“Let’s go, then,” said Florrie; and she moved away lightly down the street, drawing Winnie along by the hand, their wings waving gently in the air. “Where shall we go?” said Pennie. A thought came into Merrimeg’s mind. She would take them to the gnomes’ house, and the two brothers would surely tell them how to find the star. “I’ll take you,” said she, pushing on ahead towards the woods beyond the village. She was used to going barefoot, and she didn’t mind the rough ground. It was a warm night, and she soon forgot that she was only in her nightgown. They went into the woods. “It’s so gloomy,” said Winnie, in a whisper. “I don’t like these strange earth places. I wish we were at home among the stars.” “We’ll be home before morning, never fear,” said Florrie. They stopped beside the pool where Merrimeg had once tried to wash the black from her face. The trees were wide apart here, and Merrimeg, looking up, could see the bare spot in the sky directly overhead, where the lost star belonged. “Where are you taking us?” said Pennie. “I’m taking you to the gnomes’ house,” said Merrimeg. “We’ll soon be there. It’s two gnomes who’ve been very good to me; I know where they live. They’re the ones to help us.” “Is one of them named Malkin?” said Florrie. “And the other one Nibby?” said Pennie. “Yes,” said Merrimeg. [Illustration: “LOOK!” SHE CRIED] “Then it’s no use,” said Pennie. “We’ve been there already.” “They were asleep,” said Florrie, “and we woke them up, and they didn’t like it a bit. They wouldn’t get up for any foolish old star,--that’s what they said. But they told us about you, and that’s how we came to hunt you up. But the horrid gnomes wouldn’t do a thing for us; they wouldn’t even get up.” “They’re not horrid,” said Merrimeg. “Oh dear, I don’t know what we’re going to do now.” She looked down sadly into the dark water of the pool, trying to think what to do next. She gave a little jump of surprise, and looked harder. Far, far down, away down deep under the water of the pool,---- She saw a star. “Look!” she cried, and pointed her finger at it. The starlight fairies leaned over, and looked down into the pool. “That’s it!” cried Florrie. “It’s my star!” cried Winnie. “It’s our lost star!” cried Pennie. “Dropped down from the sky to the bottom of this pool.” “Then,” said Merrimeg, “you’d better go down and get it.” “Oh no! oh no! oh no!” cried the three fairies together. “We mustn’t get our wings wet!” said Pennie. “We’d never be able to fly home if our wings got wet,” said Winnie. “But _you_ have no wings,” said Florrie to Merrimeg. “No, _she_ has no wings,” said Pennie. “_She_ shall go down for our star,” said Winnie. “You will, won’t you?” “The water’s deep and dark,” said Merrimeg. “But you have no wings,” said Florrie. “The water’s cold and gloomy,” said Merrimeg. “But you have no wings,” said Pennie. “I wonder if I could do it,” said Merrimeg.