their brow. Among these lovers 
 was a worthy fellow, named Bernez ; who, though 
 poor, was industrious, and good-hearted. He had 
 known Rozanne from her infancy ; and the love 
 which they had for each other when children, had 
 grown with them, until now, when the refusal 
 of Marzinn almost broke their hearts. But they 
 
 were both young, and cheerful ; so they determined 
 
 201 
 
to bear their disappointment as well as they could, 
 and wait for better times ; acting upon the proverb, 
 " what can't be cured, must be endured." 
 
 One evening Marzinn was holding a great festi- 
 val, and had invited all his laborers, among whom 
 Bernez was not forgotten; for he was highly es- 
 teemed by his master as a workman, though de- 
 spised as a suitor. They had just gathered round 
 the table, on which smoked a delicious supper of 
 black puddings, and porridge, sweetened with 
 honey ; and the guests were just about plunging 
 their wooden spoons in the basin of savory broth, 
 when the door was pushed violently open, and an 
 old, gray-bearded man, entering with little cere- 
 mony, wished the company a good appetite. Every 
 one recognized him as the old beggar of Pluvigner ; 
 who bore no very good reputation for honesty, and 
 was known to have never entered a church in his 
 life. He was accused of practising witchcraft upon 
 the cattle ; of blighting the corn in the ear ; and 
 even of changing himself into a wild beast, when 
 
 he chose. Nevertheless, as he wore the privileged 
 202 
 
=-^=^te=ri?asj_?= 
 
 
 dress of a beggar, the farmer suffered him to ap- 
 proach the fire ; and, giving him a three-legged 
 stool, handed him a portion of the feast. "When 
 he had finished his supper, he scowled round upon 
 the guests, and scarcely thanking his hospitable 
 entertainer, demanded a shelter for the night. The 
 farmer, accordingly, conducted him to the barn ; 
 and the beggar, pulling down a bundle of hay, 
 made his bed, for the sake of warmth, between the 
 old galled jackass, and a lean ox. 
 
 He had not been lying there very long, when 
 midnight sounded from all the clocks in the parish ; 
 and immediately the ass, pricking up his long ears, 
 turned towards his companion, and courteously 
 bade him good evening. The ox, who did not 
 seem particularly well pleased with the intruder 
 who shared his couch, turned his eyes scornfully 
 upon the beggar, and requested his good friend, the 
 ass, to be careful how he suffered interlopers to lis- 
 ten to their conversation. The ass replied, by snif- 
 fing round the beggar's head, and assuring his friend 
 that the miserable old bone-picker was fast asleep. 
 
" Be careful how you call names, cousin Long- 
 ears," replied the ox ; " the beggar is a powerful 
 sorcerer, and may do us some harm. He has not 
 gained much by his witchcraft, or he would not be 
 in such a wretched plight. I wonder his magic 
 does not teach him of the good chance he might 
 have, if he were only here a few days hence." 
 
 " What do you mean, my dear cousin Horny- 
 head ?" asked the ass. 
 
 " Don't you know, or have you forgotten, that 
 once every hundred years, the stones on the heath 
 of Plouhinic go down to the river Intel -to drink ; 
 and that while they are gone, the treasures that lie 
 under them are uncovered ?" 
 
 " True," replied the ass ; " but the stones return 
 so quickly to their places, that it is impossible to 
 avoid being crushed by them, unless one has a 
 branch of witch-hazel, twined with the five-leaved 
 clover. Besides, the treasures will turn to dust, 
 unless they are moistened with human blood ; there 
 must be some one sacrificed before the, gold of Plou- 
 hinic can be obtained." 
 
The beggar, who had scarcely dared to breathe 
 during this discourse, had not lost one word of it 
 all. He did not venture to go to sleep until he 
 heard the loud snoring of both his companions, lest 
 he should lose some information on the subject. 
 As soon as the day began to dawn, he arose, and 
 went into the fields, to look for the five-leaved 
 clover, and a branch of the witch-hazel tree. He 
 was obliged to travel a great distance in order to 
 find a country where trees and grass grew plenti- 
 fully ; so that it was not until the evening of the 
 last day of the year he found himself on the bor- 
 ders of Plouhinic. He had very much the look of 
 a weazel who had just found a pigeon's nest ; but 
 his work was not yet done, for the next night was 
 that on which the stones were expected to make 
 their centennial excursion, and he had not yet 
 found a companion for his undertaking. 
 
