a long way to come.

"What is all this ado?" she said. "Let me in to him!" and she broke the
bars and entered.

THE THORN

When the youth started, he passed through the Forbidden Wood, and
wandered there, plucking and tasting the fruit, smelling the flowers,
evil and sweet; and as he plucked and smelled, it chanced that a thorn
entered his breast, for it lay open. He took little heed, for he was
young, and the life strong in him; so the thorn made its way in, and
presently was buried in the flesh; and he forgot it, for it gave him no
hurt.

By and by he came out of that wood, and shook the dust of it from his
feet, and set his face toward the mountains, for a voice told him that
there he should find his life and his Love. And so it fell, for as he
fared on, his Love came to meet him, and he knew her, and she him. Then
each held out arms of longing, and embraced the other tenderly,
speaking fond words; but when the maiden pressed her arms about the man,
a pang shot through his breast, bitter as death; and he trembled, for he
knew it for the piercing of the thorn.

The man set his teeth, that he might make no outcry, and then he looked
at his Love: and see! she was snow-pale, and held her heart with both
hands, as if in pain.

"What is it?" cried the man. "What hurts my Love?" and she answered, "I
know not; a pang shot through my heart, bitter as death."

"Oh, Love, what like was the pang?" cried the man; and heard her words
before she spoke; for she said, "Like the piercing of a thorn!"

THE SERPENT

Three boys were playing together in a field; and as they played, one
passing by called to them: "Beware! in the corner of that field is a
poisonous serpent, whose bite is death."

"Alas!" said one child. "How terrible, to think that anything evil
should be in a place so lovely. Let me flee from it!" and he wept, and
ran from the place.

"Why," said the second child, "should such a thing be here? what is the
reason of it?" and he found him a safe place, and sat down to ponder on
the matter.

The third child picked up a stone. "Show it to me!" he said.

IF THIS SHOULD BE

I

In the Place of Spirits, where many come seeking a home, and all who
earn shall find one, a band of child-spirits played about their door,
singing, and crowning one another with flowers. And as they played,
there drifted by a gray Shape, and stayed beside the gate, and wrung its
shadowy hands.

Said the eldes