216 PRINCE RICARDO.

 

now red, now golden; and in her hand was the
golden pitcher that sheds the dew, and a
golden wand. The other lady was as dark as
night—dark eyes, dark hair; her crown was of
. poppies. She held the ebony Wand of Sleep.
Her dress was of the deepest blue, sown with
stars.. The king knew that they were the —
maidens of the bright and the dark side of the
moon—of the side you see, and of the side
that no one has ever seen, except King Prigio.
He stopped the Flying Horse by turning the
other knob in the saddle, alighted, and bowed
very low to each of the ladies.

‘* Daring mortal! what make you here?”
they asked. :

And then the king told them about Jaqueline
and the Earthquaker, and how he needed a
great weight of Stupidity to flatten him out
with.

The ladies heard him in silence, and then
they said:

‘Follow us,” and they flew lightly beside the
Flying Horse till they had crossed all the bright
side of the moon, above the silver palaces and
silver seas, and reached the summit of the
Mountains of the Moon which separate the
bright from the dark side.

‘‘ Here I may go no further,” said the bright
lady; ‘‘and beyond, as you see, allis darkness
and heavy sleep.”

Then she touched Prigio with her golden