Down he went joyfully, following the fragrant call till he came to the entrance of the place; and there, dismounting from his horse, he entered its green ways. A natural lawn mounted and hollowed before him in glossy sweeps, flowering shrubs dotted its heights, for the summer of the year was begun; but the scent which had taken hold of his heart came from a great bush of white bloom in the centre of all. Under the bush lay a young and beautiful girl, and the blossoms were sprinkling down, one by one, like dropped kisses upon her dear face. So soon as the King saw her he knew that his search was at an end, and that his dream of years had come true. Their glad eyes met softly through the flowers; and he said, “You had but to breathe for me, and I came!” For all her face and breath smelt to him of the blossoms she lay under. She answered, “Three years I have lain with my ear upon the ground, and heard you going and coming, searching the world through; and now at last you are come!” She rose up to the King’s embrace, and they were to each other like old lovers long parted and at last met, so long had they known of love in their dreams. Twilight was beginning as they turned and went out of the garden. The King said, “What is your name all these years?” And she answered him with a voice like a bird singing, “Syringa my name was, Syringa my name is, and will be while life lasts.” When they left the valley and went mounting the side of the hill, a sweet wind rose and rose, and came following them. All the way, as they rode, white blossoms came showering behind them, falling upon their faces and their hair, and whitening the track at their feet. Up to the city gates, where all the King’s court and his councillors stood watching and waiting for his return, the blossoms kept following them, like little scented moths fluttering round them in the darkness. When the gates were opened, the whole city became full of the scent of the bride’s name. So the marriage of the King who reigned was celebrated with all the joy and noise imaginable; for all the people laughed and shouted and clapped their hands when their eyes saw the beauty of the new Queen. But the dowager Queen, the widow of the King who ruled, put on yellow weeds, and shut herself up in a corner of the palace, eating unleavened bread and bitter herb sandwiches till all the rejoicings were over. In a little while, however, she appeared to forget her grief, and, concealing her jealousy, made friends with the King who reigned, and with his Queen; and the King was glad in his great happiness to think that no heart in all the kingdom remained under a cloud. For nearly a year the happiness of the King and Queen lasted and grew perfect. Every day that they lived together they loved each other more and more. But the Queen-widow waited and watched till an opportunity for her evil working should come in.