friends here.
It is pleasure enough for me to have just this glimpse of your
beautiful fairyland."

The Guardian nodded his approval of this speech.

"Very well," he answered, "you shall remain and visit with me. If all
forest birds were like you, my friend, there would be little danger in
admitting them into our society. But they are not, and the laws must be
regarded. As for the child-larks, I will send them first to the King,
in charge of the Royal Messenger, whom I will now summon."

He tossed his head upward with an abrupt motion, and in the tree-top a
chime of golden bells rang musically in the air. The flowers beneath
them caught up the refrain, and sang it softly until another bird came
darting through the air and alighted on the golden limb beside the
Guardian.

The newcomer was differently garbed from the other. His plumage was
orange and white, the crest and wing-feathers being tipped with bright
blue. Nor was he so large as the Guardian, nor so dignified in
demeanor. Indeed, his expression was rather merry and roguish, and as
he saw the strangers he gave a short, sharp whistle of surprise.

"My dear Ephel," said the Guardian, "oblige me by escorting these
child-larks to the presence of his Majesty the King."

"I am delighted to obey your request," answered Ephel the Messenger,
brightly. Then, turning to Twinkle and Chubbins, he added: "I trust you
will find my society agreeable during our flight to the royal monarch
of Paradise."

Twinkle was too much embarrassed by this politeness to answer at once,
but Chubbins said "Sure thing!" in a matter-of-fact voice, and the
Messenger nodded gaily and continued:

"Then we will go, if it pleases you."

He spread his wings in a flash of color and sped away into the
Paradise, and the children eagerly followed him.

[CHAPTER XIII] _The King Bird_

More and more magnificence was unfolded as they advanced into this
veritable fairyland of the birds. Vines of silver climbed up the golden
trunks of trees and mingled their twining threads with the brilliant
leaves. And now upon the trees appeared jewelled blossoms that sparkled
most exquisitely in the rosy-hued radiance that, in this favored spot,
had taken the place of sunshine. There were beds of plants with
wide-spreading leaves that changed color constantly, one hue slowly
melting into another and no two leaves on the same plant having the
same color at the same time. Yet in spite of the vivid coloring t