A NEW WAY TO THE BLUE MOUNTAINS. 05

“ But it is down hill,” said Primrose. “I don’t think there
was anything about the stile in the letter Clover received.”

“IT gee someone standing there,” said Buttercup. “A lady—
oh, how pretty she looks! Let us run to her and ask her the
way to the Blue Mountains.”

Primrose cheered up when she saw the pretty lady standing
by the stile. She took hold of Buttercup’s little hand and ran
down the beautiful flowering path which led to the rustic turn-
stile by which the lady stood.

She certainly was remarkably pretty. She was dressed in a
kind of pale violet flowing robe—a wreath of wild clematis was
twined round her head, and her long, soft, fair hair hung down
nearly to her waist.

“And do I see two little pilgrims?” she said, stretching out
a hand to each of the children, and looking at them with her
bright wonderful eyes. “Welcome, my darlings, welcome lies

“Oh, please, pretty lady,” began Primrose—then she stopped
and looked in a distressed way at her brother. “T am quite
certain we are going wrong, Bee,” she said.

“Nonsense!” said Buttercup, giving his little person a shake.
‘““T didn’t think you'd be such a silly girl, Rose. IT am not afraid.
Please, kind lady,’ he added, looking up with his dear little
confident face into that of the beautiful violet lady—“ please can
you tell us the right way to get to the Blue Mountains?”

“Tt depends on how you want to go,” replied the lady gently.
“Do you wish to go the easy way or the difficult way?”

“Why, the easy, of course,” replied Bee, without a moment’s
hesitation.

“Well, this is the easy way. Do you see those Rose Moun-
tains over there? ‘They are very lovely, are they not?”

“Oh, yes! oh, yes!” said Primrose, her eyes brightening.
“Do you know, pretty lady, that T never noticed them before.”

“They don’t look far off, either,” continued the lady, fixing
her gaze full on the child.

“No, they seem quite near.”