"In this basket they will find
Food and drink of magic kind.
Never will it empty grow
And no hunger they shall know."
"Hereafter," said the Gnome King, looking kindly at Ned, "a bluebird shall be your companion and will show you many and curious things. I can spare no more time, for my people must be governed, and while I have given you more attention than any other mortal because of your great fondness for fairy tales, I must now leave you in the care of this bluebird, unless, perchance, you wish to return to earth at once."
To which Ned answered eagerly that he would much rather see more of Gnomeland before again returning to the everyday routine of grammar school and lessons.
"Good luck to you, then!" cried his friend, as he shook Ned warmly by the hand.
The door opened and Ned once more found himself by the side of the great flat stone in the hillside, where rippling waters of the little stream flowed into the pool at the foot of the great oak tree, on which sat a lovely bluebird.
Following the bluebird, Ned turned to one side to avoid climbing the hill, and continued his journey for some time, keeping ever in sight the bluebird's beautiful form.
It was almost dark when they were confronted by a dense forest. This was not particularly reassuring to Ned, especially as the bluebird flew back and settled herself on his shoulder, evidently not wishing to enter the woods at so late an hour. For in a deep, black forest, with all sorts of strange shadows and ghostly trees, one never knows what may be lurking about, and the same Ned who, with his two stout fists, in broad daylight would have undertaken to keep any living boy or man from doing serious mischief, felt his teeth set hard and his heart stand still as he came into the shadow of the great trees.
The little bird nestled close to his cheek and refused to leave his shoulder.
Ned, indeed, felt that he must now look out for himself, and though his heart beat high, he bravely trudged forward.
It was very unlike the woods to which he had been accustomed to go with his schoolmates at home, where bright green maples, beeches and birches made a leafy bower overhead. Instead, there were solemn pines and hemlocks, and as he entered deeper, great caverns appeared in the rocks and narrow gulleys, into which one might easily fall and break one's neck.