Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women

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ing twilight, however, before I entered what appeared to be the darkest portion of the forest, I saw a country maiden coming towards me from its very depths. She did not seem to observe me, for she was apparently intent upon a bunch of wild flowers which she carried in her hand. I could hardly see her face; for, though she came d

could not be everywhere so dense as it appeared from where I was now walking; and I was right in this conclusion. For soon I came to a more open part, and by-and-by crossed a wide grassy glade, on which were several circles of brighter green. But even here I was struck with the utter stillness. No bird sang. No insect hummed. Not a living creature crossed my way. Yet somehow the whole environment seemed only asleep, and to wear even in sleep an air of expectation. The trees seemed all to have an expression of conscious mystery, as if they said to themselves, "we could, an' if we would." They had all a meaning look about them. Then I remembered that night is the fairies' day, and the moon their sun; and I thought-Everything sleeps and dreams now: when the night comes, it will be different. At the same time I, being a man and a

d over its roof, heaping a great cloud of leaves over it, up towards the heavens. I wondered at finding a human dwelling in this neighbourhood; and yet it did not look altogether human, though sufficiently so to encourage me to expect to find some sort of food. Seeing no door, I we

see my

y hungry?" "With pleasure," she replied, in the same tone; "but do not say

e stems of small trees set closely together, and was furnished with rough chairs and tables, f

d in you," said she,

you kn

it were not so; and I am trying to find out some

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lly the heaviness of her eyebrows, a something unusual-I could hardly call it grace, and yet it was an expression that strangely

of their food. And I see by your eyes that you are not quite free of the same need; though, from your education

he lady had said ab

ness of the fare, with which, however, I was in no humour to quarrel. I now thought it t

an by speaking s

er shoulder. I had just time to see, across the open space, on the edge of the denser forest, a single large ash-tree, whose foliage showed bluish, amidst the truer green of the o

leep; but there is something unusual going on in the woods; there must be some solemnity among the fairies to

er is to be dr

ow and looked out, saying she feared the fairies would be int

dark, the sooner the Ash

there was any unusual excite

l, and he frisks about as if he expected some fun. If the cat were at home, she would have her back up; for the young fa

shed in like a demon, and disa

ld you!" sai

he young woman, whom I had met in the morning, entered. A smile passed between the mothe

e evening," I said; "and then go on

ight be better to stay all night, than risk the

if you have any idea of what you are daring; but a rash one, if you know nothing about it; and, excuse me, you do not seem very well informed about the country

look towards the forest, and then drawing a white blind over the window. I sat down opposite to it by the table, on which I laid the great old volume, and read. It contained many wondrous tales of Fairy Land, and olden t

ack, but all besprent with fair lilys of silver sheen. Whereas Sir Percivale bestrode a red horse, with a tawny mane and tail; whose trappings were all to-smirched with mud and mire; and his armour was wondrous rosty to behold, ne could he by any art furbish it again; so that as the sun in his going down shone twixt the bare trunks of the trees, full upon the knights twain, the one did seem all shining with light, and the other all to glow with ruddy fire. Now it came abou

hostess caused me to look up fr

he said; "look

adow as of a large distorted hand, with thick knobs and humps on the fingers, so that it was much wider across the fingers than

mother; and greedier

than he is; for you do not know how soon something may

st," said I; "how is it

m to pieces; they are our friends. But he stands there and makes awful faces at us sometimes, and stretches out his long arms and

e to see these

there is in you. But we shall soon see whether you can discern t

es too, as well as t

hiefly the young children of the flower fairies. They are very fond of having fun with the thi

rs so near you then? D

e, they burst into peals of tiny laughter, as if it was such a joke to have been serious over anything. These I speak of, however, are the fairies of the garden. They are more staid and educated than those of the fields and woods. Of course they have n

e in the flo

er it be new flowers, new fairies, I cannot tell. They have as many sorts of dispositions as men and women, while their moods are yet more variable; twenty different expressions will cross their little faces in half a minute. I often amuse myself with watching them, but I have never been able to make personal acq

an from the kind of house he built, if he followed his own taste, so you could, without seeing the fairies, tell what any one of them is like, by looking at the flower till you feel that you understand it. For just what the flower says to you, would the face and form of the fairy say; only so much more plainly as a face and human figure can express more than a flower. For the house o

just gone away in a south-westerly direction; and, as my course seemed to lie eastward, she hoped I should be in no danger of meeting him if I departed at once. I looked out of the little window, and there stood the ash-tree, to my eyes the same as before; but I believed that they knew better than I did, and prepared to go.

hat is their peculiar privilege with regard to us." So we went together

ntering hither or thither. From the cups or bells of tall flowers, as from balconies, some looked down on the masses below, now bursting with laughter, now grave as owls; but even in their deepest solemnity, seeming only to be waiting for the arrival of the next laugh. Some were launched on a little marshy stream at the bottom, in boats chosen from the he

r half you've

choose you to have them

n, and recovered her great red leaf. But in the meantime twenty had hurried off in different directions with others just as good; and the little creature sat down and cried, and then, in a pet, sent a perfect pink snowstorm

the cottage, who were talking together around what seemed a last dying pri

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one of her own great leaves. They bore her solemnly along some distance, and then buried her under a tree. Although I say her I saw nothing but the withered primrose-flower on its long stalk. Pocket, who had been expelled from the company by common consent, went

alf-defiantly; "only if you come near my hammoc

u bite poor

as if we were not good enough to look at her,

; till, more coming to their help, the furious cat was held fast; and they proceeded to pick the sparks out of her with thorns and pins, which they handled like harpoons. Indeed, there were more instruments at work about her than there cou

am charitably disposed to believe" (here he became very pompous) "that they are the cause of all your bad temper; so we must have them all

ough the hedge, faster than even the fairies could follow. "Never mind, never mind, we shall find her again; and

however, that my readers could see them for themselves. Especially do I desire that they should see the fairy of the daisy; a little, chubby, round-eyed child, with such innocent trust in his look! Even the most mischievous of the fairies would not tease him, although he did not belong to their set at