Long ago, when this old world was young, there was a child named Epimetheus, who never had a father or mother; and that he might not be lonely, another child, fatherless and motherless like himself, was sent from a far country to be his playmate. Her name was Pandora.

The first thing Pandora saw after she came to the cottage where Epimetheus lived was a great box, and almost the first thing she asked was, "Epimetheus, what have you in that box?"

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My dear little Pandora," replied Epimetheus, "that is a secret, and you must not ask about it. The box was left here to be kept safely, and I do not know myself what it contains."

"But who gave it to you?" asked Pandora. "And where did it come from?" "That is a secret, too," said Epimetheus. "At least," she said, "you can tell me how it came here."

"It was left at the door," said Epimetheus, "just before you came, by some one who looked smiling and wise. He was dressed in a strange kind of cloak, and had on a cap that seemed to be made partly of feathers, so that it looked almost as if it had wings."

"What kind of a staff had he?" asked Pandora.

"O, the strangest staff you ever saw," replied Epimetheus. "It was like two serpents twisting around a stick, and I at first thought the serpents were alive."

"I know him," said Pandora. "Nobody else has such a staff. It was Quicksilver, and he brought me here as well as the box. It may be that he intended it for me. Perhaps it contains pretty dresses for me to wear, or toys for you and me to play with, or something nice to eat."

"Perhaps so," said Epimetheus, turning away. "But until Quicksilver comes back and tells us so, we have neither of us any right to lift the lid of the box."

Spell: young, neither, cottage, serpents, twist.
By what other name is Quicksilver known?
Review Drill on Sounds, page 12.

As Pandora had nothing to do but to play and gather flowers, she had a great deal of time to think of the box. One day her curiosity grew so great that she more than half made up her mind to open it if she could.

She took the golden knot in her fingers, and almost without knowing what she did, she was soon busily trying to undo it. She gave the cord a kind of a twist, and the knot undid itself as if by magic, and left the box without fastening.

"This is the strangest thing I ever knew," said Pandora. "What will Epimetheus say? and how can I tie it up again?"

But the knot had undone itself so suddenly that she could not remember how the cords had been doubled into one another. Nothing was to be done, therefore, but to let the box remain as it was till Epimetheus should come in.

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'But," said Pandora, "when he finds the knot untied he will know that I have done it. How shall I make him believe I have not looked into the box ?"

And then the thought came into her naughty little heart, that since Epimetheus would think she had looked into the box, she might as well do so at once.

O, naughty and foolish Pandora! You should have thought only of doing what was right; and leaving undone what was wrong, and not of what your playmate would have said or thought.

Just then Pandora seemed to hear a murmur of small voices within.

"Let us out, dear Pandora! Let us out! We will be your little playmates. Only let us out."

"What can it be?" thought Pandora. "Is there something alive in the box? I will take just one peep. There can be no harm in just one little peep."

Just as Pandora had put up her hand to open the box, Epimetheus came in. Pandora lifted the lid and looked inside. It seemed as if a swarm of winged creatures brushed past her as they flew out of

the box, while at the same time she heard the voice of Epimetheus as if he were in pain.

"O! I am stung," he cried, "I am stung! Naughty Pandora, why have you opened this wicked box?"

Spell: knot, right, wrong, sure, curiosity, ingenious, naughty, whether, would, busily, double, swarm, winged, brushed.

had grown used to the light she saw a swarm of ugly little shapes, wearing bat's wings, and armed with stings in their tails. Nor was it long before Pandora herself began to cry with pain and fright, too.

Now, if you wish to know what these ugly little things were, I must tell you that they were the family of Troubles. There were Sorrows and Diseases, and more kinds of naughtiness than there would be any use to talk about. Indeed,