Christmas-Tree Land

London MACMILLAN AND CO. 1884

'The way was long, long, long, like the journey in a fairy tale.'
Miss Ferrier.
It was not their home. That was easy to be seen by the eager looks of curiosity and surprise on the two little faces inside the heavy travelling carriage. Yet the faces were grave, and there was a weary look in the eyes, for the journey had been long, and it was not for pleasure that it had been undertaken. The evening was drawing in, and the day had been a somewhat gloomy one, but as the light slowly faded, a soft pink radiance spread itself over the sky. They had been driving for some distance through a flat monotonous country; then, as the ground began to rise, the coachman relaxed his speed, and the children, without knowing it, fell into a half slumber.
It was when the chariot stopped to allow the horses breathing time that they started awake and looked around them. The prospect had entirely changed. They were now on higher ground, for the road had wound up and up between the hills, which all round encircled an open space—a sort of high up valley, in the centre of which gleamed something white. But this did not at first catch the children's view. It was the hills rising ever higher and higher, clothed from base to summit with fir-trees, innumerable as the stars on a clear frosty night, that struck them with surprise and admiration. The little girl caught her breath with a strange thrill of pleasure, mingled with awe.
'Rollo,' she said, catching her brother's sleeve, 'it is a land of Christmas trees!'
Rollo gazed out for a moment or two without speaking. Then he gave a sigh of sympathy.
'Yes, Maia,' he said; 'I never could have imagined it. Fancy, only fancy, if they were all lighted up!'
Maia smiled.
'I don't think even the fairies themselves could do that,' she answered.