Fairy tales. It belongs to
that species of Fairy stories which compose this chapter, and therefore
it is here given as translated by Professor Rhys. I will for the sake of
reference give the tale a name, and describe it under the following
heading.

6. _A young man marries a Fairy Lady in Fairy Land, and brings her to
live with him among his own people_.

"Once on a time a shepherd boy had gone up the mountain. That day, like
many a day before and after, was exceedingly misty. Now, though he was
well acquainted with the place, he lost his way, and walked backwards and
forwards for many a long hour. At last he got into a low rushy spot,
where he saw before him many circular rings. He at once recalled the
place, and began to fear the worst. He had heard, many hundreds of
times, of the bitter experiences in those rings of many a shepherd who
had happened to chance on the dancing-place or the circles of the Fair
Family. He hastened away as fast as ever he could, lest he should be
ruined like the rest; but though he exerted himself to the point of
perspiring, and losing his breath, there he was, and there he continued
to be, a long time. At last he was met by a little fat old man with
merry blue eyes, who asked him what he was doing. He answered that he
was trying to find his way homeward. 'Oh,' said he, 'come after me, and
do not utter a word until I bid thee.' This he did, following him on and
on until they came to an oval stone, and the little old fat man lifted
it, after tapping the middle of it three times with his walking stick.
There was there a narrow path with stairs to be seen here and there, and
a sort of whitish light, inclining to grey and blue, was to be seen
radiating from the stones. 'Follow me fearlessly,' said the fat man, 'no
harm will be done thee.' So on the poor youth went, as reluctantly as a
dog to be hanged; but presently a fine-wooded, fertile country spread
itself out before them, with well arranged mansions dotting it over,
while every kind of apparent magnificence met the eye, and seemed to
smile in its landscape; the bright waters of its rivers meandered in
twisted streams, and its hills were covered with the luxuriant verdure of
their grassy growth, and the mountains with a glossy fleece of smooth
pasture. By the time they had reached the stout gentleman's mansion, the
young man's senses had been bewildered by the sweet cadence of the music
which the birds poured forth from