CHAPTER II.
FAIRYLAND.
With the woodland fairies I can talk, I can list their silver lays; Oh! pleasant in a lonely walk Is the company of fays. _Havergal._
The ravine adjoining the castle was a mysterious looking place, darkwith dense underwood, the haunt of wild beasts and the home ofnumberless birds, now sending forth awful cries and inspiring songs,then silent as the grave. A tortuous difficult pathway in the hollowextended along its length, while one or two animal tracks in theneighborhood crossed it from side to side. A few grassy spaces hereand there slightly relieved the gloom, while a small stream of watermoved slowly along its base, now forming into pools where little fishesleaped, then gradually unwinding itself and stealing softly on under awealth of branches and green leaves.
Down to that stream Robin wandered alone one beautiful afternoon inJune. He followed its course as best he could till he found it turninginto a deep, dark, eddying pool beside and partly under the steepestslope of the ravine. The opening underneath the projecting bank,though large, was almost concealed by overhanging branches. Robincrawled out on a strong beech branch, brushed aside the leaves andpeered in. It seemed as if it were a water-gateway into the heart ofthe great ridge, and had a weird misty look. Robin said to himself,"Wouldn't it be fine if I got a real peep at some of those brownies andfairies I hear so much about! Wouldn't mother stare when I got homeand told her!" He therefore waited and imagined and watched, until hegot quite excited at the thought of seeing something wonderful. Butno, nothing came, and he was disappointed, although he only halfbelieved that anything strange might really appear. His excitementcooled down, and then after a time he yawned, feeling weary; yet,retaining a lingering hope, he stretched himself comfortably across twoor three adjoining branches, his face downwards, with one arm and oneleg dangling below, and finally fell asleep. It was not a verybecoming or a very wise act in that riskful, dismal hollow; yet, arenot men themselves but thoughtless boys in bigger shape?
While thus under the blissful spell of Morpheus, Robin heard a noisethat made his heart throb with expectation. He pushed aside the leavesand looked in. There, sure enough, something was coming out that wasnot common. Nearer it came on the surface of the pool. What could itbe? A beautiful little ship, with white sails spread, and manned byMississagua sailors dressed in vivid red. The gallant ship sailedround the pool most gracefully, and Robin's eyes looked down andfollowed it with intense interest. When this was done three times allsails were taken down, then a silver anchor was thrown out, and theship stood still. Two Indian sailors stepped forward from the rest,seized something, swung their arms to and fro for a moment, and thenflung a long ladder of yellow silken ropes right over an overhangingbranch a short distance away from Robin's head.
After a brief pause, a beautiful little lady in white, with a goldencrown upon her head, ascended the ladder and stood erect among theleaves of the branch. Then the captain of the ship took off his peakedhat and called for a cheer for their good Queen Celeste of happy andbeautiful Fairyland. And the sailors cheered Her Majesty mightily.Robin thought her the prettiest creature he had ever seen, and when shesmiled upon him sweetly, he put his hand to his cap politely and smiledhis best in return.
"Art thou the dreamer of dreams?" enquired the Queen with a merry butdignified look.
"I am," answered Robin with a blush, and wondering what was going tohappen.
"Art thou he that I have heard so much of in my hidden realm?"
"I don't know," said Robin modestly.
"Art thou he that hast so much interest in my people?"
"I am," replied Robin, feeling relieved.
"Art thou Robin of Castle Frank who lovest all animals?"
"I am, your Majesty," answered Robin happily, and at last managing toaddress a queen as he ought.
"Wilt thou come with me, and I will show thee wonderful things?"
"I shall, your Gracious Majesty, with great pleasure."
