Surely they were flying about the trees, chattering excitedly, whirling from place to place, planning, discussing, and preparing for flight? Winifred listened and looked, and felt convinced of this. She was sure she could see in the uncertain light the darting black forms chasing one another, hurrying through the air, and sometimes darkening it for a moment, as a cloud of winged birds rose together from the trees, and then as suddenly dispersed again. Yes, they were certainly going to fly away that night, the child thought, and she must wait and watch to see them go. She curled up her feet under her little gown, pulled the soft quilt more comfortably about her, rested her head against an angle of the window-frame, and prepared to stay for the flight. How long she waited she did not know. Gradually it seemed to her that the moonlight grew brighter. It became almost as light as day, only that there was a softness and beauty in the light which seemed hardly like sunshine. Then all at once came a whirring of countless wings. It was a soft, _feathery_ noise, as Winifred afterwards told herself, that made her think of the angels flying through heaven. And this sound of wings came nearer and nearer, and the air seemed dimmed by a dark, soft cloud of flying birds. “The swallows!” said Winifred, softly; “they are going. I must open the window and say good-bye.” The window was soon thrown wide, and the child leaned eagerly out and called to the birds who were whirling past. “Oh swallows, dear swallows! Good-bye! good-bye! Where are you going?” And the swallows answered in a sort of musical chant: “We are going to the land of sunshine and flowers; We are leaving behind the darkness and cloud; We are going whither the great power leads; We are going we know, yet know not where.” And as the child listened, a great longing came over her to fly with the swallows to the bright unknown land whither they were bound. “Swallows, swallows, I want to go to the sunshine and flowers. Can’t you take me with you?” And the swallows chanted again: “Can you trust the unseen power? Dare you fly out into space? Dare you leave the known behind you? Have you faith to fly away?” Winifred clasped her hands and leaned out more and more, gazing at the flying swallows. “Oh, please stop! Please one of you stop and tell me some more. I want to fly with you. I have to go away one day, I don’t know where. I should like to go with you, if you’ll take me. Do please tell me when you are going, and please wait and take me too. I want to fly with you.” And then suddenly one of the swallows did stop, and perched upon the ledge of the open window; and Winifred found that it was a beautiful black, glossy bird, as big as herself, and yet she was not a bit surprised or afraid. “Dear swallow,” she said, stroking the bird’s soft, feathery head, “dear, pretty swallow, won’t you let me fly away with you?” “Why do you want to fly?” asked the swallow.