m
here. Your good Queen was my very dear friend, and I was on my way to
pay her a visit and show her a precious seed which I had just brought
with me from a distant land when I came upon this scene of desolation.

"'"The seed I carried was a present from an owl who is over a thousand
years old, and wiser than any fairy I know. It was the seed of the
Wonderful Plant. Wherever it grows there it will remain for all time.
It cannot be dislodged, and the owner of it will be rich and
influential forever. Its flowers are of the purest gold, and can be
taken off and sold to the goldsmith. I was going to take the seed to
my home and plant it in my garden, so that I would have at least one
spot on earth where the Evil Magician could not endanger my good
influence. He is the terror of my life, and I see that he has been
even here, for it was he that swept your kingdom out to sea, and this
little clump of earth and bushes is only a fragment that broke off one
corner.

"'"I heard about it from the eagle that dwells on that high mountain
top. When I reached this spot to-day my distress was so great that I
dropped my precious seed, and now I must leave it here for I know I
will not find it."

"'I tried to comfort her by saying we would help her to look for it as
soon as it was light, but she shook her head.

"'"No," she said, "it is of no use to look further. The seed sprouts
immediately if the ground is damp, as this is. It will be sprouted by
morning, and I must protect it here."

"'She said no more, and as our own troubles filled our minds we fell to
talking again and making plans and did not notice that she disappeared.

"'We must have fallen asleep shortly afterwards, as we were both
awakened by a sound of swishing and neighing. We jumped to our feet.
The blackness of the night surrounded us. Our fire had died down to
ashes. Suddenly the noise came again, and our two horses dashed past
us at a gallop as if being chased. "Horse thieves," we whispered, and
turned to follow, but after running for several minutes over the sand
we found ourselves entering what seemed to be a dense wood, as we came
into rather sharp contact with large trunks and heavy branches of trees.

"'How we had got there, we did not know, and visions of mountain
robbers filled our minds. We threaded our way between the trees as
well as we could and ran on over smooth turf until we came to an
avenue, down which a light shone brokenly through