"I'm a very busy person," said the guard, "for as you can understand I have to follow children about from place to place. However, if you find the key you may come back here and standing in this same spot say,
'Come, brave flower-guard, near or far,
Wapsipinicon, 'rah, 'rah, 'rah!'
and I will be with you."
The guard held himself very straight.
"What does the key look like?" asked Iona.
"It is small and made of gold," said the guard.
"Thank you so much," cried both the children, but they found they were talking to a green bush. The guard had vanished.
The orange flower was sending out such charming fragrance that they looked at it once more, wistfully, then at each other, and shook their heads.
"We said we wouldn't, you know," said Iona.