still, and a sort of twilight hung over it. There was no sun to be seen at all.
"It feels secret and solemn!" said J o, with a little shiver. "I ’ m not sure if I like it."
"Come on!” said Bessie. "Let ’ s go and find the others and see how we get to know Secrets."
They came to a hill, in which were several coloured doors, set with sparkling stones that glittered in the curious twilight.
"They must be the doors of caves," said J o. "Look!— there are names on the doors."
The children read them. They were queer names.
"W itch Know-a-Lot." "The Enchanter Wise-Man." "Dame Tell-You-All." "Mrs. Hidden." "The Wizard Tall-Hat."
"They all sound awfully clever and wise and learned," said J o. "Hallo! Here ’ s somebody coming."
A tall elf was coming along, carrying a pair of wings. She stopped and spoke to the children.
"Do you know where ' Dame Tell-You-A l l ' lives, please? I want to know how to fasten on these wings and fly with them."
"She lives in that cave. " said Bessie, pointing to where a door had "Dame Tell-You-All" ’ painted on it in big curly letters.
"Thank you," said the elf, and rapped sharply at the door. It opened and she went inside. It shut. In about half a minute it opened again, and out came the elf, this time with the wings on her back. She rose into the air and flew off, waving to the children.
"The Dame ’ s awfully clever!" she cried. "I can fl y now. Look!"
"This is an excit ing place," said Bessie. "Good ness, the things we could learn! I wish I had a pair of wings. I ’ v e a good mind to go and ask Dame Tell-You- Al l how to get some, and then how to fly with them."
"Look!—isn ’ t that old Watzisname coming along?" said J o, suddenly. They looked in the dim distance, and saw that it was indeed Watzisname, looking rather proud. Saucepan was with him, his pans clashing as usual.
"Hi, Watzisname!" called J o, loudly.
Watzisname came up. "My name is not W atzisname," he said a little haughtily. "I ’ ve at last found out what it is. It is a perfectly marvellous name."
"What is it?" asked Bessie.
"It is Kollamoolitoomarellipawkyrollo," said Watzisname, very proudly indeed. "In future please call me by my real name."
"Oh dear—I shall never remember that," said Fanny, and she tried to say it. But she didn ’ t get any further than "Kollamooli.” Nor did the others.
"No wonder everyone called him ' Watzisname ' ," said Bessie to Fanny. "Watzisname, where are Silky and Moon-Face?"
"My name is not Watzisname," said Watzis name, patientl y. "I have told you what it is. Please address me correctly in future."
" He ’ s gone all high-and- mighty," said J o. "Sauc epan, WHERE ARE SILKY AND MOON- FACE?"
"Don ’ t know," said Saucepan, "and don ’ t shout at me like that. I haven ’ t seen Silky or Moon-Face to day."
"Let ’ s have our picnic here, and then go and see if Silky and Moon-Face have come home," said Jo . "I don ’ t think somehow we ’ l l go about finding out Secrets. This Land is a bit too mysterious for me !"
But Connie made up her mind she would find a few Secrets! She would have a bit of fun on her own.
XVII
CONNIE IN TROUBLE
They all sat down on a flowery bank. It was still twilight, which seemed very queer, as J o ’ s watch said the time was half-past twelve in the middle of the day. As they ate, they watched the different visitors coming and going to the cave on the hillside.
There was an old woman who wanted to ask Witch Know-a-Lot the secret of youth, so that she might become young again, and there was a tiny goblin who had once done a wicked thing, and couldn ’ t forget it. He wanted to know the Secret of forgetting, and that is one of the most difficult secrets in the world if you have done something really bad.
The children talked to everyone who passed. It was queer, the different Secrets that people wanted to know. One cross-looking brownie wanted to know the secret of laughter.
"I ’ ve never laughed in my life," he
"It feels secret and solemn!" said J o, with a little shiver. "I ’ m not sure if I like it."
"Come on!” said Bessie. "Let ’ s go and find the others and see how we get to know Secrets."
They came to a hill, in which were several coloured doors, set with sparkling stones that glittered in the curious twilight.
"They must be the doors of caves," said J o. "Look!— there are names on the doors."
The children read them. They were queer names.
"W itch Know-a-Lot." "The Enchanter Wise-Man." "Dame Tell-You-All." "Mrs. Hidden." "The Wizard Tall-Hat."
"They all sound awfully clever and wise and learned," said J o. "Hallo! Here ’ s somebody coming."
A tall elf was coming along, carrying a pair of wings. She stopped and spoke to the children.
"Do you know where ' Dame Tell-You-A l l ' lives, please? I want to know how to fasten on these wings and fly with them."
"She lives in that cave. " said Bessie, pointing to where a door had "Dame Tell-You-All" ’ painted on it in big curly letters.
"Thank you," said the elf, and rapped sharply at the door. It opened and she went inside. It shut. In about half a minute it opened again, and out came the elf, this time with the wings on her back. She rose into the air and flew off, waving to the children.
"The Dame ’ s awfully clever!" she cried. "I can fl y now. Look!"
"This is an excit ing place," said Bessie. "Good ness, the things we could learn! I wish I had a pair of wings. I ’ v e a good mind to go and ask Dame Tell-You- Al l how to get some, and then how to fly with them."
"Look!—isn ’ t that old Watzisname coming along?" said J o, suddenly. They looked in the dim distance, and saw that it was indeed Watzisname, looking rather proud. Saucepan was with him, his pans clashing as usual.
"Hi, Watzisname!" called J o, loudly.
Watzisname came up. "My name is not W atzisname," he said a little haughtily. "I ’ ve at last found out what it is. It is a perfectly marvellous name."
"What is it?" asked Bessie.
"It is Kollamoolitoomarellipawkyrollo," said Watzisname, very proudly indeed. "In future please call me by my real name."
"Oh dear—I shall never remember that," said Fanny, and she tried to say it. But she didn ’ t get any further than "Kollamooli.” Nor did the others.
"No wonder everyone called him ' Watzisname ' ," said Bessie to Fanny. "Watzisname, where are Silky and Moon-Face?"
"My name is not Watzisname," said Watzis name, patientl y. "I have told you what it is. Please address me correctly in future."
" He ’ s gone all high-and- mighty," said J o. "Sauc epan, WHERE ARE SILKY AND MOON- FACE?"
"Don ’ t know," said Saucepan, "and don ’ t shout at me like that. I haven ’ t seen Silky or Moon-Face to day."
"Let ’ s have our picnic here, and then go and see if Silky and Moon-Face have come home," said Jo . "I don ’ t think somehow we ’ l l go about finding out Secrets. This Land is a bit too mysterious for me !"
But Connie made up her mind she would find a few Secrets! She would have a bit of fun on her own.
XVII
CONNIE IN TROUBLE
They all sat down on a flowery bank. It was still twilight, which seemed very queer, as J o ’ s watch said the time was half-past twelve in the middle of the day. As they ate, they watched the different visitors coming and going to the cave on the hillside.
There was an old woman who wanted to ask Witch Know-a-Lot the secret of youth, so that she might become young again, and there was a tiny goblin who had once done a wicked thing, and couldn ’ t forget it. He wanted to know the Secret of forgetting, and that is one of the most difficult secrets in the world if you have done something really bad.
The children talked to everyone who passed. It was queer, the different Secrets that people wanted to know. One cross-looking brownie wanted to know the secret of laughter.
"I ’ ve never laughed in my life," he
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