d like.

And again I addressed the spring: "Is there anything more for me to do?"

"_No no, no no, you'll see, you'll see--good-bye, good-bye_," was the
answer which came at once.

Accordingly I once more thanked the spring, wished it clear water, no
mud, no tramplings of cattle, and bade it farewell. But, I said, I
should hope to visit it again.

Then I turned away and looked about me, wondering whether, now that I
had swallowed the mysterious plant, I should see anything different. The
only thing I noticed was due, I suppose, not to the plant, but to the
spring; but it was odd enough. All the trees hard by were crowded with
little birds of all kinds sitting in rows on the branches as they do on
telegraph wires. I have no doubt they were listening to the silver bell
in the spring. They were quite still, and did not take any notice when I
began to walk away.

I said, you will remember, that the ground I was on was a sort of flat
terrace at the top of a steep slope. Now at one end this terrace just
went down into the wood, but at the other end there was a little mound
or hillock with thick underwood behind it. I felt a curiosity, an
inclination, to walk that way: I have very little doubt that the plant
was at the bottom of it. As I walked I looked at the ground, and noticed
a curious thing: the roots of the plants and grasses seemed to show more
than I was accustomed to see them.

It was not a great way to the hillock. When I got to it I wondered why I
had gone, for there was nothing odd about it. Still I stepped on to the
top, and then I did see something, namely, a square flat stone just in
front of my feet. I poked at it with my walking-stick, but somehow I did
not seem to touch it, nor was there any scraping noise. This was funny.
I tried again, and now I saw that my stick was not touching it at all;
there was something in between. I felt with my hands, and they met with
what seemed like grass and earth, certainly not like stone. _Then_ I
understood. The plant was the one which makes you able to see what is
under the ground!

I need not tell you all I thought, or how surprising and delightful it
was. The first thing was to get at the flat stone and find out what was
underneath it.

Accordingly, what with a knife and what with my fingers, I soon had it
uncovered: it was four or five inches under the surface. There were no
marks on it; it measured more than a foot each way. I lifted it. It was
the cover of a