said indignantly. "Father taught me beech with the
other trees."

"Well then," said Laddie, "straight before you will be a purple beech,
and under it is the throne of the Princess, the Magic Carpet, and the
walls I made. Among the beech roots there is a stone hidden with moss.
Roll the stone back and there will be a piece of bark. Lift that, lay
the letter in the box you'll find, and scamper to me like flying. I'll
be at the barn with father."

"Is that all?"

"Not quite," said Laddie. "It's possible that the Fairy Queen may have
set the Princess spinning silk for the caterpillars to weave their
little houses with this winter; and if she has, she may have left a
letter there to tell me. If there is one, put it in your pocket, hold
it close every step of the way, and you'll be safe coming home as you
were going. But you mustn't let a soul see it; you must slip it into
my pocket when I'm not looking. If you let any one see, then the Magic
will be spoiled, and the Fairy won't come again."

"No one shall see," I promised.

"I knew you could be trusted," said Laddie, kissing and hugging me
hard. "Now go! If anything gets after you that such a big girl as you
really wouldn't be ashamed to be afraid of, climb on a fence and call.
I'll be listening, and I'll come flying. Now I must hurry. Father
will think it's going to take me the remainder of the day to find the
bolts he wants."

We went down the front walk between the rows of hollyhocks and
tasselled lady-slippers, out the gate, and followed the road. Laddie
held one of my hands tight, and in the other I gripped the letter in my
pocket. So long as Laddie could see me, and the lane lay between open
fields, I wasn't afraid. I was thinking so deeply about our woods
being Enchanted, and a tiny Fairy growing big as our Sally, because she
was in them, that I stepped out bravely.

Every few days I followed the lane as far back as the Big Gate. This
stood where four fields cornered, and opened into the road leading to
the woods. Beyond it, I had walked on Sunday afternoons with father
while he taught me all the flowers, vines, and bushes he knew, only he
didn't know some of the prettiest ones; I had to have books for them,
and I was studying to learn enough that I could find out. Or I had
ridden on the wagon with Laddie and Leon when they went to bring wood
for the cookstove, outoven, and big fireplace. But to walk! To go all
alone! Not that I didn't w