Now , it happened , curiously enough , that , just as the servant was bringing the pomegranate into the back door of the palace , our friend Quicksilver had gone up the front steps , on his errand to get Proserpina away from King Pluto . As soon as Proserpina saw the pomegranate on the golden salver , she told the servant he had better take it away again . `` I shall not touch it , I assure you , '' said she . `` If I were ever so hungry , I should never think of eating such a miserable , dry pomegranate as that . '' `` It is the only one in the world , '' said the servant . He set down the golden salver , with the wizened pomegranate upon it , and left the room . When he was gone , Proserpina could not help coming close to the table , and looking at this poor specimen of dried fruit with a great deal of eagerness ; for , to say the truth , on seeing something that suited her taste , she felt all the six months ' appetite taking possession of her at once . To be sure , it was a very wretched-looking pomegranate , and seemed to have no more juice in it than an oyster shell . But there was no choice of such things in King Pluto 's palace . This was the first fruit she had seen there , and the last she was ever likely to see ; and unless she ate it up immediately , it would grow drier than it already was , and be wholly unfit to eat . `` At least , I may smell it , '' thought Proserpina . So she took up the pomegranate , and applied it to her nose ; and , somehow or other , being in such close neighborhood to her mouth , the fruit found its way into that little red cave . Dear me ! what an everlasting pity ! Before Proserpina knew what she was about , her teeth had actually bitten it , of their own accord . Just as this fatal deed was done , the door of the apartment opened , and in came King Pluto , followed by Quicksilver , who had been urging him to let his little prisoner go . At the first noise of their entrance , Proserpina withdrew the pomegranate from her mouth . But Quicksilver -LRB- whose eyes were very keen , and his wits the sharpest that ever anybody had -RRB- perceived that the child was a little confused ; and seeing the empty salver , he suspected that she had been taking a sly nibble of something or other . As for honest Pluto , he never guessed at the secret . `` My little Proserpina , '' said the king , sitting down , and affectionately drawing her between his knees , `` here is Quicksilver , who tells me that a great many misfortunes have befallen innocent people on account of my detaining you in my dominions .
To confess the truth , I myself had already reflected XXXXX it was an unjustifiable act to take you away from your good mother .
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