Then would she set about her labors , like a careful housewife , to clear the fountain of withered leaves , and bits of slimy wood , and old acorns from the oaks above , and grains of corn left by cattle in drinking , till the bright sand , in the bright water , were like a treasury of diamonds . But , should the intruder approach too near , he would find only the drops of a summer shower glistening about the spot where he had seen her . Reclining on the border of grass , where the dewy goddess should have been , I bent forward , and a pair of eyes met mine within the watery mirror . They were the reflection of my own . I looked again , and lo ! another face , deeper in the fountain than my own image , more distinct in all the features , yet faint as thought . The vision had the aspect of a fair young girl , with locks of paly gold . A mirthful expression laughed in the eyes and dimpled over the whole shadowy countenance , till it seemed just what a fountain would be , if , while dancing merrily into the sunshine , it should assume the shape of woman . Through the dim rosiness of the cheeks , I could see the brown leaves , the slimy twigs , the acorns , and the sparkling sand . The solitary sunbeam was diffused among the golden hair , which melted into its faint brightness , and became a glory round that head so beautiful ! My description can give no idea how suddenly the fountain was thus tenanted , and how soon it was left desolate . I breathed ; and there was the face ! I held my breath ; and it was gone ! Had it passed away , or faded into nothing ? I doubted whether it had ever been . My sweet readers , what a dreamy and delicious hour did I spend , where that vision found and left me ! For a long time I sat perfectly still , waiting till it should reappear , and fearful that the slightest motion , or even the flutter of my breath , might frighten it away . Thus have I often started from a pleasant dream , and then kept quiet , in hopes to wile it back . Deep were my musings , as to the race and attributes of that ethereal being . Had I created her ?
Was she the daughter of my fancy , akin to those strange shapes which peep under the lids XXXXX children 's eyes ?
For among as if like of that to while within