Part 8 (1/2)
O fountain pure and bright, Dance in the joyous sun; And sparkle in your might Until all life is done.
In the winter, cold and dreary, Cease the waters in their play; But the lovers, grey and weary, Seek the tryst of yesterday!
Time and tide flow on for ever, Heedless of man's joy or pain; But beyond the tideless river Trusting hearts will meet again.
O fountain pure and bright, Dance in the joyous sun; And sparkle in your might, Until all life is done.
The voices faded and died away; the scene changed and a purple curtain descended, hiding everything and everybody except the Winny Weg. An extraordinary commotion outside warned the half-dozing children that a fresh flight of goblins might be expected. And sure enough in stalked an army of giants from one side, who were met by an army of dwarfs from the other, the latter on stilts. But the curious thing about them was that the giants had only got one eye, which was stuck on the ends of their noses, while the dwarfs had their eyes where their ears ought to be, and their ears in the place usually reserved for the eyes. Besides which they each had a large horn fixed in the middle of their foreheads.
Both armies expressed surprise at seeing each other, the leaders of which said quite calmly, as though they were asking one another to have a penny bun cut up in four between them--both said quite calmly--
”I suppose we must fight now we have met?”
Upon hearing this the Winny Weg mounted her broom-stick and flew up out of harm's way.
And then commenced the most terrible battle ever seen on land or sea.
They fought with penknives and darning-needles, the battle lasted half an hour, and only one stilt was injured. So they began again, using coal scuttles and tongs, and the din was so fearful, and the giants and the dwarfs got so mixed up that a railway train filled with Shadows of the Past rushed on and sent both armies flying. Then the shadows deepened and deepened, and the lightning flashed, the thunders crashed, the sea roared, and a great red cavern opened and swallowed up everything, including Maude and Willie, who certainly were not quite awake to what was going forward, and all they could recollect of the occurrence was that they saw the winkles and the shrimps on the sea-sh.o.r.e playing at bowls with the c.o.c.kles.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
Part IV
The Land of Topsy Turvey
_In the noon of night, o'er the stormy hills The fairy minstrels play; And the strains replete with fantastic dreams, On the wild gusts flit away.
Then the sleeper thinks, as the dreamful song On the blast to his slumber comes, That his nose as the church's spire is long, And like its organ hums!_ R. D. WILLIAMS.
_Wouldst know what tricks, by the pale moonlight, Are played by one, the merry little Sprite?
I wing through air from the camp to the court, From King to clown, and of all make sport, Singing I am the Sprite Of the merry midnight Who laughs at weak mortals and loves the moonlight._ THOMAS MOORE.
The Land of Topsy Turvey
If Maude and Willie had been in a state of somnolency during their sojourn in Shadow Land, they felt themselves very much awake on reaching the land of Topsy Turvey. They knew they were in Topsy Turvey Land because they were greeted with a jingling chorus to that effect immediately they opened their eyes:--
O this is Topsy Turvey Land, Where ev'ry one is gay and bland, And day is always night.
We welcome to all strangers give, For by their custom we must live, Because we're so polite.
O this is Topsy Turvey Land, And all our goods are in demand, By mortal, fay and sprite.
Our novelties are warranted, And through the land their fame is spread, Because we're so polite.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
Surely they had been whisked back to Charing Cross again without knowing it? The long wide thoroughfare in which the children now found themselves was just like one of the main shopping streets in London.