Oh, Arminel! do let us try again todiscover the secret of the third wish!"
But Arminel didn't seem to hear what her sister was saying. Her eyeswere fixed in amazement on the stone slab behind where Chloe wasstanding. There were two large bowls filled to the brim with new milk;it was many weeks since such a sight had been seen in the cottage.
"Chloe," was all she could say as she pointed it out to her sister.
Chloe did not speak; she darted outside closely followed by Arminel.The same idea had come to them both, and they were not mistaken in it.There in the cow-house, in the hitherto unused stall besideStrawberry's, stood the dearest little cow you could picture toyourself, dun-coloured, sleek, and silky, as if indeed she had just comefrom fairyland. She turned her large soft brown eyes on Arminel as thehappy girl ran up to her, and gave a low soft "moo," as if tosay--"You're my dear mistress. I know you will be kind to me, and inreturn I promise you that you shall find me the best of cows."
But Arminel only waited to give her one loving pat, and then hurried offto the poultry yard.
There too a welcome sight awaited them. Twelve beautiful white henswere pecking about, and as Chloe drew near them she was greeted withclucks of welcome as the pretty creatures ran towards her.
"They know they belong to you, Chloe, you see," said Arminel. "They areasking for their breakfast! See, what is that sack in the corner? itlooks like corn for them."
So it was, and in another moment Chloe had thrown them out a goodhandful, in which her old hens were allowed to share. Poor things, theyhad not had too much to eat just lately, and evidently the new-comerswere of most amiable dispositions. All promised peace and prosperity.
The sisters made their way back to their little kitchen, but though theyhad now eggs in plenty and new milk for their coffee they felt tooexcited to eat.
"How can it have come about?" said Arminel. "Chloe, have you wished foranything without telling me?"
"Have you?" said Chloe, in her turn. "One of us wishing alone would nothave been enough. All I know is, that in the night I felt so sorry foryou that I said to myself if only _your_ wish could be fulfilled I wouldgive up my own."
"How strange!" exclaimed Arminel; "the very same thing happened to me.I woke up and saw traces of tears on your face, and the thought wentthrough me that if _your_ wish could come to pass, I should be content."
"Then we have found the secret," said Chloe. "Each of us was to forgetherself for the sake of the other; and the dwarf has indeed been a goodfriend."
It would be difficult to describe the happiness that now reigned in thecottage, or the pride with which the sisters set off to market the nexttime with their well-filled baskets. And all through the winter it wasthe same. Never did the little cow's milk fail, nor the number of eggsfall off, so that the sisters became quite famous in the neighbourhoodfor always having a supply of butter, poultry, and eggs of the bestquality.
One evening, when the spring-time had come round again, the sisters werestrolling in the outskirts of the forest, everything was looking calmand peaceful--the ground covered with the early wood-flowers, the littlebirds twittering softly before they settled to roost for the night.
"How sweet it is here," said Arminel. "I never feel now as if I couldbe the least afraid of the forest, nor of a whole army of dwarfs if wemet them."
"I wish we could meet our dwarf," said Chloe. "I would love to thankhim for all the happiness he has given us."
This was a wish they had often expressed before.
"Somehow," said Arminel, "I have an idea that the dwarfs no longerinhabit the forest. Everything seems so much brighter and less gloomythan it used to do here. Besides, if our friend were still anywherenear, I cannot help thinking we should have seen him."
As she said the words, they heard a rustling beside them. Where theystood there was a good deal of undergrowth, and for a moment or two theysaw nothing, though the sound continued. Then suddenly a little figureemerged from among the trees and stood before them. It was their friendthe dwarf.
At first sight he looked much the same as when they had last seen him;but the moment he began to speak they felt there was a difference. Hisvoice was soft and mellow, instead of harsh and croaking; his brown eyeshad lost the hunted, suspicious look which had helped to give him such amiserable expression.
"I am pleased that you have wished to see me again," he said, kindly.
"Oh yes, indeed!" the sisters exclaimed; "we can never thank you enoughfor the happiness you have given us."
"You have yourselves to thank for it as much as me, my children," saidthe little man; "and in discovering the secret which has brought youprosperity, you have done for others also what you had no idea of. Thespell under which I and my comrades have suffered so long is broken, nowthat one of us has been able to be of real and lasting benefit to somebeings of the race who, ages ago, were the victims of our cruelty. Weare now leaving the forest for ever. No longer need the young men andmaidens shrink from strolling under these ancient trees, or the littlechildren start away in terror from every rustle among the leaves forfear of seeing one of us."
"Are you going to be giants again?" said Arminel, curiously.
The dwarf smiled.
"That I cannot tell you," he said, as he shook his head; "and what doesit matter? In some far-off land we shall again be happy, for we shallhave learnt our lesson."
And before the sisters had time to speak, he had disappeared; only thesame little rustle among the bushes was to be heard for a moment or two.Then all was silent, till a faint "tu-whit--" from an owl waking up inthe distance, and the first glimmer of the moonlight among the branches,warned Arminel and Chloe that it was time for them to be turninghomewards.
CHAPTER SEVEN.
THE SUMMER PRINCESS.
All was silent too in the little kitchen as the old woman's voice diedaway and the click of her knitting-needles ceased.
Alix was the first to speak.
"That was a lovely story," she said approvingly. "It will give Rafe andme a lot to talk about. It is so interesting to think what we wouldwish for if we had the chance."
"I'm afraid you mustn't stay with me any longer to talk about itto-day," said the old woman. "It is quite--time--for you--to go home;"and somehow her voice seemed to grow into a sort of singing, and theneedles began to click again, though very faintly, as if heard from someway off.
What was the matter?
Alix felt as if she were going to sleep. She rubbed her eyes, butRafe's voice speaking to her quite clearly and distinctly woke her upagain.
"Alix," he was saying, "don't you see where we are?" and glancing up,she found that she and her brother were sitting on a moss-grown stone inthe old garden, not very far from the gate by which the wren had invitedthem to enter.
It was growing towards evening. Already the "going to bed" feelingseemed about in the air. The birds' voices came softly; a little chillevening breeze made the children shiver slightly, though it only meantto wish them "good-night."
"It feels like the end of the story," said Alix. "Let's go home, Rafe."
This was how the next story came to be told.
The days had passed happily for Rafe and Alix; the weather had been veryfine and mild, and they had played a great deal in the old garden, whichgrew lovelier every day.
"I hardly feel as if we had anything to wish for just now," said Alix,one afternoon, when, tired with playing, she and her brother wereresting for a little while on the remains of a rustic bench which theyhad found in a corner under the trees. "We've been so happy lately,Rafe; haven't we? Ever since that day!"
Somehow they had not talked very much to each other of their visit tothe old caretaker; but now and then they had amused themselves byplanning what they would have wished for had they come across a dwarfwith magic power.
Rafe did not answer for a moment. He was looking up, high up among thebranches.
"Hush," he said, in a half whisper. "Do you hear that bird, Alix? Inever h
eard a note like it before."
"Two notes," said Alix, in the same low voice. "It's two birds talkingto each other, I feel certain."
"It does sound like it," said Rafe. "Oh, I say, Alix, wouldn't you liketo understand what they're saying?"
"Yes," said his sister. "I do wish we could. There must be some sensein it. It sounds so real and--Look, Rafe," she went on, "they're comingnearer us;" and so they were. Still chirping, the birds flew downwardstill they lighted on a branch not very far above the children's heads.
Suddenly Alix caught hold of Rafe's arm.
"Be quite, quite still," she
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