CUFID AND PSYCHE 
319 
every yielding substance she had drawn out the faithful 
features of Love. He who had eyes for her alone was a 
long time before he discovered these accurate images of 
himself ; and when he did, his first exclamation was, 
“What hand hath done this?” 
Forgetting Love’s warning for the moment, she looked 
up into his face and answered, “ Mine, sweet Love ! I but 
copied the image from my heart, where it had been so 
long engraven, and transferred it there.” 
Love gazed upon her in mute amazement ; and whilst 
he looked, her face beamed with a brightness which be- 
longed to heaven — not a shadow of death passed over it; 
for she had gazed into a fountain in which the face of 
Jove had many a time been mirrored, and after the death 
of Leda, whom he had long secreted in that hidden 
grotto, he vowed by his divinity that whatever counten- 
ance was next reflected in that fountain should become 
immortal, nor ever know death. 
Nor was it until an after-day that Venus discovered 
this secret, when she found that Psyche overcame every 
difficulty, and lived on in spite of all she suffered : for 
never had the Goddess of Beauty dreaded a rival amongst 
the Immortals until she beheld the lovely countenance of 
Psyche. Her labours and her sufferings are found in 
many an old legend; her patience and her tears were 
known only to Love ; and it was during her rambles 
through the world, while she was driven from the assembly 
of the gods, that she wandered many a weary mile hand- 
in-hand with Love, when he set out to learn the long-lost 
Language of the Flowers. 
And ever after, in commemoration of their love, the 
Acacia was transplanted to the garden of the gods, and 
the Everlasting Pea trailed about the bowers of Olympus ; 
while the Marigold was changed to a worshipper of the 
sun, hung with grief, and pain, and sorrow, in his ab- 
sence, but when present turning to the God of Day with 
its golden smile of love. Ages have passed away since 
the mouth of that cool cavern was closed for ever : for 
numberless years was it guarded by the angry Gorse, and 
never durst either nymph or swain venture within sight 
of those golden-headed spears after that cavern had been 
hallowed by the presence of Love. 
