forest.

Loveleaves was not quite so curious as her father, the Lord of the White
Castle, but she kept awake to see what would happen, and very much
afraid the little girl was when in walked a great brown bear.

"Good evening, lady!" said the bear.

"Good evening, bear!" said Lady Greensleeves. "What is the news in your
part of the forest?"

"Not much," said the bear; "only the fawns are growing very cunning--one
can't catch above three in a day."

"That's bad news," said Lady Greensleeves; and at once in walked a great
wild cat.

"Good evening, lady!" said the cat.

"Good evening, cat!" said Lady Greensleeves. "What is the news in your
part of the forest?"

"Not much," said the cat; "only the birds are growing very plentiful--it
is not worth one's while to catch them."

"That's good news," said Lady Greensleeves; and in flew a great black
raven.

"Good evening, lady!" said the raven.

"Good evening, raven!" said Lady Greensleeves. "What is the news in your
part of the forest?"

"Not much," said the raven; "only in a hundred years or so we shall be
very genteel and private, the trees will be so thick."

"How is that?" said Lady Greensleeves.

"Oh!" said the raven, "have you not heard how the king of the forest
fairies laid a spell on two lords, who were travelling through his
kingdom to see the old woman that weaves her own hair? They had thinned
his oaks every year, cutting firewood for the poor. So the king met them
in the likeness of a hunter, and asked them to drink out of his oaken
goblet, because the day was warm. When the two lords drank, they
forgot their lands and their people, their castles and their children,
and minded nothing in all the world but the planting of acorns, which
they do day and night, by the power of the spell, in the heart of the
forest. They will never stop till someone makes them pause in their work
before the sun sets, and then the spell will be broken."

[Illustration: A DOOR OPENED IN THE ROCK

_See page 61_]

"Ah!" said Lady Greensleeves, "he is a great prince, that king of the
forest fairies; and there is worse work in the world than planting
acorns."

Soon after, the bear, the cat, and the raven bade Lady Greensleeves good
night. She closed the door, put out the light, and went to sleep on the
soft moss as usual.

In the morning Loveleaves told Woodwender what she had heard, and they
went to Lady Greensleeves where she milked the does, and said:

"We heard