Once upon a time, though I cannot tell when, and in what country I do
not now remember, there lived a maiden as fair as a lily, as gentle as
a dewdrop, and as modest as a violet. A pure, sweet name she had,--it
was Blanche.
She stood one evening, with her friend Victor, by the shore of a lake.
Never had the youth or maiden seen the moonlight so enchanting; but
they did not know
"It was midsummer day,
When all the fairy people
From elf-land come away."
Presently, while they gazed at the lake, which shone like liquid
emerald and sapphire and topaz, a boat, laden with strangely
beautiful beings, glided towards them across the waters. The fair
voyagers were clad in robes of misty blue with white mantles about
their waists, and on their heads wreaths of valley-lilies.
They were all as fair as need be; but fairest of all was the
helms-woman, the queen of the fairies. Her face was soft and clear
like moonlight; and she wore a crown of nine large diamonds, which
refracted the evening rays, and formed nine lunar rainbows.
The fairies were singing a roundelay; and, as the melody floated over
the waters, Victor and Blanche listened with throbbing hearts. Fairy
music has almost passed away from the earth; but those who hear it are
strangely moved, and have dreams of beautiful things which have been,
and may be again.
"It makes me think of the days of long ago when there was no sin,"
whispered Blanche.
"It makes me long to be a hero," answered Victor with a sparkling eye.
All the while the pearly boat was drifting toward the youth and
maiden; and, when it had touched the shore, the queen stepped out upon
the land as lightly as if she had been made entirely of dewdrops.
"I am Fontana," said she; "and is this Blanche?"
She laid her soft hand upon the maiden's shoulder; and Blanche thought
she would like to die then and there, so full was she of joy.
"I have heard of thy good heart, my maiden: now what would please thee
most?" said the queen.
Blanche bowed her head, and dared not speak.
Queen Fontana smiled: when she smiled it was as if a soft cloud had
slid away from the moon, revealing a beautiful light.
"Say pearls and diamonds," said Victor in her ear.
"I don't know," whispered Blanche: "they are not the best things."
"No," said the queen kindly: "pearls and diamonds are _not_ the best
things."
Then Blanche knew that her whisper had been overheard, and she hid her
face in her hands for shame. But the queen only smiled down on her,
and, without speaking, dropped into the ground a little seed. Right at
the feet of Blanche, it fell; and, in a moment, two green leaves shot
upward, and between them a spotless lily, which hung its head with
modest grace.
Victor gazed at the perfect flower in wonder, and, before he knew it,
said aloud, "Ah, how like Blanche!"
The queen herself broke it from the stem, and gave it to the maiden,
saying,--
"Take it! it is my choicest gift. Till it fades (which will never be),
love will be thine; and, in time to come, it will have power to open
the strongest locks, and swing back the heaviest doors.
"'Gates of brass cannot withstand
One touch of this magic wand.'"
Blanche looked up to thank the queen; but no words came,--only tears.
"I see a wish in thine eyes," said Fontana.
"It is for Victor," faltered Blanche, at last: "he wishes to be rich
and great."
The queen looked grave.
"Shall I make him one of the great men of the earth, little Blanche?
Then he may one day go to the ends of the world, and forget thee."
Blanche only smiled, and Victor's cheek flushed.
"I shall be a great man," said he,--"perhaps a prince; but, where I
go, Blanche shall go: she will be my wife."
"That is well," said the queen: "never forget Blanche, for her love
will be your dearest blessing."
Then, removing from her girdle a pair of spectacles, she placed them
in the youth's hand. He drew back in surprise. "Does she take me for
an old man?" thought he. He had expected a casket of gems at least;
perhaps a crown.
"Wait," said Fontana: "they are the eyes of Wisdom. When you have
learned their use, you will not despise my gift. Keep a pure heart,
and always remember Blanche. And now farewell!"
So saying, she moved on to the boat, floating over the ground as
softly as a creeping mist.
When Blanche awoke next morning, her first thought was, "Happy are the
maidens who have sweet dreams!" for she thought she had only been
wandering in a midsummer's night's dream; so, when she saw her lily in
the broken pitcher where she had placed it, great was her delight. But
a change had come over it during the night. It was no longer a common
lily,--its petals were large pearls, and the green leaves were now
green emeralds. This strange thing had happened to the flower, that it
might never fade.
After this, people looked at Blanche, and said, "How is it? she grows
fairer every day!" and every one loved her; for the human heart has no
choice but to love what is good and gentle.
As for Victor, he at first put on his spectacles with a scornful
smile: but, when he had worn them a moment, he found them very
wonderful things. When he looked through them, he could see people's
thoughts written out on their faces; he could easily decipher the fine
writing which you see traced on green leaves; and found there were
long stories written on pebbles in little black and gray dots.
When he wore the spectacles, he looked so wise, that Blanche hardly
dared speak to him. She saw that one day he was to become a great man.
At last Victor said he must leave his home, and sail across the seas.
Tears filled the eyes of Blanche; but the youth whispered,--
"I am going away to find a home for you and me: so adieu, dearest
Blanche!"
Now Victor thought the ship in which he sailed moved very slowly; for
he longed to reach the land which he could see through his magic
spectacles: it was a beautiful kingdom, rich with mines of gold and
silver.
When the ship touched shore, the streets were lined with people who
walked to and fro with sad faces. The king's daughter, a beautiful
young maiden, was very ill; and it was feared she must die.
Victor asked one of the people if there was no hope.
It so happened that this man was the greatest physician in the kingdom
and he answered,--
"Alas, there is no hope!"
Then Victor went to a distant forest where he knew a healing spring
was to be found. Very few remembered it was there; and those who had
seen it did not know of its power to heal disease.
Victor filled a crystal goblet with the precious water, and carried
it to the palace. The old king shook his head sadly, but consented to
let the attendants moisten the parched lips of the princess with the
water, as it could do no harm. Far from doing harm, it wrought a great
good; and, in time, the royal maiden was restored to health.
Then, for gratitude, the king would have given his daughter to Victor
for a wife; but Victor remembered Blanche, and knew that no other
maiden must be bride of his.
Not long after this, the king was lost overboard at sea during a
storm. Now the people must have a new ruler. They determined to choose
a wise and brave man; and, young as he was, no man could be found
braver and wiser than Victor: so the people elected him for their
king. Thus Fontana's gift of the eyes of Wisdom had made him truly
"one of the great men of earth."
In her humble home, Blanche dreamed every night of Victor, and hoped
he would grow good, if he did not become great; and Victor remembered
Blanche, and knew that her love was his dearest blessing.
"This old palace," thought he, "will never do for my beautiful bride."
So he called together his people, and told them he must have a castle
of gems. Some of the walls were to be of rubies, some of emeralds,
some of pearls. There was to be any amount of beaten gold for doors
and pillars; and the ceilings were to be of milk-white opals, with a
rosy light which comes and goes.
All was done as he desired; and, when the castle of gems was finished,
it would need a pen of jasponyx dipped in rainbows to describe it.
Victor thought he would not have a guard of soldiers for his castle,
but would lock the four golden gates with a magic key, so that no one
could enter unless the gates should swing back of their own accord.
When the castle of gems was just completed, and not a soul was in it,
Victor locked the gates with a magic key, and then dropped the key
into the ocean.
"Now," thought he, "I have done a wise thing. None but the good and
true can enter my castle of gems. The gates will not swing open for
men with base thoughts or proud hearts!"
Then he hid himself under the shadow of a tree, and watched the people
trying to enter. But they were proud men, and so the gates would not
open.