THE GORGON’S HEAD. 31

_ Accordingly, both Nightmare and Shakejoint stretched
out their hands, groping eagerly to snatch the eye out of
the hand of Scarecrow. But, being both alike blind,
they could not easily find where Scarecrow’s hand was ;
and Scarecrow, being now just as much in the dark as
Shakejoimt and Nightmare, could not at once meet either
of their hands, in order to put the eye into it. Thus (as
you will see, with half an eye, my wise little auditors),
these good old dames had fallen into a strange perplex-
ity. For, though the eye shone and glistened like a star,
as Scarecrow held it out, yet the Gray Women caught
not the least glinpse of its light, and were all three in
utter darkness, from too impatient a desire to see.

(Juicksilver was so much tickled at beholding Shake-
joint and Nightmare both groping for the eye, and each
finding fault with Scarecrow and one another, that he
could scarcely help laughing aloud.

“Now is your time!” he whispered to Perseus.
(Quick, quick! before they can clap the eye into either
of their heads. Rush out upon the old ladies, and snatch
it from Scarecrow’s hand !”

In an instant, while the Three Gray Women were still
scolding each other, Perseus leaped from behind the
clump of bushes, and made himself master of the prize.
The marvellous eye, as he held it in his hand, shone very
brightly, and seemed to look up into his face with a
knowing air, and an expression as if it would have
winked, had it been provided with a pair of eyelids for
that purpose. But the Gray Women knew nothing of
what had happened; and, each supposing that one of her