178 THE FAIRY-FOLK OF THE BLUE HILL.

ward to seize a luscious plum, from which the
rich juice was oozing in its ripeness ; but as she
was about to close her fingers on the tempting
fruit, the branches on which it grew sprang
out of reach, and a sharp pain in her foot
caused her to cry out. :

Then Wassa discovered that the ground
beneath the trees was covered with brambles,
and a sharp thorn from one of them had pierced
her foot. At that moment the unknown voice
said : —

“My little maid, dost thou not know
’Tis Fairyland where these fruits grow,
And that of them thou canst not eat?
But clear the brambles at thy feet,
And then thy path it will be clear.
The mermaids’ home is very near.”

“TI cannot clear away all these prickly
brambles,” cried Wassa as she sank down
despairingly. “The mermaids are as far
away as when I first started, and I shall not
go a step farther.”

The voice answered : —

“Tt is but a few steps more,
When thow'lt safely reach the shore
Where the lovely mermaids stay,
With them the fairy prince at play.”