Bizzybuzz cried, “Let me present you to the Lady Gray-Wing!” and bowed low to their hostess,—for evidently this was Moon-Eyes’ wife. Lady Gray-Wing invited them to enter, and they all went into the hole in the oak-tree, and sat down around the lunch that the pretty gray owl had prepared for them. They had acorns, and nuts, and blackberries, and queer, good herbs, and raw mushrooms, and sorrel, and rain-water served in big, silvery plantain leaves. Really everything tasted better than the meals that they had been used to eating at home. These funny woodsy things seemed much nicer than their regular suppers of eggs and jam and bread and milk, and they ate as much as they dared without being rude or greedy. Gray-Wing explained rather timidly that she had not given them mice for lunch, because she understood that mortals did not care for them much. There was only one other guest,—a very merry and frisky red squirrel, who chattered away all the time they were eating, and begged them to come and lunch with him if they should ever be in that neighbourhood again. And then Moon-Eyes carried them away, and took them a long, long distance, over a high rocky hill, and toward another wood, much deeper and darker and bigger than the one they had left. There, at the edge of this forest, their owl friend set them down, and bade them good-bye by nodding at them solemnly. “You are now,” said Bizzybuzz, “at the edge of the Wonderful Wood. Each of your three ways lies through it.” “Are we all going together?” cried Meg, eagerly. “No,” said Bizzybuzz, “you will not even meet.” “But there is only one path!” exclaimed Bab. “In Make Believe Land one path may lead to a great many places.” “But if we all go the same way—” began Dick. “You all go by the same path,” said Bizzybuzz. “But it is not only in Make Believe Land that many people travel the same path and all travel alone.” A pathway lay before them leading into the Wonderful Wood. The three children stood for a moment looking down it, and wondering what adventures they were to have there; then they waved good-bye to Bizzybuzz, and ran into the wood. No sooner were they on the path, in the shadows of the trees, than a strange thing happened. Each seemed to be quite alone! Where were the other two? They called to each other, but not even an echo answered. Only, far behind and dying away, each could hear the anxious voice of Bizzybuzz: “Remember! Be very careful! Be patient, and never forget your errands. You must not forget what each of you has been sent for; you must hurry as fast as you can; you must—not—stop—by the way—” Then—silence. And each was left alone in the Wonderful Wood! [Illustration] V _Through the Wonderful Wood_ [Illustration] [Illustration] CHAPTER V _Through the Wonderful Wood_