Chapter 6 - Page 2

lovely," cried Sylvie, delightedly. "Bruno, come and look!"
And she held up, so that he might see the light through it,
a heart-shaped Locket, apparently cut out of a single jewel, of a rich
blue colour, with a slender gold chain attached to it.

"It are welly pretty," Bruno more soberly remarked: and he began
spelling out some words inscribed on it. "All--will--love--Sylvie,"
he made them out at last. "And so they doos!" he cried, clasping his
arms round her neck. "Everybody loves Sylvie!"

"But we love her best, don't we, Bruno?" said the old King, as he took
possession of the Locket. "Now, Sylvie, look at this." And he showed
her, lying on the palm of his hand, a Locket of a deep crimson colour,
the same shape as the blue one and, like it, attached to a slender
golden chain.

"Lovelier and lovelier!" exclaimed Sylvie, clasping her hands in
ecstasy. "Look, Bruno!"

"And there's words on this one, too," said Bruno.
"Sylvie--will--love--all."

"Now you see the difference," said the old man: "different colours and
different words.

Choose one of them, darling. I'll give you which ever you like best."

Sylvie whispered the words, several times over, with a thoughtful
smile, and then made her decision. "It's very nice to be loved,"
she said: "but it's nicer to love other people! May I have the red one,
Father?"

The old man said nothing: but I could see his eyes fill with tears,
as he bent his head and pressed his lips to her forehead in a long loving
kiss. Then he undid the chain, and showed her how to fasten it round
her neck, and to hide it away under the edge of her frock. "It's for
you to keep you know he said in a low voice, not for other people to see.
You'll remember how to use it?

Yes, I'll remember, said Sylvie.

"And now darlings it's time for you to go back or they'll be missing
you and then that poor Gardener will get into trouble!"

Once more a feeling of wonder rose in my mind as to how in the world we
were to get back again--since I took it for granted that wherever the
children went I was to go--but no shadow of doubt seemed to cross
their minds as they hugged and kissed him murmuring over and over again
"Good-bye darling Father!" And then suddenly and swiftly the darkness
of midnight seemed to close in upon us and through the darkness
harshly rang a strange wild song:--

He thought he saw a Buffalo
Upon the chimney-piece:
He looked again, and found it was
His Sister's Husband's Niece.
'Unless you leave this house,' he said,
'I'll send for the Police!'