Now, although you may not have s??
it, Proserpina found it impossible to take leave
of poor King Pluto without some regrets, and
a good deal of compunction for not telling him
about the pomegranate. She even shed a tear
or two, thinking how lonely and cheerless the
great palace would seem to him, with all its
ugly glare of artificial light, after she herself
his one little ray of natural sunshine, whom he
had stolen, to be sure, but only because he
valued her so much after she should have de-
parted. I know not how many kind things she
might have said to the disconsolate king of the
mines, had not Quicksilver hurried her away.

"Come along quickly," whispered he in her
ear, "or his majesty may change his royal mind.
And take care, above all things, that you say
nothing of what was brought you on the golden
salver."

In a very short time, they had passed the great
gateway, (leaving the three-headed Cerberus,
barking, and yelping, and growling, with three-
fold din, behind them,) and emerged upon the
surface of the earth. It was delightful to behold,
as Proserpina hastened along, how the path grew

[[267]]

p266 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p267w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p268

v?