 As he was passing over the wide heath, he 
 saw Bernez busily employed in striking one of 
 the largest stones with a pointed chisel and ham- 
 mer. 
 
 205 
 
" "What are you doing, Bernez ?" cried 
 gar, with a sneer. " Are you going to cut a 
 house for yourself out of that great stone ?" 
 
 " No," said Bernez, quietly ; " but as I had 
 nothing to do, I thought I would carve a holy text 
 upon one of these fairy stones." 
 
 " I suppose you were in hopes the korigans 
 would do you some kindness," grumbled the beg- 
 gar. 
 
 " I depend upon no such aid," replied Bernez ; 
 " but I hope that Providence, in its own good time, 
 will give me all I ask." 
 
 " Aha ! you think to win Rozanne by prayers, I 
 suppose." 
 
 " Since you know about that affair, I am not 
 ashamed to confess, that if I seek riches, it is for 
 her sake. Marzinn wants a brother-in-law who 
 can count as many reals as I can white pennies." 
 
 "Suppose I were to give you more gold pieces 
 that Marzinn wants of reals ?" 
 
 " You !" exclaimed Bernez. 
 
 " Even me," replied the sorcerer. 
 
 20G 
 
" What would you require in return ?" 
 
 " Nothing but your thanks and prayers." 
 
 " Is there danger in the undertaking ?" 
 
 " Not if you have courage." 
 
 " Come on then," cried Bernez, dropping his 
 hammer. "I am ready to face twenty dangers; 
 for I would almost as soon go out of the world, as 
 live without Rozanne." 
 
 When the beggar found Bernez so prompt, he 
 told him how, on the following night, the treasures 
 of the heath would be exposed to view; but he 
 took care not to inform him of the means of avoid- 
 ing the stones on their return. The young man, 
 believing that nothing but courage and quickness 
 was required, answered : 
 
 " You may depend upon my good offices for the 
 rest of your life, old man. I will now finish cut- 
 ting this holy text, and when it is time, I will 
 meet you at the grove of pines yonder." 
 
 Bernez kept his word, and one hour before mid- 
 night he stood in the shadow of the black fir-trees, 
 where he was soon joined by the beggar, who car- 
 
 207 
 
ried a large bag in each hand, and another sus- 
 pended from his neck. 
 
 " Come," sakl he to the youth, "sit down here, 
 and tell me what you will do when you have as 
 much silver as you can carry." 
 
 " If ever I have as much silver as I can carry, I 
 will give my sweet Rozanne every thing she wants 
 — from cloth up to silk, from rye bread up to 
 oranges." 
 
 " And suppose you had as much gold as you 
 wanted ?" asked the sorcerer. 
 
 "If I had plenty of gold," answered Bernez, "I 
 would bestow riches upon all the relations of Ro- 
 zanne, and upon all the friends of her friends , 
 within the limits of the parish." 
 
 " Suppose you should have innumerable dia- 
 monds and precious stones." 
 
 " Then I would make every-body in the world 
 rich and happy ; and I would tell them they owed 
 it all to Rozanne." 
 
 While they were thus whiling away the time, 
 the clock struck twelve. At the first sound, there 
 
 208 
 
was a great uproar heard upon the heath ; and by 
 the light of the stars, the two watchers saw the im- 
 mense stones put themselves in motion, and march 
 towards the river. They descended the hill, tear- 
 ing up the earth in their course, and clashing 
 against each other, in their haste, like a troop of 
 thirsty giants, until they had passed the forest of 
 fir-trees, and disappeared in the darkness. The 
 moment they had gone by, the beggar rushed to 
 the heath, followed by Bernez ; and there, in the 
 places just now occupied by the stones, they beheld 
 great pits, filled to the brink with gold, and silver, 
 and precious stones. The sorcerer immediately 
 began to fill his sacks, calling upon Bernez to be 
 quick in helping him, while he listened to the 
 sounds that came up from the river bank. They 
 had just filled the third sack, and Bernez was 
 thrusting some diamonds in the pockets of his 
 jacket, when a low murmur, like the muttering 
 of distant thunder, reached their ears. The stones 
 had taken their drink, and were returning to their 
 places. On they came, bending forward like horse- 
 
 I 
 
men in the saddle, and crushing every thing before 
 them. "When Bernez saw them, he exclaimed : 
 
 " We are lost ! we are lost !" 
 
