A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM. 31

time, if she still refused to marry Demetrius, she would have
to die.

Lysander of course was nearly mad with grief, and the best thing
to do seemed to him for Hermia to run away to his aunt’s house at a
place beyond the reach of that cruel law; and there he would come to
her and marry her. But before she started, she told her friend, Helena,
what she was going to do.

Helena had been Demetrius’ sweetheart long before his marriage
with Hermia had been thought of, and being very silly, like all
jealous people, she could not see that it was not poor Hermia’s fault
that Demetrius wished to marry her instead of his own lady, Helena.
She knew that if she told Demetrius that Hermia was going, as she was,
to the wood outside Athens, he would follow her, “and I can follow him,
and at least I shall see him,” she said to herself. So she went to him,
and betrayed her friend’s secret.

Now this wood where Lysander was to meet Hermia, and where
the other two had decided to follow them, was full of fairies, as most
woods are, if one only had the eyes to see them, and in this wood on
this night were the Kine and Queen of the fairies, Oberon and Titania.
Now fairies are very wise people, but now and then they can be quite as
foolish as mortal folk. Oberon and Titania, who might have been as
happy as the days were lone, had thrown away all their joy in a foolish
quarrel. They never met without saying disagreeable things to each
other, and scolded each other so dreadfully that all their little fairy
followers, for fear, would creep into acorn cups and hide them there.

So, instead of keeping one happy Court, and dancing all night
through in the moonlight, as is fairies’ use, the King with his attend-
ants wandered through one part of the wood, while the Queen with hers
kept state m another. And the cause of all this trouble was a little
Indian boy whom Titania had taken to be one of her followers. Oberon
wanted the child to follow him and be one of his fairy knights; but the
Queen would not give him up.

On this night, in a mossy moonlight glade, the King and Queen of
the fairies met.

Tl] met by moonlight, proud Titania,” said the King.

“What! jealous, Oberon?” answered the Queen. ‘You spoil