rees behind them.

"Why, this is the place we entered the forest, that day we got
'chanted!" cried Twinkle.

"So it is," said Chubbins. "I believe we could find our way home from
here, Twink."

"But we can't go home like we are," replied the girl-lark. "What would
our folks say, to find us with birds' bodies?"

"They'd yell and run," declared the boy.

"Then," said she, "we must find the tingle-berries."

The bluejay flew with them to some bushes which he said were the kind
the tingle-berries grew upon, but they were all bare and not a single
berry could be found.

"There must be more not far away," said the policeman, encouragingly.
"Let us look about us."

They found several clumps of the bushes, to be sure; but unfortunately
no berries were now growing upon them, and at each failure the children
grew more and more sad and despondent.

"If we have to wait until the bushes bear again," Twinkle remarked, "it
will be nearly a year, and I'm sure we can't live in the forest all
winter."

"Why not?" asked the policeman.

"The food in our basket would all be gone, and then we would starve to
death," was the reply. "We can't eat bugs and worms, you know."

"I'd rather die!" declared Chubbins, mournfully.

The bluejay became very thoughtful.

"If we could find some of the tingle bushes growing near the shade of
the forest," he said at last, "there might still be some berries
remaining on them. Out here in the bright sunshine the berries soon
wither and drop off and disappear."

"Then let us look near the trees," suggested Twinkle.

They searched for a long time unsuccessfully. It was growing late, and
they were almost in despair, when a sharp cry from Policeman Bluejay
drew the child-larks to his side.

"What is it?" enquired the girl, trembling with nervous excitement.

"Why," said the policeman, "here is a bush at last, and on it are
exactly two ripe tingle-berries!"

[CHAPTER XXII] _The Transformation_

They looked earnestly at the bush, and saw that their friend spoke
truly. Upon a high limb was one plump, red berry, looking much like a
cranberry, while lower down grew another but smaller berry, which
appeared to be partially withered.

"Good!" the lark-children cried, joyfully; and the next moment Chubbins
added: "You eat the big berry, Twink."

"Why?" she asked, hesitating.

"It looks as if it had more stomach-ache in it," he replied.

"I'm not afraid of that," said she. "But do you su