on the golden salver, she told the servant he
had better take it away again.

"I shall not touch it, I assure you," said she.
"If I were ever so hungry, I should never think
of eating such a miserable, dry pomegranate as
that."

"It is the only one in the world," said the
servant.

He set down the golden salver, with the wizened
pomegranate upon it, and left the room. When
he was gone, Proserpina could not help coming
close to the table, and looking at this poor speci-
men of dried fruit with a great deal of eagerness;
for, to say the truth, on seeing something that
suited her taste, she felt all the six months' appe-
tite taking possession of her at once. To be
sure, it was a very wretched-looking pomegran-
ate, and seemed to have no more juice in it than
an oyster shell. But there was no choice of
such things in King Pluto's palace. This was
the first fruit she had seen there, and the last shr
was ever likely to see; and unless she ate it up
immediately, it would grow drier than it already
was, and be wholly unfit to eat.

"At least, I may smell it," thought Proserpina.

[[264]]

p263 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p264w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p265

v?