Page 606 - Child's own book

Delphine, <4 (Jo in ; straight before you, you will find what
you seek."
Delphine turned to thank her good-natured friend, but he
had disappeared. She walked onwards as he had told her, and
in a few minutes she saw a green bank, on which the sun
shone aa if it were summer. It was quite warm; there waa
not a cloud in the bright blue sky, and the birds were sing­
ing merrily all around her. As she approached the bank, her
heart leaped within her; for on it she discovered a bed of the
finest strawberries she had ever seen. She ran to them., bound­
ing with joy, and quickly filled the little basket she had
brought with her. Then she thought that she would make
all the haste buck that she could, to please her dear Hilda.
But it happened somehow that ahe missed the path back,
and could not find the gate out of the wood. While she was
running first one way and then another, she heard the sound
of a whistle, and turning to the direction from which it had
proceeded, she came presently to an opening in the trees,
whence a beautiful scene lay stretched before her. Just at
her feet a calm clear lake glittered in the sunshine ; stately
swans were swimming to and fro ; a hundred swallows darted
across it, skimming the surface ; the water-lily and the golden
ranunculus shone brightly as they floated on its bosom; and
the branches of the bright green trees that surrounded it were
repeated in the watery mirror. in the midst was a small
island, on which she could discern a beautiful palace, sur­
rounded by flower gardens, beyond which were groves of
orange-trees and myrtles.
As Delphinc approached nearer to the lake, ahe discovered a
little old man, with a long white beard, sitting under a tree.
He seemed to have nothing to do but to keep the swans in the
water; for whenever one of them attempted to get on laud, bo