 " I am safe enough," cried the sorcerer, holding 
 up the witch-hazel branch, crowned with its wreath 
 of five-leaved clover. " Here is my safeguard ; but 
 the treasure must be moistened with human blood, 
 to prevent it from crumbling to dust ; and your 
 evil destiny has made you the victim." 
 
 As he spoke, the troop of stones came dashing 
 forward ; but the old man waved before him his 
 magical branch, and they turned aside, right and 
 left, in full career for poor Bernez. The unhappy 
 youth threw himself on his knees, and expected 
 nothing else than a frightful death ; when, to his 
 amazement, the stone which acted as leader of the 
 band, suddenly stopped, and became a barrier be- 
 fore him. Bernez looked up, and beheld upon it 
 the holy text which his hand had engraved the 
 evening before. The inscription had consecrated 
 the stone, and its evil spirit had no power to com- 
 pel it to do a work of wickedness. 
 
 210 
 
The mighty mass of stone remained fixed before 
 Bernez, until all the other stones had found their 
 places, and then it darted, like a sea-gull, towards 
 its own. -But in reaching its former position, it 
 crossed the path where the beggar was gathering 
 up his sacks of treasure. He immediately held up 
 his witch-hazel branch ; but the spells of magic 
 had no power over a stone on which was inscribed a 
 holy text. The gigantic pillar rushed fiercely on, 
 and crushed the old beggar, like an insect, beneath 
 its weight. 
 
 Bernez found himself master not only of the 
 treasure he had collected, but also of the three 
 bags which the sorcerer had carried off. Marzinn 
 was now very happy to welcome him as a brother- 
 in-law ; and he lived happy with his beloved Ro- 
 zanne, for the rest of his life. 
 
 1 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 OR several evenings, the children 
 had been deprived of their usual 
 amusement by visitors, and, as 
 the time drew near for the pro- 
 jected journey, they began to 
 think they had heard the last of 
 the Breton legends. They were agree- 
 ably disappointed, therefore, when they 
 once more found grandpapa seated in 
 " Fairy Hollow," and prepared to tell them 
 a story. 
 
 " To-morrow, my dear children," said 
 the kind old man — " to-morrow I shall leave you ; 
 and before I return, the leaves, which are even 
 now changing their summer hues, will lie sear and 
 dead upon the earth. I am going to look upon 
 
 212 
 
some of nature's wonders in this land of promise ; 
 and I cannot but feel that it will probably be the 
 last of my journeyings upon earth. I have been a 
 great traveller in my day of health and strength ; 
 but the weight of eighty years now lies heavy upon 
 me, and a nook by the winter's fire, or a shelter 
 from the summer's heat, must hereafter be the limit 
 of my desires. I have been busied in arranging 
 papers, and preparing for my journey : you will 
 not be surprised, therefore, if I acknowledge my- 
 self somewhat fatigued this evening. Frank looks 
 grave, as if he thought I was going to make an 
 apology, instead of telling a story." 
 
 " Oh, no grandpapa," exclaimed Frank ; " if 
 you are tired, pray don't think of us or our disap- 
 pointments." 
 
 " I will satisfy my conscience, Frank, by a com- 
 promise, and will tell you a story, provided you let 
 me off with a short one. There is a legend, full 
 of moral and poetic beauty, which I reserved to 
 the last, because I had half a mind to give it to 
 you in the ballad form, as I originally heard it. 
 
 213 
 
=-*"A= ^l_.._? TT^ =-t^-7^^=^.z: 
 
 This you must now be content to receive in plain 
 prose ; and, short as it is, you will find enough in 
 it to occupy your thoughts, if you rightly under- 
 stand it. 
 
ran ipmace w ran ®mw 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE TEMPTATION OF PEREK. 
 
