nis voice, its tones were deep and stern, and
sounded as much like the rumbling of an earth
quake under ground as any thing else. As is
always the case with children in trouble, Proses
pina's first thought was to call for her mother.

"Mother, Mother Ceres!" cried she, all in a
tremble. "Come quickly and save me."

But her voice was too faint for her mother to
hear. Indeed, it is most probable that Ceres
was then a thousand miles off, making the corn
grow in some far distant country. Nor could it
have availed her poor daughter, even had she
been within hearing; for no sooner did Proser-
pina begin to cry oat, than the stranger leaped to
the ground, caught the child in his arms, and
again mounting the chariot, shook the reins, and
shouted to the four black horses to set off. They
immediately broke into so swift a gallop, that it
seemed rather like flying through the air than
running along the earth. In a moment, Proser-
pina lost sight of the pleasant vale of Enna, in
vhich she had always dwelt. Another instant,
and even the summit of Mount Aetna had be-
come so blue in the distance, that she could
scarcely distinguish it from the smoke thai

[[221]]

p220b _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p221w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p222

v?