"'Dare you do it? Oh, yes, I dare do anything. Tell me what to do.'

"'You have dared too much already, silly child, and for punishment you
shall lose the use of that tongue of yours, except for the one purpose
of answering back. You shall still have the last word, but never again
shall you speak first.'

"Just then Iris, Juno's maid of honor, came with a shining car drawn by
two peacocks, and away they both went over the rainbow bridge back to
Juno's throne.

"Echo in her sorrow ran and hid herself in a cavern.

[Illustration: From the cover of a drinking cup. Echo is seen in the
branches. Pan is sitting on the rock.]

"She wandered from cave to cave and rock to rock, always answering back
when those who tried to find her called, but never able to tell where
she was. She grew thinner and thinner, till at last nothing was left of
her but her voice.

"That she will always keep, and try as hard as you may, you can never
have the last word with Echo."




IRIS, THE RAINBOW PRINCESS

_Greek_