's sad face brightened. 'Little King Loc,' she said,
smiling, 'how clever you are! But you must send her a dream every
night, so that she shall see _me_--and _me_ a dream, so that I may see
her.'

And this King Loc promised to do.

When Abeille grew accustomed to do without her mother and Youri, she
made herself happy enough in her new home. Everyone was kind to her,
and petted her, and then there were such quantities of new things for
her to see. The gnomes were always busy, and knew how to fashion
beautiful toys as well or better than the people who lived on the
earth; and now and then, wandering with Tad or Dig in the underground
passages, Abeille would catch a glimpse of blue sky through a rent in
the rocks, and this she loved best of all. In this manner six years
passed away.

'His Highness King Loc wishes to see you in his presence chamber,'
said Tad, one morning, to Abeille, who was singing to herself on a
golden lute; and Abeille, wondering why the king had grown so formal
all of a sudden, got up obediently. Directly she appeared, King Loc
opened a door in the wall which led into his treasure chamber. Abeille
had never been there before, and was amazed at the splendid things
heaped up before her. Gold, jewels, brocades, carpets, lay round the
walls, and she walked about examining one glittering object after
another, while King Loc mounted a throne of gold and ivory at one end
of the hall, and watched her. 'Choose whatever you wish,' he said at
last. A necklace of most lovely pearls was hanging from the wall, and
after hesitating for a moment between that and a circlet of diamonds
and sapphires, Abeille stretched up her hand towards it. But before
she touched it her eyes lighted on a tiny piece of sky visible through
a crack of the rock, and her hand dropped by her side. 'Little King
Loc, let me go up to the earth once again,' she said.

Then King Loc made a sign to the treasurer, who opened a coffer full
of nothing but precious stones, larger and more dazzling than were
worn by any earthly monarch. 'Choose what you will, Abeille,'
whispered King Loc.

But Abeille only shook her head.

'A drop of dew in the garden at Clarides is brighter to me than the
best of those diamonds,' she answered, 'and the bluest of the stones
are not as blue as the eyes of Youri.' And as she spoke a sharp pain
ran through the heart of King Loc. For an instant he said nothing,
then he lifted his head and looked at her. 'Only tho