less Hilda and her two
brothers would agree always to make the wind blow from the south, the
hundred-and-first corner in Rumpty-Dudget's tower would sooner or
later be filled.

'How can we make the wind blow one way or the other?' Hilda would ask.

'It all depends upon you, nevertheless,' Tom would reply. 'Winds do
not move of themselves, but people pull them.'

'Well, I don't understand it,' Hilda would answer, after a little
thinking; 'and if I don't, of course the boys don't either.'

At night, when the Fairy Aunt came in through the round window, and
sat on their bedside to whisper stories about Fairyland into their
ears, the children would sometimes ask her to take them all three up
in her arms and carry them over the tops of the trees of the Forest of
Mystery to her home far away on the other side. Then she would shake
her head and say:

'While those spots are on your faces you cannot come with me.'

'Why not?' the children asked in their dream.

'Because they are a sign that a part of each of you belongs to
Rumpty-Dudget; and he will not let go of that part, in spite of all
that I can do.'

'Shall we never be able to go with you, then?' dreamed the children
piteously.

'Not until the wind blows from the south every day in the week. When
that happens the spots will vanish, and I will take you all three in
my arms, and fly with you over the tops of the trees to Fairyland.'

'And what shall we see there?' the children asked.

'You will see the Queen, your mother.'

'And shall we see you too?'

'Yes, I shall be with you.'

'And Tom the Cat too?'

'What you have loved in Tom the Cat will be there too,' answered the
fairy, smiling.

'But how shall we make the wind blow from the south every day in the
week?'

At that the fairy smiled and shook her head, and touched each one of
them on the heart; and no other answer would she give. So the
children were no wiser on that point than before.

Thus time went on steadily, to-morrow always going before to-day, and
yesterday invariably bringing up the rear, until a year was past; and
what should come round again but Rumpty-Dudget's birthday, the most
unlucky day of all the three hundred and sixty five! An hour and
twenty seconds before sunset Tom the Cat said to the children:

'Now, you must be very careful, while I am away, to do as I tell you.
Do not go out into the garden, do not touch the black ball that lies
on the nursery table, and do not jump ag