Linde sprang to her feet in delight. She was in the sweetest place she
had ever dreamed of. Sweet in every sense, for it was a small garden of
the beautiful rose-bushes, like the one the robin had shown her. And the
scent was the exquisite one so familiar to her.
She was standing at the entrance to a sort of bower, or niche, in the
midst of the fragrant bushes, and glancing into it she saw that there
was a little hillock in its centre, and on this hillock were perched
what at first seemed to her hundreds of redbreasts. In reality, I think
there were about fifty--all motionless, till from their midst flew out
one, whom by some instinct Linde recognised as her old friend.
"Birds," he said, for, to the fairy-touched ears of the child, chirps
were words, "birds! She has come. And the time has come. Friends, bid
her welcome."
And a lovely welcome it was which poured from the many little throats.
"Thank you, dear robins," said Linde, feeling sure that she was expected
to say something, "thank you, dear birds. You know I love you, and I do
hope you will soon come to live in the forest again. But now please
tell me what it is you want me to do."
There was a sudden loud flutter of wings. All the robins at the same
moment flew upwards from the hillock and perched themselves in clusters
among the rose-trees which formed the bower. Only one remained on the
hillock. Linde knew him for her guide. Beside him lay a small bright
object. It was a finely made and polished spade.
He touched it with one of his claws.
"Take this, Linde," he said solemnly, "and dig. But first, stroke it
with the three feathers."
"Where am I to dig?" asked the little girl, as she obeyed him.
"Here of course," was the reply, "here. It is the tomb of our ancestor,
where for fifty years he has lain entranced."
Linde lifted the spade. It was beautifully light.
"What a dear little tool it is!" she thought to herself. "I wish they
would let me keep it. It would be lovely for careful digging round the
delicate tiny roots that are so easily damaged."
But these reflections she kept to herself, for she felt the fifty pairs
of bright eyes upon her. Just at present it was a question of doing what
she was told.
So she stroked the spade with her tiny feather posy, and then stepped
forward close to the green mound. In her heart she felt doubtful as to
whether the toy spade would be strong enough to cut through the turf.
But as the robin flew up to a neighbouring branch, thus leaving the
coast quite clear for her operations, there was nothing for it but to
try. And to her satisfaction the blade glided through the sods almost
without any effort of hers. In fact it seemed to direct her movements,
so that in a very short time a neat round hole was made in the little
hillock, revealing a sort of nest of the well-known dried rose-leaves,
in the midst of which lay the tiny body of a--to all appearance
dead--robin redbreast.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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