An Enchanted Garden: Fairy Stories

by Mrs. Molesworth

quick.

  "Dear robin," said Joyce; "do you know, Jem, I do believe he's a fairy!I shouldn't wonder if he'd somehow told the kind little young ladies tocome and see us."

  There was a pause. Rafe and Alix waited a moment to make sure that therobin had quite finished; then they looked up. He was not in such ahurry to fly off as the other bird had been.

  "Thank you _very_ much, dear robin," they said. "It is a very prettystory indeed; and then it's so nice to know it's quite true."

  The robin looked pleased.

  "Yes," he said, "there's that to be said for it. It's a very simple,homely story; but it's my own experience. But now I think I must bidyou good-bye for the present, though there's no saying but what we maymeet again." He flew off.

  "Rafe," said Alix, "besides all the things mamma does and lets us helpin sometimes for the poor people, wouldn't it be nice if we found somechildren we could do things for, more our own selves, you know?"

  "Yes," Rafe agreed, "I think it would be."

  CHAPTER TEN.

  THE MAGIC ROSE.

  The days and weeks and months went on, till it was full summer timeagain; more than full summer indeed. For it was August, and in a day ortwo Rafe and Alix were to go to the seaside for several weeks. Theywere very pleased of course, but still there is always a _little_ sadfeeling at "going away," especially from one's own home, even though itis only for a short time. They went all round the garden sayinggood-bye, as well as to the stables and the poultry yard and all thefamiliar places.

  Then a sudden thought struck Alix.

  "Rafe," she said--it was the very evening before they left--"do let'ssay good-bye to the old garden too. And perhaps if we stood close tothe corner of the wall and called through very loud, _perhaps_ MrsCaretaker would hear us. It seems so funny that we've never seen heragain. I think she _must_ be away."

  "I don't know, I'm sure," Rafe replied.

  "I've sometimes had a feeling like you, Alix, that she was there all thetime."

  "And of course it was she who made the birds tell us their stories,"said Alix, "so we really should be very much obliged to her. Just thinkwhat nice games we've made out of them; and what nice things we've begunto get ready for the poor children next Christmas. I do think, Rafe,we've _never_ felt dull since we've played so much in the Lady woodgarden."

  Rafe quite agreed with her, and they made their way down the lane andthrough the well-known old gateway. It was the first time they had beenin the deserted grounds so late of an evening. For they had had tealong ago, and it was not so _very_ far off bedtime: already the bushesand shrubs began to look shadowy and mysterious in the twilight, and themoon's profile--for it was about half-way to full--to gleam pearl-likeup among the branches.

  "We mustn't stay very long," said Rafe.

  "Nurse won't mind our being a little later than usual, as she's busypacking," said Alix. "And it's still so hot, indoors at least. Lastnight I _couldn't_ get to sleep, though I pushed off everything exceptone sheet. I was just boiling. And when I told mamma she said it wasno use going to bed only to toss about, and that we might as well sit upa little later."

  "I hope it will be cooler at the seaside," said Rafe.

  "It's pretty sure to be," Alix replied. "If it was just about as coolas it is here just now. Isn't it lovely? And that breeze is sorefreshing."

  They were standing near the walled-up mound as she spoke, and the windcame with a long sighing sound through the trees. It seemed at firstlike a sigh, but by degrees it changed into a soft kind of laughter,which did not fade away, but grew, as they listened, more and moredistinct. And then it sounded as if coming not from up among the treesoverhead, but from somewhere underground. And it was not the wind afterall, for by this time everything was perfectly, strangely still. Thechildren looked at each other; they were used to odd things happening inthe garden. They just stood still and waited to see what was going totake place.

  The laughing ceased, and there came a voice instead, and the voice grewclearer as the hidden door in the wall which they had sought for sooften, swung round, and out from the dark passage came the small figure,red cloak, hood, and all, of Mrs Caretaker. She was still laughingjust a little, and her laugh was so bright and rippling that it made thechildren laugh too, though they did not know why.

  "And so you are going away, my dears," said their old friend. How shegot up so quickly to where they stood they did not see, but there shewas, as alert as possible. And again she laughed.

  "If you please, if it's not rude, we'd like to know what you're laughingat," said Alix, not quite sure if she was pleased or not.

  "Only a little joke, my dear; only a little joke I was having all tomyself. I hear so many funny stories, you see. They all have to tellme them: the wind and the rain often chatter to me, as well as the birdsand the bees and all the others that _you_ call living creatures. Andthe sea, ah! the sea has grand stories to tell sometimes."

  "We're going to the seaside," said Rafe.

  Mrs Caretaker nodded.

  "I know," she said, "I know most things about my friends. I thought youwould come to say good-bye before you left. I've been waiting for you.And if there is anything you would like me to take care of for you whileyou're away, you have only to tell me."

  "Thank you," said the children. But Alix did not feel quite pleasedyet.

  "Mrs Caretaker," she said, "you shouldn't speak as if this was the onlytime we've come to see you. We've been and been _ever_ so often, but wenever could find the door. And we've always kept saying how kind you'dbeen; making the birds tell us stories too."

  "It's all right, my dear," said the old woman. "Yes, I heard you on theother side of the wall. But I'm very busy sometimes; too busy forvisitors. I'm not busy to-night though, and it's getting chilly outhere. Come inside with me for a while, and tell me about where you'regoing to."

  "We mustn't stay long," said the children. "It's later than usual forus to be out, but it's been so hot all day; we got leave to stay alittle longer."

  "I will see you home. Don't be uneasy," said Mrs Caretaker. She ledthe way to the wall--almost without her seeming to touch it, the dooropened, and they followed her along the little passage into the kitchen.

  The fire was pleasantly low; the curtains were drawn back, and throughthe open window the moonlight, much clearer and fuller than in thegarden outside, fell on a little lake of water, where two or threesnow-white swans were floating dreamily. Rafe and Alix almost screamedwith surprise, but Mrs Caretaker only smiled.

  "You didn't know what a view I had out of my window," she said, as sheseated herself in her rocking-chair, and drew forward two stools--one oneach side for the children. "Yes, it is beautiful with the moon on it;and to-morrow night you will be looking at a still more beautifulsight--the great sea itself."

  "Do you love the sea?" they asked.

  "Sometimes," Mrs Caretaker replied. "You said it told you stories,"said Alix. "Will you tell us one of them? Just for a treat, you know,as we are going away, and we can think of it when we are walking alongthe shore watching the waves coming in."

  Mrs Caretaker did not speak for a moment.

  Then she said--and her voice sounded rather sad--"I can't tell you oneof the stories the sea tells me. They're not of the laughing kind, andit's best for you to hear them for yourselves when you are older. But Iwill tell you a little story, if you like, of some of the folk that livein the sea. Did you ever hear tell of mermaids?"

  "Oh yes!" cried the children, eagerly; "often. There are lovely storiesabout them in some of our fairy books; and when we are at the seaside wedo _so_ wish we could see them."

  Mrs Caretaker smiled.

  "I can't promise you that you ever will," she said; "but you shall havemy story. Yes; sit closer, both of you, and rest your heads on myknees."

  "You're not knitting to-night," said Alix. "The last time the needlesmade us hear the story better somehow; it was like as if you took us along way off, and the sto
ry came so clear and distinct."

  "It will be all right, never fear," said the old woman. And as shespoke, she gently stroked the children's heads. Then the same strangefeeling came over them; they felt as if they were far away; they forgotall about its being nearly bedtime and about going away to-morrow; theyjust lived in the story which Mrs Caretaker's clear voice began totell.

  "It is called `The Magic Rose,'" said she;