tite taking possession of her at
once. To be sure, it was a very wretched looking pomegranate, and seemed
to have no more juice in it than an oyster shell. But there was no
choice of such things in King Pluto's palace. This was the first fruit
she had seen there, and the last she was ever likely to see; and unless
she ate it up immediately, it would grow drier than it already was, and
be wholly unfit to eat.

"At least, I may smell it," thought Proserpina.

So she took up the pomegranate, and applied it to her nose; and, somehow
or other, being in such close neighbourhood to her mouth, the fruit
found its way into that little red cave. Dear me! what an everlasting
pity! Before Proserpina knew what she was about, her teeth had actually
bitten it, of their own accord. Just as this fatal deed was done, the
door of the apartment opened, and in came King Pluto, followed by
Quicksilver, who had been urging him to let his little prisoner go. At
the first noise of their entrance, Proserpina withdrew the pomegranate
from her mouth. But Quicksilver (whose eyes were very keen, and his wits
the sharpest that ever anybody had) perceived that the child was a
little confused; and seeing the empty salver, he suspected that she had
been taking a sly nibble of something or other. As for honest Pluto, he
never guessed at the secret.

"My little Proserpina," said the king, sitting down, and affectionately
drawing her between his knees, "here is Quicksilver, who tells me that a
great many misfortunes have befallen innocent people on account of my
detaining you in my dominions. To confess the truth, I myself had
already reflected that it was an unjustifiable act to take you away from
your good mother. But, then, you must consider, my dear child, that this
vast palace is apt to be gloomy (although the precious stones certainly
shine very bright), and that I am not of the most cheerful disposition,
and that therefore it was a natural thing enough to seek for the society
of some merrier creature than myself. I hoped you would take my crown
for a plaything, and me--ah, you laugh, naughty Proserpina--me, grim as
I am, for a playmate. It was a silly expectation."

"Not so extremely silly," whispered Proserpina. "You have really amused
me very much, sometimes."

"Thank you," said King Pluto, rather dryly. "But I can see, plainly
enough, that you think my palace a dusky prison, and me the iron-hearted
keeper of it. And an iron heart I should su