nice an' far, you know, an' I might meet Aladdin with the
wonderful lamp."

"Alas, Imp, I fear not," I answered, shaking my head; "and besides, it
will take a long, long time to get there, and where shall you sleep at
night?"

The Imp frowned harder than ever, staring straight before him as one
who wrestles with some mighty problem, then his brow cleared and he
spoke in this wise:

"Henceforth, Uncle Dick, my roof shall be the broad expanse of heaven,
an--an--wait a minute!" he broke off, and lugging something from his
pocket, disclosed a tattered, paper-covered volume (the Imp's books are
always tattered), and hastily turning the pages, paused at a certain
paragraph and read as follows:

"'Henceforth my roof shall be the broad expanse of heaven, an' all
tyrants shall learn to tremble at my name!' Doesn't that sound fine,
Uncle Dick? I tried to get Ben, you know, the gardener's boy--to come
an' live in the 'greenwood' with me a bit an' help to make 'tyrants'
tremble, but he said he was 'fraid his mother might find him some day,
an' he wouldn't, so I'm going to make them tremble all by myself,
unless you will come an' be Little John, like you were once before--oh,
do!"

Before I could answer, hearing footsteps, I looked round, and my heart
leaped, for there was Lisbeth coming down the path.

Her head was drooping and she walked with a listless air. Now, as I
watched I forgot everything but that she looked sad, and troubled, and
more beautiful than ever, and that I loved her. Instinctively I rose,
lifting my cap. She started, and for the fraction of a second her eyes
looked into mine, then she passed serenely on her way. I might have
been a stick or stone for all the further notice she bestowed.

Side by side, the Imp and I watched her go, until the last gleam of her
white skirt had vanished amid the green. Then he folded his arms and
turned to me.

"So be it!" he said, with an air of stern finality; "an' now, what is a
'blasted oak,' please?"

"A blasted oak!" I repeated.

"If you please, Uncle Dick."

"'Well, it's an oak-tree that has been struck by lightning."

"Like the one with the 'stickie-out' branches, where I once hid Auntie
Lis--Her stockings?"

I nodded, and sitting down, began to pack up my fishing rod and things.

"I'm glad of that," pursued the Imp thoughtfully. "Robin Hood was
always saying to somebody, 'Hie thee to the blasted oak at midnight!'
an' it's nice to have one handy, y