THE COUNTRY OF THE DARK MEN. 103

happy Lam! Why do you look so grave, Primrose? and why do you
wear that horrid old hat ?—let me pull it from your head.”

The little boy stretched up his hand as he spoke, his fingers just
touched the brim of the hat, then he started back with a ery.

“There is a wasp there,’ he said; “it has stung me! Oh, my
poor fingers!”

There was no wasp, it was the hat itself which had the power of
hurting anyone who attempted to take it from Primrose’s head.

Moonlight came up, and taking Buttercup’s little hand kissed it
tenderly, and immediately the pain vanished.

“ Now come to the play-room,” she said.

The children had to go down a few more steps to do this, and
Primrose observed that these steps, too, disappeared after they had set
their feet upon them. ‘They were now so far underground that the
play-room, beautiful as it was, and prettily as it was lighted with many
fairy lamps, had quite an earthy smell, but no one noticed this
except Primrose.

The children began to run about the room and play wildly, and
Primrose was much disgusted to discover that the ugly little ferryman,
Fungus, had joined the group and was playing as wildly and merrily
as anyone else.

“ Let’s have a game of Blind Man’s Buff,” he shouted.

One of the children was immediately blindfolded, and a wild race
and chase began.

Primrose soon saw, however, that the ferryman had started this
game with a purpose. His object was not to chase the blind person, but
Primrose herself. She could not help screaming out when she found
him close to her, and in her terror she pressed both her hands upon her
hat. His ugly claw-like hands were just extended to wrench it from
her head, when suddenly a marvellous thing happened. The little girl
found herself drawn up from the floor right through the ceiling; a
moment later she had reached the top of the Castle. Here she
stood trembling, for many strange-winged creatures were flying round
her, but raising her eyes she noticed the half-shadowy form of Silver-
wings standing by her side.