So she quickly left the field in which she had been so busy;
and, as her work was not half done, the grain looked, next day, as if it
needed both sun and rain, and as if it were blighted in the ear and had
something the matter with its roots.
The pair of dragons must have had very nimble wings; for, in less than
an hour, Mother Ceres had alighted at the door of her home and found it
empty. Knowing, however, that the child was fond of sporting on the
seashore, she hastened thither as fast as she could, and there beheld
the wet faces of the poor sea nymphs peeping over a wave. All this
while, the good creatures had been waiting on the bank of sponge, and,
once every half-minute or so, had popped up their four heads above
water, to see if their playmate were yet coming back. When they saw
Mother Ceres, they sat down on the crest of the surf wave, and let it
toss them ashore at her feet.
"Where is Proserpina?" cried Ceres. "Where is my child? Tell me, you
naughty sea nymphs, have you enticed her under the sea?"
"Oh, no, good Mother Ceres," said the innocent sea nymphs, tossing back
their green ringlets and looking her in the face. "We never should dream
of such a thing. Proserpina has been at play with us, it is true; but
she left us a long while ago, meaning only to run a little way upon the
dry land and gather some flowers for a wreath.
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