all the children gathered
round him in surprise and admiration, he looked so brave and lovely.

[Illustration]

One of the walls of the cottage was reared on the edge of the rock, so
that it seemed a continuation of it, and to rise up from the deep waters
of the lake. The boys were thus able often to fish with a long line out
of the window. A winding-stair led to a look-out on the roof, from which
the whole island, called "The Green Island of the Lake," could be seen.
It was about a mile or more in circumference, and was dotted all over
with the cottages of the other foresters and king's huntsmen, each
surrounded with clumps of trees, through which the curling smoke from
the chimneys might be seen ascending. There were everywhere
beautifully-kept gardens, with fruits, and flowers, and bee-hives; and
fields, too, with their crops. On the green knolls and in the little
valleys might be seen cows and sheep; while flocks of goats browsed
among ivy-covered rocks. In the middle of the island was a little
shallow lake, beside which the otter had his house among the rocks; and
there the eagle also lived. All the children in the island were the
best of friends, and they played together, and sailed their boats on the
little lake, and every day met in the house of one of the foresters to
learn their lessons; and on Sunday, as they were very far away from any
church, old Darkeye used to read the Good Book to them, and worship with
them, and did all he could to make them love God and one another. There
was also in the island a house, where, by the king's orders, all poor
travellers could find refuge and refreshment. And it was a great
pleasure to the boys and girls to visit them; and if they were sick and
confined to bed, to attend to their wants. If the stranger had any
children, the young islanders always shared their sports with them. And
nothing pleased these stranger children more than to get leave to sail a
boat, or to have the loan of a fishing-rod, or to hear the boys call
Oscar, for that was the name of the otter, out of his den, and to play
with Tor the eagle; or to see them feed Oscar with some of the fish they
had caught, and Tor with a bit of meat. The dogs were so friendly, too,
that they never touched Oscar, but would swim about in the same pool
with him. And so all were happy in the Green Island; because Darkeye had
taught them what a wicked thing selfishness was, and that the only way
to be happy was by thinking ab