THE LADY IN THE GREEN DRESS. lil

Presently the sisters and the children got up to the gates.

Dragon-flower was just raising her hand to sound a large heavy
iron knocker, when Primrose stepped forward. No one had seen her
as she stood in the gloom. She was scarcely noticed as she rushed up
to Buttercup. In amoment the old sailor hat was firmly placed on
the top of his bright curls ; in another instant the four other children
were wearing the old hats and caps which had been trimmed for them
by their mothers.

The moment the hats were on the children’s heads a transformation
took place. Hach child seemed to awake as if out of a heavy sleep.
Buttercup clasped Primrose by the hand.

“Where am I?” he asked; “ what has happened ?”

“You have got to fight, Buttercup,” she answered ; “you have got
to fight these wicked sisters. Come, get up your courage—we are
none of us going inside those gates.”

“What gates?” asked Buttercup, raising his eyes. The four
other children now flocked round Primrose.

“What are we to do, dear Primrose?” they said; “ what is the
matter ? who are we to fight with ? ”

‘With the wicked sisters, all except Silver-wings,” she answered ;
“with that awful little ferryman, Fungus; for whatever happens we
must never go inside those dreadful gates.”

“What gates are we not to go inside?” they replied; “ what
sisters are we to fight with ? ”

Primrose rubbed her eyes and looked up. The heavy iron gates
were gone; the sisters had all disappeared. The six children found
themselves standing at the entrance of a dark wood. They were alone.

They looked like people who had just awakened out of a heavy
sleep. Each child rubbed his or her eyes, each child yawned drowsily.
Primrose was the only one of the party who still remained broad
awake and knew exactly what she was doing.

_ “This is the strangest thing of all,” she said to herself; “the sisters
have vanished, the gates leading into the Dark Men’s land have also
disappeared. That awful little Fungus is nowhere to be found, and
Buttercup and the other four children have not the least idea of the