The Pomegranate Seeds., part 1 · page 21 2101The child mustered all her strength, and gave one more scream, but was out of sight before Ceres had time to turn her head.102King Pluto had taken a road which now began to grow excessively gloomy.103It was bordered on each side with rocks and precipices, between which the rumbling of the chariot wheels was reverberated with a noise like rolling thunder.104The trees and bushes that grew in the crevices of the rocks had very dismal foliage; and by and by, although it was hardly noon, the air became obscured with a gray twilight.105The black horses had rushed along so swiftly, that they were already beyond the limits of the sunshine.106But the duskier it grew, the more did Pluto's visage assume an air of satisfaction.107After all, he was not an ill-looking person, especially when he left off twisting his features into a smile that did not belong to them.108Proserpina peeped at his face through the gathering dusk, and hoped that he might not be so very wicked as she at first thought him.109"Ah, this twilight is truly refreshing," said King Pluto, "after being so tormented with that ugly and impertinent glare of the sun. How much more agreeable is lamplight or torchlight, more particularly when reflected from diamonds!110It will be a magnificent sight, when we get to my palace."111"Is it much farther?" asked Proserpina. "112And will you carry me back when I have seen it?"113"We will talk of that by and by," answered Pluto. "114We are just entering my dominions.115Do you see that tall gateway before us?116When we pass those gates, we are at home.117And there lies my faithful mastiff at the threshold.118Cerberus!119Cerberus!120Come hither, my good dog!"121So saying, Pluto pulled at the reins, and stopped the chariot right between the tall, massive pillars of the gateway.122The mastiff of which he had spoken got up from the threshold, and stood on his hinder legs, so as to put his fore paws on the chariot wheel.123But, my stars, what a strange dog it was!124Why, he was a big, rough, ugly-looking monster, with three separate heads, and each of them fiercer than the two others; but fierce as they were, King Pluto patted them all.125He seemed as fond of his three-headed dog as if it had been a sweet little spaniel, with silken ears and curly hair.126Cerberus, on the other hand, was evidently rejoiced to see his master, and expressed his attachment, as other dogs do, by wagging his tail at a great rate.127Proserpina's eyes being drawn to it by its brisk motion, she saw that this tail was neither more nor less than a live dragon, with fiery eyes, and fangs that had a very poisonous aspect.128And while the three-headed Cerberus was fawning so lovingly on King Pluto, there was the dragon tail wagging against its will, and looking as cross and ill-natured as you can imagine, on its own separate account.1 2← previousCirce's Palace., part 5next →The Pomegranate Seeds., part 2↑ back to Tanglewood TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg976/20/page/2/