And they tried them, and found that their limbs responded joyously to the effort they were putting forth.
"Do not shrink from sleeping in the beds which have been provided," she said at last. "They may surprise you."
And lying down in the beds which had seemed so uninviting, the children were wooed to slumber. They were really comfortable beds, after all!
Strangest of all was the fact that Will o'Dreams went about with the other children, guided by the sound of their voices, and by an occasional touch of Everychild's hand; and one after another he tested the pool and the paths and the stairs and the beds.
"Ah, how good it is to have them!" he said at last with a great sigh; and soon after he had sunk into deep and refreshing slumber.
Nor were the others long in following his example. They had traveled far; and it seemed good to rest now, especially as they believed they might look forward to happy and wonderful experiences on the morrow.
CHAPTER XXIX
THE MASKED LADY'S SECRET
Toward morning Everychild had a dream. In his dream his mother came and stood near him, and looked at him wonderingly and sadly. And then—in the dream—his father could be seen, standing apart and slowly shaking his head.