where
it would not serve to scoop hollows? All that the birds could do, the
Little Ones could learn--except, indeed, to fly!

She spoke to them on the subject, and they heard with approval. They
could already climb the trees, and they had often watched the birds
building their nests! The trees of the forest, although large, did not
look bad! They went up much nearer the sky than those of the giants,
and spread out their arms--some even stretched them down--as if inviting
them to come and live with them! Perhaps, in the top of the tallest,
they might find that bird that laid the baby-eggs, and sat upon them
till they were ripe, then tumbled them down to let the little ones out!
Yes; they would build sleep-houses in the trees, where no giant would
see them, for never by any chance did one throw back his dull head to
look up! Then the bad giants would be sure they had left the country,
and the Little Ones would gather their own apples and pears and figs and
mesples and peaches when they were asleep!

Thus reasoned the Lovers, and eagerly adopted Lona's suggestion--with
the result that they were soon as much at home in the tree-tops as the
birds themselves, and that the giants came ere long to the conclusion
that they had frightened them out of the country--whereupon they forgot
their trees, and again almost ceased to believe in the existence of
their small neighbours.

Lona asked me whether I had not observed that many of the children were
grown. I answered I had not, but could readily believe it. She assured
me it was so, but said the certain evidence that their minds too had
grown since their migration upward, had gone far in mitigation of the
alarm the discovery had occasioned her.

In the last of the short twilight, and later when the moon was shining,
they went down to the valley, and gathered fruit enough to serve them
the next day; for the giants never went out in the twilight: that to
them was darkness; and they hated the moon: had they been able, they
would have extinguished her. But soon the Little Ones found that fruit
gathered in the night was not altogether good the next day; so the
question arose whether it would not be better, instead of pretending to
have left the country, to make the bad giants themselves leave it.

They had already, she said, in exploring the forest, made acquaintance
with the animals in it, and with most of them personally. Knowing
therefore how strong as well as wise and docile so