upon the castle of gems. When Blanche saw the silent, closed
castle and its golden gates, she remembered the words of Queen
Fontana, who had said that her lily should have power to "open the
strongest locks, and swing back the heaviest doors."

Like one walking in a dream, she led Victor toward the resplendent
castle. She touched, with her lily, the lock which fastened one of the
gates.

"Gates of gold could not withstand
One touch of that magic wand."

In an instant, the hinges trembled; and the massive door swung open so
far, that forty people could walk in side by side. Then it slowly
closed, and locked itself without noise.

One of the people who passed in was the king, whose heart was no
longer proud. The others, who had entered unwittingly, could not speak
for wonder. Some of them were poor, and some were lame or blind; but
all were good and true.

At the rising of the moon a wonderful thing came to pass. The people
entered the castle of gems, and became beautiful. This was through the
power of the magic lily.

Now there were no more crooked backs and lame feet and sightless eyes;
and the king looked at these people, who were beautiful as well as
good, and declared he would have them live in the castle; and the
gentlemen should be knights; and the ladies, maids of honor.

To this day Victor and Blanche rule the kingdom; and such is the charm
of the lily,--so like the pure heart of the queen,--that the people
are becoming gentle and good.

Until Queen Fontana shall call for the magic spectacles and the lily
of pearl, it is believed that Victor and Blanche will live in the
castle of gems, though the time should be a hundred years.

THE ELF OF LIGHT.

A NORSE TALE.

In the strange island of Iceland, thrown up, by fire, from the depths
of the sea, there once lived a lad who worshipped the god Odin, and
was taught from two absurd books called the Eddas. He wished to fight
and die on a battle-field, so that his soul might cross a
rainbow-bridge, and dwell in the beautiful halls of Valhalla.
There--so the Eddas say--are the chosen heroes, who are forever
fighting all day, and feasting all night.

Thus, instead of a Bible, young Thule studied wild fairy-tales; yet,
for all his heathenish training, he had some noble traits, which a
Christian lad might imitate.

He lived with his widowed mother at the edge of a forest. The snow
piled itself in drifts, and the wind howled through the trees,