it time for it yet?"

"Yes," said the Tree Man. "It is. _High_ time! Come, put on your cloaks.
It's a cold night."

"But the surprise!" they all cried at once. "We don't want to go home
until we have had the surprise!"

"Oh, the surprise is up in the branches. My mother is there with her
air-boat, waiting to take you all home."

The Forest Children clapped their hands and jumped up and down until
their sandal-laces that were not already loose and flapping came undone
and flapped too. Wild Star sprang towards the stairs, his face alight,
Ivra slipped down from the Tree Man's knee and ran to Eric.

"The Tree Mother! The dear, beautiful Tree Mother! We are to see her and
ride with her!" she cried.

Then she dashed away for her cloak. The Forest Children, with the Tree
Girl's help, were tumbling into theirs, wrong-end-to mostly, ripping off
buckles in their hurry.

"The Tree Mother! The dear Tree Mother!" their little teeth chattered in
ecstasy.

When all were ready they crowded up the straight starlit stairs. At the
top they crawled out through the sky door, one by one, into the
branches. Eric followed Ivra, and saw a great black moth-like thing
poised in air by the tree's top. But it was hollowed like a boat and a