! It acted as if it
were going to, so I watched it longer than usual. But now I guess
we're off," she ended turning to fasten the door behind her. Sara
noticed that she fastened it with a hook and eye exactly like the ones
on Mother's prettiest waist--only this one was more valuable, being of
gold.

"Well, it's quite a long walk down to the landing," said Pirlaps,
leading the way, "and we don't want to miss the boat."

So they started off in the direction Sara had never gone before,
following a path that presently began to wind down among the cliffs,
giving them a blue view of the sea. Sara could hardly follow the path
for looking. Before long they could look back and see Avrillia's
balcony, with the little box-trees on the marble balustrade, and, far
below it, the gray abyss of Nothing. It was very strange and beautiful,
but it gave Sara a queer, empty feeling somewhere under her little
apron; and she was glad to turn her eyes back to the sea, which
beckoned far below them, a dancing blueness; and to the golden cliffs,
laughing in the sunlight far and near. The path was quite steep and
winding and unexpected, and Yassuh scrambled about a good deal; but he
managed to keep hold of the step and the bag. As for Sara, she had
never seen a more fascinating place, and she supposed these great
cliffs must form a part of the walls of the amphitheatre she had seen
from Schlorge's stump. Presently, at one especially wild, golden place,
where the path followed the edge of a chasm, Pirlaps paused a moment
and said,

"You can hear a lovely reflection from here, Sara. Shall I call?"

"A reflection?" said Sara, wonderingly.

"Surely," said Pirlaps. "Listen." Then he cupped his hands about his
lips and called clearly,

"Avrillia!"

"'Rillia!" came back the wild, eerie syllables, so distinctly that
Sara's heart leaped.

"Oh, an echo!" she cried, clapping her hands. "How beautiful!"

"Bless the child!" said Pirlaps, smiling at Avrillia. "You hear a
reflection, Sara; you see an echo."

"Like the Echo of the Plynck in the pool," supplemented Avrillia.
"Don't you remember, Sara?"

Sara was sure her father had told her it was just the other way around;
but she was too happy to argue. So, to change the subject, she asked
Pirlaps very respectfully where they were going.

"To Zinariola, Sara--to the City. You've never been there, have you?"

Never, never had Sara been there; and she began immediately trying to
build that lovel