heard some one playing on a pipe; and the sound, though
distant, was very mysterious. It drifted up from the forest road. The
notes continued to be heard, one by one, in the same strange,
fascinating way.

It was the giant who first began to move in the direction of the sound
of the pipe. He did this at first as though reluctantly; but as he
continued on his way he began to walk more alertly, and presently he
seemed very eager.

And then Everychild found it impossible to withstand that sound and he
too moved away in the direction from which the notes of the pipe came.
And the Sleeping Beauty, with a dreamy smile on her lips, walked with
him; and Cinderella followed a few steps behind. And then the others,
one by one, fell into line: Hansel and Grettel, the sons and daughters
of the Old Woman who lived in the shoe, Prince Arthur, Little Bo-Peep,
Little Boy Blue, and last of all, Tom Hubbard and the little black dog.

They all marched down the mountain road, away from the castle; and
presently they began to catch glimpses of a figure in the distance,
moving on before them elusively, and leaving behind a trail of
enchanting notes.

They turned into the Road of Troubled Children, and far away they
marched. Far away they marched, but the figure on ahead still eluded
them--save that they heard the notes of the pipe clearer and more sweet
and strange.

But at last the figure that led the way could be seen more clearly, and
Everychild murmured to himself; "It is the Pied Piper!" And when this
thought had occurred to him he could scarcely repress his excitement.

The figure in the road before them had now halted, though the dulcet
notes went on and on. It was a truly fascinating person, to say the
least--with a quaint costume, including a funny cap. But presently
Everychild, coming closer to the piper, drew in his breath shortly.

The player on the pipes was the Masked Lady! She might have been
thought to be dreaming as she lifted and lowered her beautiful fingers
where the openings in the pipe were and went on playing. Occasionally
she glanced back to make sure that the children were all there.

And then something very strange occurred. The ranks of children were
augmented by other children. Along the road they came dreamily and
took their places in the procession. They were Little Red Riding-Hood
and the Babes in the Wood (the latter brushing withered leaves from
their garments) and other children whose s