of some laurel bushes. His eye caught the
spellbound lauristinus, and, forgetting his late good master's commands,
he fell on it furiously with both hands, and tore, and wrenched it from
the earth.

Then suddenly, as the roots and fibres of the ill-omened plant with a
crackling noise were released from the soil, a wonderful being, which
had been buried underneath it--a wicked fairy with an evil eye--uncoiled
herself, and rose up straight and tall before him. She gave a malicious
smile, and simpered out flattering words to the half-bewildered
labourer.

"A thousand thanks, O noble knight, for relieving a spell-bound lady!
Pray let me know, is there aught that I can do to indicate my
gratitude?"

"Tell me how I can earn my daily bread?" stammered forth poor Martin.

"Daily bread!" cried the fairy, tossing her head contemptuously. "I can
tell thee, gallant sir, where to find gold, ay, more real yellow gold
than the king and all his court ever dreamed of! I have not been pent up
under that lauristinus all these years for nothing! I know a secret or
two."

Martin's eyes grew dilated, and his breath came and went, and he seized
the fairy by the wrist. "Answer me," he gasped out hoarsely, "where's
all that gold to be got? No palavering, or I'll bury you up again, and
plant that same lauristinus-bush on your head!"

The fairy rolled her evil eye, and gave a forced laugh. "At the back of
yonder mountain!" she cried, pointing with her thin, long hand to a hill
whose summit overlooked the park. "The way thou must take is through the
forest, till thou comest to the charcoal-burners' huts. Then follow a
crooked path leading to the left, round to the back of the hill. Thou
wilt find an opening in the earth. _The gold is there!_"

Martin scarcely waited for the last words. He loosened his grasp of the
fairy's wrist, and hastened full speed home to his wife and child.

"To a hole at the back of the mountain to look for gold!" Poor Dame
Ursula was sorely puzzled when her good-man arrived all excited, and
bade her make a bundle of what clothes she possessed, bring the baby
Lionel, and follow him to push their fortune at the back of the
mountain.

Now at the back of the mountain there was a deep mine where many people,
men, women and children, were searching after, and finding, gold. Only
they were obliged to descend deep, deep into the bowels of the earth,
where all was dark, save for the pale flickering of little lanterns,
w