began to praise her.. He stumbled over his words at first, and then his praise became natural..

He would say to her: "How beautiful you are!" or "You look wonderful tonight!" or "You are beautiful as a goddess!"

The "statue" would tremble, moved by his praise, and vanity would sometimes take hold of her, for she was only a "water nymph" — and besides, she did not know the look of her own face and feared it might be scowling or coarse after all those long years.. And strangest of all, it was the first time she had ever heard her beauty praised...

The "statue" was no longer lost and listless, for she had come to know love...

She no longer added and sub-tracted and went over the letters of the alphabet to fill her empti-ness; her thoughts were bound to the young man — to his quick steps.. to the eager tones of his voice.. to his worshipful glances — and she forgot that she was made of stone and that statues do not know love..

All that spring the young man came to her and spoke tenderly to her.. and in April, when the sun's warmth grew and warmed even her bare shoulders, he told her that he loved her.. His voice was low and calm and clear as he told her of his love — that he had adored her from the moment he saw her and would remain so until the day of his death.

"Say that I am mad for what I utter, but I love you! And now that I have confessed to you what is in my heart, you will stand like a beautiful column of snow and tell me: go from me.. No —" said the young man, his voice rising and growing warmer — "do not tell me 'go,' for your love has filled my whole being and grown too deep for me to bear the thought of parting from you."

Then he told her of her beauty and her gentleness, and of how his love had grown with the passing of the days.. and of his feeling of misery until he resolved to confess to her.. then he added: "I am happy now — happy as though you too had answered my love."

After he had gone the "statue" felt a flood

of happiness. At last she had known love; she loved and was beloved.. It was her

"And he saw the statue weeping... weeping... weeping bitterly, as though her heart had broken..."

"But for the statue I would never have found the courage to confess my love to you"