ld to his bosom, and wept. Then, without a
word, he rose with her in his arms, carried her up to her room, and
laying her down in her bed, covered her up, kissed her sweet little
mouth unconscious of reproof, and then went to the drawing-room.

"As soon as he entered, he saw the culprits in a quiet corner alone. He
went up to them, took a hand of each, and joining them in both his,
said, 'God bless you!' Then he turned to the rest of the company, and
'Now,' said he, 'let's have a Christmas carol.'--And well he might; for
though I have paid many visits to the house, I have never seen him
cross since; and I am sure that must cost him a good deal of trouble."

"We have just come from a great palace," said another, "where we knew
there were many children, and where we thought to hear glad voices, and
see royally merry looks. But as soon as we entered, we became aware
that one mighty Shadow shrouded the whole; and that Shadow deepened and
deepened, till it gathered in darkness about the reposing form of a
wise prince. When we saw him, we could move no more, but clung heavily
to the walls, and by our stillness added to the sorrow of the hour. And
when we saw the mother of her people weeping with bowed head for the
loss of him in whom she had trusted, we were seized with such a longing
to be Shadows no more, but winged angels, which are the white shadows
cast in heaven from the Light of Light, so as to gather around her, and
hover over her with comforting, that we vanished from the walls, and
found ourselves floating high above the towers of the palace, where we
met the angels on their way, and knew that our service was not needed."

By this time there was a glimmer of approaching moonlight, and the king
began to see several of those stranger Shadows, with human faces and
eyes, moving about amongst the crowd. He knew at once that they did not
belong to his dominion. They looked at him, and came near him, and
passed slowly, but they never made any obeisance, or gave sign of
homage. And what their eyes said to him, the king only could tell. And
he did not tell.

"What are those other Shadows that move through the crowd?" said he to
one of his subjects near him.

The Shadow started, looked round, shivered slightly, and laid his
finger on his lips. Then leading the king a little aside, and looking
carefully about him once more,--

"I do not know," said he in a low tone, "what they are. I have heard of
them often, but only on