hem and
wished them "Good day." Then he began to tell them why they had come
to Orleans. Aurelius wondered how it was that this stranger knew so
much about him and his errand. He thought he must be a very wise man
indeed, and leaping from his horse in surprise and joy, he went home
with the Magician to his house. His brother went too.

The house was the finest that Aurelius had ever seen. When he entered
the study he looked in wonder at the rows of books that lined the
walls, and at the quaint pictures and the strange old armor.

In one corner a curious light burned. It was not like the light of a
lamp or of a candle, but cold and blue. Above it hung a map of the
stars, and other strange drawings. Below the light stood a table, and
on it lay a great book which was chained to the wall.

Austin saw Aurelius look at this book. He whispered to him, "It is the
same book from which I read long ago."

This corner with its blue light made Aurelius frightened. A shudder
passed over him when he saw the Magician cross over into the circle of
the light and wave his wand.

In a moment Aurelius forgot all about the Magician and his own fear,
for he and his brother saw before them the edge of a forest with a
park stretching from the trees far, far away.

The sun shone, and the branches waved a little in the breeze. In the
park the brothers saw herds of deer. Beautiful animals they were, with
the highest antlers deer ever had. At first the deer fed in peace and
safety. Then archers, clad in green, came to the edge of the forest.
They glided out and in among the trees to see where they could best
take aim with their arrows. When the archers had let their arrows fly,
hounds broke out from behind them, and soon there was not one living
deer of all the herd left in sight.

In a moment a calm river flowed where the park had been. In the
shallow water at the river's edge tall herons stood. They watched for
the little fishes that swam in the river. Again, into this quiet place
a hunter came. He had no arrows. He had no dogs. But on his wrist he
had an iron bracelet to which one end of a chain was fastened. The
other end of the chain was round a hawk's foot, and the hawk sat on
his master's wrist. When the hunter came near the river he loosed the
chain from the bird's foot. The hawk flew over the river and swooped
down among the herons. In a moment they had all vanished.

Aurelius had scarcely time to sigh, when the river itself was g