warm from Amor's body.
"Who's real now?" Amor demanded. "Tuck it into your belt," he said, smiling at Michael's astonished face.
"You see—I was right!" said Florimond, as Jane put one hand on his sleeve and the other in Veritain's outstretched palm. She felt the warmth of both and nodded.
"But——" she protested. "How can it be? You are in Once Upon a Time. And that is long ago."
"Oh, no!" said Veritain. "It's always. Do you remember your great-great-great-great-grandmother?"
"Of course not. I am much too young."
"We do," said Florimond, with a smile. "And what about your great-great-great-great-grand-daughter? Will you ever see her, do you think?"
Jane shook her head a little wistfully. That charming far-away little girl—how much she would like to know her!
"We shall," said Veritain confidently.
"But how? You're the children in the story!"
Florimond laughed and shook his head.
"
You
are the children in the story! We've read about you so often, Jane, and looked at the picture and longed to know you. So today—when the book fell open—we simply walked in. We come once into everyone's story—the grand-parents and the grandchildren are all the same to us. But most people take no notice." He sighed. "Or if they do, they forget very quickly. Only a few remember."
Jane's hand tightened on his sleeve. She felt
she
would never forget him, not if she lived to be forty.
"Oh, don't waste time explaining," begged Amor. "We want to explore the picture!"
"We'll lead the way!" cried Michael eagerly, as he seized Amor by the hand. He hardly cared whether he was a real boy or a boy in a story, so long as the golden dagger lay snugly in his belt.
"We'll follow!" cried Veritain, running behind them.
Florimond gave a piercing whistle and tugged at the rein on his arm.
Immediately, as if from nowhere, the Unicorn appeared at his side. Florimond patted the silky neck and, moving off beside Jane, he glanced about him eagerly.
"Look, brothers—over there is the Lake! Do you see Neleus with his Dolphin? And that must be Number Seventeen. We never could see it clearly before," he explained to Jane and Michael. "In the picture it's hidden behind the trees."
"H'm—a very small house," said Amor, gazing.
"But it's solid and friendly," said Veritain kindly.
"And the grounds are very extensive." Florimond made a sweeping gesture and bent to sniff at a rose.
"Now, now! Wot are you doin'!" The Park Keeper, roused from his Forty Winks, sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Observe the rules," he grumbled, stretching. "No pickin' of flowers allowed."
"I wasn't picking. I was just smelling. Though, of course," said Florimond politely, "I would like to have a rose from Jane's garden. As a souvenir, you know!"
"
Jane's
garden?" The Park Keeper stared. "This is no garden. It's a Public Park. And it don't belong to Jane. Souveneer, indeed!" he spluttered. "'Oo do you think you are?"
"Oh, I don't think—I know!" the Prince replied. "I am Florimond, the King's eldest son. These are my brothers—don't you remember? And our task is to fight the Dragon."
The Park Keeper's eyes nearly dropped from his head.
"King's eldest——? Dragon? No dragons allowed in the Public Parks. And no horses, neither!" he added, as his eyes fell on the silvery hooves that were lightly pawing the lawn.
A peal of laughter burst from Amor.
Jane and Michael giggled.
"That's not a horse," Veritain protested. "Can't you see? He's a Unicorn!"
"Now, now!" The Park Keeper heaved to his feet. "I ought to know a Norse when I see one and that's a Norse or I'm a——Lumme!"
The milk-white creature raised its head.
"It is! It
is
a Unycorn! 'Orn and all—just like a picture, I never saw such a thing before—at least——" The Park Keeper wrinkled up his brow as though he were trying to remember something. "No, no," he murmured, "I couldn't have! Not even when I was a boy. A Unycorn! I must make a report. Winkle, where are you? 'Ere, you boys——" He turned to
"Who's real now?" Amor demanded. "Tuck it into your belt," he said, smiling at Michael's astonished face.
"You see—I was right!" said Florimond, as Jane put one hand on his sleeve and the other in Veritain's outstretched palm. She felt the warmth of both and nodded.
"But——" she protested. "How can it be? You are in Once Upon a Time. And that is long ago."
"Oh, no!" said Veritain. "It's always. Do you remember your great-great-great-great-grandmother?"
"Of course not. I am much too young."
"We do," said Florimond, with a smile. "And what about your great-great-great-great-grand-daughter? Will you ever see her, do you think?"
Jane shook her head a little wistfully. That charming far-away little girl—how much she would like to know her!
"We shall," said Veritain confidently.
"But how? You're the children in the story!"
Florimond laughed and shook his head.
"
You
are the children in the story! We've read about you so often, Jane, and looked at the picture and longed to know you. So today—when the book fell open—we simply walked in. We come once into everyone's story—the grand-parents and the grandchildren are all the same to us. But most people take no notice." He sighed. "Or if they do, they forget very quickly. Only a few remember."
Jane's hand tightened on his sleeve. She felt
she
would never forget him, not if she lived to be forty.
"Oh, don't waste time explaining," begged Amor. "We want to explore the picture!"
"We'll lead the way!" cried Michael eagerly, as he seized Amor by the hand. He hardly cared whether he was a real boy or a boy in a story, so long as the golden dagger lay snugly in his belt.
"We'll follow!" cried Veritain, running behind them.
Florimond gave a piercing whistle and tugged at the rein on his arm.
Immediately, as if from nowhere, the Unicorn appeared at his side. Florimond patted the silky neck and, moving off beside Jane, he glanced about him eagerly.
"Look, brothers—over there is the Lake! Do you see Neleus with his Dolphin? And that must be Number Seventeen. We never could see it clearly before," he explained to Jane and Michael. "In the picture it's hidden behind the trees."
"H'm—a very small house," said Amor, gazing.
"But it's solid and friendly," said Veritain kindly.
"And the grounds are very extensive." Florimond made a sweeping gesture and bent to sniff at a rose.
"Now, now! Wot are you doin'!" The Park Keeper, roused from his Forty Winks, sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Observe the rules," he grumbled, stretching. "No pickin' of flowers allowed."
"I wasn't picking. I was just smelling. Though, of course," said Florimond politely, "I would like to have a rose from Jane's garden. As a souvenir, you know!"
"
Jane's
garden?" The Park Keeper stared. "This is no garden. It's a Public Park. And it don't belong to Jane. Souveneer, indeed!" he spluttered. "'Oo do you think you are?"
"Oh, I don't think—I know!" the Prince replied. "I am Florimond, the King's eldest son. These are my brothers—don't you remember? And our task is to fight the Dragon."
The Park Keeper's eyes nearly dropped from his head.
"King's eldest——? Dragon? No dragons allowed in the Public Parks. And no horses, neither!" he added, as his eyes fell on the silvery hooves that were lightly pawing the lawn.
A peal of laughter burst from Amor.
Jane and Michael giggled.
"That's not a horse," Veritain protested. "Can't you see? He's a Unicorn!"
"Now, now!" The Park Keeper heaved to his feet. "I ought to know a Norse when I see one and that's a Norse or I'm a——Lumme!"
The milk-white creature raised its head.
"It is! It
is
a Unycorn! 'Orn and all—just like a picture, I never saw such a thing before—at least——" The Park Keeper wrinkled up his brow as though he were trying to remember something. "No, no," he murmured, "I couldn't have! Not even when I was a boy. A Unycorn! I must make a report. Winkle, where are you? 'Ere, you boys——" He turned to
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