"Now you may look." They opened their eyes. Below them lay the fine old Forest. It looked like a whole ocean of green tops, stretching miles and miles to the right and left, filling all the valley before them, and clothing the ridge of the opposite hill till they were lost against the sky. A narrow winding path at their feet dived down into this green world, and down it in a moment ran all with joyous shouts. In half a minute they could see nothing on every side of them but trees.
The trees were of the strangest shapes; very short, with bushy heads, and stems that leaned all manner of ways and were knotted and mossy, and sometimes they looked like curious wood creatures dancing. They were so close together that their branches met over head, and formed a thick roof of leaves. Long wreaths of ivy and honeysuckle twined about them, and great ferns grew among them, often taller than the trees themselves; because they were allowed to grow as they liked, but the trees were lopped every few years to supply wood to all the people that lived near. Round about these twisted stems, and among these tangled undergrowths, the children ran and danced, sometimes stopping to gather a pretty blue-bell, or some bright berries, or to peep into a deserted bird's nest, or look at some insect, Mr. Grove only warning them to keep near the path lest they should be lost.
"O come into this lovely arbour," cried Emily, stopping before a group of trees, where the branches had met over head, and then drooped downwards, leaving a hollow in the middle. As she stooped to look in, a rabbit, which had been asleep there, rushed out, and scudded away, with Dash after it, barking and yelping. But Dash soon came back, hanging out his tongue, and looking rather foolish, for the rabbit had found his hole near, and was safe in it in a minute.
The children all crept into Emily's arbour, and nestled within it very comfortably.
"Now tell us a story, Annie," said little Ernest.
"O yes," said Florence; "something about a fairy that lived in the trees, or—"
Just then something rustled the branches over head, and a black cow, with a white face and large horns, looked down upon them.
"Oh! oh!" exclaimed Florence, and began to make her way out at the opposite side of the thicket.
"It's only a cow. It will not hurt you," cried Fred and Annie at once. But she was not used to be so near a cow, and made her way out, coming bounce against a large pig that was lying under a hazel tree on its side.
"Ouf! Ouf! grunted the pig, and, scrambling up, he began to move off, but presently turned round, and looked at her as if it had occurred to him, on reflection, that she had no right to disturb him.