At length , in her despair , she came to the dreadful resolution that not a stalk of grain , nor a blade of grass , not a potato , nor a turnip , nor any other vegetable that was good for man or beast to eat , should be suffered to grow until her daughter were restored . She even forbade the flowers to bloom , lest somebody 's heart should be cheered by their beauty . Now , as not so much as a head of asparagus ever presumed to poke itself out of the ground , without the especial permission of Ceres , you may conceive what a terrible calamity had here fallen upon the earth . The husbandmen plowed and planted as usual ; but there lay the rich black furrows , all as barren as a desert of sand . The pastures looked as brown in the sweet month of June as ever they did in chill November . The rich man 's broad acres and the cottager 's small garden patch were equally blighted . Every little girl 's flower bed showed nothing but dry stalks . The old people shook their white heads , and said that the earth had grown aged like themselves , and was no longer capable of wearing the warm smile of summer on its face . It was really piteous to see the poor , starving cattle and sheep , how they followed behind Ceres , lowing and bleating , as if their instinct taught them to expect help from her ; and everybody that was acquainted with her power besought her to have mercy on the human race , and , at all events , to let the grass grow . But Mother Ceres , though naturally of an affectionate disposition , was now inexorable . `` Never , '' said she . `` If the earth is ever again to see any verdure , it must first grow along the path which my daughter will tread in coming back to me . '' Finally , as there seemed to be no other remedy , our old friend Quicksilver was sent post-haste to King Pluto , in hopes that he might be persuaded to undo the mischief he had done , and to set everything right again , by giving up Proserpina . Quicksilver accordingly made the best of his way to the great gate , took a flying leap right over the three-headed mastiff , and stood at the door of the palace in an inconceivably short time . The servants knew him both by his face and garb ; for his short cloak , and his winged cap and shoes , and his snaky staff had often been seen thereabouts in times gone by . He requested to be shown immediately into the king 's presence ; and Pluto , who heard his voice from the top of the stairs , and who loved to recreate himself with Quicksilver 's merry talk , called out to him to come up . And while they settle their business together , we must inquire what Proserpina had been doing ever since we saw her last . The child had declared , as you may remember , that she would not taste a mouthful of food as long as she should be compelled to remain in King Pluto 's palace . How she contrived to maintain her resolution , and at the same time to keep herself tolerably plump and rosy , is more than I can explain ; but some young ladies , I am given to understand , possess the faculty of living on air , and Proserpina seems to have possessed it too . At any rate , it was now six months since she left the outside of the earth ; and not a morsel , so far as the attendants were able to testify , had yet passed between her teeth .
This was the more creditable to Proserpina , inasmuch as King Pluto had caused her to be tempted day by day , with all manner of sweetmeats , and richly-preserved fruits , and delicacies XXXXX every sort , such as young people are generally most fond of .
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