untain.

Down, down a narrow bypath they clambered, over stones and through
brambles, and interlaced branches. Then they crossed a trout stream
silver clear in the moonlight. The trout were asleep; but when the dwarf
leant over the little stone bridge and whispered a few words--flash and
they were off, far far down the stream; they hid under the rushes and
tree-roots by the banks and quaked for fear. They dreaded the dwarfs and
with reason.

"Boiled trout with a fine butter sauce, that is my favourite dish," said
the little man to Hugo and smacked his lips greedily.

They walked along the beautifully overshadowed pathway by the trout
stream, watching the moonlight on the rippling water, till they left the
brook behind, and came to a green meadow in the centre of which stood a
venerable oak-tree, which still bore green leaves though its trunk was
completely hollow.

The tree was lit from within by a brilliant glow of rosy light. The
dwarf approached on tiptoe, taking off his clumsy shoes, and beckoning
to Hugo to follow him quietly. They peeped through the holes in the
trunk of the tree, and O what a sight they saw!

Twenty or more of the tiniest children, scarcely bigger than my finger,
sat or danced or rolled on the green mossy carpet of the tree-room.
These were the fairy babies, and this was the fairies' nursery. Each
little girl had a dolly made of the loveliest flowers, and a cradle of
green oak leaves, sewed together by grass blades.

The tiny Fee babies lay on their backs and kicked and crowed for joy,
and the biggest of all the fairies present gave them their bottles,
filled with moonshine and honey-dew on which the babies thrive. The boy
elves made the most noise; they had captured a field mouse, a huge
creature it seemed in comparison with them, and they were all trying to
ride on its back at once.

Hugo was so delighted with the lovely sight that he could not resist
calling out "Oh!" in tones of ecstasy. In an instant, puff! the light
went out; a cold fog arose; Hugo saw his dwarf companion change into a
big black bear terrible to behold. Just as our hero thought he was going
to be eaten up, the Kobold resumed his natural form.

"Be silent if you would be wise," he said, and that was all.

They followed the little pathway further through the meadow and into the
woods again, until they came suddenly on a great pile of rocks,
picturesquely heaped up amongst the trees, such as are so common in the
Tau