No; Jack felt that he could not do that. "I will stay," he said; "they cannot make me leave her. That would be too unkind." As he spoke, he drew near to the great yawning door, and looked in. The fairy folk were singing inside; he could hear their pretty chirping voices, and see their beautiful faces, but he could not bear it, and he turned away. The sun began to get low, and all the west was dyed with crimson. Jack dried his eyes, and, not liking to go in, took one turn more. "I will go in," he said; "there is nothing to prevent me." He set his foot on the step of the door, and while he hesitated Mopsa came out to meet him. "Jack," she said, in a sweet mournful tone of voice. But he could not make any answer; he only looked at her earnestly, because her lovely eyes were not looking at him, but far away towards the west. "He lives there," she said, as if speaking to herself. "He will play there again, in his father's garden." Then she brought her eyes down slowly from the rose-flush in the cloud, and looked at him and said, "Jack." "Yes," said Jack; "I am here. What is it that you wish to say?" She answered, "I am come to give you back your kiss." So she stooped forward as she stood on the step, and kissed him, and her tears fell on his cheek. "Farewell!" she said, and she turned and went up the steps and into the great hall; and while Jack gazed at her as she entered, and would fain have followed, but could not stir, the great doors closed together again, and he was left outside. Then he knew, without having been told, that he should never enter them any more. He stood gazing at the castle; but it was still,--no more fairy music sounded. How beautiful it looked in the evening sunshine, and how Jack cried! [Illustration: THE QUEEN'S FAREWELL. "She stooped forward as she stood on the step, and kissed him."--PAGE 234.] Suddenly he perceived that reeds were growing up between him and the great doors: the grass, which had all day grown about the steps, was getting taller; it had long spear-like leaves, it pushed up long pipes of green stem, and they whistled. They were up to his ankles, they were presently up to his waist; soon they were as high as his head. He drew back that he might see over them; they sprang up faster as he retired, and again he went back. It seemed to him that the castle also receded; there was a long reach of these great reeds between it and him, and now they were growing behind also, and on all sides of him. He kept moving back and back: it was of no use, they sprang up and grew yet more tall, till very shortly the last glimpse of the fairy castle was hidden from his sorrowful eyes.