ms, she thought how wonderfully quiet that little glade was, and
felt somewhat surprised to find no Bush creatures to keep her company.

Some time before Dot woke, her dreams became confused and strange.
There seemed to be great crowds of them, and the murmur of many voices
talking together. As she gradually awakened, she realised that the
voices were real, and not a part of her dreams. There was a great
hubbub, a fluttering of wings, and rustling of leaves and grass.
Through all this confusion, odd sentences became clear to her drowsy
senses. Such phrases as, "You'd better perch here?" "This isn't your
place!" "Go over there!" "No! no! I'm sure I'm right! the Welcome
Swallow says so." "Has anyone gone for the opossum?" "He says the Court
ought to be held at night!" "Don't make such a noise or you will wake
the prisoner!" "Who is to be the judge?" This last enquiry provoked
such a noise of diverse opinions, that Dot became fully awake, and
sitting up, gazed around with eyes full of astonishment.

When she had fallen asleep there had not been a creature near her; but
now she was literally hemmed in on every side by birds and small
animals. The branches of the fallen tree were covered with a feathered
company, and in the open space between it and Dot's nook, was a
constantly increasing crowd of larger birds, such as cranes, plover,
duck, turkey-buzzards, black swan, and amongst them a great grave
Pelican. The animals were few, and apparently came late. There was a
little timid Wallaby, a Bandicoot, some Kangaroo Rats, a shy Wombat who
grumbled about the daylight, as also did a Native Bear and an Opossum,
who were really driven to the gathering by a bevy of screaming parrots.

Dot was wide awake at once with delight. Nearly every creature she had
ever heard of seemed to be present, and the brilliant colours of the
parrots and parrakeets made the scene as gay as a rainbow in a summer
noonday sky.

"Oh! you darlings!" she said, "how good of you all to come and see me!"

This greeting from Dot caused an instant silence amongst the creatures,
and she could not help seeing that they looked very uncomfortable.
There was soon a faint whispering from bird to bird, which rose higher
and higher, until Dot made out that they were all saying, "She ought to
be told!" "You tell her!" "No, you tell her yourself, it's not my
business!" and every bird--for it was the birds who by reason of their
larger numbers took the lead in