“You will all start together, yet when you reach the wood you will find yourselves alone. Each must go through that wood alone.”
“Oh!” sighed the children again, all huddling a little closer to each other.
“There is no danger,” said Love, “if you keep your eyes on the star. Your guardian child will help you through the difficulties of your journey. Listen to what he says to you. He is my little ambassador. Do not listen to your naughty self. Do not dally on the way. Do not put off. If you quit the path, at first it may be easy to find it again, but it will grow more and more difficult, till it may be become impossible.” Then Love grew very solemn, and she lifted her hand in warning. “Do not play with the sprite. If you play with it you will hurt your guardian child, who may then leave you. Do not,” she repeated urgently, “play with the self-sprite.”
“We will not, we will not,” cried the children eagerly.
“No, indeed,” said Kitty, giving a little shove to her left shoulder. “I shall listen only to my guardian child. Dear guardian child, with the face like Johnnie.”
“If you disobey your guardian child it will grow faint, and remember you may kill it. Come,” she went on, “I shall go with you as far as the boundary of Punishment Land.” Love walked on toward the wall of mist, where shone the star. The children followed.
It was a strange sight to see those children following her, with eyes fixed on the star, and on the right shoulder of each little pilgrim the tiny rosy-winged, rainbow-dressed figure; and on the left the queer little half-animal creature. And as they approached the prison wall of that dreary land the star began to quiver and move. It looked like a bird of fire with quivering wings setting forth on its trackless sky-way.
“We come! we come!” cried the children. Run, run—what a hurly-burly of little feet rushing out of Punishment Land, setting forth on their journey home.
They turned and waved their little hands to Love. “Farewell! farewell!” she cried, waving her fair hand in answer. “Watch the star; obey your guardian child. Do not play with your naughty sprite, and you will reach home safe by Christmas morning, and win a Christmas blessing.” She smiled wistfully as she spoke.
The fog closed over Love’s figure, and Kitty suddenly found herself standing at the entrance of a great wood. She was alone. The children had all disappeared. And still through the fog floated Love’s voice—“Watch the star. Obey your guardian child. Do not play with your naughty sprite.”