THE PARADISE OF CHILDREN. 95

many times, and imagined that the mouth could smile if
it liked, or be grave when it chose, the same as any living
mouth. The features, indeed, all wore a very lively and
rather mischievous expression, which looked almost as if
it needs must burst out of the carved lips, and utter itself
in words,

Had the mouth spoken, it would probably have been
something like this:

“Do not be afraid, Pandora! What harm can there
be in opening the box? Never mind that poor, simple
Epimetheus! You are wiser than he, and have ten times
as much spirit. Open the box, and see if you do not find
something very pretty !”

The box, I had almost forgotten to say, was fastened ;
not by a lock, nor by any other such contrivance, but by
a very intricate knot of gold cord. There appeared to be
no end to this knot, and no beginning. Never was a knot
so cunningly twisted, nor with so many ins and outs,
which roguishly defied the skilfullest fingers to disentan-
gle them. And yet, by the very difficulty that there was
init, Pandora was the more tempted to examine the kuot,
and just see how it was made. Two or three times, al-
ready, she had stooped over the box, and taken the knot
between her thumb and forefinger, but without positively
trying to undo it.

“T really believe,” said she to herself, “that I begin
to see how it was done. Nay,. perhaps I could tie it up
again, after undoing it. There would be no harm in that,
surely. Even Epimetheus would not blame me for that.
I need not open the box, and should not, of course, with-