"Let us go to Olympus," said King Gunther, who was drifting with his snow-maiden through the motley throng. "I may never have another chance of getting there," he added jocosely. "I am afraid I should not feel at home there," answered the daughter of the Rhine; "you know I belong properly to the lower regions." "Then let us go to the lower regions," retorted the king, gayly. "You needn't go in search of the Elysian Fields; you carry them with you wherever you go." "Beware, your Majesty," murmured the water-nymph, threateningly. "You are defying Fate. Creatures of my kind are dangerous to trifle with." "It is you who are trifling, not I," he burst forth; "with me the joke has long ago become serious." He felt her arm trembling where it touched his; under the black fringe of her mask he saw her lips quiver, and her eyes shone with a strange, moist radiance. The crowd of gay maskers surged about them and the music whirled away over their heads unheeded, and broke in showers of rippling sound. "Listen to me," he whispered boldly, stooping to her level--but in the same moment a heavy hand was laid upon his neck and a burly, gray-bearded Jupiter stood before him with a great train of Olympian attendants. "I love the daughters of this green earth," said the king of the gods; "or I should say the green daughters of this black earth," he corrected himself, touching with a caressing hand the green sea-weeds of the swan maiden's drapery. "Excuse me, Father Jupiter," Grover began, knowing well, in spite of his chagrin, that pranks of this kind were perfectly legitimate; "you mix up the mythologies. This is not a classic nymph, but a Northern swan-maiden." "By my Olympian beard," cried Jupiter, "that shows your barbaric taste, if you do not pronounce her classic." "I must insist," Grover replied, "that to your pagan majesty a creature of Northern fable has no existence." "Then by my Ambrosian locks we will give her existence," quoth the father of gods and men. "Mercury, my son," he cried, pointing with his sceptre to a graceful youth with winged heels and cap, "change me quickly this maiden into something classic, but don't change her too much or you will spoil a divine masterpiece." Mercury, with winged speed, came forward, waved his wand over the swan-maiden's head, when behold! she vanished. "Why, your magic is too potent, you rascal," ejaculated Jupiter. "I didn't tell you to make her invisible."