there in the dark. Outside the broken
window an owl in a dark tree hooted mournfully.

Everychild crossed the attic cautiously. Timbers creaked beneath his
feet. The smell of old, abandoned things arose. And suddenly he
stopped short and clinched his hands. Beyond a pale haze of moonbeams
he saw some one sitting on one of the closed chests.

That form in the gloom was perfectly motionless; and for a time
Everychild tried to convince himself that here was simply another
delusion--that certain old articles of furniture or clothing had been
so arranged as to suggest the form of a human being.

But no, this could scarcely be. Every outline of the figure was too
real. And besides, the person on the chest now moved slightly.

Everychild forced himself to advance a step, to move to right and to
left, that he might learn something of that person who sat there in
mysterious silence. And suddenly he found himself smiling and relaxing.

It was Will o'Dreams who sat there!

The giant had seen him at last, and he called out pleasantly, "You here
too, Everychild? Come and sit down. There's room for two here on this
old chest."

"I didn't know you were here," said Everychild.

"It's the very sort of place I like to visit," was the reply. "If ever
you miss me, you've only to hunt for an old attic near by, and there
you'll find me."

"I wonder why?" asked Everychild.

"Ah, I scarcely know. But a great many lovely persons come up into old
attics--mostly children, or else quite old men or women--and I think
they like to find me at such times."

"And do you never frighten them?"

The giant laughed. "I've no doubt I do, sometimes. But mostly I am of
real help to them. The old things that are left in attics seem somehow
different if I'm about. Some day you'll understand what I mean. And
the sounds you hear in an attic, and the thoughts that come to you,
seem pleasant in a way, as long as I'm near by."

Everychild realized immediately that this was true; for at that very
moment the owl in the dark tree outside the broken window hooted--and
the sound was not at all what it had been only a little while ago.

"It's fine to hear the owl make a noise like that, isn't it?" he asked
of the giant.

"Is it?" replied Will o'Dreams with a kindly taunt in his voice.
"Suppose you tell me why."

"I'm not sure I can. But you know it makes you think of so many
wonderful and strange things."

"Of what?" persisted the gi