“Yes, I shall come back for a short time.”
“Do,” said Arthur: “and you shall write and tell me of our friends. I'll send you my address when I'm settled down.”
CHAPTER 24. THE FROGS' BIRTHDAY-TREAT.
And so it came to pass that, just a week after the day when my Fairy-friends first appeared as Children, I found myself taking a farewell-stroll through the wood, in the hope of meeting them once more. I had but to stretch myself on the smooth turf, and the 'eerie' feeling was on me in a moment.
“Put oor ear welly low down,” said Bruno, “and I'll tell oo a secret! It's the Frogs' Birthday-Treat—and we've lost the Baby!”
“What Baby?” I said, quite bewildered by this complicated piece of news.
“The Queen's Baby, a course!” said Bruno. “Titania's Baby. And we's welly sorry. Sylvie, she's—oh so sorry!”
“How sorry is she?” I asked, mischievously.
“Three-quarters of a yard,” Bruno replied with perfect solemnity. “And I'm a little sorry too,” he added, shutting his eyes so as not to see that he was smiling.