He was of a noble aspect , and rather handsome , but looked sullen and discontented ; and he kept rubbing his eyes and shading them with his hand , as if he did not live enough in the sunshine to be very fond of its light . As soon as this personage saw the affrighted Proserpina , he beckoned her to come a little nearer . `` Do not be afraid , '' said he , with as cheerful a smile as he knew how to put on . `` Come ! Will you not like to ride a little way with me , in my beautiful chariot ? '' But Proserpina was so alarmed , that she wished for nothing but to get out of his reach . And no wonder . The stranger did not look remarkably good-natured , in spite of his smile ; and as for his voice , its tones were deep and stern , and sounded as much like the rumbling of an earthquake underground than anything else . As is always the case with children in trouble , Proserpina 's first thought was to call for her mother . `` Mother , Mother Ceres ! '' cried she , all in a tremble . `` Come quickly and save me . '' But her voice was too faint for her mother to hear . Indeed , it is most probable that Ceres was then a thousand miles off , making the corn grow in some far distant country . Nor could it have availed her poor daughter , even had she been within hearing ; for no sooner did Proserpina begin to cry out , than the stranger leaped to the ground , caught the child in his arms , and again mounted the chariot , shook the reins , and shouted to the four black horses to set off . They immediately broke into so swift a gallop , that it seemed rather like flying through the air than running along the earth . In a moment , Proserpina lost sight of the pleasant vale of Enna , in which she had always dwelt . Another instant , and even the summit of Mount Aetna had become so blue in the distance , that she could scarcely distinguish it from the smoke that gushed out of its crater . But still the poor child screamed , and scattered her apron full of flowers along the way , and left a long cry trailing behind the chariot ; and many mothers , to whose ears it came , ran quickly to see if any mischief had befallen their children . But Mother Ceres was a great way off , and could not hear the cry .
XXXXX they rode on , the stranger did his best to soothe her .
As for from into nearer of off than that within