102 THE PARADISE OF CHILDREN.

head, before she should be aware of his approach. But,
as it happened, there was no need of his treading so very
lightly. He might have trod as heavily as he pleased, —
as heavily as a grown man, —as heavily, [ was gomg to
say, as an elephant, — without much probability of Pan-
dora’s hearing his footsteps. She was too intent upon
her purpose. At the moment of lis entering the cottage,
the naughty child had put her hand to the lid, and was
on the poimt of opening the mysterious box. Epimetheus
beheld her. If he had eried out, Pandora would probably
have withdrawn her hand, and the fatal mystery of the
box might never have been known.

But Epimetheus himself, although he said very little
about it, had his own share of eurtosity to know what
was inside. Pereeiving that Pandora was resolved to
find out the seeret, he determined that his playfellow
should not be the only wise person in the cottage. And
if there were anything pretty or valuable in the box, he
meant to take half of it to himself. Thus, after all his
sage speeches to Pandora about restraining her curiosity,
Epimetheus turned out to be quite as foolish, and nearly
as much in fault, as she. So, whenever we blame Pan-
dora for what, happened, we must not forget to shake our
heads at Epimetheus likewise.

As Pandora raised the lid, the cottage grew very dark
and dismal; for the black cloud had now swept quite
over the sun, and seemed to have buried it alive. There-
had, for a little while past, been a low growling and
muttering, which all at once broke into a heavy peal of
thunder. But Pandora, heeding nothing of all this,