The words were hardly out of his mouth, before the purple bird
flew away, crying, "Peep, peep, pe--weep," more dolorously than
ever.

"That bird," remarked Eurylochus, "knows more than we do about
what awaits us at the palace."

"Come on, then," cried his comrades, "and we'll soon know as
much as he does."

The party, accordingly, went onward through the green and
pleasant wood. Every little while they caught new glimpses of
the marble palace, which looked more and more beautiful the
nearer they approached it. They soon entered a broad pathway,
which seemed to be very neatly kept, and which went winding
along, with streaks of sunshine falling across it and specks of
light quivering among the deepest shadows that fell from the
lofty trees. It was bordered, too, with a great many
sweet-smelling flowers, such as the mariners had never seen
before. So rich and beautiful they were, that, if the shrubs
grew wild here, and were native in the soil, then this island
was surely the flower garden of the whole earth; or, if
transplanted from some other clime, it must have been from the
Happy Islands that lay towards the golden sunset.

"There has been a great deal of pains foolishly wasted on these
flowers," observed one of the company; and I tell you what he
said, that you may keep in mind what gormandizers they were.
"For my part, if I were the owner of the palace, I would bid my