 N the northwestern coast of 
 Brittany, adjoining the province 
 of Normandy, extends a wide 
 and desolate sand-beach, known 
 by the name of St. Michael's 
 Strand, — a dreary coast, beaten 
 by the waves, which break here with 
 great fury. Two or three little cha- 
 pels, much frequented by mariners, 
 and a few miserable cottages, are all 
 that disturb the monotony of this vast 
 stretch of sand. The strange and fan- 
 tastic shapes with which the action of the winds 
 
 215 
 
 e^ssss^ 
 
efiSbESs 
 
 and waves has heaped the drifting sand, adds to 
 the wild gloom of the place. Mountains with 
 beetling cliffs, castles with broken battlements, 
 tombs with crumbling columns^ might easily be 
 imagined to stand around, amid the fragments of 
 wrecks and rotting ship-timbers, which lie half 
 buried on the beach. The tradition connected 
 with the loftiest of these sand-hills is both poetical, 
 and full of fine moral truth. 
 
 There was once a young man, named Perek, 
 who was beset with all sorts of evil desires. He 
 was covetous, and yet indolent ; he loved luxury, 
 and hated work. He was envious, too ; for he had 
 seen the nobles riding to church, on fine horses, 
 caparisoned with crimson leather, and their bridles 
 plated with silver ; he had observed the young 
 men's rich velvet mantles, their silk stockings, and 
 their plumed caps ; and more than all, he grew 
 half mad with jealousy, when he saw the pretty 
 young girls riding on pillions, behind these fine 
 fellows. He looked on his own rough garments, 
 his wooden shoes, and his toil-browned hands, until 
 
 216 
 
 in 
 
he grew perfectly wretched at his humble condi- 
 tion, and resolved to better it at all risks. 
 
 While he was in this unhappy state, he encoun- 
 tered a certain old mendicant, who daily sat, beg- 
 ging alms at the cross of Yar. Now, this old man 
 knew every thing that had ever happened, from the 
 time when the oldest oaks were but tiny acorns, 
 and the grayest crows only unhatched eggs. He 
 told Perek how a flourishing city had once stood 
 on the place now occupied by the high drifts of St. 
 Efflam, on St. Michael's strand. This city had 
 been ruled by a mighty king, whose power lay in 
 his sceptre, which was simply a branch of witch- 
 hazel, but which had the gift of procuring him all 
 his desires. When possessed of every thing he 
 wished, the king grew very wicked, and his people 
 soon followed his example ; insomuch, that their 
 enormity at length brought a frightful punishment, 
 for the sands which surrounded the city rose up 
 into waves like the sea, and utterly ingulfed it. 
 No trace of it remained except the high mountain 
 of compact sand, which still reared its head above 
 
eife- 
 
 the royal palace ; but once in every year, on the 
 night of Pentecost, a passage opens into the heart 
 of the mountain, leading directly ' into the king's 
 treasure-house. In the last chamber of the palace 
 hangs the magical sceptre, and he who would ob- 
 tain it, must enter quickly, and as quickly retreat ; 
 for the passage opens at the first stroke of mid- 
 night, and closes as instantly, when the last stroke 
 sounds, not to be re-opened until another year has 
 passed away. 
 
 Perek had listened to this story with eager curi- 
 ority ; and when next came the season of Pente- 
 cost, he was pacing the dreary waste of sand, at 
 the foot of St. Efflam, on St. Michael's strand, 
 waiting for the midnight hour. The waves moaned 
 sadly at his feet, and the wind swept with mourn- 
 ful sound along the beach ; but his heart was full 
 of covetous desires, and he was determined to win 
 the witch-hazel sceptre. 
 
 At length the moment arrives. The first stroke 
 of midnight resounds from the clock of St. Mi- 
 chael's chapel ; and Perek, trembling, but not 
 
affrighted, beholds the mountain of sand slowly 
 rifting itself in the middle, and forming a compact 
 wall on the right and on the left, leaving a passage 
 between, leading into the very heart of the buried 
 palace. Grasping his knotted club firmly, Perek 
 entered the vaulted opening. At first, he groped 
 his way in total darkness, then a glimmer of light 
 appeared, and as he went on, he found himself in 
 a hall of sculptured stone. The first saloon he en- 
 tered was lighted by a lamp, hung from a marble 
 pillar ; and Perek beheld bags full of silver, filled, 
 and running over, like sacks of wheat after har- 
 vest. 
 