The Queen then raised a jewelled sceptre in her right hand, the captainof the ship saw it and flashed a signal inward towards the cavern, whenby-and-bye a silver canoe shot out with an Indian chief at the stern,and halted underneath the branch upon which Robin rested. The boy wasdelighted, and without a moment's hesitation he clasped the branchfirmly with both hands and let himself drop as gently as possible intothe boat below. He was hardly seated, with the oars in his hands, whenthe white ship passed by, all sails spread, and Queen Celeste sittingupon a golden throne on deck. Robin followed. There was darkness ashe entered, and he felt bewildered and even eerie. But it was only fora moment, for the white ship ahead became aglow with many brilliantcolored stars, and, with the silver boat behind, it glided into a landwhose beauty and marvellousness no pen can describe.
The sky was of entrancing azure, lit up by twelve mellow suns, makingperpetual day; the fields were like rich velvet carpets of green; andthe rivers, winding in fantastic shapes, widening into blue lakes andforming dashing cascades, were pure as crystal. There were also plainsof gold dust, fine as flour, where butterflies enriched their tenderwings; great forests, where birds of gay plumage built peculiar nestsand sang in choirs most glorious songs; high hills, with rocks of redruby and blue lazuli, on which gilded reptiles basked and whistled;lovely valleys full of fragrance and of luscious fruits; cool grottoes,and sombre ravines; picturesque villages; busy towns, and majesticcastles.
All the animals could speak and sing and dance, and every one was apet. Nay more, they were useful. Squirrels ran messages, andcalculated like schoolboys; foxes drew out plans as architects; tigersdrove waggons pulled by zebras; and lions built bridges, which prettyparrots wreathed with flowers.
Children played and laughed everywhere, dressed in the quaintest andprettiest styles. None ever quarrelled, except in fun, as kittens do.
There was no time to see all that could be seen, so Robin was waftedover a part of this wonderful land in a crimson silk balloon, withQueen Celeste at his side, pointing out what was most interesting, tillhis eyes were almost sore with gazing and gazing. Then they descendedinto a field of gorgeous flowers, among a number of animal pets thatwere leaping, racing, resting and talking. Robin was charmed andamazed.
"Oh," said he, "if I could only get mine to speak like that I should behappy, and what is it I would not teach them to do?"
The Queen was delighted because her guest was delighted.
Then Robin turned to her and said with a smile full of entreaty:
"Will your Majesty not aid me? Please help me, at least with my prettyblack squirrels I love so much."
"It shall be done," said the Queen, with a gracious smile, and sheraised her sceptre and touched his forehead.
"But thou art hungry," she added, "and thou must not leave my landwithout tasting of my delicacies."
As Celeste said this she plucked a great flower full of nectar, andhanded it to him to eat. Robin did so, and the effect and odor were sodelightfully soothing that he fell into a deep sleep.
Queen Celeste then gave orders, through a glossy black squirrel, tohave Robin conveyed with great gentleness to another part of herdominions. Six brownie giants appeared promptly with a flying machineshaped like a Bird of Paradise. They placed him inside its body, on abed of down and softest silk, as if he had been a child again. Thenthe chief brownie, dressed like an admiral, mounted the neck of themachine, touched a spring, and the Bird of Paradise rose high into theblue sky, flew softly over lakes and forests and prairies, then over ahigh mountain of emerald, and at last down through a dense mist into apicturesque spot, the very image of that on which Castle Frank stood onthe ridge of the great ravine. The machine descended gently into thecastle enclosure amidst a crowd of pets. The brownie touched anotherspring, when the Bird of Paradise deposited Robin in the soft, greengrass, as if a new-laid egg in a nest.
The brownie quietly arranged everything and then quickly left with theflying machine. He had scarcely gone when Robin was awa
kened by thesound of whispering, and, slightly opening his eyes, he saw his blacksquirrels around, warning each other not to disturb their master. Hewas overjoyed to hear that they had received the gift of speech, and inhis heart he praised the Fairy Queen for her kindness and marvellousskill. But he could not understand how she managed to transfer him towhere he was. It seemed only a moment before when he was talking toher among the flowers of Fairyland, and now he was among his pets inthe garden of Castle Frank.
The Fairy School of Castle Frank Page 2
