FAIRYLAND. 85

The gnomes hastened to obey their king,
and disappeared into the woods, singing:—

«Gather, gnomes, with toil and care,
Boughs of hemlock and balsams rare.
Fragrant branches and flowers wild
Deck the couch of the hunter’s child.
Gently lift her, and softly bear
Through fairy paths the maiden fair.”

Almost as soon as the last words of the

 

refrain had died on the air, the gnomes re-
appeared. Some dragged after them large
boughs, and sturdy forms bent beneath the