of it in the middle
was pale sand which was continually rising up in little egg-shaped
mounds and falling down again. It was the clearest and strongest spring
of the kind I had ever seen, and I could have watched it for hours. I
did sit down by it and watch it for some time without thinking of
anything but the luck I had had to find it. But then I began to wonder
if it would say anything. Naturally I could not expect it to say
"_Track-up_" any more, for here I was at the end of it. So I listened
with some curiosity. It hardly made so much noise as the stream: the
pool was deeper. But I thought it must say something, and I put my head
down as close as I could to the surface of the water. If I am not
mistaken (and as things turned out I am sure I was right) the words
were: _Gather gather, pick pick_, or _quick quick_.

Now I had not been thinking about the plant for a little time; but, as
you may suppose, this brought it back to my mind and I got up and began
to look about at the roots of the old oaks which grew just round the
spring. No, none of the roots on this side which faced towards the water
were like that which I had seen--still, the feeling was strong upon me
that this, if any, was the kind of place, and even the very place, where
the plant must be. So I walked to the back of the trees, being careful
to go from right to left, according to the course of the sun.

Well, I was not mistaken. At the back of the middlemost oak-tree there
were the roots I had dreamt of with the moss and the holes like eyes,
and between them was the plant. I think the only thing which was new to
me in the look of it was that it was so extraordinarily _green_. It
seemed to have in it all the greenness that was possible or that would
be wanted for a whole field of grass.

I had some scruples about touching it. In fact, I actually went back to
the spring and listened, to make sure that it was still saying the same
thing. Yes, it was: "_Gather gather, pick_." But there was something
else every now and then which I could _not_ for the life of me make out
at first. I lay down, put my hand round my ear and held my breath. It
might have been _bark tree_ or _dark tree_ or _cask free_. I got
impatient at last and said:

"Well, I'm very sorry, but do what I will I _cannot_ make out what you
are trying to say."

Instantly a little spirt of water hit me on the ear, and I heard, as
clear as possible, what it was: "_Ask tree_."

I got up at onc