Page 90 - Adventures in shadow-land

and the only favor they asked of her was this,—

that she would not go near the brook* nor play
upon its banks, while they were absent.

Eva willingly promised this. Such a little thing
as it was to promise, when she would have the

whole fair valley to herself, to go where she pleased,
and to do what she pleased ! It would be very

easy to keep away from the brook.
But when once more the soft, rosy light came*

and the darkness was gone, and Eva awoke to
find herself lying, all alone, on her little bed in

the palace, and to know that all the children were
indeed gone, though only for a time, a strange

restlessness came over her, and she felt that she
could not stay all alone in the palace. She would

go out of it into the valley. But she was no better
off there. She gathered flowers and made beauti­

ful wreaths and bouquets, but there was no one to
admire them when they were made. The rain­

bows around the fountains were less brilliant j the
birds were all gone with the children, so that she

could not listen to their songs or the stories they
might have told her. She might play and dance,

but what fun was there in that, when she had no
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