ttle beds, and kiss those little sleeping
children and whisper God's messages of love to them, and I knew that
those messages were full of sweet tidings; for, even though they
slept, the little children smiled. This have I seen, and there is none
who loveth little children that will deny the truth of this thing
which I have now solemnly declared.

[Illustration: The strange allegory of the lame boy's speech filled
her with awe.]

Of that land of Ever-Plaisance was our little Mistress Merciless ever
fain to hear tell. But when she beset the rest of us to speak thereof
we knew not what to say other than to confirm such reports as Master
Sweetheart had already made. For when it cometh to knowing of that
far-off land,--ah me, who knoweth more than the veriest little child?
And oftentimes within the bosom of a little, helpless, fading one
there bloometh a wisdom which sages cannot comprehend. So when she
asked us we were wont to bid her go to Master Sweetheart, for he knew
the truth and spake it.

It is now to tell of an adventure which on a time befell in that full
fair garden of which you have heard me speak. In this garden lived
many birds of surpassing beauty and most rapturous song, and among
them was one that they called Joyous, for that he did ever carol forth
so joyously, it mattered not what the day soever might be. This bird
Joyous had his home in the top of an exceeding high tree, hard by the
pleasant arbor, and here did he use to sit at such times as the little
people came into that arbor, and then would he sing to them such songs
as befitted that quiet spot, and them that came thereto. But there was
a full evil cat that dwelt near by, and this cruel beast found no
pleasure in the music that Joyous did make continually; nay, that
music filled this full evil cat with a wicked thirst for the blood of
that singing innocent, and she had no peace for the malice that was
within her seeking to devise a means whereby she might comprehend the
bird Joyous to her murderous intent. Now you must know that it was the
wont of our little Mistress Merciless and of Master Sweetheart to feed
the birds in that fair garden with such crumbs as they were suffered
to bring with them into the arbor, and at such times would those birds
fly down with grateful twitterings and eat of those crumbs upon the
greensward round about the arbor. Wit ye well, it was a merry sight to
see those twittering birds making feast upon the good things whi