surface of the mountain lake was crowded with a changeful intermingling of Shadows. The aurora overhead lighted the lake and the sides of the mountain, and gave the colors of a faint rainbow to the forms.

13. The king soon discovered that this was their news exchange, a place to make each other, acquainted with their doings and thinkings. As he passed around he heard a great many stories. At some of them he laughed, and at some he cried. He never told them all, but the following are among those that he repeated:

LXXVIII. THE SHADOWS.

PART II.

1. "I made him confess before a week was over,' said a gloomy old Shadow. "But what was the good of that?" asked a pert young one; "that could not undo what was done." Yes, it could; the worse harm was to himself, and he was happier in prison than he was with that secret in his heart."

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2. "I caught a drunkard alone over his port, and didn't I frighten him? I made delirium tremens first; and then I settled into a funeral passing slowly along the opposite wall. He stared till his face changed from purple to gray, and he took refuge with his wife and children in the drawing

room. I believe he actually drank a cup of tea; and, though I have looked in often since, I have never caught him drinking again."

3. "Oh, how we played with a musician one night!" exclaimed one of another group, to which the king now drew near. "Up and down we went, like the hammers on his piano. But he took his revenge. For after he had watched us for half an hour in the twilight, he went to his instrument and played a shadow-dance that fixed us all in sound forever.

4. "Each could tell the very notes meant for him, and as long as he played we could not stop, but went on dancing just as the magician-I mean the musician-pleased. He nearly danced us off our legs, and out of shape into heaps of palpitating darkness.

5. “He had been very miserable all day, he was so poor; and we could not think of any way to comfort him but to make him laugh. We did not succeed in that, but it turned out better for him than if we had, for his shadow-dance got him into notice, and he is quite popular now and is making money fast. If he does not take care we shall have other work to do with him by and by, poor fellow!"

6. "I was one of a company that did the same for a play-writer once," said another Shadow. "He

had a Christmas piece to write, and being an orig inal genius it was not so easy for him to find a subject as for some of his class.

7. "I saw the trouble he was in, and, collecting a few stray Shadows, we acted in dumb show the funniest bit of nonsense we could think of, and it was quite successful. The poor fellow watched every motion, and roared with laughter and delight; then he turned it all into words and scenes and actions, and the Christmas drama came off with triumph."

8. "I have done only one thing worth telling since last we met," said a long, thin Shadow; "but I am proud of that." "What was it? what was it?" rose from twenty voices.

9. "I crept into a dining-room one twilight, drawn thither by the glow of a bright fire. At first I thought no one was there, but I soon caught the sparkle of eyes. They belonged to a little boy who lay very still on a sofa. He seemed sad, and did nothing but stare into the fire. At last he sighed out, I wish mamma would come home!' 'Poor boy!' thought I, 'there is no help for that but mamma,' but I thought I would try to while away the time for him.

10. "So I stretched a long shadow arm and pretended to make a grab at him. He was a little frightened at first, but, being a brave boy, he soon

saw it was all a joke. When I did it again, he made a clutch at me, and then we had such fun!

11. "At last his mother came, and he rushed to meet her. I was well repaid for my trouble by hearing his mother say to him, 'Why, Charlie dear, you look ever so much better since I left you.' And Charlie answered, 'O mamma! it must be because of the funny shadow that has been playing such games with me all the time you were out!'

12. "What an imagination the boy has,' she said, as she led him back into the room. She looked at him with tears in her eyes, and before the door closed I heard the sound of a kiss."

13. "I always look for nurseries full of children," said another, "and this winter I have been very successful. One evening, looking about a great city, I saw a nursery where the odious gas had not been lighted. Round the fire sat a company of children, the most delightful I had ever seen. They were waiting for their tea. I hurried away and gathered twenty of the best Shadows I could find, and we danced one of our best dances. 14. "How thick the shadows are!' said one of the little girls. 'I wonder where they come from,' said a dreamy boy. 'I think they grow out of the walls," said the little girl. 'I have been watching them, and I am sure they grow out of the wall.'”

15. "We have just come from a palace, where we thought to hear glad voices and see royally merry looks. But one mighty Shadow shrouded the place, and deepened till it became darkness itself about the reposing form of a wise, good prince. When we saw him we could move no more, but clung heavily to the walls, and by our stillness added to the sorrow of the hour. When we saw the grief of the mother, we were seized with such a desire to be shadows no more, but winged angels, which are the white shadows cast in heaven from the Light of Light, so as to gather round her and comfort her. We vanished from the walls and floated away over the towers, where we met the angels on their way, and knew that we were not needed."

16. By this time there was a glimmer of moonlight, and the king began to see other shadows with human eyes and faces. They looked at him, and came near him, but what their eyes said he did not tell.

17. The shapes vanished, and the king, on lifting his eyes, saw but the wall of his own room, on which flickered the shadow of a little child. He looked, and there, sitting on a stool by the fire, was his own little girl waiting to say good night.