“Silver streams, Silver dreams, Little shafts of silver beams; Music floats From our throats In a shower of silver notes, Like a fleet of silver boats!” “We can sing Of everything,— Petal, feather, scale and wing; Tinkle, Klang, While we sang, Fairy music round you rang, Klang and Tinkle! Tinkle, Klang!” Bab thought the music lovely. She forgot where she was, and begged them to sing another song. Then suddenly her heart bounded hard. She remembered her errand! “Thank you, thank you!” she cried. “But I must go; I am late!” And she turned and ran away as fast as she could, leaving the goblins still singing. Soon she found herself in a cool, shadowy garden, where a fountain played softly, reflecting the big, heavy-headed roses that climbed up the edge of the marble basin to peep into the water. It was very restful and delicious there, and Bab was hot and tired. She wanted to sit down on the grass and rest, but she thought of Mother Goose, and prepared to plod on. Then she saw coming toward her a very beautiful lady, with a delightful, smiling face, and a little crown on her yellow hair. She wore a green dress, and her feet were bare, but Bab knew at once that she was a princess. “How do you do?” said the Princess, smiling. “You are Bab, the little mortal girl, aren’t you? Will you rest in my garden for a little while?” “I—I can’t,” said Bab, shyly. “I have to go on. I’m looking for Santa Claus.” The Princess laughed merrily. “Oh, he lives ever so far away!” she said, with a wave of her hand. “You’d much better stay with me!” “Who are you, please?” asked Bab. “They call me the Idle Princess,” the lady answered. “I have a great many names, but no one has ever discovered my real one.” “What is it?” asked Bab. “That’s a secret,” she said, smiling mysteriously. “Shall I ever know it?” “Never! And you’ll call me different names every day of your life.” “Shall I know you all my life?” cried Bab, “even in the Real World?” The Idle Princess smiled at her gently. “Even there!” she said. “Now let us sit down on the grass and make daisy chains.” So they did; and the fountain played softly, and Bab fancied she could hear Klang and Tinkle singing in the wood on the other side of the garden wall: “Silver streams, Silver dreams, Little shafts of silver beams!...” Suddenly Bab sprang to her feet, frightened. “Oh, Princess!” she cried, “it must be late; and I had forgotten my errand!” She began to run across the grass as fast as she could; then she remembered that she had not thanked her hostess, and stopped. The Idle Princess was at her side. “Must you really go?” she asked regretfully. “Oh, yes!” sighed Bab. “And oh, Princess! could you tell me the way to Santa Claus’s house?” They had reached the garden wall, and the Princess lifted Bab to the top.