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to marry the river-god, and she fled from Alpheus, 
who pursued her through the valleys, till exhausted 
by fatigue she called on Diana for protection. The 
goddess heard and changed her to a fountain. Then 
the happy Alpheus thought to mingle his waters with 
hers, but Diana opened a secret passage under the 
earth, and Arethusa disappeared, nor rose to light 
again, till she had attained a distant island. The river 
followed under earth and sea, and rose also in the 
Ortygian isle, and ever after, whatever was thrown 
into the river of Elis, rose again in Ortygia. From that 
fair maiden I was named, and perhaps my voice has 
caught an echo of the music of hers, as she murmurs 
through the rocky bed of her island home.” 
Mary tripped on, and soon came to a bower where 
the grass was covered with baskets of flowers and 
strawberries. Wild flowers of all kinds that she had 
seen that morning, had been gathered to deck this 
