soul by its serene amenity and peace. Kindly the host of heaven

blinked down upon that wandering Princess; and the honest brook had

no words but to encourage her.

At last she began to be aware of a wonderful revolution, compared to

which the fire of Mittwalden Palace was but the crack and flash of a

percussion-cap. The countenance with which the pines regarded her

began insensibly to change; the grass too, short as it was, and the

whole winding staircase of the brook's course, began to wear a

solemn freshness of appearance. And this slow transfiguration

reached her heart, and played upon it, and transpierced it with a

serious thrill. She looked all about; the whole face of nature

looked back, brimful of meaning, finger on lip, leaking its glad

secret. She looked up. Heaven was almost emptied of stars. Such

as still lingered shone with a changed and waning brightness, and

began to faint in their stations. And the colour of the sky itself

was the most wonderful; for the rich blue of the night had now

melted and softened and brightened; and there had succeeded in its

place a hue that has no name, and that is never seen but as the

herald of morning. 'O!' she cried, joy catching at her voice, 'O!

it is the dawn!'

In a breath she passed over the brook, and looped up her skirts and

fairly ran in the dim alleys. As she ran, her ears were aware of

many pipings, more beautiful than music; in the small dish-shaped

houses in the fork of giant arms, where they had lain all night,

lover by lover, warmly pressed, the bright-eyed, big-hearted singers

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