THE LADY IN THH GREEN DRESS. 115

This lady was dressed from head to foot in pale green. The colour
of her dress was like that worn by the trees in the early, early spring.
The children were tired, hot, and thirsty; it was refreshing even to
look at her as she glided gently out and stood in the porch of the
cottage, and stretched out her hands in welcome, and looked at the
children with her wonderful deep eyes.

“Welcome, little pilgrims,” she said; “I can give you a simple
meal. Come into my parlour and eat, all of you.”

“ What is your name?” asked Primrose, looking full in her face.

“My name!” replied the lady—“I am called Convolvulus, dear
little girl.”

“What a sweet name!” exclaimed Agnes.

“And, please,” continued Primrose, “is this one of the inns which
the King allows little children like us to go into?”

When Primrose uttered the word King a kind of shadow flitted
for an instant over the pale face of Convolvulus, her dark eyes deepened
and got still darker in hue—she gave a faint little shiver, and half

turned her head away.
“Mine is one of the inns,” she said in a steady voice. ‘‘ Come

in, come in, all of you.”

Agnes immediately rushed forward and put one of her hands into
that of Convolvulus, Buttercup ran up to her other side, and she
entered the flower-covered cottage with the five children clinging
round her. For one instant Primrose was alone in the porch.

“You must go in now,” said the blind woman, who had been
standing quite motionless in one corner all the time. “Go in, but
eat nothing that is set before you, and do not do anything that she
tells you.”

As she uttered these words she moved away, and Primrose saw her
walking down a side path, accompanied by the little sad girl—they
held each other’s hands, and sang in a dreary voice as they disappeared.

“Come, come, Primrose; what are you waiting for? ” called Butter-
cup. He was standing at the door of a charming little parlour. .

Primrose entered the house at once when he called her. She felt
quite sure that, whatever happened, her place was by his side.

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