But Light stopped him. It was too early, she said: Mummy and Daddy were still asleep and he must not wake them with a start. "Besides," she added, "the door will not open till the hour strikes." "What hour?" asked the boy. "The hour of separation," Light answered, sadly. "What!" said Tyltyl, in great distress. "Are you leaving us?" "I must," said Light. "The year is past. The Fairy will come back and ask you for the Blue Bird." "But I haven't got the Blue Bird!" cried Tyltyl. "The one of the Land of Memory turned quite black, the one of the Future flew away, the Night's are dead, those in the Graveyard were not blue and I could not catch the one in the Forest!... Will the Fairy be angry?... What will she say?..." "Never mind, dear," said Light. "You did your best. And, though you did not find the Blue Bird, you deserved to do so, for the good-will, pluck and courage which you showed." Light's face beamed with happiness as she spoke these words, for she knew that to deserve to find the Blue Bird was very much the same thing as finding it; but she was not allowed to say this, for it was a beautiful mystery, which Tyltyl had to solve for himself. She turned to the Animals and Things, who stood weeping in a corner, and told them to come and kiss the Children. Bread at once put down the cage at Tyltyl's feet and began to make a speech: "In the name of all, I crave permission...." "You sha'n't have mine!" cried Fire. "Order!" cried Water. "We still have tongues of our own!" roared Fire. "Yes! Yes!" screamed Sugar, who, knowing that his end was at hand, kept kissing Water and melting before the others' eyes. Poor Bread in vain tried to make his voice heard above the din. Light had to interfere and command silence. Then Bread spoke his last words: "I am leaving you," he said, between his sobs. "I am leaving you, my dear Children, and you will no longer see me in my living form.... Your eyes are about to close to the invisible life of Things; but I shall be always there, in the bread-pan, on the shelf, on the table, beside the soup, I who am, if I may say so, the most faithful companion, the oldest friend of Man...." "Well, and what about me?" shouted Fire, angrily. "Silence!" said Light. "The hour is passing.... Be quick and say good-bye to the Children...." Fire rushed forward, took hold of the Children, one after the other, and kissed them so violently that they screamed with pain: "Oh! Oh!... He's burning me!..." "Oh! Oh!... He's scorched my nose!..." "Let me kiss the place and make it well," said Water, going up to the children gently. This gave Fire his chance: "Take care," he said, "you'll get wet." "I am loving and gentle," said Water. "I am kind to human beings...." "What about those you drown?" asked Fire. But Water pretended not to hear: