They even sprang into the water and tried to dive after her , but in vain ; they only floated like corks in the enchanted pool , and could not keep under water for a second . They saw at last that there was nothing for it but to carry to the king the sad tidings of his beloved daughter 's disappearance . And what great weeping and lamentation there was in the palace when the dreadful news was told ! The king tore his robes , dashed his golden crown from his head , and hid his face in his purple mantle for grief and anguish at the loss of the princess . After the first outburst of wailing , however , he took heart and hurried off to see for himself the scene of this strange adventure , thinking , as people will in sorrow , that there might be some mistake after all . But when he reached the spot , behold , all was changed again ! The glittering grotto described to him by the maidens had completely vanished , and so had the marble bath , the bower of jasmine ; instead , all was a tangle of flowers , as it had been of old . The king was so much perplexed that he threatened the princess 's playfellows with all sorts of punishments if they would not confess something about her disappearance ; but as they only repeated the same story he presently put down the whole affair to the work of some sprite or goblin , and tried to console himself for his loss by ordering a grand hunt ; for kings can not bear to be troubled about anything long . Meanwhile the princess was not at all unhappy in the palace of her elfish lover . When the water-nymphs , who were hiding in readiness , had caught her and dragged her out of the sight of her terrified maidens , she herself had not had time to be frightened . They swam with her quickly by strange underground ways to a palace so splendid that her father 's seemed but a poor cottage in comparison with it , and when she recovered from her astonishment she found herself seated upon a couch , wrapped in a wonderful robe of satin fastened with a silken girdle , while beside her knelt a young man who whispered the sweetest speeches imaginable in her ear . The gnome , for he it was , told her all about himself and his great underground kingdom , and presently led her through the many rooms and halls of the palace , and showed her the rare and wonderful things displayed in them till she was fairly dazzled at the sight of so much splendour . On three sides of the castle lay a lovely garden with masses of gay , sweet flowers , and velvet lawns all cool and shady , which pleased the eye of the princess . The fruit trees were hung with golden and rosy apples , and nightingales sang in every bush , as the gnome and the princess wandered in the leafy alleys , sometimes gazing at the moon , sometimes pausing to gather the rarest flowers for her adornment . And all the time he was thinking to himself that never , during the hundreds of years he had lived , had he seen so charming a maiden . But the princess felt no such happiness ; in spite of all the magic delights around her she was sad , though she tried to seem content for fear of displeasing the gnome . However , he soon perceived her melancholy , and in a thousand ways strove to dispel the cloud , but in vain . At last he said to himself : ` Men are sociable creatures , like bees or ants . Doubtless this lovely mortal is pining for company . Who is there I can find for her to talk to ? '
Thereupon he hastened into the nearest filed and dug up a dozen or so of different roots -- carrots , turnips , and radishes -- and laying them carefully XXXXX an elegant basket brought them to the princess , who sat pensive in the shade of the rose-bower .
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