AUTHOR OF “THE STARLING,” “THE OLD
LIEUTENANT AND HIS SON,” ETC.
THOMAS NELSON AND SONS, Ltd.
LONDON, EDINBURGH, AND NEW YORK
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
| “Look yonder; that is the house of Darkeye the forester. We are safe!” | [Frontispiece] |
| “See that tall tower,” said Wolf | [16] |
| “Isn’t he a bonnie bit bairn?” | [96] |
| William never moved, though his great chest seemed to heave | [144] |
THE GOLD THREAD
A STORY FOR THE YOUNG
THE GOLD THREAD.
CHAPTER I.
Once upon a time, a boy lost his way in a vast forest that filled many a valley and passed over many a hill—a rolling sea of leaves for miles and miles, farther than the eye could reach. His name was Eric, son of the good King Magnus. He was dressed in a blue velvet dress, with a gold band round his waist, and his fair locks in silken curls waved from his beautiful head. He was a lovely boy, and if you looked into his large blue eyes, and saw his sweet smile, you would say in your heart, “There is a boy so winning and brave and true, that I would dearly like to have him as a friend and companion.” But, alas! his hands and face were scratched, and his clothes torn with the briars, as he ran here and there like one much perplexed. Sometimes he made his way through tangled brushwood, or crossed the little grassy plains in the forest, now losing himself in dark ravines, then climbing up their steep sides, or crossing with difficulty the streams that hurried through them. For a long time he kept his heart up, and always said to himself, “I shall find it, I shall find it;” until, as the day advanced, he was wearied and hungry; and every now and then he cried, “Oh, my father! where is my father? I’m lost! I’m lost!” And “Where, oh, where is my gold thread?”