THE CHIMERA. 197

And Bellerophon put his faith in the child, who had
seen the image of Pegasus in the water, and in the
maiden, who had heard him neigh so melodiously, rather
than in the middle-aged clown, who believed only in cart-
horses, or in the old man who had forgotten the beautiful
things of his youth.

Therefore, he haunted about the Fountain of Pirene
for a great many days afterwards. He kept continually
on the watch, looking upward at the sky, or else down
into the water, hoping forever that he should see either
the reflected image of the winged horse, or the marvel-
lous reality. He held the bridle, with its bright gems
and golden bit, always ready in his hand. The rustic
people, who dwelt in the neighborhood, and drove their
cattle to the fountain to drink, would often laugh at poor
Bellerophon, and sometimes take him pretty severely to
task. They told him that an able-bodied young man, like
himself, ought to have better business than to be wast-
ing his time in such an idle pursuit. They offered to sell
him a horse, if he wanted one; and when Bellerophon
declined the purchase, they tried to drive a bargain with
him for his fine bridle. | |

Kven the country boys thought him so very foolish,
that they used to have a great deal of sport about him,
and were rude enough not to care a fig, although Bellero-
phon saw and heard it. One little urchin, for example,
would play Pegasus, and cut the oddest imaginable capers,
by way of flying, while one of his schoolfellows would
scamper after him, holding forth a twist of bulrushes,
which was intended to represent Bellerophon’s ornamental