"Where is Proserpina?" cried Ceres, "Where
is my child? Tell me, you naughty sea nymphs,
have you enticed her under the sea?"

"O, no, good Mother Ceres," said the inno-
cent sea nymphs, tossing back their green ring-
lets, and looking her in the face. "We never
should dream of such a thing. Proserpina has
been at play with us, it is true; but she left us a
long while ago, meaning only to run a little way
upon the dry land, and gather some flowers for a
wreath. This was early in the day, and we have
seen nothing of her since."

Ceres scarcely waited to hear what the nymphs
had to say, before she hurried off to make in-
quiries all through the neighborhood. But no-
body told her any thing that could enable the
poor mother to guess what had become of Pro-
serpina. A fisherman, it is true, had noticed her
little footprints in the sand, as he went home-
ward along the beach with a basket of fish; a
rustic had seen the child stooping to gather flow-
ers; several persons had heard either the rattling
of chariot wheels, or the rumbling of distant
thunder; and one old woman, while plucking
vervain and catnip, had heard a scream, but sup-

[[234]]

p233 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p234w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p235

v?