“Madam!” exclaimed Moonflower, “I do not understand you.”
“Oh, indeed,” replied the Queen, ironically, “so you don’t know what I mean. I mean that you are trying to entangle the affections of my son, the King, with your soft looks and sly ways; but, believe me, such unmaidenly conduct will never succeed.”
When the Princess heard these cruel words she was ready to die of mortification and misery, and her anger against the Queen grew almost beyond her control. “Ah!” she cried, “what a cruel position I am in, and who is there that will help me?”
Then she suddenly bethought herself of the stream, and, without waiting to reflect whether she was right or wrong in her impulse, she cried,
“River rise and river fall,
Send the help for which I call.”
and, as she said this, she wished in her heart that the stream might rise and drown the Queen.
Immediately a voice was heard to say, “Unhappy Princess, why have you neglected my warning?” And a fountain in the garden below the windows of the Queen’s apartments began throwing itself higher and higher into the air until it dashed against the casement, breaking the glass, and pouring into the room.
The Queen rushed to the door as fast as she could, tore it open and flew downstairs, followed by Moonflower. But the water pursued them down the staircase and into the garden. When it had reached thus far it flowed across the terrace into the river which ran below, leaving the garden dry, and the Queen shrieking among the flower-beds, where all the beautiful flowers—roses, lilies, tulips, marguerites and marigolds—were torn up by the roots. Moonflower felt herself carried away by the water; her cries and struggles were of no avail, and, catching and clinging to every object she passed, she was whirled away and very soon lost consciousness. In this condition she floated along the river for leagues and leagues, with her long hair spread out like a fan behind her, to where it flowed at the foot of the Crystal Mountains.
Here she awoke from her trance and found herself being hurried swiftly forward towards a dark spot visible in the base of one of the highest hills. She drew closer and closer to it, but could not stop herself. Picture her terror on finding, as she approached it, that the dark spot proved to be the mouth of a huge cavern! In another moment she had entered it and was sinking down, down, down.