hed the edge of the sea, when
the swans darted down so swiftly that Eliza's heart trembled; she
believed they were falling, but they again soared onward.

Presently, and by this time the sun was half hidden by the waves, she
caught sight of the rock just below them. It did not look larger than a
seal's head thrust out of the water. The sun sank so rapidly that at the
moment their feet touched the rock it shone only like a star, and at
last disappeared like the dying spark in a piece of burnt paper. Her
brothers stood close around her with arms linked together, for there was
not the smallest space to spare. The sea dashed against the rock and
covered them with spray. The heavens were lighted up with continual
flashes, and thunder rolled from the clouds. But the sister and brothers
stood holding each other's hands, and singing hymns.

In the early dawn the air became calm and still, and at sunrise the
swans flew away from the rock, bearing their sister with them. The sea
was still rough, and from their great height the white foam on the
dark-green waves looked like millions of swans swimming on the water. As
the sun rose higher, Eliza saw before her, floating in the air, a range
of mountains with shining masses of ice on their summits. In the center
rose a castle that seemed a mile long, with rows of columns rising one
above another, while around it palm trees waved and flowers as large as
mill wheels bloomed. She asked if this was the land to which they were
hastening. The swans shook their heads, for what she beheld were the
beautiful, ever-changing cloud-palaces of the Fata Morgana, into which
no mortal can enter.

Eliza was still gazing at the scene, when mountains, forests, and
castles melted away, and twenty stately churches rose in their stead,
with high towers and pointed Gothic windows. She even fancied she could
hear the tones of the organ, but it was the music of the murmuring sea.
As they drew nearer to the churches, these too were changed and became
a fleet of ships, which seemed to be sailing beneath her; but when she
looked again she saw only a sea mist gliding over the ocean.

One scene melted into another, until at last she saw the real land to
which they were bound, with its blue mountains, its cedar forests, and
its cities and palaces. Long before the sun went down she was sitting on
a rock in front of a large cave, the floor of which was overgrown with
delicate green creeping plants, like an embroid