 But Perek wanted something more precious than 
 silver, and he went on. At that moment he heard 
 the sixth stroke of the clock. 
 
 The second saloon he entered was lighted from 
 the roof, by an immense chandelier, like that in 
 some grand cathedral ; and he beheld coffers full 
 of gold, ranged around the room, as if gold was as 
 plenty there as yellow corn in a granary. 
 
 But Perek wanted something more precious than 
 
gold, and he went on. At that moment he heard 
 the seventh stroke. 
 
 The third apartment was lighted by alabaster 
 lamps ; and in this moonlight radiance, Perek 
 gazed with wonder on great baskets overflowing 
 with pearls, which seemed running over the edges, 
 like a foaming milk-pail. Perek would have been 
 very glad to have secured some of these as presents 
 for the pretty girls ; but he wanted something 
 more precious than pearls, and he went on; for he 
 heard the eighth stroke of midnight. 
 
 The fourth hall needed no other illumination 
 than that of its magnificent treasures ; for piles of 
 diamonds lay in every corner, giving out a blaze 
 of splendor, like the sun at noonday shining upon 
 the broad ocean. Perek was for a moment daz- 
 zled ; he paused, and reached out his hand ; but 
 he wanted something more precious than diamonds, 
 and he sprang forward to enter the last saloon, just 
 as the ninth stroke sounded in his ears. 
 
 But in that last fatal apartment, he beheld 
 
 greater splendor than in all the others. Suspended 
 220 
 
by a chain of diamonds, at the end of the superb 
 hall, hung the hazel- wand sceptre ; but ranged be- 
 fore it, and as it were, intercepting his approach, 
 stood an hundred maidens, of the most dazzling 
 beauty, clad in vestments of silken gauze, crowned 
 with gold and pearls, and bearing in one hand a 
 cup of wine, while the other held a wreath of oak- 
 leaves. Perek had resisted the silver and the gold, 
 the pearls and the diamonds ; but the bright eyes of 
 these lovely maidens were not thus to be passed by. 
 He stood still, gazing upon their beauty. The tenth 
 stroke sounded, but it fell on an unconscious ear. 
 The eleventh rang out, but he heard it not. Then 
 clanged the tivelfth, sounding like the minute-gun 
 which announces that a noble ship is among the 
 breakers. Perek, startled from his dream, tried to 
 turn back ; but it was too late. The passage was 
 closed against him ; the beautiful maidens relapsed 
 into an hundred stone pillars, supporting the heavy 
 drifts of sand ; and Perek was shut up forever, in 
 the midst of darkness and desolation. 
 
(D©M(D3LHiH©If, 
 
 UITE a number of corded trunks, 
 cloaks, and umbrellas was to be 
 seen next morning in the hall, 
 and the children, who were as- 
 sembled round the breakfast ta- 
 ble an hour earlier than usual, 
 seemed trying in vain to look cheer- 
 ful, and eat heartily. Their hearts 
 were full, for they were soon to be 
 left quite alone ; and a separation 
 from their father and mother, even for a 
 season, was scarcely more painful than 
 the task of bidding farewell to their aged 
 grandparents. Instead of the usual chattering 
 of merry voices, every one hurried through their 
 
meal in silence ; and by a sort of unconscious im- 
 pulse, all gathered in the passage, waiting the car- 
 riage which was to bear the travellers away. But 
 now there were directions to be repeated, and cau- 
 tions to be given, and duties to be enjoined ; for 
 Wilhelm and Edith were left to fill their parents' 
 place hi the household ; and each of the children, 
 even down to little Bertha, had some daily duty to 
 perform, which involved responsibility proportioned 
 to their powers, and was intended to beguile the 
 hours of absence. 
 
 " Do not look so sorrowful, Frank," said Grand- 
 father Waldorf, as the carriage drove up to the 
 door. "Two months will soon slip away, and when 
 the snow lies thick on the lawn, and bright fires 
 are blazing in the grates, who knows but we may 
 find time to give you a second series of ' Grand- 
 father's Legends ?' " 
 
 223 
 
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