The King went out to the belfry, that stood in the great, bare, quiet, moonlit square, and he opened the door. The furry-pussy bell-ropes, like huge caterpillars, hung on the first loft. The King began to climb the curly-wurly stone stair. And as he went up he heard a noise, the strangest noises, stamping and rustling and deep breathings. He stood still in the ringers' loft where the pussy-furry caterpillary bell-robes hung, and from the belfry above he heard the noise of strong fighting, and mixed with it the sound of voices angry and desperate, but with a noble note that thrilled the soul of the hearer like the sound of the trumpet in battle. And the voices cried: Down, down--away, away, When good has come ill may not stay, Out, out, into the night, The belfry bells are ours by right! And the words broke and joined again, like water when it flows against the piers of a bridge. 'Down, down----.' 'Ill may not stay----.' 'Good has come----.' 'Away, away----.' And the joining came like the sound of the river that flows free again. Out, out, into the night, The belfry bells are ours by right! And then, as King Bellamant stood there, thrilled and yet, as it were, turned to stone, by the magic of this conflict that raged above him, there came a sweeping rush down the belfry ladder. The lantern he carried showed him a rout of little, dark, evil people, clothed in dust and cobwebs, that scurried down the wooden steps gnashing their teeth and growling in the bitterness of a deserved defeat. They passed and there was silence. Then the King flew from rope to rope pulling lustily, and from above, the bells answered in their own clear beautiful voices--because the good Bell-folk had driven out the usurpers and had come to their own again. Ring-a-ring-a-ring-a-ring-a-ring! Ring, bell! A little baby comes on earth to dwell. Ring, bell! Sound, bell! Sound! Swell! Ring for joy and wish her well! May her life tell No tale of ill-spell! Ring, bell! Joy, bell! Love, bell! Ring! * * * * * 'But I don't see,' said King Bellamant, when he had told Queen Belinda all about it, 'how it was that I came to hear them. The Enchanter of the Ringing Well said that only lovers could hear what the bells had to say, and then only when they were together.' 'You silly dear boy,' said Queen Belinda, cuddling the baby princess close under her chin, 'we _are_ lovers, aren't we? And you don't suppose I wasn't with you when you went to ring the bells for our baby--my heart and soul anyway--all of me that matters!' 'Yes,' said the King, 'of course you were. That accounts!' VIII JUSTNOWLAND 'Auntie! No, no, no! I will be good. Oh, I will!' The little weak voice came from the other side of the locked attic door. 'You should have thought of that before,' said the strong, sharp voice outside. 'I didn't mean to be naughty. I didn't, truly.'