where the sun shone brightly, the birds sang sweetly on the boughs, and thousands of flowers sprang beneath her feet.

Then she rose up and walked along this delightful meadow, and came to a pretty cottage by the side of a wood; and when she went in, she saw an oven full of new bread baking, and the bread said, "Pull me out! pull me out! or I shall be burnt, for I am quite done enough.” So she stepped up quickly and took it all out. Then she went on further and came to a tree that was full of fine, rosy-cheeked apples, and it said to her, “Shake me! shake me! we are all quite ripe." So she shook the tree, and the apples fell down like a shower, until there were no more upon the tree. Then she went on again, and at length came to a cottage where an old woman was sitting at the door, and the little girl would have run away, but the old woman cried out after her, "Don't be frightened, my dear child, stay with me; I should like to have you for my little maid, and if you do all the work in the house neatly, you shall fare well; but take care to make my bed nicely, and shake it every morning out at the door so that the feathers may fly, for then the good people say it snows. I am Mother Holle."

As the old woman spoke so kindly to her, the little girl was willing to do as she said; so she went into her employ, and took care to do everything to please her, and always shook the bed well, so that she led a very quiet life with her, and every day had good meat-both boiled and roast-to eat for her dinner.

But when she had been some time with the old lady she became sorrowful; and although she was much better off here than at home, still she had a longing toward it, and at length said to her mistress, "I used to grieve at my troubles at home, but if they were all to come again, and I were sure of faring ever so well here, I could not stay any longer." "You are right," said her mistress; "you shall do as you like; and as you have worked for me so faithfully, I will myself show you the way back again." Then she took her by the hand and led her behind her cottage, and opened a door; and as the girl stood underneath there fell a heavy shower of gold, so that she held out her apron and caught a great deal of it. And the fairy put a shining golden dress over her, and said, "All this you shall have, because you have behaved so well;" and she gave her back the spindle

too, which had fallen into the well, and led her out by another door. When it shut behind her, she found herself not far from her mother's house; and as she went into the court-yard the cock sat upon the well-head, and clapped his wings, and cried out

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Our golden lady's come home again.

and as she was so rich she was welcomed home. When her mother heard how she had got these riches, she wanted to have the same luck for her ugly and idle daughter; so she too was told to sit by the well and spin. That her spindle might be bloody she pricked her fingers with it; and when that would not do, she thrust her hand into a thorn-bush; then she threw it into the well, and sprang in herself after it. Like her sister she came to a beautiful meadow, and followed the same path. When she came to the oven in the cottage, the bread called out as before, "Take me out! take me out! or I shall burn, I am quite done enough." But the lazy girl said, "A pretty story, indeed! just as if I should dirty myself for you!" and went on her way. She soon came to the apple tree that cried, "Shake me! shake me! for my apples are quite ripe!" But she answered, "I will take care how I do that, for one of you might fall upon my head;" so she went on. At length she came to Mother Holle's house, and readily agreed to be her maid. The first day she behaved herself very well, and did what her mistress told her, for she thought of the gold she would give her; but the second day she began to be lazy, and the third still more so, for she would not get up in the morning early enough, and when she did, she made the bed very badly, and did not shake it so that the feathers would fly out. Mother Holle was soon tired of her, and turned her off; but the lazy girl was quite pleased at that, and thought to herself, "Now the golden rain will come." Then the fairy took her to the same door; but when she stood under it, instead of gold a great kettle full of dirty pitch came showering upon her. "That is your wages," said Mother Holle, as she shut the door upon her. she went home quite black with the pitch; and as she came near her mother's house, the cock sat upon the well, and clapped his wings and cried out

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Our dirty slut's come home again.

So

King Lear and his Three Daughters.

ING LEAR once ruled in this land

With princely power and peace;
And had all things with heart's content,
That might his joys increase:

Amongst those things that Nature gave,
Three daughters fair had he ;
So princely seeming, beautiful,
As fairer could not be..

So on a time it pleased the king
A question thus to move,
Which of his daughters to his grace
Could show the dearest love:
"For to my age you bring content,”
Quoth he, "then let me hear,
Which of you three in plighted troth
The kindest will appear."

To whom the eldest thus began:
"Dear father mine," quoth she,
"Before your face to do you good,
My blood shall rendered be:
And for your sake my bleeding heart
Shall here be cut in twain,
Ere that I see your reverend age
The smallest grief sustain."

"And so will I," the second said,
"Dear father, for your sake,
The worst of all extremities
I'll gently undertake:

And serve your highness night and day

With diligence and love,

That sweet content and quietness

Discomforts may remove."

"And wilt thou show no more," quoth he, "Than doth thy duty bind?

I well perceive thy love is small,
When as no more I find:
Henceforth I banish thee my court,
Thou art no child of mine;
Nor any part of this my realm
By favour shall be thine.

"Thy elder sisters' loves are more
Than I can well demand,
To whom I equally bestow
My kingdom and my land:

My pompal state and all my goods,
That lovingly I may

With those thy sisters be maintained
Until my dying day."

Thus flattering speeches won renown
By these two sisters here,
The third had causeless banishment;
Yet was her love more dear:
For poor Cordelia patiently

Went wandering up and down,
Unhelped, unpitied, gentle maid,
Through many an English town.

Until at last in famous France
She gentler fortunes found;

Though poor and bare, yet she was deemed
The fairest on the ground:
Where, when the king her virtues heard,
And this fair lady seen,

With full consent of all his court
He made his wife and queen.

Her father, old King Lear, the while
With his two daughters stayed:
Forgetful of their promised loves,
Full soon the same decayed;
And living in Queen Regan's court,
The eldest of the twain,

She took from him his chiefest means,

And most of all his train.

For whereas twenty men were wont

To wait with bended knee,

She gave allowance but to ten,
And after scarce to three;

Nay, one she thought too much for him,
So took she all away,

In hope that in her court, good king,
He would no longer stay.

"Am I rewarded thus," quoth he,
"In giving all I have
Unto my children, and to beg
For what I lately gave?
I'll go unto my Gonorell;
My second child, I know,
Will be more kind and pitiful,
And will relieve my woe."

Full fast he hies then to her court,
Who, when she heard his moan,
Returned him answer that she grieved
That all his means were gone;
But no way could relieve his wants;
Yet that if he would stay
Within her kitchen, he should have
What scullions gave away.

When he had heard, with bitter tears,
He made his answer then:
"In what I did let me be made
Example to all men.

I will return again," quoth he,

"Unto my Regan's court;

She will not use me thus, I hope,

But in a kinder sort."

Where when he came she gave command

To drive him hence away:

When he was well, within her court,

(She said) he would not stay.

Then back again to Gonorell

The woful king did hie,

That in her kitchen he might have
What scullion boys set by.

But there of that he was denied,
Which she had promised late;
For once refusing he should not
Come after to her gate.

Thus 'twixt his daughters for relief
He wandered up and down;
Being glad to feed on beggar's food,
That lately wore a crown.

And calling to remembrance then
His youngest daughter's words,