Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women

y men, Sir A

hurt, but ye

downe and b

e rise and f

Sir Andr

the bitterness of my own tears. Nor would I have washed in the well of that grotto, had it flowed clear as the rivers of Paradise. I rose, and feebly left the sepulchral cave. I took my way I knew not whith

t some gain. Then I began to make surmises as to the mode of my deliverance; and concluded that some hero, wandering in search of adventure, had heard how the forest was infested; and, knowing it was useless to attack the evil thing in person, had assailed with his battle-axe the body in which he dwelt, and on which he was dependent for his power of mischief in the wood. "Very likely," I thought, "the repentant-knight, who warned me of the evil which h

the forest, and at length arrived at a farm-house. An unspeakable joy arose in my heart at beholding an abode of human beings once more, and I hastened up to the door, and knocked. A

She soothed me right gently; and, leading me into a room, made me lie down on a settle, while she went to find me some refreshment. She soon returned with food, bu

say a word about these things; for he thinks me even half crazy for believing anything of the sort. But I must believe my senses, as he cannot believe beyond his, which give him no intimations of this kind. I think he could

o beautiful without any heart at all-witho

, although she loves no man, she loves the love of any man; and when she finds one in her power, her desire to bewitch him and gain his love (not for the sake of his love either, but that she may be conscious anew of her own beauty, through the admiration he manifests), makes her very lovely-with a self-destructive beauty, though; for it is that which is constantly wearing he

et on my first entering the forest, there should be such superiority to her apparent condition. Here she left me t

s if I had known every corner of it for twenty years; and when, soon after, the dame came and fetched me to partake of their early supper, the grasp of his great hand, and the harvest-moon of his benevolent face, which was needed to light up the rotundity of the globe beneath it, produced such a reaction in me, that, for a moment, I could hardly believe that there was a Fairy Land; and that all I had passed through since I left home, had not been the wandering dream of a diseased imagination, operating on a too mobile frame, not merely causin

a good-humoured laugh. "We are in the very hottest corner

t so with me. A lovelier night I never s

the forest. I h

othing very remarkable about the forest; for, to tell the truth, it bears but a

Why, I certainly did see some appearances I could hardly account for; but that is nothing to be

out us. Now, you would hardly credit it, but my wife believes every fairy-tale that eve

r belief with something of respect, th

he midst of absurdity, it is far less easy to behave respectfully to it. Why, m

when a child, and know t

mother is descended from that very princess who was changed by the wicked fairy into a wh

eneath the floor, and would not let us go to sleep. Your mother sprang out of bed, and going as near it as she could, mewed so infernally li

as soon as it was over, he looked scared, as if he dreaded some evil consequences to follow his presumption. The woman stood near, waiting till we should seat ourselves at the table, and listening to it all with an

n are you going?"

ven a more definite answer. "Does the fore

y into it. Nor do I see what I could discover. It is only trees and trees, till one is sick of them. By the way, if you follow the eastward track from here, y

for nightcaps; and the great long-toothed ogre killed them in mistake; but I

sh neighbourhood as this, a bad enough name; and I must confess there is a woman living in it, with teeth long enough, and

en supper was finished, which lasted some

s inhabitants. For they frequently pass the window, and even enter the room sometimes. Strange creatures spend whole nights in it, at certain seasons of the year. I am used to it, and do

ect of the farmer's company, and of my own later adventures, was such, that I chose rather an undisturbed night in

t. The dew-drops were sparkling their busiest; the cows in a near-by field were eating as if they had not been at it all day yesterday; the maids were singing at their work as they passed to and fro between the out-houses: I did not believe in Fairy Land. I went down, and fo

een flitting about

e farmer; and we entered together. "We

you; I slept u

hear it. Come

is son went out; and I was left a

lusion of my brain; but whenever I come near you or your little daughter, I feel differently. Yet I could p

go back?" sa

at I do

y Land, there is no way of going back. They must go o

ompels me to go on, as if my only path was onward, but I

d's room? She sleeps in the one I tol

ngly,"

he door for us. It was a large room, full of old-fashioned fu

nd longing flowed over my soul like the tide of a great sea. Fairy Land lay before me, and drew me towards it with an irresistible attraction. The trees bathed their great heads in the waves of the morning, while their roots were planted deep in gloom; save where on the borders the sunshine broke against their stems, or swept in long streams through their avenues, washing with b

ogre, I think. My son will show you into anot

ners, went into the wood, accompanied by the youth. He scarcely spoke as we went along; but he led me throug