n verse, gave three knocks while singing
this song:

_'Earth, listen and my voice obey.
It is Love who speaks: reveal the way!'_

The earth obeyed: a path opened up, and Love took Laideronnette under
his protection; and so they arrived at the mouth of hell. She expected
to see her husband in the form of a serpent, but he had just finished
his terrible punishment. The first thing that Laideronnette saw was
indeed her husband; but she had never seen such a charming figure, nor
any one so handsome; and neither had he seen any one so beautiful as
she had become. Then the Queen said with extreme tenderness:

_'Destiny! I bend the knee
To thee and thy decree:
If he must dwell in deepest hell
He dwelleth there with me,
For e'en in hell I'll love him well
For all eternity.'_

The King was full of joy and love, and showed it by the way he kissed
her. Love, however, never did believe in wasting time, so he took the
Queen to Proserpine. The Queen gave the compliments of the fairy
Magotine, and begged her to give her the Essence of Long Life. Love took
it and handed it to her, telling her not to forget the penalty that she
had paid for her curiosity, and to take every care this time. He would
never leave them again. He conducted them to the fairy Magotine, and
then, so that Magotine should not see him, he hid in their hearts.

During this time the fairy Magotine was so impressed with the beauty of
human feelings, that she received the poor unfortunate King and Queen
with some feeling of generosity. She gave them back the lovely palace
with all the good things that they had before, and made the King head of
the pagodas again. So they went home, and all the great sorrows that
they had passed through they soon forgot in the greater joy of each
other.

[Illustration: THE GREEN SERPENT

Laideronnette kissed and embraced the good Fairy Protectress.

_See page 141_]

URASHIMA TARO

A JAPANESE FAIRY TALE

A very long time ago there lived in Japan a young fisherman named
Urashima Taro. His father before him had been a very expert fisherman,
but Urashima's skill in the art so far exceeded that of his father, that
his name as a fisher was known far and wide beyond his own little
village. It was a common saying that he could catch more fish in a day
than a dozen others could in a whole week.

But it was not only as a fisher that Urashima excelled. Wherever he was
known, he was lo