102 BEYOND THE BLUE MOUNTAINS.

Silver-wings passed close to Primrose a few minutes afterwards.
The little girl felt the brush of her soft draperies, and a low, queer,
very gentle voice sounded in her ears. These were the words which
were addressed to her :

“ You are a very brave child—go on as you have begun. Iam on your
side. Fear nothing !”

Primrose could scarcely tell from whom these comforting words
proceeded; Silver-wings was busy helping another child to some
delicious sparkling wine. She looked as if she were not speaking
at all, and yet Primrose felt convinced that the words had proceeded
from her lips, and she felt immediately quite calm and happy. She ate a
good deal of the mouldy bread, and with each mouthful felt more and
more strength and courage filling her heart. Whenever she raised
her eyes, however, the angry, flashing, deep-set eyes of the little
ferryman Fungus were fixed upon her. These eyes would have made
her almost wild with fear an hour ago, but now she felt able to return
their gaze quite calmly.

When the meal had come to an end the sisters proposed to the
children that they should all go into a large play-room downstairs
and have a good game.

“There are heaps of toys there for you all,” said Dragon-flower.
‘“‘ Baby houses of the newest fashion, dolls of every size and every kind,
Noah’s arks, balls, bricks, heaps of mechanical toys—in short, every
possible thing that can make a little boy or girl as happy as the day
is long.”

“ But we'd like to go out,” said Buttercup. “May not we go
for a walk, Dragon-flower ?”

‘No, my sweet little man,” she replied, stooping down and kissing
the little boy. “That is the one rule of this house: the children
who come here don’t go out. Outside are many sorrows and many
pains, but here in this pretty house, in these lovely rooms, we don’t
know the word Pain, we don’t know the word Trouble, we don’t
know that other ugly word to all children—Lessons. Here all is Play,
all is Pleasure, all is Cakes, all is Toys.” -

“Oh, hurrah, hurrah!” cried Buttercup, “how happy I am, how