bs might be seen. She held a light masque in her hand, and
laughed at him with her dancing eyes and rosy mouth. It was the little
Princess, his pupil.

Even now no thought of plot or treachery entered the boy's mind; he
gazed at her in wondering amaze.

"You must come with me," said the girl-princess, holding out her hand;
"I am sent to fetch you to the under world."

Behind them as they stood, and facing the statue of the faun, was a cave
or hollow in the wood, half concealed by the pendant tendrils of
creeping and flowering plants. It seemed the opening of a subterranean
passage. The child pushed aside the hanging blossoms and drew Mark,
still dazed and unresisting, after her. They went down into the dark
cave.

* * * * *

Meanwhile from early dawn the palace had been noisy with pattering feet.
For its bizarre population was augmented from many sources, and the
great performance of the day taxed the exertions of all. As the morning
advanced visitors began to arrive, and were marshalled to certain parts
of the gardens where positions were allotted them, and refreshments
served in tents. They were mostly masqued. Then strange groups began to
form themselves before the garden front of the palace, and on the
terraces. These were all masqued, and dressed in variety of incongruous
and fantastic costumes, for though the play was supposed to be
classical, yet the necessity of entertaining the Princess with
something startling and lively was more exacting than artistic
congruity. As we have seen, the Prince had always inclined more to the
fairy and masqued comedy than to the serious opera, and on this occasion
the result was more original and fantastic than had ever before been
achieved.

As the morning went on, there gradually arranged itself, as if by
fortuitous incident, as strange a medley of fairy mediaeval legend and of
classic lore as eye ever looked upon. As the Prince and Princess,
surrounded by their principal guests, all masqued and attired in every
shade of colour and diversity of form, stood upon the steps before the
palace, the wide gardens seemed full of groups equally varied and
equally brilliant with their own. From behind the green screens of the
hedges, and from beneath the arcades, figures were constantly emerging
and passing again out of sight, apparently accidentally, but in fact
with a carefully-devised plan. Strains of delicate music filled the air.

Then a group