under the little hole. "Dig down as deep as you can."

So Mopsa and the crowd stood back, and the two boys began to dig; and
greatly they enjoyed it, for people can dig so fast in Fairyland.

Very soon the hole was so deep that they had to jump into it, because
they could not reach the bottom with their spades. "This is very jolly
indeed," said Jack, when they had dug so much deeper that they could
only see out of the hole by standing on tiptoe.

"Go on," said the white fairy; so they dug till they came to a flat
stone, and then she said, "Now you can stamp. Stamp on the stone, and
don't be afraid." So the two Jacks began to stamp, and in such a
little time that she had only half turned her head round, the flat
stone gave way, for there was a hollow underneath it, and down went
the boys, and utterly disappeared.

Then, while Mopsa and the crowd silently looked on, the white fairy
lightly pushed the clods of earth towards the hole with the side of
her foot, and in a very few minutes the hole was filled in, and that
so completely and so neatly, that when she had spread the turf on it,
and given it a pat with her foot, you could not have told where it had
been. Mopsa said not a word, for no fairy ever interferes with a
stronger fairy; but she looked on earnestly, and when the white
stranger smiled she was satisfied.

Then the white stranger walked away, and Mopsa and the fairies sat
down on a bank under some splendid cedar-trees. The beautiful castle
looked fairer than ever in the afternoon sunshine; a lovely waterfall
tumbled with a tinkling noise near at hand, and the bank was covered
with beautiful wild flowers.

They sat for a long while, and no one spoke: what they were thinking
of is not known, but sweet Mopsa often sighed.

At last a noise,--a very, very slight noise, as of the footsteps of
people running,--was heard inside the rock, and then a little
quivering was seen in the wand. It quivered more and more as the
sound increased. At last that which had looked like a door began to
shake as if some one was pushing it from within. Then a noise was
distinctly heard as of a key turning in the hole, and out burst the
two Jacks, shouting for joy, and a whole troop of knights and squires
and serving-men came rushing wildly forth behind them.

Oh, the joy of that meeting! who shall describe it? Fairies by dozens
came up to kiss the boy-king's hand, and Jack shook hands with every
one that could reach him. Then Mop