s neck, with a note fastened
to the clasp. The dove was the Fairy Berylune's messenger. Light
opened the letter and read these few words:

"Remember that the year is over."

Then Light stood up, waved her wand and everything disappeared from
sight.

A few seconds later, the whole company were gathered together outside
a high wall with a small door in it. The first rays of the dawn were
gilding the tree-tops. Tyltyl and Mytyl, whom Light was fondly
supporting with her arms, woke up, rubbed their eyes and looked around
them in astonishment.

"What?" said Light to Tyltyl. "Don't you know that wall and that
little door?"

The sleepy boy shook his head: he remembered nothing. Then Light
assisted his memory:

"The wall," she said, "surrounds a house which we left one evening
just a year ago to-day...."

"Just a year ago?... Why, then...." And, clapping his hands with glee,
Tyltyl ran to the door. "We must be near Mummy!... I want to kiss her
at once, at once, at once!"

But Light stopped him. It was too early, she said: Mummy and Daddy
were still asleep and he must not wake them with a start.

"Besides," she added, "the door will not open till the hour strikes."

"What hour?" asked the boy.

"The hour of separation," Light answered, sadly.

"What!" said Tyltyl, in great distress. "Are you leaving us?"

"I must," said Light. "The year is past. The Fairy will come back and
ask you for the Blue Bird."

"But I haven't got the Blue Bird!" cried Tyltyl. "The one of the Land
of Memory turned quite black, the one of the Future flew away, the
Night's are dead, those in the Graveyard were not blue and I could not
catch the one in the Forest!... Will the Fairy be angry?... What will
she say?..."

"Never mind, dear," said Light. "You did your best. And, though you
did not find the Blue Bird, you deserved to do so, for the good-will,
pluck and courage which you showed."

Light's face beamed with happiness as she spoke these words, for she
knew that to deserve to find the Blue Bird was very much the same
thing as finding it; but she was not allowed to say this, for it was a
beautiful mystery, which Tyltyl had to solve for himself. She turned
to the Animals and Things, who stood weeping in a corner, and told
them to come and kiss the Children.

Bread at once put down the cage at Tyltyl's feet and began to make a
speech:

"In the name of all, I crave permission...."

"You sha'n't have mine!" cried Fire.

"Order!"